Give Your Garage a Facelift by Adding On-wall Storage for Your OPE Tools and Accessories
I don’t know if you’re like me, but my shed lacks…organization. From string trimmers, hedge trimmers, and blowers, I seem to have gear laying everywhere. That may have led to my piqued interest in Hart Tools Garage Storage Starter Kits. They provide wall hooks in various configurations that slide along steel tracks to lift your gear off the ground and give you more space.
Pros
- Highly configurable and modular
- Inexpensive and expandable
- Supports 16-inch and 24-inch stud spacing
- Super-easy to install
Cons
- Not all mounting hook types sold separately
- Currently limited to various hanging hooks
Hart Garage Storage Kits Experience
I installed the Hart 12-piece Garage Storage Rail Starter Kit in my 10×20 storage shed. Inside, I store a Toro TimeCutter zero turn mower, EGO Select Cut XP lawnmower, and a whole suite of handheld power tools. It’s these battery-powered hand tools that cluttered the floor of my shed.
Wall-hook storage isn’t new, but I had yet to invest in a system for storing my gear on the vertical studs of my oversized shed. For one, I had a few screw-in hooks that took some of the burden. Another issue had to do with price—many of these systems cost a lot of money.
When Hart released a 12-piece garage storage rail kit for under $60, I knew I had to give it a try.
Easy Installation
Installation of this particular Hart Garage Storage Kit couldn’t be easier. I planned to install a combined rail on one side of the shed and a single rail on the other. Each section sat between the side windows mounted to open 2×4 stud walls.
After putting two pieces together via the included plastic blue coupler, I grabbed my trusty Empire magnetic torpedo level. After ensuring the rails were level, I drove a pair of 2-inch coarse-thread drywall screws through each end of the rail directly into the studs. You could certainly choose heavier-duty screws, however, I didn’t plan to hang more than 100 pounds off the entire garage storage rail and hook system.
The maximum capacity of the system is 45 pounds per hook and 250 pounds per 36-inch rail. That’s a lot of support and more than you’ll likely need for hand tools or battery-powered handheld equipment.
Hanging Up My Outdoor Power Tools
After I had all three rails installed, I began the process of adding the hooks as desired and hanging up my hand tools and battery-powered outdoor power equipment. The hooks move easily and install by hoping the top of the rail and letting the bottom fall into place. They felt very secure once installed.
The included array of hooks worked really well for everything from shovels to string trimmers and blowers.
Many of my tools, like the head of my Hart pole hedge trimmer, fit easily into one of the provided Large J-Hooks. Other mounts, like the S-hook, let you hand tools like hedge trimmers from their handles. You can also use them to hold pole-type products such as string trimmers.
Hart Garage Storage Kits Design Notes
The configurability of this system gives it a lot of appeal. For one, each rail comes in 36-inch lengths. That works really well for spanning either a single 24-inch stud wall or two 16-inch spaces. Additionally, if you connect two 36-inch rails together, you can span 4 studs in a 24-inch wall, or hit 5 studs in a standard 16-inch spaced stud wall. The spacing of the mounting holes makes it easy to work with either.
Got concrete block to deal with? Just grab some concrete anchors and a drill and go to town!
Additional Features
- Available in 2, 3, and 4-rail kits
- Some hooks available separately
Hart Garage Storage Kits Price
Pricing ranges from $39.98 for the 2-rail, 8-piece kit to $89 for the 4-rail, 18-piece garage storage rail kit. Here’s how it breaks down:
- HSGK100 2-rail kit: $39.98
- HSGK102 3-rail kit: $49.18
- HSGK101 3-rail kit: $59.98
- HSGK104 4-rail kit: $89.00
The Bottom Line
In the end, I found I could hang nearly all of my outdoor power tools and even some larger hand tools on this simple Hart Tools garage storage rail system. I might even purchase additional kits to give me more rails and additional hanging hooks. For the low price of entry, this is one of the most inexpensive ways to organize the tools in your garage or shed.
While you can get more sophisticated and complex garage wall storage systems, you may not need to. The Hart Tools Garage Rail Starter kits work for anyone looking for a solution that won’t cost an arm and a leg and primarily works for handled yard tools and battery-powered outdoor power equipment. Give it a shot—my guess is that you won’t regret your purchase.
Hart Garage Storage Starter Kits Specifications
- All-steel construction
- Holds up to 250 lbs. per rail for robust storage loads
- Up to 45 lb. load capacity per hook
- HSGK100 Kit: (2) 36”steel rails, (1) power tools hook, (1) large J hook, (1) double hook, (1) S hook, (1) single hook, (1) J hook, mounting hardware, endcaps
- HSGK102 Kit: (3) 36” steel rails, mounting hardware, (3) power tools hooks, (1) S hook, (3) single hooks, (1) J hook, (1) dual utility hook, (2) large J hooks, endcaps
- HSGK101 Kit: (3) 36” steel rails, mounting hardware, (1) power tools hook (2) large J hook, (2) double hook, (1) S hook, (2) single hook, (1) J hook, endcaps
- HSGK104 Kit: (4) 36” steel rails, mounting hardware, (1) power tools hook (2) large J hooks, (2) double hooks, (1) S hook, (2) single hook, (1) J hook, (1) S hook, (3) double hooks and (1) dual utility hook, endcaps
- Limited lifetime warranty
