Car Dolly - Harbor Fright

Anyone have any experience with a set of these? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38959

I got them, and am using them on my concrete (smooth) finished garage floor. Pretty standard smooth finish in a residential, attached garage. Granted, my house is 34 y.o., but my garage floor isn't all pitted or rough.

I find it awfully difficult to move the car around - maybe i had unrealistic expectations that it could be moved by one person and with relative ease with these things. Did i waste my $ ? or perhaps this is just another "Harbor Fright" story of chinese made crap?

Just curious what anyone else has experienced - perhaps i need to replace or upgrade the wheels? If so, what kind?

thanks in advance for any info or advice....

I have a couple of them and they're great. I also use them as general purpose dollies tomove stuff around. They're sturdy but not too heavy to maneuver or lift.

Yep, one of the only things I ever bought from Horrible Freight. The chassis isn't square and the wheels are horrible. Small, cast iron wheels on bushings are the wrong type for this application. If you hit a tiny pebble, the whole thing grinds to a halt and tears up the floor. I bought mine about ten years ago and sold them recently when I dug them out of a storage bin where they had been for 9.5 years.

You could put some decent wheels on them if you can find any with a small enough mounting plate, but a good set of wheels will cost as much as you paid for the set. This is another place where you get what you pay for, and "good" dollies are at least $150 and more like $300 for something you'd be really happy with. If you want to splurge, get a set of go-jacks. You don't even need a jack to lift the car and you can push it around with one hand. We use these all the time on TV sets. They're worth every penny, but they do cost a lot of pennies.

I agree, they're not so easy to roll around but I attributed that to the stamped concrete driveway. The price is right and they got the job done.
I did repack the casters with grease and it helped a bit.

Steve S Wrote:

You could make a set for a lot less with rubber wheel casters... Should do the job and roll better...

good point Blake -- i'm searching now and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of service caster mfr's or dealers around.... I'm sure I'll find something that'll match up and mount on these.

I have a set of 4. They have 2.5 inch steel wheels. If the shop floor is smooth and a bit of house keeping (sweeping) is done I can turn an MGB around in a fit less than 15 feet.
Anything on the floor will stop a wheel. The same as a steel wheel floor jack catching a washer. I hope most of us sweep before working on the floor.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41524
Looks like they would do the job.. but the cost for 16 casters is a bit too much..

That's actually a very low-priced caster. A quality 3.5" Colson caster with non-marking synthetic rubber and full ball bearings will cost about $15 each. But, they will easily handle the load and move around with one finger. They will also last a lifetime.

With casters such as these, you could get away with three per corner instead of four. There are dollies out there like that but I can't remember where.

I did a lot of research and also have friends who own the cheaper ones. I can easily move my GT anywhere in my shop on these. Doesn't mar the floor and rolls right over the expansion joints. No affiliation by the way.


http://www.tireskate.com/ts12deep.php

Mike, that looks like a decent quality affordable dolly. And they appear to be made in the USA as well. +1!!! They also seem to know the value of a decent-sized ball bearing caster made of rubber instead of those horrible little cast iron things. Good find!

One had a brake that was just stiff as hell. They sent a new wheel assy, no questions asked.

Blake Sonnier Wrote:

showroomgarage Wrote:

they have no brakes on them....a slanted driveway /garage is a real issue

Gojacks are 250$ per set..but I tell you they are nice, a friend has them...could be for sale too?

Brakes sound great, but with or without them I don't think I would EVER roll a car on dollies onto a sloped surface. I would think they are more for preventing movement while working on a car, or if someone were to lean on it.

I use the HF cheapies and probably have 5-6 pairs. But I find that the best way to make them work is to put two wheels in the dollies and then pick up the other end of the car (by the crossmember or the diff) and pull the car with the jack handle. Using 4 dollies and pushing creates a downward vector. Pulling with a jack (long handle is best) creates a vector almost parallel to the floor. Just a thought. Basil

Sprite Lou Wrote:

I have a set I bought from Tractor Supply and they work great. I bet they are all made by the same plant in China somewhere. We used these for about a year to move my son's Dart all around the garage while he had the engine out and had no problems.

I bought a set and my experience is much like Steve's. They will hang up on almost any little bit of junk, so the floor has to be smooth and clean. Another problems was with the front tires, unless the steering is locked there is so much rolling resistance that the front tires tend to walk around in the dollys. I found that a couple of pieces of wood between the tire and the edge of the dolly helped keep things in alignment, not a problem on the rear. Still, they enable me to rotate the car within the confines of the shop which I couldn't do otherwise.

I used the Horrible Freight mini mover's dollies, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93888, to move my body tub around. But I also use them fro heavy things around the house.

Roll smoothly, even over pebbles. they were on sale for $9.99 each.

I wondered how these things would work if you welded jack stands to them and then tacked the four together with a few pieces of steel tubing.

I had a set and gave them away.

maybe i'm having trouble b/c i'm using them with the motor and trans IN the car - it almost sounds like they work ok if you're just moving a tub around....

I have four that my BGT is on. A bit tough to push around but it is doable. Better wheels are what is needed. My floor is cement and smooth but still it takes some effort to get the car moved.

I purchased a set of these same style dollies at Menard's and am pleased with them. My only complaint is they are much too wide for my application. I'm not using them to move a vehicle with 'standard' width tires eg: truck or utility vehicle. I lubricated the wheel spindles and I can move the GT around fairly easily, I usually apply the force to the wheels as pushing on the body parts gets to be a bit much in my opinion. They were on sale, set of two for $29.95 and they were the exact same items as HF is offering. The wheels are of a plastic material of some sort and will roll across the expansion joint if you are careful.

I have the HF set. They used to work great on my TD but the B is way heavier so I am experiencing the problems others are having with pebbles etc. As I only use them to maneuver a car into its space in the Garage for the Winter it will probably be a while before I spring for a better set. I drive the front into place and put the dolly's on the rear wheels to push the rear in place. In the photo Below it is the White roadster that is on the dollys

HF also has small furniture dollies that go on sale for around $13 each on occasion. That's what I use and despite the fact that they're made of wood, they're holding up extremely well, and rated for the load.

GERONIMO Wrote:

I have 4 from H.F. 3 of them are holding MG motors. Works Great!