Lifespan of Drawer Slides

[clinebarger]

Have you personally been denied warranty on a Snap-on tool? Snap-on toolboxes have warranties on the Castors & Slides.

The slides can load up with dust/dirt/debris from storage alone, You'd be amazed how well new slides glide with ease!

 

[D60]

On my aforementioned 55" Harley edition I never tried for new slides (and it could have afforded swivel casters, too, as they were sloppy at the swivel allowing the box to rock) ....

BUT I can tell you the lid struts died and I called SnapOn and they happily sent out new struts. I was NOT the original purchaser and I figured if they asked I'd be honest, but they never asked

 

[JHZR2]

On the full length drawers, in order to get the drawers moving, it seems like you have to pull had enough to almost break off the latches. Once the drawer starts moving it is fine.

That sounds to me like something else is wrong.

 

[The Critic]

That sounds to me like something else is wrong.

Such as?

 

[Timmastertech]

Have you personally been denied warranty on a Snap-on tool? Snap-on toolboxes have warranties on the Castors & Slides.

The slides can load up with dust/dirt/debris from storage alone, You'd be amazed how well new slides glide with ease!

Snapon can be jerks about toolbox warranties if you arent the original owner of the box. One of my buddies has moved to a different part of the industry where he isnt in the shop anymore so he no longer has a snapon man. He needed some slides for his box that he bought used and Snapon corporate said no warranty because he wasnt the original owner. My rep got them taken care of, but without a good rep it never would have happened.

 

[JHZR2]

Such as?

Well if you have to pull so hard that it’s as if you’re going to pull off the handles, it sure seems like something is binding.

You mentioned that once it’s moving it is smooth and works properly. I’d think that if the bearings and slides had a flat spot/bad bearing, or something like that, it would be rough, hard to pull, or at least give the feel of a bump each time it turned over as you pulled the drawer out.

Since you say it’s fine once it starts moving, I’ll ask this - if the drawer, both loaded and unloaded, moves fine, does it feel gritty, bumpy, or have any other movement that seems off while it is moving?

My thought with the need to yank it hard and then it moves fine is that either there is a dent in the track that causes the bearings to sit low, and once you yank it then they start moving in the track properly, or, that some other latch in the back that is part of the overall locking mechanism and/or safety mechanism that keeps you from being able to open too many drawers at once, is binding in the closed position. Once free of that it rolls as intended……..

 

[demarpaint]

Well if you have to pull so hard that it’s as if you’re going to pull off the handles, it sure seems like something is binding.

You mentioned that once it’s moving it is smooth and works properly. I’d think that if the bearings and slides had a flat spot/bad bearing, or something like that, it would be rough, hard to pull, or at least give the feel of a bump each time it turned over as you pulled the drawer out.

Since you say it’s fine once it starts moving, I’ll ask this - if the drawer, both loaded and unloaded, moves fine, does it feel gritty, bumpy, or have any other movement that seems off while it is moving?

My thought with the need to yank it hard and then it moves fine is that either there is a dent in the track that causes the bearings to sit low, and once you yank it then they start moving in the track properly, or, that some other latch in the back that is part of the overall locking mechanism and/or safety mechanism that keeps you from being able to open too many drawers at once, is binding in the closed position. Once free of that it rolls as intended……..

I'm thinking there could be foreign matter messing with the operation. Removal of the draws and slides and a good cleaning and lube of the tracks might be in order. IMO it needs to be lubed with something that isn't going to attract dust and dirt. At that time inspecting the tracks for damage will rule that out for sure. I had a similar problem with an old but in good condition Craftsman rolling tool box, I realize there is no comparison but. I had what looked like saw dust in one of the upper draw tracks, and that was causing my problem. I cleaned them up and used a dry lube and it solved my problem. Greasy lubes are not a good idea they collect dust and dirt. Either way it's worth a shot.

 

[clinebarger]

Snapon can be jerks about toolbox warranties if you arent the original owner of the box. One of my buddies has moved to a different part of the industry where he isnt in the shop anymore so he no longer has a snapon man. He needed some slides for his box that he bought used and Snapon corporate said no warranty because he wasnt the original owner. My rep got them taken care of, but without a good rep it never would have happened.

Guess I'm spoiled by having a good Rep.

 

[Soft Cars]

Snapon can be jerks about toolbox warranties if you arent the original owner of the box. One of my buddies has moved to a different part of the industry where he isnt in the shop anymore so he no longer has a snapon man. He needed some slides for his box that he bought used and Snapon corporate said no warranty because he wasnt the original owner. My rep got them taken care of, but without a good rep it never would have happened.

What happens when you don't have a receipt because the dealer wanted the purchase to a cash sale under the table? That's what happened to me.

 

[SubLGT]

...Greasy lubes are not a good idea they collect dust and dirt. Either way it's worth a shot.

Around 15 years ago I made the big mistake of applying white lithium grease to the friction slides on some of my boxes. Slide action was very smooth with fresh grease. But with age and oxidation the grease has hardened enough to greatly interfere with slide movement. I now have a tedious project ahead of me: cleaning dozens of slides with mineral spirits.

 

[demarpaint]

Around 15 years ago I made the big mistake of applying white lithium grease to the friction slides on some of my boxes. Slide action was very smooth with fresh grease. But with age and oxidation the grease has hardened enough to greatly interfere with slide movement. I now have a tedious project ahead of me: cleaning dozens of slides with mineral spirits.

I used a dry lube on mine, after cleaning them no problems. The grease that was there collecting saw dust and other crap from working in the garage over the years took its toll on mine I guess.

 

[Creekside]

I use Schaeffer chain lube on my HF boxes. I do work out of them every day though and they stay in an incredibly dirty environment. It doesn’t attract dust. One box is 6-7 years old and the other is 3 I think.

 

[The Critic]

Well if you have to pull so hard that it’s as if you’re going to pull off the handles, it sure seems like something is binding.

You mentioned that once it’s moving it is smooth and works properly. I’d think that if the bearings and slides had a flat spot/bad bearing, or something like that, it would be rough, hard to pull, or at least give the feel of a bump each time it turned over as you pulled the drawer out.

Since you say it’s fine once it starts moving, I’ll ask this - if the drawer, both loaded and unloaded, moves fine, does it feel gritty, bumpy, or have any other movement that seems off while it is moving?

My thought with the need to yank it hard and then it moves fine is that either there is a dent in the track that causes the bearings to sit low, and once you yank it then they start moving in the track properly, or, that some other latch in the back that is part of the overall locking mechanism and/or safety mechanism that keeps you from being able to open too many drawers at once, is binding in the closed position. Once free of that it rolls as intended……..

A friend was over this weekend and he also commented on the amount of "noise" from my drawers, so I think there's definitely something amiss.

Without going into too many details (publicly), I have new slides en route.

 

[JHZR2]

A friend was over this weekend and he also commented on the amount of "noise" from my drawers, so I think there's definitely something amiss.

Without going into too many details (publicly), I have new slides en route.

Looking forward to the post-mortem.

 

[JTK]

Are you using licensed OEM only drawer slide lube?

 

[The Critic]

Are you using licensed OEM only drawer slide lube?

Per Snap-On, "lubed-for-life."