Harbor Freight has come out with a new 34″ “full bank service cart.” At first glance, the new US General full bank service cart looks very different from a traditional service cart, and much more like an enhanced rolling single-bay tool box.
Harbor Freight advertises that these new tool boxes feature the storage capacity of a roller cabinet, but with the mobility of a tool cart.
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Compared to a standard single-bay tool box or roller cabinet, these service carts also have all swivel wheels – instead of 2 swivel and 2 fixed – and a deep top lid compartment. Compared to a service cart, the full bank cart is taller, and with drawers top-to-bottom.
Sections
Features & Specs
Color Options
Pricing & Availability
Benefits of a Full Bank Service Cart?
US General Price Comparison
Compared to Snap-on
Discussion
Intro Video
Full Bank Features and Specifications
The new US General service cart tool boxes measure 34-1/4″ wide x 23-1/4″ deep x 46-1/2″ tall. The top compartment has a 7″ depth and 90° lid that’s supported with 2 gas struts.
An integrated locking lever, located at the rear of the top compartment, allows users to quickly secure the drawers for when the tool cart needs to be moved. There’s also a pass-thru grommet so that you can place a power strip inside the top compartment and still be able to close the lid.
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There are also 20 holes of different sizes on both sides, for fitting pry bars, screwdrivers, or long extensions up to 31″ long.
There are 6 drawers. The top 5 drawers are each 3-3/4″ tall, with 100 lb weight capacity, and the bottom drawer is 6-3/4″ tall with a 200 lb weight capacity thanks to its double set of slides.
The carts have 5-inch soft roll swivel casters (2 locking), and a total load rating of 1200 lbs.
Each tool box also features corner guards, an ergonomic handle, and keyed barrel lock.
US General Tool Cart Color Options
- Black: 57517
- Red: 58073
- Blue: 58072
- Yellow: 58743
- Orange: 58744
- Green: 58071
Pricing and Availability
All of the colors are now available for online or in-store purchasing. If you order online, freight shipping fees will apply, and there’s also an in-store ordering option for free pickup.
Launch Price: $700
Price: $600 (as of January 2022)
Drawer liners are included.
A variety of color-matched accessories are available, including power strips and magnetic trays and holders.
Harbor Freight covers these US General tool cabinets with a 90-day warranty.
Update: What are the Benefits of a Full Bank Service Cart?
I reached out to Harbor Freight with some questions after this post was first published, and they shared some additional details and insights.
On the surface, this looks like a larger single-bay roller cabinet but with 4x swivel casters, a top compartment with hinged lid, and inner lid drop-in storage for pry bars, screwdrivers, and similar tools up to 31″ long.
What’s the big deal about these service carts? Who are the target users? These service carts are also double the price of the single-bay Series 2 cabinets. Are there any differences in quality or construction?
From strictly a width perspective we can understand your point but it is so much more than that. The full bank cart is 6″ taller and 1-1/2″ deeper than the 44″ , the storage capacity on the full bank is 18,700 cubic inches vs the 44″ at 14,000 cubic inches.
Hold on a second. This cart holds more than the 44″ tool box? Up to 33.6% more?!
Combining some of the images from Harbor Freight’s intro video, I can definitely now see where their “storage capacity of a roller cabinet, but with the mobility of a tool cart” claim comes from.
The full bank storage cart has considerably more storage capacity than the 44″ rolling cabinet, with much of the difference being located in the cart’s top lid compartment.
This isn’t a new category of hybrid tool cart, and I can definitely see its appeal – this looks to be the best of both worlds as far as mobile tool storage goes. With all swivel casters and an almost 2:3 rectangular form factor, it’s going to be highly mobile. That’s also why it also has corner guards, to help protect the tool box and any vehicle, project, or anything else in the work environment.
This is a tool box that’s meant to be moved around. The same can’t be said about every tool box just because they have casters.
The cost per cubic inch [of storage capacity] on the 44” is $.0357, the cost per cubic inch on the full bank cart is $.0374.
For $.0017 more per cubic inch ($31.79) the customer gets the flip up lid, two gas springs, full width drawer pull system, prybar storage, 4 swivel casters, the ability to add power not to mention the integrated bumper system.
While this does make sense, storage volume isn’t everything. Factors such as drawer count, with each drawer requiring additional construction and its own set of ball bearing drawers, can add to a tool box’s pricing.
