I've had both. 2 HF in New England. Both gable roofs. Neither was bothered by wind, (possibly due to location), but both covers ripped in less than 3 yrs, and one roof frame caved from the snow. Tough to keep snow off during storms when you're at work, or sleeping. Even heavy rains get trapped in the gable bays. I was given the frame from a 10x16 round top, (like a shelter logic). Previous owner down the rd, said the snow never bothered it. He had it up for a couple decades, B4 retiring it. (cover was wiped). I have a 20mm canvas cover for it. We'll see how it works out, in the future. I'm in the middle of assy now. Fingers crossed.
I have put up 2 Harbour freight 10x17' One I mounted to a 10x20 wood deck. The extrema 3' of deck makes a great outside work area. When I get the grame put together I go around and put 1 -3/4" self tapping screw in every joint. This really makes the frame solid 1/4 x2 lags with washers were used to secure legs to the deck. I live in the Northeast so snow load happens, sheds been up for 6 years and still going strong The first one I put up was exactly the same but was put on a paved area. I ran 6x6 hemlock beams down the outside 17' runs. I used 1/4" x3" lags with washers, two in each leg and all other connections got one 3/4" self tapping screw. That shed has been in place for 8 years and is still perfect. It got hit with a blast of wind between 65 and 80 mph during a vicious storm and when all has said and done. The shed had moved a total of 1". All other similar sheds in the neighborhood were completely destroyed. I was offer money several times over the next weeks to put up my neighbors sheds. I politely declined and offered to help and show them how to fortify their sheds so it wouldn't' happen again as long as we all worked together on each others shed. It brought our community together and I don't remember the last time that I've been working in my yard and someone didn't bring me a cold beer as a thank you. Oh, all sheds are still standing and this is year 5 God Bless, and be good to each other
How did you keep the cover from rotting out from the UVs? I've had 2 also, (gable roofed), in New England. The covers crapped out on both, from the snow loads, after the summer time sun killed them in a yr or 2.
They hate the california sunlight and heat though. UV sunlight breaks down the plastic tarp material after a year or two, it becomes very easy to tear. I'd suggest aluminum paint. The silver blocks the sun quite well. Titanium white is not bad either lets indirect light in. Latex type. The homeless learned that even a huge cardboard box pained well stands up to weather fairly well.
I have no experience with Shelter Logic sheds, but we've had our HF shed up for 4 years now & have been impressed. The only weak point we've found is that the sun eats the cover up quickly, but we've just kept a UV resistant tarp over our cover & it's worked a treat. Just this Sunday we woke up to see that overnight the wind had picked it up, turned it 180 degrees & carried it about 25 feet from its proper location. I expected it to be a total loss but upon inspection we found that the 2 center legs on one side were slightly bent & the rear leg on the same side was badly bent like a Z. We were able to straighten all the legs out, picked it up & put it back where it belonged. It's tougher than it looks. This was our fault for not checking the anchors recently. The cables connecting it to the ground anchors were badly rusted & simply broke. This coming weekend we'll be anchoring it to a wooden base to prevent any future problems. I fully expect it to last another few years.
Had my 65’ mustang under the HF garage for well over 2 years while I restored it…anchored it into the ground and it worked without fail the entire time….set it up in a about an hour by myself…. Highly recommend
My only complaint about putting the HF shed together versus the Shelter logic is that pipes didn’t stay together as I was assembling the HF shed. I used ratchet straps to hold the pipes together as I assembled the shed. I left the ratchet straps on the frames to help support the roof for the snow load. This will be the first winter for the HF shed so we’ll see how it holds up. It’s the third year for my Shelter logic and it seems as good as new.
I too kept ratchet straps (that I used to keep the pipes together during assembly) on it while it was being used and that worked GREAT. Also we only used the HF shelter during the winter months for a side by side with a plow, then disassembled it in the spring. Held up for years and sold it with the side by side and it was in great shape - cable tie-downs held up nicely. Several winter storms with decent wind speeds came thru during its life on our property and it held up without issue. It was also next to a larger structure so that helped with breaking the direct impact of the higher gusts. Door zipper on one side failed at some point. Also I put a 1” PVC pipe on bottom of roll-up door for ease of operation and that worked great. Cost of the HF vs the SL seems to be a factor tbh
PNW where we're not known for sunshine, HF cover sunrotted in two years. Opening's zippers failed before two years despite being loose. The frame while not super heavy duty looking has held up two silver hd tarps from HF for 4 years after the original cover shit the bed. Actually, for what it is, the frame is the best part.
Have had my Harbor Freight Shed for 2 years now with multiple winds storms winds gusting to 50 mph. It has stood up very well. I have it anchored to 6" x 4" Timbers that run the perimeter of the shed. It has dulled in the sun but other than that so fat so good.
I had an older HF one up for years! You used to be able to buy a replacement cover for it, then they changed the style. I don't recall now how big it was. I used it to store hay. I just put a new 20x20 tarp on it every year. The frame is still in good condition. It's all slip joints. It doesn't have the anchor pins, but instead has pegs that go in the ground through the frame. Currently, I'm not using it, so I took it down. I'm planning on moving this year. Once I do, I'll be using the framework to build a greenhouse.
