Experiences with Freight from Harbor Freight Tools
John Gilmer
interesting.
I am thinking of ordering some HEAVY stuff (a trailer, a generator) but the
only deliveries I have even taken have been FedEx, UPS, USPS, or stuff from
Lowe's and the like.
How does it work? Does someone call the day before? Does the driver
unload the truck and place the item where I want or does he just drop it in
the middle of the driveway?
Enquiring Minds Want To Known (EMWTK)
Steve Dunlop
notice, usually in the morning, and get the freight to the back
of the truck. The rest is up to you and they get cross if you
make them wait. If you're not there when they show up,
they will charge you to make another delivery attempt.
There is a big difference between freight companies, though.
Some offer ground-level delivery service for an extra charge,
usually using trucks with a ramp or lift. Some drivers will help
you unload an item that is too heavy for one person to lift,
others won't. Some freight companies don't serve rural areas.
Some don't serve customers who are not a "business."
Some carriers will hold the freight at a terminal and let
you come get it. None of them like to do this. They will
expect you to have a dock-high truck or trailer for them
to load the freight onto with a forklift.
Regional carriers tend as a rule to be more service oriented
than large nationwide carriers.
All but a handful of carriers use small semi's (with a short
wheelbase tractor and a "pup" trailer) for delivery. If a semi can't
be safely and legally driven to your address, they won't come.
I have been in dozens of freight terminals and have only seen
two straight (non-semi) delivery trucks. These were both
in mountainous areas where truck length was a problem on
some routes.
The best way to deal with this, is to have the freight delivered
to a friend's business or a business where you are a regular
and valued customer, and have them hold it until you come
get it. You want to try to pick some place where they receive
big freight all the time and won't be inconvenienced by it - implement
dealer, auto body shop, machine shop, auto parts place, junk
yard, car dealer, etc.
Steve
db...@sprynet.com
i ordered a steam cleaner years ago, like one half of a hot water
heater, but alot heavier. it was in 1973. it cost me about $20 to pay
to the truck driver and he had it on a hand cart and rolled in into my
garage about 10 feet from the street. when i was working for a large
communications company they would get a load of about two or three
pallets of paper forms. the truck driver would just pull up to the
driveway and the workers in the building would use the fork lift and get
it out of the truck, dont know what they would have done it the company
did not have a fork lift?
Chuck Simmons
Harbor Freight is a mixed bag. I have some very good tools from them and
I have some junk from them.
As to shipping heavy stuff. Trucking companies vary a lot. When I
shipped a milling machine to myself, I had to get somebody with a truck
to help me at the freight depot. With only two men, my friend with the
truck and I had to pull the thing all the way down to two man chunks to
get it off of his truck. When I shipped a Sheldon engine lathe to
myself, I talked the trucking company into bringing it to me on a lift
gate truck. The lathe was dumped in the driveway and I had to move the
thing into the shop alone (can you say jacks and and pipes?). Chucks and
heavy tooling were easier because most drivers will help. For Harbor
Freight items, I want to see it before I buy it. The range is junk to
top quality. I have about 30% Harbor Freight tools. I also have Enco.
But when I need a really high quality tool, you find me at Shop Tools
standing in line with professional machinists.
Chuck
--
... The times have been,
That, when the brains were out,
the man would die. ... Macbeth
Chuck Simmons chr...@webaccess.net
wmbjk
"John Gilmer" <gil...@crosslink.net> wrote in message
news:3b858246$0$13...@dingus.crosslink.net...
We're too far from town to make to-the-door delivery economical. So we instruct
the shipper to deliver to any freight terminal in town. Have used two of these
on multiple occasions. Both have ground-level doors, and are very co-operative
in loading the shipment onto my truck or trailer. I'm not sure that anyone can
say how YOUR freight delivery would go. It may come on a smaller truck with a
lift-gate and a savvy driver. Or it may arrive in a 40 footer with an ornery
fool at the wheel. If you can specify the freight company in advance, you can
call them and ask what they'll use. FWIW, I took delivery of a crate about
25X4X4 ft. once (to my door). I had a backhoe on hand to off-load (which was
definitely a little funky), and the driver was fairly helpful even though it was
raining.
Wayne
JeB
>> I got a Harbor Freight catalog a few weeks and some of the stuff looks
>> interesting.
>>
>>
>
>Harbor Freight is a mixed bag. I have some very good tools from them and
>I have some junk from them.