There do look to be a lot of added components and production steps that go into the cart, but is it enough to justify the price difference?
The full bank cart has been a carefully thought-out product, targeting the automotive technicians, and we’ve added the most sought after features for a large full bank cart. We feel the price for the amount of storage capacity and all of the features I mentioned make this cart a tremendous value.
US General Tool Box Price Comparison
The hugely popular US General Series 2 double bank rolling cabinet tool boxes are currently priced at $500. This puts it $200 lower than the new full bank tool cart. It features 13 drawers, 5-inch casters, and a total storage capacity of 14,000 cubic inches.
The single-bay US General rolling tool box features 8 drawers, 5-inch casters, and a $310 price tag. it has a total storage capacity of 9,800 cubic inches.
At $700, the new full bank service cart is more than double the price of the single bay tool box, but it also wider, taller, deeper, and it offers up to 18,700 cubic inches of storage capacity.
Compared to Snap-on
Harbor Freight advertises that their new US General service carts compare to Snap-on’s KRSC326 tool storage carts, which are priced at $1750.
The USA-made Snap-on carts have slightly different measurements – they’re 32-11/16″ wide x 20-1/2″ deep x 46″ tall. In other words, the Harbor Freight US General tool box is taller, wider, and deeper.
I am also told that the lid on the US General cart is made with thicker metal.
A comparison of the overall weights show that the Harbor Freight cart is heavier, possibly due to the dimensional differences.
Here’s a summary:
Discussion
Now that we’ve had some time to digest more of the details and insights surrounding the new US General full bank service cart, it does look to be a very compelling solution for users seeking a spacious tool box that’s also highly mobile.
The pricing seems a little high, when you can get a 13-drawer 44″ tool box for $200 less.
Harbor Freight put things into interesting perspective, showing that there’s a very slight difference when comparing things in terms of dollar per cubic inch of storage capacity.
The 34″ full bank service cart has a product weight of 258 lbs, and the 44″ tool cabinet has a product weight of 291 lbs.
The 44″ roller cabinet has more drawers, while the 34″ tool cart has added features and maybe also greater complexity.
It’s a moot point to really compare various US General products like this, however, given how differently they are intended to be used.
I think there’s a limit as to how easy it is to move a 34″ cart around, but the all-swivel casters and soft-roll wheels are going to make a difference, compared to trying to move a 44″ roller cabinet around.
Even 26″ roller cabinets are not typically highly mobile. This full bank service cart is larger, and it also has a 7″ deep top storage compartment.
I think we’ve all become hung up on cost. Is this new service cart proportionally priced compared to Harbor Freight’s other US General products? No, unless you only look at pricing with respect to total storage volume.
While we all tend to look at component costs, we shouldn’t lose sight of how different this cart is compared to roller cabinets and traditional service carts.
If this type of tool storage works for you, that’s what matters. Well, that, and how the pricing compares to other like-featured models.
It will be interesting to see if these full bank service carts become as popular as some of Harbor Freight’s other US General tool boxes and carts.
I also wouldn’t be too surprised to see a coupon or price change at some point, which is what happened with the ICON series of tool storage products.
Intro Video
Greg
Price seems rather high, considering you can get the 44 In. X 22 In. Double Bank Roller Cabinet for $200 less.
Jared
Just some context to consider – this is new. Most tools launch at higher pricing than where they might be in a few years.
Judd
I agree, that just doesn’t look like enough box to justify the price. While I have no doubts about its functionality and durability (US General boxes have convinced many, myself included), I just can’t see $700 there. Another thing to consider is lead time, by many accounts, the lead time to receive any of HF’s boxes after ordering has been in the months, completely unacceptable, and I’m skeptical of these being any different.
Jared
Looks good! I’m surprised they can get away with making something that looks so much like Snap-on’s version.
I like the design with the internal slots for pry bars and integrated rubber corner guards.
I know you mentioned they will have color-matched accessories, but will Harbour freight be carrying the accessories shown in the video (e.g. magnetic glove dispensor, tray, can holder, etc.) in all six colors these carts come in? That would be cool, but seems like a lot of redundancy.
I know modding the US General carts for more drawers gets talked about on a certain tool forum a lot – this would accomplish the same thing for less.
Kent Skinner
I recently saw those kind of accessories on the regular line of service carts, all color matched. I’m guessing that the new carts are the same colors as the existing.