If you want to insure long Cover life with the Harbor Freight 10'x17' purchase the Silver 15'2" x 19'6" heavy duty tarp and keep the Top/upper sides covered. The $32 annual or longer investment will protect the cheap Non-UV covering from the Sun as well as increasing Wind resistance. * My first Cover lasted 9 months, then split on the morning sun side and slid to the base, exposing everything on that side. then the rest started slipping over the top. I Rigged it and got a Tarp to rig it until the $100 replacement Cover arrived. Now, I replaced the original Cover and reinstalled the Silver Tarp. The Silver Tarp survived for about a year, then split on the morning sun side. Within days I picked up a replacement Tarp and recovered the enclosure. This tarp is on Year (2), but I saw the Silver Tarp on sale and grabbed one as a reserve. $32 dollars every year or two beats $100 Special order, wait and worry, every time.
First impressions Shelter Logic seems way nice. Placed mine right next to my HF that had been there for 3 years prior. I’m now on my second year with the shelterlogic and the top is completely torn up like a rag doll just after the first year. I would definitely buy another HF if they made them as big. Yeah they sell a 10 year cover but I’m not paying another $1000 on top of the $650 I paid for the shelter. Meanwhile the HF was only $200 and is still going strong 5 years later no tears nothing.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences. My general rule of thumb is to keep any tent-like shelters out of the wind and sun and you can get some decent life out of it. Some may then say "well if you keep it out of the sun and wind then you probably don't need a shed in that spot" but they are good for keeping the rain off things of course. I should do an updated video because I've had both brands fail but in different ways since this video. The HF did not handle the snow load as well as the SL seemed to but again the sheds were in different locations and other factors than pure snow load may have come into play (branches possibly fell, etc.) I see HF has continued to make improvements by now providing bolts in addition to the "slip-fit" connections. I would still opt for the HF sheds today due to initial cost but I understand they may not hold up as well as the SL in some circumstances.
A neighbor got the HarborFreight version. After 6 months the fabric was getting bad. They got R-panel and screwed it to the frame. That held for 18 years. (and I moved... I think it's still standing)
I’ve been uniquely able to compare the shelterlogic versus HF through a storm. Both were properly installed. As a result of my experience, I do NOT recommend HF sheds. The way they rely on the tarp cover to tension everything together is not strong. The metal ties used in HF are thinner walls and rust more, as well as bend easily. Shelterlogic guarantees their covering for a single year, and you can buy a 10 year replacement cover. Harbor freight failed within a year. From now on I buy the shelterlogic sheds because the increased cost is 100% worth it when considering the cost of storm cleanup and damage to what I put inside the shed.
Thanks for watching and adding your experiences. I will try to remember to do updates as time goes on and share the results of these although the Shelterlogic has been in place for one year already so it has a head start. I fully agree a broken shed is not worth any cost or time savings if you have to keep replacing it.
I found out that the Sheds Menards had a few years ago for cheap were a Menards only deal with thinner covers. As I recall 3.6 oz for the Shelter Manards had where the standard was 5.8 oz
After a few of my own, and putting up SL and knock-off fabric shelters, I find the SL ones have a better assembly scheme, but the knock-offs are fine, if slightly more annoying. After dealing with the fabric replacement, while I’m sure the “premium” fabrics at their price would hold up fine (I’ve got a ‘professional’ fabric quonset that’s going on 10 years), when the fabric shreds on the current units under my care, I’m going to source some steel roofing or siding, and just screw the metal right to the frame. I’ve done this once already, and it turned out very rigid, and handles wind and snow just fine.
Good review and comparison. I've noticed as well that the usual higher brand names associated with portable garages have started to cheap out in quality while Harbor Freight is stepping it up a tad and at highly competitive pricing.
Thanks for watching and the positive comment! HF had a $199 deal on these over the recent Black Friday. Unfortunately I picked up a couple older versions of these that disappointed - mainly because they were missing the correct parts (4 of part "A1" were included instead of two of "A1" and two of "A2" which are the upper corner structure pipes.) HF customer support could not source the correct structure parts either; only the tarp components. So I was left with modifying the structure (converting A1s into A2s) to salvage it. Yes, I could have taken it back but it was quicker and less hassle to just modify the parts and move on but it was a show stopper in getting the sheds up in the anticipated timeframe in any case. While that was a negative experience it's not preventing me from purchasing HF products in the future. Just chalked it up to "stuff happens" and hoping not to see it moving forward a whole lot again.
I have several on my acreage and they are all Shelter Logic, the older ones were worth the money but the last three have been junk. the frames are curved incorrectly so the 12 wide is only 10 wide. The fabric covers only last two years with luck, and do not stand up to the cold. I have resorted to covering the cover with heavy duty bale covers, it strengthens the cover to withstand hail and high winds. I install a welded base under the shelter to make them heavier for wind resistance and more anchor points.
I have a shelter logic shed that I have had for five years two things I did I purchased 2x6 for the shed to set on then anchored the 2x6 to the ground with re rod then naturally anchored the shed tubing to the 2x6, As far as the door I put a pice a pvc tubing in the bottom of the door then it is easy to roll up when you open it.