>
my experience also.
Alpha Wolf
says...
> We're too far from town to make to-the-door delivery economical. So we instruct
> the shipper to deliver to any freight terminal in town. Have used two of these
> on multiple occasions. Both have ground-level doors, and are very co-operative
> in loading the shipment onto my truck or trailer. I'm not sure that anyone can
> say how YOUR freight delivery would go. It may come on a smaller truck with a
> lift-gate and a savvy driver. Or it may arrive in a 40 footer with an ornery
> fool at the wheel. If you can specify the freight company in advance, you can
> call them and ask what they'll use. FWIW, I took delivery of a crate about
> 25X4X4 ft. once (to my door). I had a backhoe on hand to off-load (which was
> definitely a little funky), and the driver was fairly helpful even though it was
> raining.
>
> Wayne
You had me believing that story until the part about the rain. ;o)
--
Greg Wolf
"Is there anyone I haven't offended yet?"
-- Mort Sahl
John Gilmer
company. They claim "free shipping" in the lower 48.
I wanted to know whether they 1) delivered as promised and 2) whether the
trucker made an effort to call ahead and get the load down to where you can
move it yourself.
Chuck Simmons
If a shipment is too large or heavy for the express carriers, they will
use a motor freight company just as I do for heavy stuff. The motor
freight company will usually off load at a depot and use a bobtail, if
possible, to deliver. They will call, in my experience, to arrange drop
at destination. Normally this is covered but you should order by phone
so that you know that for sure. The biggest complication with trucking
companies is what they can bring to the party. If unloading will need a
fork lift, you may have to arrange that. Most carry pallet jacks so a
lift gate, if available, and a pallet jack will do for unloading a few
thousand pounds. If you don't have unloading equipment, then pick your
delivery up at the freight depot and get it off of your own truck. I
have done it both ways. Harbor Freight will use a major interstate
trucking company. What the trucking company can and will do depends on
available equipment at the depot and what it is to be delivered.
What I'm saying is that the trucking company will make an effort to
deliver but you have to have an unloading strategy. It's your dime to
get it off the truck and you have to be ready for that.
BTW, it's always the same. The shipper loads and the customer unloads.
The major exception is using a home mover for heavy stuff but they are
too expensive for ordinary freight. The only company I ever saw use home
movers for customer delivery was IBM.
I personally have mostly used Yellow Freightline. They have been
reasonable about delivery but I always have to alert them to the fact
that I don't have a loading dock and negotiate from there. Once the
crate gets off their dock in your truck or on the ground in front of
your house, you are on your own.
I have more than once torn down a crate in the driveway so I could get
jacks under an item in order to move it. (I am 120 pounds soaking wet in
combat boots so I don't lift heavy things - it does not hurt my pride to
change 24" lathe chucks with a crane.)
I don't have a problem with this. It's the way motor freight works.
Chuck
BTW, I have had two big scares with freight. The first was a 14,000
pound lathe that tipped over in the process of moving it from the truck.
One of the ten or so men helping was nearly crushed. The other was
taking my ancient Sheldon engine lathe down a ramp off of a truck. My
heart was in my throat as I watched it skid down the ramp out of
control. It survived with no damage but I was a vegetable for a couple
of hours.
Chuck Simmons
>
> On Fri, 24 Aug 2001 16:55:39 GMT, jiva*@humboldt1.com (JeB) wrote:
>
> > my experience also.
>
> I can't argue with that.
>
> I will warn everyone to be careful going into a HF retail store. I went only
> once, and my wife like to have never got me to leave. My wallet was a lot
> lighter and my pickup truck was squatting pretty low when I left. What a toy
> store for men! I'll never go there again. Next time I need a tool, I'll
> send my wife or just order on line from now on.
>
> "From the Heart of Cajun Country".
