3 Harbor Freight Finds To Upgrade Your Truck Tool Box

Harbor Freight has plenty of tools, accessories, and other gear for your car, truck, and home garage. A $250 Harbor Freight impact wrench outperformed a Snap-On tool that costs five times as much, and these Harbor Freight auto repair tools should be in every DIYers collection. Daytona Rapid-Pump floor jacks can quickly lift most pickup trucks, but these are best for garage use and not likely to end up in your truck's tool box. The inside of a truck tool box is valuable real estate; you don't want to be digging through a thick pile of stuff to get to the one thing you really need.

You will want items in there that are versatile, compact, and easy to retrieve and store again. Whether your existing box is full of neglected equipment or nearly bare, these three items are handy to have around when you're on the road. While some have mixed reviews from buyers, they each should provide some peace of mind for truck owners going about their daily routines.

If you're hauling heavy or bulky items in the bed of your pickup truck, some trusty load-holding straps are an absolute must-have. Harbor Freight sells Haul-Master 2" by 27' ratcheting tie-downs with a capacity of 3,300 pounds for $11.99 each. They have J-style hooks that can be joined together or secured to rail systems or bed anchors, and the polyester webbing has a break strength of five tons. Each strap weighs less than 5 pounds, and they can be rolled up and wrapped with a bungee cord or elastic band for easy storage.

These ratcheting straps have an average rating of 4.7 out of five stars from over 2,000 buyers, with 95% of them recommending them to others. Many reviewers lauded the high-quality construction, and over 83% rated these straps a perfect five stars. A buyer named William mentioned that he had purchased a second set after a first pair started to show wear after three years of heavy use, and many others mentioned that they are useful for loads on trailers or in pickup truck beds.

An impact wrench isn't just helpful in your shop or garage; a battery-powered one can also make quick work of roadside tire changes. The Bauer 20V brushless impact wrench sells for $159.99 with a 5 Ah battery and charger and delivers up to 1,000 lb-ft of breakaway torque and 650 foot-pounds of fastening torque. It has a three-speed drive system with a variable trigger for precise application of power and an LED light so you can see what you're turning. 

This impact wrench is just a little over 9 inches long, so you're bound to have space for it in your truck's tool box. It has an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars from more than 500 buyers, with 98% of them recommending it to others. Ratings of three stars or worse are scarce, and many buyers say they were happily shocked by the performance of this impact wrench. A buyer named Jason titled his review "pleasantly surprised" and wrote "I was reluctant to buy it but was surprised at the power and battery life."

Many pickup owners use their trucks to explore the great outdoors, and having the right gear on hand can help you survive an unexpected emergency. Harbor Freight carries the Gordon 12-piece emergency survival kit for $27.99, and it has everything you need to satisfy your inner Robinson Crusoe. 

The water-resistant nylon case holds an LED flashlight (single AA battery included), a seven-in-one spork with emergency whistle, a folding and locking knife, fishing tools and fire starting materials, a steel multi-tool card with saw and can opener. There's also a mylar emergency blanket and a tactical pen with a spring-loaded window breaker for situations that call for their use.

This kit could come in handy on camping or fishing trips or in the event of a natural disaster, and it weighs just a touch over two pounds. It has an average rating of 4.7 out of five stars from over 200 buyers, with 98% of them recommending it to others. 

Many of the positive reviews seem to be from people who had not used their kits very much if at all, and the handful of one-and two-star reviews each criticized the low quality of the included tools. One buyer rated the kit two stars and critiqued many of the tools individually. They concluded their comments with "Long story short I have replaced everything except the case. You're better off making your own kit for a little more money."