The HF fabric only lasted a year and I replaced it with a Dayton tarp (16x30) and that lasted a year - but then I got a hay tarp from Murdocks and that lasted 3 years and now I see that I have to replace it again. I just put the new ones right over the old one and that adds a lot of strength - we have had some heavy snow and that idea seems to work best. The frame is great and I sunk some PT 4x4 beams in the ground and ran some long threaded rod from them up to the bottom of the frame and the wind has not been able to move or bend anything in over 7 years.
Really good video and I was thinking about buying the Harbor Freight shelter. Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but I would use heavy duty T-Post to anchor mine down. I used them for pop-up gazebos and they stay put. Plus you can attach ropes or wire to give the top support as well. Thank you for the good video!
I have a Shelter Logic one set up 4 years ago, didint use the provided anchors as the corners were in too rocky spots, did set the frame on 5x20cm beam/balk to lift it up alittle and was easyer to level and square it out. plus could anchor it from that in any place i wanted, wind it not a major issue as it sits behind bigger structure to cover most of the heavy winds, the sun indeed have eated up the cover, sides are ok, on top i did lay a load cover, as one part have ripped, not sure im conna get a new cover, meybe install roofing sheets instead, did manage do find a 2nd door, so i can open up front and back the same time, that is quite nice
I purchased two of the Harbor Freight portable garages about two years ago for $160 each. Still in boxes in my garage. Hope to get them installed this spring.
One thing I noticed on my canopy/tent/carports is on my HF the condensation is awful. Dry when it's raining, but when it's cold out, it will actually be raining on the inside, while it's dry outside. The shelter logic does not have that issue. Less ventilation maybe?
I’m considering buying metal roofing panels and just use the shelter logic frame and ditch they shitty tarps that don’t last more than a year. Although I’m worried about Al that weight of those panels so I might have to weld in some extra poles
The massive price increase of the Shelter Logic is ridiculous. Gotta love this economy we're living in... If we could get the leaders of the country to put America and it citizens first, wouldn't that be breathe of fresh air. Nice video by the way, thank you.
According to a NY Times article, 80% of the price increases we are seeing is due to ‘greed-flation’ and record breaking corporate profits reflect this - I’ve decided to buy only absolute necessities this year, really limiting any prepared food and eating out as well
Put America first when Shelter Logic parts are manufactured in China and put together as a conglomerate product in different countries all around the globe...and HARBOR FREIGHT is 98% Cheap Chinese Junk... But yeah you go ahead and preach your patriotic bullshit...what a fucking joke
The leaders of this country have almost no effect on corporate greed that is the real reason everything costs so much. But GOP totally supports corporations and corporate welfare. So careful who you blame!
I can add a couple “cons” to the HF side. That white coated frame will rust and bend in just a few years, you’ll find yourself drilling and adding bolts or rivets to hold it together and having to dispose of the shredded cover in a year or two. The Shelter Logic is much higher quality overall. The SE cover’s not much better but you can buy a upgraded cover, for a price. After replacing the standard cover twice in 6 years, l upgraded to the top of the line cover. This cover is expensive but but there’s no comparison, my shelter has been up for 12 years and still has many more to go. Even with the upgraded cover the cost is still a fraction of what a more permanent shelter would be and can be quickly removed and stored if need be.
I have experience with both HF and Shelterlogic. I have a pile of broken frame parts, and deteriorated covers from HF. The frames fold under wind load, and as others have noticed, the material is subject to UV deterioration. I paid the higher price and bought the heavy duty frame from SL. The SL has withstood several years of wind storms and snow load. Considering the limited life of the HF, I think my SL has proven to be a better value over time. I received a wrong part from SL, and they immediately replaced within a couple of days, I am glad that others have had good luck with HF; my experience was different.
Shelter Logic 100x over HF. My 2 HF collapsed during Nor' Easters..had the slip joints bolted together and the base, lag bolted onto 2x6 planks with a car parked in the boards, still collapsed. Shelter Logic also has domed and a gambrel shaproofline option vs the one style from HF. Gauge of the metal frame is thicker as well as the fabric from Shelter Logic..
Hows the UV protection over the years? I bought a 12x12 gazebo and the roof rotted out in one year from the sun UV what a waste of money. So we bought a 12x12 gazebo from Cosco's oh and the cost was higher but its been up four years now metal roof all cedar uprights still going strong.
Could I buy 2 Harbor Freight's and build it for 10ft x 34ft ?.. Also I might want to use 4ft fence posts as anchors, hammer them into the ground and tie it down.
Hey thanks for putting this video together! My question is related to how these handle snow. I live in northern Michigan and at times we can get up to 20 plus inches. Have you had any experience with heavier snowfall with either of these units? Looking for a boat shelter and thought if I can find something for the price of indoor winter storage it would be worth getting a shelter.
Thanks for watching! Yes, the sheds are located where snow falls can reach similar amounts to you and yes we have seen one catastrophic cave-in due to heavy snowfall. I've had around 20 sheds total and about roughly the same amount of each brand. I don't want to say which one failed because it's hard to say for sure that the brand that was not there would not have failed. All I can say is it is possible to have a collapse due to "excessive snow" and I would recommend keeping any out from under coniferous trees that can have a tendency to drop a lot of snow at one time onto a shed below it.