Steve
Yes, they have those accessories in all of their toolbox and tool cart colors.
Jared
Thanks fellows.
Stuart
Harbor Freight US General tool storage products are usually available in the same exact colors, plus white for some product lines. If the colors here look different, it’s because these carts have black drawer pulls instead of the usual silver.
If you search for “US General blue” on the HF website or similar, all of their color-matched tool cabinets and accessory products should pop up. Swap “blue” for any other color to see the same in different colors.
Robin
They also sell the Black Drawer Pull covers. They are around $10. I don’t know what they fit though, they usually have them displayed around the 5 drawer tool carts, so if you wanted them for another tool box you may have to buy multiples.
Mopar4wd
As some one with a 4 drawer cart that I really like, I could see this as an upgrade for my car repair box that I roll into the driveway. But the price is too high for me. That’s a big jump from the 5 drawer and regular roller bases. I think 400-450 would be about my limit.
Nathan
Agreed.
I’m getting further into the rabbit hole of motorsports and am starting to take more tools to the tracks than will fit in my hand carried tool boxes. I’m looking at tool carts to take on a trailer and that 5 drawer is at the top of my list.
This one would be a better fit for what I’m after but I don’t think it’s worth the extra money.
Luke H
You can get a 5 drawer service cart (which I prefer because I can store some of my tractor fluids that come in larger jugs on the bottom shelf) and do the end-cabinet mod that is popular on some forums and be all in for $480 ($239 for each piece). This seems like it would give you more options for storage and still save you over $200.
The castors on the $700 unit above just don’t look beefy enough to roll around on a concrete floor from place to place. Maybe I’m wrong though.
candrews
Since we’re on the topic, I occasionally see very good quality tool chests at Costco and occasionally at Sam’s Club. I just got the one below marked down to $699, and I’m hugely impressed.
https://www.costco.com/torin-redline-42%22-rolling-toolbox-.product.100702023.html
Jared
I’ve been eyeing the “Kirkland Signature” tool chest at Costco. Seems like the biggest bang for your buck by far.
Interestingly it looks almost exactly like the Torin… expect its listed as a 43″ vs. a 42″. I assume it’s just rebranded up here (in Canada) as Kirkland?
https://www.costco.ca/kirkland-signature-43-in.-16-drawer-top-chest-and-cabinet-combo.product.100427074.html
Jared
On closer inspection, the angle at the front of the top chest looks different. Kirkland version has slightly rounded corners too, I suppose Kirkland isn’t just a rebadge then.
Lots of similarities though – looks like the same handles, wheels, drawers, configuration… I presume Torin is the manufacturer for Costco.
candrews
Yep, that looks nearly identical.
Again – I’m very happy with mine. There are two units, upper and lower – and they’re *very* heavy. Get a good helper when lifting the top up.
The only assembly was attaching the handles on the sides of each unit – 5 minutes.
I did have to schlep the boxes into my trailer at the Costco – the “customer assistance staff” refused to help because the boxes were too heavy.
Albert
Is this cart like that yellow floor jack that is made in the same overseas factory as Snap-on?
Stever
I converted a gen 2, 26″x22″ roller cabinet into a service cart. Slightly smaller and less total weight capacity but also less than half price. I added a 1/4″ cold rolled steel top so that I can weld etc. Added some stainless sheet that I bent up and hang on the sides for frequently used tools.
Joatman
Maybe I missed it in the post and/ or replies….. but I hope these are made in the USA with US in the name. I doubt it, though. Seems pricey.
Stuart
This is a Harbor Freight brand – almost everything they make is imported. The brand has a good reputation though.
fred
For some context:
US General was a chain of 40 retail stores that once operated in the US in the 1970’s and 1980’s. They carried a broad range of tools (many high quality US and foreign brands) in their showrooms. They also had a multi-hundred-page catalog. I recall buying some Mitutoyo items from them. We had an account with one of their local stores. I’m not sure when they actually ceased operation – but think they went bankrupt in 1991. What was left and the name was sold to Harbor Freight.
Bob
Fred you are a wealth of knowledge sir! Seriously thanks for sharing. I just assumed US general was a American sounding brand they made up to slap on cheap imported tools. Wonder if Chicago Electric ever was a “real” brand.
fred
Not that I ever knew. I always thought that it was picked to trade on the name of the US City and the similarity to Chicago Pneumatic (now owned by Atlas-Copco Sweden) – a well respected brand. My thought was that HF may have also picked names like Bauer to sound Germanic and Pittsburgh to sound American. Their newer emphasis on brand names like Hercules and Icon now seems less disingenuous – and may be in keeping what appears to be their attempts to move up-market.
