5 Harbor Freight Finds For Pickup Truck Drivers
If you're a tool enthusiast, tradesperson, or even a casual DIYer, you're probably familiar with Harbor Freight. The store supplies a comprehensive inventory of budget-friendly tools for virtually all types of trades, projects, and hobbies, and the company has many in-house tool brands with varying product lineups. While Harbor Freight is especially popular for tradespeople like mechanics, plumbers, and electricians, you may be surprised to learn that the store offers various other products, including home and garden supplies, personal protection equipment (PPE), and even vehicle accessories. Pickup truck drivers, in particular, can find a vast selection of handy items to increase their rides' utility and convenience.
If you drive a pickup and you're looking for efficient ways to make it more useful — whether for your job, home improvement projects, or casual DIY tasks — Harbor Freight could have a product for you. The budget store stocks many items that can help make your ride more practical, from products that help you unload dirt and gravel from your truck's bed to those that keep your cargo safe and secure. We checked out the website and found five unique products with both excellent customer reviews and surprisingly handy applications. That said, we'll cover our selection methodology in greater detail later. Now, here are some Harbor Freight finds for pickup drivers.
Full-size truck rack
One of the primary benefits that pickup trucks provide is the bed. Not only are truck beds super handy for hauling things like tools, sports equipment, and trash, but they're also an excellent platform for activities and projects — you can even use your truck bed for camping! One of the downsides, however, is that you can only store so much in your truck bed, especially if you're trying to transport large items like lumber or a ladder.
Instead of trying to fit everything into your truck bed at once or making multiple trips, you can grab a HAUL-MASTER Full-Size Truck Rack from Harbor Freight. The rack has an 800-pound capacity, making it ideal for transporting everything from large sheets of plywood to ladders and even skis or surfboards. Harbor Freight advertises the rack as easy to install and remove when not in use. It doesn't require you to drill holes into your vehicle, but you can choose to bolt the rack into your bed for a permanent fitment. It's built with solid steel and has a powder-coat finish for protection.
Truck bed crane
We've already established that truck beds are great. They enable us to transport large items and materials, and they also provide a platform for various activities and projects. However, it's not always easy to lift heavy objects into your truck bed, especially if you have an injury or a bad back. Even if you're as healthy as a horse — and as strong as one, too — you may struggle to place extremely large or cumbersome items in your truck bed.
Instead of breaking your back, you can pick up a ½-Ton Pickup Truck Bed Crane from Harbor Freight. The folding crane tucks neatly into the side of your pickup bed, allowing you to continue using your truck to haul various equipment and materials. It extends and locks into four different positions while its base swivels 360 degrees, enabling you to easily and safely move objects weighing up to 1,000 pounds. The crane is built from solid steel for strength and durability, and it could be a solid product for anyone from professional contractors and construction workers to casual hobbyists and DIYers.
Truck bed cargo unloader
If you own a pickup truck and it's for more than just show, you may have experienced the joy of unloading dirt, mulch, or gravel — and if you have had to perform this job, you probably understand how odious it can be when the only tool you have is a shovel or rake. The task becomes marginally easier with a few extra hands helping. But even then, unloading a truck bed full of heavy material can be brutal, especially if it's hot, humid, and sunny.
Fortunately, there are other options. Harbor Freight sells a Truck Bed Cargo Unloader that could make a great addition to any pickup owner's tool kit. The product has a 2,000-pound weight capacity, which is enough to transport significant loads of various materials, like dirt, gravel, and mulch. That said, it may not be stout enough to handle heaping loads in full-size longbeds. The product is easy to install and remove. Simply strap the roller-handle side to your tailgate and spread the tarp out in the bed of your pickup. Then, all you need to do is pile your material onto the tarp. The roller handle will allow you to dump the material, leaving only small amounts on the side, which you can then rake out quickly with a smaller tool. The unloader is designed to fit most pickups, including step-sides, half-tons, and compact trucks.
Pickup cargo net
People put a lot of stuff in their pickup truck beds. From sports equipment and work tools to boxes when moving and even garbage, our pickup beds help us carry innumerable items and objects. Not everything we load into our pickups is heavy though. Often, people use their trucks to transport lightweight items, like empty cardboard boxes after a move or even garbage after a big holiday party. While those things can be a lot easier to load into your truck than large piles of dirt or rocks, they aren't as easy to keep contained in your pickup bed as you cruise down the highway.
The HAUL-MASTER Full-Size Pickup Cargo Net from Harbor Freight could be an excellent product for securing lightweight objects in your truck bed. It measures 72 inches by 96 inches before being stretched, making it ideal for most standard pickups, including both long-bed and short-bed trucks. The net is built using durable 5-millimeter cording that stretches, enabling you to secure loads of various sizes and shapes, while 28 non-marring hooks allow you to attach the net to mounting points in your truck bed without worrying about scratching your paint.
Cargo support bar
Pickup truck beds can hold a significant amount of items, tools, and materials. However, not every project requires you to use the entire bed. Sometimes, we only need to transport a few boxes or a piece of furniture. In those cases, it can be difficult to prevent those objects from sliding around the bed and potentially becoming damaged as we drive. Straps and bungee cords can often do the trick, but these devices can be tricky to use, and sometimes, they fail.
Instead of wasting your time untangling ropes and bungee cords and trying to tie the tightest, most secure knot, you can pick up a 2-in-1 Cargo Support Bar from Harbor Freight. The device extends from 45 inches to 114 inches, making it ideal for not only securing items in your truck bed but also for supporting various other projects, like holding a tarp up when camping or painting. The bar has a 66-pound weight capacity, allowing you to use it to support various mid-size loads in your pickup, while a pistol-grip handle works similar to a caulking gun, enabling you to extend the device with a few quick pumps. It features a powder-coated finish for protection against rust and corrosion and a swivel pad to help you use the bar at different angles for various tasks.
Why did we choose these products?
We selected the products for this list based on a few criteria: practicality, price, and user reviews. First, we searched for items that provide real-world utility to pickup truck owners. Each item covered here can help drivers in various ways, from securing heavy loads to helping dump material and more. Second, we chose to highlight products that come with affordable price tags. Each item on this list costs less than $300, and most of them fall below the $100 mark. Finally, we factored in user reviews and comments when choosing these products. Each device on this list comes with at least 4.2 out of 5 stars based on hundreds to thousands of user reviews. We focused on products that customers described as both useful and of great value.
That said, remember to do your own research before spending money on an item from this list. Make sure that these products will work with your pickup and that they address your needs. Doing so will help you avoid wasting money and ensure that you get the best bang for your buck.