Honestly if you built the frame using PVC pipe then filled the PVC frame legs with concrete or pee gravel for weight and bought a HD tarp I honestly think it would be easier cheaper and last a hell of a lot longer I wanna see something like a bounce house where I can roll it out in winter and kick the fan on to inflate a ready to use garage
Thanks for watching. I’ve had one Shelter Logic get pulled out and turned over in “high winds” because it was improperly anchored which was not the shelter’s fault. Would definitely recommend ensuring anchors are set to full depth in all four corners and adding additional ones if there are wind concerns in your area. Consider using Vortex anchors if the ground has a lot of stone in it as these tend to drive more easily in rocky soil. Otherwise it’s too early to tell in my case which is better. I don’t see any reason why one would be better than the other at this point as long as they are correctly installed. The HF is probably a little more sensitive to the tightness of the ratchets since it doesn’t use fasteners at the frame joints so there is a higher probability it can come apart than the SL if the tarp material is not tight enough.
Thanks for watching! The HF and SL units in the video are both holding up fine. However, I have other units installed that have not being doing as well, both HF and SL. At this point, the SL units *seem* to have a very slight strength advantage for their structure (their pipe frames), but the only way to confirm for sure is replacing the HF ones with SL ones in the same locations and have the SL units experience the same weather conditions which may not occur again. The HF units are suffering from piping failures and usually where they are not protected as well from the wind from surrounding objects like trees. Snow loads have been a problem when storms bring 8-10 inches *sometimes*. But again, they are very close in capability and *IF* the SL has an advantage it is so minimal that I don't think it would make a difference from a practical standpoint. It's kind of like having two cars with one getting 30 mpg and the other getting 31 mpg. Yes, on a 1000 mile trip you might save $5 using the car that gets 31 mpg but as far as one car making it the distance and the other not, it's only under conditions that are in such a precise window you'll likely never experience it. If you can, try to keep the units out of direct sunlight and wind as much as possible. Those two factors are the most detrimental to their lifespan, especially the covers and both brands behave similarly.
the texas sun ruined mine real quick less than a year, cost more to try and keep the thing held down maybe good for temp shelter but other than that just build something from wood your putting good money to bad.
Did that drill attachment come with the kit? I don't recall seeing that mentioned, but I've been doing stuff while this is playing and might have missed it.
Thanks for watching! A drill adapter is not included. The link for the one used is in the description if you're interested. You might want to consider the heavy duty (HD50) one rated for impact use as the one shown in the video is not. Impact drivers can install larger anchors and in more difficult ground and won't twist your arm off in the process!
Thanks for watching! I was/am unaware the Shelter Logic comes with 4 cover options. I used whatever Menard's sells as the standard, or most commonly sold option by them.
@@Ilikeurtractor thanks for getting back. I bought the harbor freight 12x20 today. It seems ok. My 10x17 hf is wiped out after 5 years. $200 well spent imo. Where else can you get 5 years of storage for $200 ? I’m going to order another cover for my old one and keep both.
They make the price more on the smaller one, that way your more inclined to buy the bigger one. So you "get your moneys worth" its just a tactic to make you buy the bigger one
No more videos? Let's get a diy generator build with on of those Chinese diesel clones, or an old used lister or something. I think the small diesel engine clones will become a trend in cost effective diy for home makers.
One video that would be neat is to do an endurance test of a Chinese diesel vs. a Lister-Petter (how long each would run until failure.) Unfortunately I do not know the existing run time on any of the Listers I have so that could affect outcome. I would anticipate the Listers would outlast the Chinese engines regardless of their history based on their construction which appears to be directed towards longevity (twice as heavy, much larger bearing surfaces, etc.) There seems to be quite a few home generator builds on TH-cam already (albeit I haven't seen many with the Chinese diesels) but the only real difference would be to adjust the driving speed of the diesel to keep it at its most efficient speed which is probably somewhere around 2700 rpm.
They actually wanna charge me damn near 100 dollars just to ship it. What ever happened to free shipping. Amazon here I come then. With probably better customer support I could almost bet also.
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I've had both. 2 HF in New England. Both gable roofs. Neither was bothered by wind, (possibly due to location), but both covers ripped in less than 3 yrs, and one roof frame caved from the snow. Tough to keep snow off during storms when you're at work, or sleeping. Even heavy rains get trapped in the gable bays.
I was given the frame from a 10x16 round top, (like a shelter logic). Previous owner down the rd, said the snow never bothered it. He had it up for a couple decades, B4 retiring it. (cover was wiped). I have a 20mm canvas cover for it. We'll see how it works out, in the future. I'm in the middle of assy now. Fingers crossed.
I have put up 2 Harbour freight 10x17'
One I mounted to a 10x20 wood deck. The extrema 3' of deck makes a great outside work area. When I get the grame put together I go around and put 1 -3/4" self tapping screw in every joint.
This really makes the frame solid 1/4 x2 lags with washers were used to secure legs to the deck.
I live in the Northeast so snow load happens, sheds been up for 6 years and still going strong
The first one I put up was exactly the same but was put on a paved area. I ran 6x6 hemlock beams down the outside 17' runs. I used 1/4" x3" lags with washers, two in each leg and all other connections got one 3/4" self tapping screw. That shed has been in place for 8 years and is still perfect.