Tom D
You can get three of the five drawer got this price. I’m not really seeing the value
Harry
This style of cart has grown in popularity in the last 10 years or so with professional auto techs. All of the tool trucks have a version of these along with sunex, homak, and others. Harbor freight did their homework with this cart though as it has features not found on other versions like: full extension drawers, no skinny drawers, four swivel casters (really great in a crowded shop), concealed pry bar storage along both sides of the top till. power pass through. When my 7 drawer Cornwell cart dies, it will probably get replaced with one of these. you can store 90% or more of what you regularly use on a daily basis. It’s really great for fleet shops where you might not work in the same spot all of the time.
This isn’t a something for nothing priced cart. harbor Freight will sell a lot of these to professional auto techs. It’s a winner-winner chicken dinner for the right tech.
Frank D
Does not look like like a service cart, just a chest of drawers on wheels and the price is way up there … before modifying this with bolt ons for stuff that would be on anybody’s cart.
Bruce
I’d consider this for the larger shop, We are currently using a five drawer tool cart and the top hasn’t been closed in the last 8 years. We could certainly use better organization and enough drawers to be able to close and move it. $700 is more than I want to spend, but I’ll watch prices and I’d be happy at $450-500.
Plain grainy
I plan to make a few rolling carts from wood, when lumber prices return to normal. Not sure where I’ll end up price wise, will need to watch for deals on hardware(casters, hinges, drawer slides,cylinders, ect. I like looking at as many carts, cabinets as I can for ideas. Want to include an innovative clamp storage into it also. I have a Sears brand tool cabinet new, still in box(almost 40 years old). Probably has at least doubled in price since I bought it. Had a close family member that had problems after surgery. Big life changing experience, Perhaps I’ll get the Sears cabinet assembled soon.
Bob
Looks like a pretty sweet box. But $700 is too much for me. Hard to say if this will come down in price. Harbor Freight is trying to go up market now.
Also the colors look like a matte finish. It’s kind of weird it wouldn’t match your main HF box? I prefer the gloss powder coat and the shiny handles.
Jayne Erin Defranco
What 700 are you kidding me, maybe 325, 350. 700 no way You can get larger boxes name brands on sale for 700. price poor in my opinion.
Barry Abbott
Looks perfect for an odd use I’ve been debating, just wish it were a little bit cheaper. I’ve been looking for some form of storage box I can build into the furniture on my pontoon boat so I’m not always pulling people off the couches to get tackle etc out. Closest thing I can find designed for boats actually has rubber seals for the drawers, but the price is a hair over $2500. I figure my local tent n awning can sew me a cover for this box out of old billboard vinyl or similar for a hundo or two.
Frank D
For tackle and on a boat it perhaps doesn’t need to be as tall. I have a shallow drawer version that’s countertop height from the brand of workshop cabinets that Sam’s Club carries. I think it was 250 at the time.
Weather protection will be key. If near salt water it is probably not an option.
Jason
Looks like the spec like the thickness is quite similar as what they are using on ICON. Plus the self-locking mechanism per drawer, it’ll be the best one I can get with similar cost in other brands like Matco, Snap-On, etc.
Plain grainy
I wonder if the Snap-on box is stainless steel?
Stuart
Stainless steel tool cabinets typically have a silver/natural finish. I don’t know any stainless cabinets that are powder coated over.
Jim Felt
I’ve a few Kobalt brand “stainless steel” roller base cabinets and their drawers can easily be pulled open with a magnet.
Pretty to look at but hardly 304 let alone 316 SS.
Boyd
It’s the old joke about it being steel that stains less rather than stainless steel 😉
Kane
304 stainless can be magnetic, though if a magnet sticks very well, it’s possible that it’s using 400-series stainless, which lack nickel. Such grades are still susceptible to corrosion.
Jason
The model HFT is competing is not stainless steel one. Anyway, Snap-On do have the other model with around $5800 retail, and I believe HFT will try in 2022. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Boyd
$475 is the price point this should be at.
I see it in the 4 drawer/5 drawer family and $700 just doesn’t work. I just don’t see what I would put in this that needs all these drawers and still need to be mobile.
