Harbor Freight tools thread.

Good review on all of the following, I think I’m going to pay the extra cash and get a name brand WDH

 

Here's a similar capacity one by Reese that's on sale:

https://www.campingworld.com/pro-se...-kit-1200-lb-tongue-weight-capacity?rrec=true

They have a lighter duty one at the same place by curt too, not sure what kind of weight you're planning to haul. The hitch should be fairly closely matched with the load and you don't want to use a super heavy duty one for a lighter load. I'd trust them over anything at hf, even though the big names are probably Chinese made as well, and the pricing is similar enough.

If you Google it you can find some pretty good pricing on the big names if you are willing to wait on shipping.

 

Trailer weighs 3300 dry with tongue weight of 360

 

...SWEET, something about that color.

 

Your posting brought back fond memories of being young and the wonders of making my pinewood derby car with my dad in Cub Scouts.

 

I have been wanting to stiffen up my tailgate as you have done. How hard was it to install that on your tailgate and how do you like it?

 

Believe it or not, I have that exact one down in my cellar after pulling out of Harbor Freights trash dumpster, but haven't used it yet.

 

Can't go wrong with an HF floor jack, especially if you can afford the Daytona line. I used mine when I replaced a stripped wheel stud and worked great, but be sure to check the hydraulic oil before first use.

 

It was super easy. Just laid the stock one over the wood and traced then cut it out. Its actually wood flooring I had laying around. Its not very stiff at all it flexes quite a bit but its held up for 6+ months of me standing on it all the time. I did it just to have a flat surface and thought it looked cool.

 

That would be nice if you use your bed for camping and sit on it a lot.

 

Looks great. How much was it?

 

You might consider the lower spec weight distro hitch then:
https://www.campingworld.com/curt-weight-distribution-hitch-round-bar

The one at HF and the one I linked before based on that are rated to about double what our trucks are rated for. If you have the tow package then you're rated to tow... I think it's 600lb. tongue weight and 6,000 gross??

A heavier duty rated one WILL work for a lighter trailer and probably help but it's sort of like using a really heavy spring for something that isn't actually all that heavy, the torsion springs won't flex as much as the lighter rated ones would and might cause the combination to be very firm and buck at the connection point and not give as stable a ride. Your target should be something that's rated to about 25% greater to twice the weight that you're actually trying to tow and/or near or a little over the total rated capacity of the towing vehicle (the truck).

Note that if I am remembering the tow specs correctly the tow weight specs pretty precisely match the specs for the Curt Weight distro hitch I'm linking to above making it a pretty good fit all around. As far as I have always understood it a weight distro hitch is not intended to allow you to exceed your tow rating, just to help make towing loads on the heavier side of that rating more stable. I mean, if you're gonna go over your tow limit anyway (I have) it certainly doesn't hurt to have a weight distro hitch to help out!



So anyway your trailer is only just over half of that total tow rating for the truck. If your trailer load is well centered on the axle and everything configured well you probably don't need a weight distro hitch, I've towed more weight than that several times without one without any real issues. That said, a weight distro hitch can help cover little cargo issues and make the overall experience a little more civilized. If you're having any issues while towing you might look into the rear suspension, particularly the stock leaf springs on our trucks are garbage, how the weight in whatever you are towing is distributed, and relative heights of the trailer, truck, and ball mount. Weight distro hitches exist though exactly because some of these things CAN'T really be changed (e.g. where the weight is in a camper can't always be adjusted like it can in a cargo trailer).


So, you haven't completely described what you're towing and what you're trying to deal with. Most people are trying to control sway, diving, or lifting. Weight distro hitches inherently help deal with all of those issues and to some degree with unwanted sway when towing heavier loads. If you're having minor sway issues after handling the other basic stuff that you can, then a basic weight distro hitch SHOULD help. They tend to just smooth things out.

If you're having more significant sway issues then you might want to spend a little extra dough on a unit that has an actual sway control device, like this one:
https://www.campingworld.com/pro-se...tion-hitch-kit-750-lb-tongue-weight?rrec=true

That thing that looks a bit like a shock helps limit how easy it is for the trailer to turn and helps deal with trailer sway. Note that the spec is just over the max spec of the OEM hitch on the Toyota which also makes it a pretty good choice and again, Reese is a pretty reputable manufacturer. It's a little heavy duty for the trailer you're towing but not wildly so and will give more wiggle room for cargo, wet weight, and possible future stuff.

The links I'm including here are more for example, I'm not trying to say just buy one of those from that site, but giving you some ideas of stuff that's out there and things to consider.

Source: I tow stuff. I'm not the world's greatest expert on it though!

 

$449 for the 44” box.

$199 for the end cabinet.

 

Looks like I need one

 

Picked this up earlier last week and assembled it today




Should compliment their 44" box nicely


Also manage to destroy the 20 ton press trying to use it as a press brake with 1/4" steel lol

 

Great looking shop. More importantly what's currently on tap...

 

I was just going to ask if it's a Danby? It look familiar.

 

Thanks, right now currently nothing sadly lol, this weekend I'm going to get a 1/4 keg of something though not sure what to get yet

It is indeed, a gift from another fellow TW member to boot

 

I went to Northern Tool today, its like a higher end HF. They had a couple good things but a little more expensive. Quality seems better too. I have to do more research on their stuff before i pull the trigger on Jack stands other tools.

 

I have a few things from them, namely; 2 ton engine hoist, 1/2 ton transmission jack, 12 ton jack stands, 6 ton jack stands, 2 ton tripod jack, jumper cables, retractable cord reel, and a few other smaller things. I've been pretty happy with everything I've gotten from them. Only had one issue with the transmission jack leaking, they sent a new one to me and a freight truck to pick up the old one at no charge. There no stores near me in NJ so everything I get has to be shipped, so I usually wait to get something when I can get a discounted shipping fee or a good coupon.