It got hit with a blast of wind between 65 and 80 mph during a vicious storm and when all has said and done. The shed had moved a total of 1". All other similar sheds in the neighborhood were completely destroyed.
I was offer money several times over the next weeks to put up my neighbors sheds. I politely declined and offered to help and show them how to fortify their sheds so it wouldn't' happen again as long as we all worked together on each others shed. It brought our community together and I don't remember the last time that I've been working in my yard and someone didn't bring me a cold beer as a thank you.
Oh, all sheds are still standing and this is year 5
God Bless, and be good to each other
How did you keep the cover from rotting out from the UVs? I've had 2 also, (gable roofed), in New England. The covers crapped out on both, from the snow loads, after the summer time sun killed them in a yr or 2.
I've had my HF set up and bolted to the ground for 5 winters here in Northern NY state. Still kicking.
They hate the california sunlight and heat though. UV sunlight breaks down the plastic tarp material after a year or two, it becomes very easy to tear. I'd suggest aluminum paint. The silver blocks the sun quite well. Titanium white is not bad either lets indirect light in. Latex type. The homeless learned that even a huge cardboard box pained well stands up to weather fairly well.
In case anyone is interested YES you can paint a car in a Harbor Freight garage. Came out really good. Used a blower to ventilate.
Florida Girl?
I have no experience with Shelter Logic sheds, but we've had our HF shed up for 4 years now & have been impressed. The only weak point we've found is that the sun eats the cover up quickly, but we've just kept a UV resistant tarp over our cover & it's worked a treat. Just this Sunday we woke up to see that overnight the wind had picked it up, turned it 180 degrees & carried it about 25 feet from its proper location. I expected it to be a total loss but upon inspection we found that the 2 center legs on one side were slightly bent & the rear leg on the same side was badly bent like a Z. We were able to straighten all the legs out, picked it up & put it back where it belonged. It's tougher than it looks. This was our fault for not checking the anchors recently. The cables connecting it to the ground anchors were badly rusted & simply broke. This coming weekend we'll be anchoring it to a wooden base to prevent any future problems. I fully expect it to last another few years.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences. That's the first I've heard of the wire ropes failing. Good to know and keep and eye on...
Had my 65’ mustang under the HF garage for well over 2 years while I restored it…anchored it into the ground and it worked without fail the entire time….set it up in a about an hour by myself…. Highly recommend
My only complaint about putting the HF shed together versus the Shelter logic is that pipes didn’t stay together as I was assembling the HF shed. I used ratchet straps to hold the pipes together as I assembled the shed. I left the ratchet straps on the frames to help support the roof for the snow load. This will be the first winter for the HF shed so we’ll see how it holds up. It’s the third year for my Shelter logic and it seems as good as new.
I too kept ratchet straps (that I used to keep the pipes together during assembly) on it while it was being used and that worked GREAT. Also we only used the HF shelter during the winter months for a side by side with a plow, then disassembled it in the spring. Held up for years and sold it with the side by side and it was in great shape - cable tie-downs held up nicely. Several winter storms with decent wind speeds came thru during its life on our property and it held up without issue. It was also next to a larger structure so that helped with breaking the direct impact of the higher gusts. Door zipper on one side failed at some point. Also I put a 1” PVC pipe on bottom of roll-up door for ease of operation and that worked great. Cost of the HF vs the SL seems to be a factor tbh
PNW where we're not known for sunshine, HF cover sunrotted in two years. Opening's zippers failed before two years despite being loose. The frame while not super heavy duty looking has held up two silver hd tarps from HF for 4 years after the original cover shit the bed. Actually, for what it is, the frame is the best part.
Have had my Harbor Freight Shed for 2 years now with multiple winds storms winds gusting to 50 mph. It has stood up very well. I have it anchored to 6" x 4" Timbers that run the perimeter of the shed. It has dulled in the sun but other than that so fat so good.
I had an older HF one up for years! You used to be able to buy a replacement cover for it, then they changed the style.
I don't recall now how big it was. I used it to store hay. I just put a new 20x20 tarp on it every year.
The frame is still in good condition. It's all slip joints. It doesn't have the anchor pins, but instead has pegs that go in the ground through the frame.
Currently, I'm not using it, so I took it down. I'm planning on moving this year. Once I do, I'll be using the framework to build a greenhouse.
If you want to insure long Cover life with the Harbor Freight 10'x17' purchase the Silver 15'2" x 19'6" heavy duty tarp and keep the Top/upper sides covered. The $32 annual or longer investment will protect the cheap Non-UV covering from the Sun as well as increasing Wind resistance.
* My first Cover lasted 9 months, then split on the morning sun side and slid to the base, exposing everything on that side. then the rest started slipping over the top. I Rigged it and got a Tarp to rig it until the $100 replacement Cover arrived.
Now, I replaced the original Cover and reinstalled the Silver Tarp. The Silver Tarp survived for about a year, then split on the morning sun side.
Within days I picked up a replacement Tarp and recovered the enclosure. This tarp is on Year (2), but I saw the Silver Tarp on sale and grabbed one as a reserve.
$32 dollars every year or two beats $100 Special order, wait and worry, every time.