I’d rather have the 5 drawer cart. I can put every tool I need in there for any big job in the shop, and I’d still have the space on the bottom shelf to put the boxes for parts I’m changing.
Plain grainy
On a side note; I noticed a YouTube video where a guy mounted a magnet on the Bondhus Allen wrench base holder. Then stuck them to the back of his cart. Thirty pound magnet could be easily removed when Allen wrenches needed somewhere.
Elmer
I’m waiting for someone to make a similar unit with a few diffrent features:
35 3/4″ width (fits in 36″ wide space, and one 6″ wider to just fit in 42″ would be welcome as well)
24″ depth so it has 22″- 22 1/2″ full extension deep drawers, all ball bearing with soft close.
70″-72″ height without any wheels or casters – a pair of lifting fork box tubes on the bottom keep the bottom metal off the floor (helps prevent cabinet rust) and a “slide under” dolly arrangement for when it needs to be moved. I’d bet most of us don’t move our tool cabinets around enough to need permanently attached casters, and not having attchaed wheels reduces theft possibilities.
For the “vertically challenged” a pull-out “helper step” that slides into the fork rail tubes.
LOTS of 2.5″ drawers so plenty of stuff can be stored one layer deep. For the folks who just have to store their 8″ circular saws in a locking cabinet, a separate companion deep drawer-only cabinet for that, which can be narrower (16″ maybe?)
Under-lid storage for some stuff like screwdrivers, punches, etc. that is attached to the lid so everything is visible when the lid is open.
In addition to any internal drawer locking mechanism, designed-in brackets for a full length heavy locking bar so one high quality padlock can protect all drawers. Customer-provided locking bar is fine (1.5″ wide .250-.375″ mild steel is readily available).
Chris
So you can finance this through HF with 0 interest for 12mo @ $58/mo = $596?
If they can afford to do this they’re making bank on the list price.
As far as the actual cart goes, It may have lots of storage space, but with all those deep drawers, most of those cubic inches wont actually be used. If you used that top drawer for screwdrivers, punches, picks, etc, you wont even use a 1/3 of its volume. Replacing those top 2 deep drawers with 3 or 4 shallow ones would go a long way in adding actual storage capacity, but HF wouldn’t be able to claim any more storage space (not to mention it would also cost them more).
Stuart
It’s the same $700 regardless of payment method.
They’re really pushing their credit card these days.
Space efficiency is a tough consideration. Personally, I would like to see one or two shallow drawers, but I’m sure they did their research as to what targeted users want to see in a box like this. Looking at competing options, the drawer configurations are very similar.
Plain grainy
The storage space in the drawers mirrors the Snap-on.
Jared
I think HF offered some good points to defend the pricing. It is pricy when compared to the other US general options – but this really does seem like there are many differences to point to as making it a different product rather than just a new configuration.
I really like the look of this cart.
Plain grainy
With the higher pricing on this cart, any chance it’s US made?
Plain grainy
Has 8 reviews on Harbor Freight site(4.9 out of 5).
Plain grainy
Probably will be an update on the Series 2 carts, with the high bank cart styling.
Mikedt
Saw one at the local store this weekend. It was larger than I expected and seems nicely made except for the drawer latch system. There’s a couple plastic fingers that extend down under the pull and you have to slid them sideways to release the catch. It seemed fiddly to me and the catch on the much cheaper cabinets seem beefier.
M635_Guy
I had pretty much exactly the same opinion after looking at one locally, and someone who owned the SnapOn equivalent said it was extremely similar (even posted pix).
That solved that part of my concern, but I just can’t see $699. At… $499 I’m highly tempted, but for now I’ll continue with the 5-drawer to go along with the 26″x22″ USG tool chest (which stays either way).
mike
Just bought a general 34″ full bank box yesterday for $476 with black friday discount and the 10% off.
I want to take it to work but I have to ask first, they are a bit weird about that stuff.
I do plan some mods nothing to wild maybe a 30″ long murphy shelf on each side and I might want some lift out organizer drawer trays to take advantage of wasted space.An extension cord for my cordless tools.
Some wild mods would be a battery and inverter mounted to the bottom to have some onboard AC and a hidden retractable extension cord.
Some mobility scooters have compact built in retractable charging cords that might fit in an out of the way space or just mounted over the cord hole on the outside of the box.
Of course weight is always a concern even more so if I was to be dragging it around at work.