>
> Bob
I don't have that problem. I mistrust quality on quite a few items I
might otherwise want. I bought a magnetic base dial indicator from them
and a micrometer to throw in a rough tool bag that I carry in the truck
and those are fine. I bought a set of T handle hex wrenches and they
were not hardened so they are scrap. I bought a set of ball end L shaped
hex wrenches and they are hardened and work fine. I bought an electric
die grinder and it is fine for what I bought it to do but is worthless
for any serious grinding. I really like to see the item before buying
it. Very satisfactory have been an articulated desk lamp with magnifier
and a $9.95 DVOM that I have bought three of. Harbor Freight is hit and
miss like others selling import tools. I am very sensitive to quality
for the particular job so you will find, digging through my tools,
Craftsman (most over 20 years old), Klein and Son, Xcelite, KDK,
Mitutoyo, Brown and Sharp, Snapon, Bundhus, Federal, Armstrong and other
top names. You will also find a lot of odd junk of indifferent name. I
get the tool for the job and that may not be the medium or low quality
tool.
db...@sprynet.com
the stuff, some items in the catalog look pretty good until you see it
in person and then it looks like junk and some of the other stuff seems
well maybe and after looking at it and feeling it you say, hey this is
too good to be true: i was going to pay about $60 for a battery impact
wrech to change flat tires, went to the store and was going to get one
for $39, it was sale in catalog for $19.95, and they did not have any.
but they gave me a $49 one a little more power for the $19.95 price,
could not believe how good it worked for 20 bill?
Chuck Simmons
>
> On Sat, 25 Aug 2001 19:55:11 -0600, Chuck Simmons <chr...@webaccess.net>
> wrote:
>
> >Craftsman (most over 20 years old), Klein and Son, Xcelite, KDK,
> >Mitutoyo, Brown and Sharp, Snapon, Bundhus, Federal, Armstrong and other
> >top names. You will also find a lot of odd junk of indifferent name. I
> >get the tool for the job and that may not be the medium or low quality
> >tool.
>
> manager, so I recognize all those brands.
>
> "From the Heart of Cajun Country".
>
> Bob
Actually, all that stuff has been collected over 40 years of being a
weekend machinist and mechanic along with being an electronic engineer
with no technician in the lab. To round this out, I tune pianos
occasionally. So, for example, if I am adjusting the rear axle bearing
nuts on a 1 ton truck, I use a Harbor Freight or Enco dial indicator, If
I am setting up a job on a Hardinge dovetail bed lathe, I use my best
Federal indicator or my Mitutoyo test indicator.
Kenneth W. Dicks
I have used both Northern Tool and Harbor to equip my shop. Quality sometimes was
not the best, but they were cheap, and the plan was to replace with good stuff as
the cheap failed. I have not replaced much! I have a Northern outlet store about
60 miles from my house. I stop by to see what they have and then go on to the
retail store if I do not find what I need.
To unload heavy items, I have called in a flatbed auto wrecker, the move from the
truck to the wrecker is about level and then you can tilt the wrecker to get the
large item to the ground with the aid of the winch.
kwd/KE9CS
http://users.wwt.net/~dicksk/
Chuck Simmons
>
> >
>
> I have used both Northern Tool and Harbor to equip my shop. Quality sometimes was
> not the best, but they were cheap, and the plan was to replace with good stuff as
> the cheap failed. I have not replaced much! I have a Northern outlet store about
> 60 miles from my house. I stop by to see what they have and then go on to the
> retail store if I do not find what I need.
>
> To unload heavy items, I have called in a flatbed auto wrecker, the move from the
> truck to the wrecker is about level and then you can tilt the wrecker to get the
> large item to the ground with the aid of the winch.
>
> kwd/KE9CS
> http://users.wwt.net/~dicksk/
>
> >
> > BTW, I have had two big scares with freight. The first was a 14,000
> > pound lathe that tipped over in the process of moving it from the truck.
> > One of the ten or so men helping was nearly crushed. The other was
> > taking my ancient Sheldon engine lathe down a ramp off of a truck. My
> > heart was in my throat as I watched it skid down the ramp out of
> > control. It survived with no damage but I was a vegetable for a couple
> > of hours.
Wreckers of both sorts are good. In the first instance above, however,
we had the lathe inside the building and the biggest thing you could get
in the building was a small car or truck. The accident occured in
removing the lathe from the pallet when it was near final position. The
second case was not really my choice. I had wanted to go rent a heavy
comealong and wedge a timber in the truck. That has worked well for me
controlling heavy loads down a ramp. The lack of the comealong was due
to time pressure my helper was under.
Chuck
DEN
when we bought the 8' trailer kit we had it delivered to work. it comes on
a big truck and they don't like to make house calls.
putting it together wasn't too difficult, though we did add a few extra
holes to strenghen the frame. Spent almost as much as the trailer cost on
treated lumber for the deck and rails.
DEN
Right. The twenty buck angle grinder was a great find, but the chain saw
sharpener didn't fit right and I never used it.