First impressions Shelter Logic seems way nice. Placed mine right next to my HF that had been there for 3 years prior. I’m now on my second year with the shelterlogic and the top is completely torn up like a rag doll just after the first year. I would definitely buy another HF if they made them as big. Yeah they sell a 10 year cover but I’m not paying another $1000 on top of the $650 I paid for the shelter. Meanwhile the HF was only $200 and is still going strong 5 years later no tears nothing.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences. My general rule of thumb is to keep any tent-like shelters out of the wind and sun and you can get some decent life out of it. Some may then say "well if you keep it out of the sun and wind then you probably don't need a shed in that spot" but they are good for keeping the rain off things of course. I should do an updated video because I've had both brands fail but in different ways since this video. The HF did not handle the snow load as well as the SL seemed to but again the sheds were in different locations and other factors than pure snow load may have come into play (branches possibly fell, etc.) I see HF has continued to make improvements by now providing bolts in addition to the "slip-fit" connections. I would still opt for the HF sheds today due to initial cost but I understand they may not hold up as well as the SL in some circumstances.
A neighbor got the HarborFreight version. After 6 months the fabric was getting bad. They got R-panel and screwed it to the frame. That held for 18 years. (and I moved... I think it's still standing)
I’ve been uniquely able to compare the shelterlogic versus HF through a storm. Both were properly installed. As a result of my experience, I do NOT recommend HF sheds. The way they rely on the tarp cover to tension everything together is not strong. The metal ties used in HF are thinner walls and rust more, as well as bend easily. Shelterlogic guarantees their covering for a single year, and you can buy a 10 year replacement cover. Harbor freight failed within a year.
From now on I buy the shelterlogic sheds because the increased cost is 100% worth it when considering the cost of storm cleanup and damage to what I put inside the shed.
Thanks for watching and adding your experiences. I will try to remember to do updates as time goes on and share the results of these although the Shelterlogic has been in place for one year already so it has a head start. I fully agree a broken shed is not worth any cost or time savings if you have to keep replacing it.
@originaLkomatoast what environment is it living in? Any wind/weather block(wall, tree, similar) nearby helping protect it? Thanks
I found out that the Sheds Menards had a few years ago for cheap were a Menards only deal with thinner covers. As I recall 3.6 oz for the Shelter Manards had where the standard was 5.8 oz
After a few of my own, and putting up SL and knock-off fabric shelters, I find the SL ones have a better assembly scheme, but the knock-offs are fine, if slightly more annoying. After dealing with the fabric replacement, while I’m sure the “premium” fabrics at their price would hold up fine (I’ve got a ‘professional’ fabric quonset that’s going on 10 years), when the fabric shreds on the current units under my care, I’m going to source some steel roofing or siding, and just screw the metal right to the frame. I’ve done this once already, and it turned out very rigid, and handles wind and snow just fine.
Good review and comparison. I've noticed as well that the usual higher brand names associated with portable garages have started to cheap out in quality while Harbor Freight is stepping it up a tad and at highly competitive pricing.
Thanks for watching and the positive comment! HF had a $199 deal on these over the recent Black Friday. Unfortunately I picked up a couple older versions of these that disappointed - mainly because they were missing the correct parts (4 of part "A1" were included instead of two of "A1" and two of "A2" which are the upper corner structure pipes.) HF customer support could not source the correct structure parts either; only the tarp components. So I was left with modifying the structure (converting A1s into A2s) to salvage it. Yes, I could have taken it back but it was quicker and less hassle to just modify the parts and move on but it was a show stopper in getting the sheds up in the anticipated timeframe in any case. While that was a negative experience it's not preventing me from purchasing HF products in the future. Just chalked it up to "stuff happens" and hoping not to see it moving forward a whole lot again.
I have several on my acreage and they are all Shelter Logic, the older ones were worth the money but the last three have been junk. the frames are curved incorrectly so the 12 wide is only 10 wide. The fabric covers only last two years with luck, and do not stand up to the cold. I have resorted to covering the cover with heavy duty bale covers, it strengthens the cover to withstand hail and high winds. I install a welded base under the shelter to make them heavier for wind resistance and more anchor points.
I have a shelter logic shed that I have had for five years two things I did I purchased 2x6 for the shed to set on then anchored the 2x6 to the ground with re rod then naturally anchored the shed tubing to the 2x6,
As far as the door I put a pice a pvc tubing in the bottom of the door then it is easy to roll up when you open it.
The HF fabric only lasted a year and I replaced it with a Dayton tarp (16x30) and that lasted a year - but then I got a hay tarp from Murdocks and that lasted 3 years and now I see that I have to replace it again. I just put the new ones right over the old one and that adds a lot of strength - we have had some heavy snow and that idea seems to work best. The frame is great and I sunk some PT 4x4 beams in the ground and ran some long threaded rod from them up to the bottom of the frame and the wind has not been able to move or bend anything in over 7 years.
Really good video and I was thinking about buying the Harbor Freight shelter. Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but I would use heavy duty T-Post to anchor mine down. I used them for pop-up gazebos and they stay put. Plus you can attach ropes or wire to give the top support as well. Thank you for the good video!
I have a Shelter Logic one set up 4 years ago, didint use the provided anchors as the corners were in too rocky spots, did set the frame on 5x20cm beam/balk to lift it up alittle and was easyer to level and square it out. plus could anchor it from that in any place i wanted, wind it not a major issue as it sits behind bigger structure to cover most of the heavy winds, the sun indeed have eated up the cover, sides are ok, on top i did lay a load cover, as one part have ripped, not sure im conna get a new cover, meybe install roofing sheets instead, did manage do find a 2nd door, so i can open up front and back the same time, that is quite nice
I purchased two of the Harbor Freight portable garages about two years ago for $160 each. Still in boxes in my garage. Hope to get them installed this spring.
Thank you ! Great video. I appreciate you taking your time and sharing this with us. 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you for taking the time to say thanks!
Great review, just picked one up from Harbor Freight for $189 on sale!
One thing I noticed on my canopy/tent/carports is on my HF the condensation is awful. Dry when it's raining, but when it's cold out, it will actually be raining on the inside, while it's dry outside. The shelter logic does not have that issue. Less ventilation maybe?
Looking foward to a follow up about the tarps condition through times! Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching! So far things are holding up well although they have only been through one winter as of the time of this message.
I’m considering buying metal roofing panels and just use the shelter logic frame and ditch they shitty tarps that don’t last more than a year. Although I’m worried about Al that weight of those panels so I might have to weld in some extra poles
HF now sells a 12X20 garage.
The massive price increase of the Shelter Logic is ridiculous. Gotta love this economy we're living in... If we could get the leaders of the country to put America and it citizens first, wouldn't that be breathe of fresh air. Nice video by the way, thank you.
According to a NY Times article, 80% of the price increases we are seeing is due to ‘greed-flation’ and record breaking corporate profits reflect this - I’ve decided to buy only absolute necessities this year, really limiting any prepared food and eating out as well
Put America first when Shelter Logic parts are manufactured in China and put together as a conglomerate product in different countries all around the globe...and HARBOR FREIGHT is 98% Cheap Chinese Junk...
But yeah you go ahead and preach your patriotic bullshit...what a fucking joke
The leaders of this country have almost no effect on corporate greed that is the real reason everything costs so much. But GOP totally supports corporations and corporate welfare. So careful who you blame!
The difference in prices probably the weight of the fabric used. They have 7.5, 9, 13.5 and 22.5 ounce I believe
I can add a couple “cons” to the HF side. That white coated frame will rust and bend in just a few years, you’ll find yourself drilling and adding bolts or rivets to hold it together and having to dispose of the shredded cover in a year or two. The Shelter Logic is much higher quality overall. The SE cover’s not much better but you can buy a upgraded cover, for a price. After replacing the standard cover twice in 6 years, l upgraded to the top of the line cover. This cover is expensive but but there’s no comparison, my shelter has been up for 12 years and still has many more to go. Even with the upgraded cover the cost is still a fraction of what a more permanent shelter would be and can be quickly removed and stored if need be.
I have experience with both HF and Shelterlogic. I have a pile of broken frame parts, and deteriorated covers from HF. The frames fold under wind load, and as others have noticed, the material is subject to UV deterioration. I paid the higher price and bought the heavy duty frame from SL. The SL has withstood several years of wind storms and snow load. Considering the limited life of the HF, I think my SL has proven to be a better value over time. I received a wrong part from SL, and they immediately replaced within a couple of days, I am glad that others have had good luck with HF; my experience was different.
Shelter Logic 100x over HF. My 2 HF collapsed during Nor' Easters..had the slip joints bolted together and the base, lag bolted onto 2x6 planks with a car parked in the boards, still collapsed. Shelter Logic also has domed and a gambrel shaproofline option vs the one style from HF. Gauge of the metal frame is thicker as well as the fabric from Shelter Logic..
The weather resistance of the material is what I would be concerned about.
Cheap, but falls apart from UV and weather, not a good investment.
Hows the UV protection over the years? I bought a 12x12 gazebo and the roof rotted out in one year from the sun UV what a waste of money. So we bought a 12x12 gazebo from Cosco's oh and the cost was higher but its been up four years now metal roof all cedar uprights still going strong.
Could I buy 2 Harbor Freight's and build it for 10ft x 34ft ?.. Also I might want to use 4ft fence posts as anchors, hammer them into the ground and tie it down.
Hey thanks for putting this video together! My question is related to how these handle snow. I live in northern Michigan and at times we can get up to 20 plus inches. Have you had any experience with heavier snowfall with either of these units? Looking for a boat shelter and thought if I can find something for the price of indoor winter storage it would be worth getting a shelter.
Thanks for watching! Yes, the sheds are located where snow falls can reach similar amounts to you and yes we have seen one catastrophic cave-in due to heavy snowfall. I've had around 20 sheds total and about roughly the same amount of each brand. I don't want to say which one failed because it's hard to say for sure that the brand that was not there would not have failed. All I can say is it is possible to have a collapse due to "excessive snow" and I would recommend keeping any out from under coniferous trees that can have a tendency to drop a lot of snow at one time onto a shed below it.
After reading all the comments, I will go with the Shelter Logic brand.
Honestly if you built the frame using PVC pipe then filled the PVC frame legs with concrete or pee gravel for weight and bought a HD tarp I honestly think it would be easier cheaper and last a hell of a lot longer I wanna see something like a bounce house where I can roll it out in winter and kick the fan on to inflate a ready to use garage
Good video. Which shelter holds up better in high winds?
Thanks for watching. I’ve had one Shelter Logic get pulled out and turned over in “high winds” because it was improperly anchored which was not the shelter’s fault. Would definitely recommend ensuring anchors are set to full depth in all four corners and adding additional ones if there are wind concerns in your area. Consider using Vortex anchors if the ground has a lot of stone in it as these tend to drive more easily in rocky soil. Otherwise it’s too early to tell in my case which is better. I don’t see any reason why one would be better than the other at this point as long as they are correctly installed. The HF is probably a little more sensitive to the tightness of the ratchets since it doesn’t use fasteners at the frame joints so there is a higher probability it can come apart than the SL if the tarp material is not tight enough.
Nice video, very clear. Thanks.
Thanks for watching and the positive comment!
Thank you for posting. How is the Harbor Freight holding up. I keep going back and forth between Shelter Logic and Habor Freight
Thanks for watching! The HF and SL units in the video are both holding up fine. However, I have other units installed that have not being doing as well, both HF and SL. At this point, the SL units *seem* to have a very slight strength advantage for their structure (their pipe frames), but the only way to confirm for sure is replacing the HF ones with SL ones in the same locations and have the SL units experience the same weather conditions which may not occur again. The HF units are suffering from piping failures and usually where they are not protected as well from the wind from surrounding objects like trees. Snow loads have been a problem when storms bring 8-10 inches *sometimes*. But again, they are very close in capability and *IF* the SL has an advantage it is so minimal that I don't think it would make a difference from a practical standpoint. It's kind of like having two cars with one getting 30 mpg and the other getting 31 mpg. Yes, on a 1000 mile trip you might save $5 using the car that gets 31 mpg but as far as one car making it the distance and the other not, it's only under conditions that are in such a precise window you'll likely never experience it. If you can, try to keep the units out of direct sunlight and wind as much as possible. Those two factors are the most detrimental to their lifespan, especially the covers and both brands behave similarly.
I built a shed for this price 20 years ago how prices have went up
Thanks for watching and commenting. Sounds like more price hikes are in store unfortunately:(
@@Ilikeurtractor prices go up quilty goes down
Are either of these able to be used on a concrete pad?
I have not installed any on concrete pads but there are videos on TH-cam where others have. Whatever you put them on make sure you have them anchored.
the texas sun ruined mine real quick less than a year, cost more to try and keep the thing held down maybe good for temp shelter but other than that just build something from wood your putting good money to bad.
What is the bit you used to install the anchors?
It’s the LD model for the link in the description. The HD models allow using an impact driver which can be handy.
Great thorough video, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Well done, thank you gentleman.
Did that drill attachment come with the kit? I don't recall seeing that mentioned, but I've been doing stuff while this is playing and might have missed it.
Thanks for watching! A drill adapter is not included. The link for the one used is in the description if you're interested. You might want to consider the heavy duty (HD50) one rated for impact use as the one shown in the video is not. Impact drivers can install larger anchors and in more difficult ground and won't twist your arm off in the process!
Long box you say... I hauled mine home in a Honda Fit. :)
The shelter logic has 4 cover options. Which cover are you using?
Thanks for watching! I was/am unaware the Shelter Logic comes with 4 cover options. I used whatever Menard's sells as the standard, or most commonly sold option by them.
@@Ilikeurtractor thanks for getting back. I bought the harbor freight 12x20 today. It seems ok. My 10x17 hf is wiped out after 5 years. $200 well spent imo. Where else can you get 5 years of storage for $200 ? I’m going to order another cover for my old one and keep both.
They make the price more on the smaller one, that way your more inclined to buy the bigger one. So you "get your moneys worth" its just a tactic to make you buy the bigger one
Mine crushed when i didnt get the snow off it fast enough.
We're calling tents sheds now?
Thank you for the video sir
Thank you for watching! I hope to do more of similar topics.
No more videos? Let's get a diy generator build with on of those Chinese diesel clones, or an old used lister or something. I think the small diesel engine clones will become a trend in cost effective diy for home makers.
One video that would be neat is to do an endurance test of a Chinese diesel vs. a Lister-Petter (how long each would run until failure.) Unfortunately I do not know the existing run time on any of the Listers I have so that could affect outcome. I would anticipate the Listers would outlast the Chinese engines regardless of their history based on their construction which appears to be directed towards longevity (twice as heavy, much larger bearing surfaces, etc.) There seems to be quite a few home generator builds on TH-cam already (albeit I haven't seen many with the Chinese diesels) but the only real difference would be to adjust the driving speed of the diesel to keep it at its most efficient speed which is probably somewhere around 2700 rpm.
They actually wanna charge me damn near 100 dollars just to ship it. What ever happened to free shipping. Amazon here I come then. With probably better customer support I could almost bet also.
GOOD REVIEW
But the tarp only last a year! That sucks!
Thanks.
For less money, buy used metal roofing and 2x4s at estate sales. Use real materials instead of cloth and thin pipes
Why does it take 20 min to get to point.....
These have gotten to expensive.
Buy two get one free is it's greatest selling point.