Review on Lifetime 60298 Outdoor Storage Gallon by Rex Bareham

I am very handy and assembling the Lifetime box took the most time. A few tips to make it easier. 1. First check the nuts, screws and bolts and make sure you have the correct wrenches. A small ratchet (1/4" drive) makes it much easier to install some screws as sometimes there isn't enough clearance to use a large ratchet. An electric drill with a 1/4 inch bit will prove invaluable. when putting the lid on the box, as the holes in the hinge don't line up exactly with the holes in the plastic box. At this point, drill the metal hinge into the plastic box AFTER making sure the hinge is in the correct position. You may have wondered why the manual suggests a large rubber mallet. This is the installation of loops in place. If not, good luck reassembling so the lid fits. When installing the lid reinforcement, the screws are very tight and if you don't have a precise nut, it will slip off the screw head. To make it easier to install these screws, I drilled an 1/8" hole in the plastic. This came in handy with one of the holes, as the holes in the stiffeners were smaller and the screw was very difficult to turn until they were stuck on the hole plastic note for installing the stiffener instructions say simple but only simple for a 400kg gorilla I'm only a 159kg machinist so the lifetimes approach didn't work for me There are two approaches that I found this should work, although the first is untested.A: Sand or cut 1/8" from both ends of the stiffener. Inspection of the lid shows the ends of the stiffener are non-functional and free during installation appear to be floating in the lid cavity. The rod should be easy to install if not remove a little more from each end. Don't just cut one end, hold the bar symmetrically. B: Find a partner who can work as a team and do the following: 1. Place the linden tree upside down on a cushion on a flat surface. 2. Attempt to install the rod and find the end that fits best (i.e. the rod fits in the groove and fits snugly in the channel). Now insert the OTHER end into its slot. Call it FIRST END. 2. Place a partner 1/3 from the FIRST END on the lid. 3. Standing on the OTHER END, use pliers to secure the bracket to the rib near the end of the widest part of the rib. 4. With your right hand, grasp the stiffener about 18 inches from the end while your partner grasps it about 1/3 of the way from the FIRST END. 5. Then both pull the stiffener towards you. The partner's task is to insert the bow into the stiffener enough to fit in the groove. Your job is to make sure the shackle is only on your buddy's end and use locking pliers to align the end of the stiffener with the slot it needs to fit into. 6. When the stiffener is aligned with the slot, slowly release the stiffener and guide it into the slot. Mine took a hit with a rubber mallet to finish the job. 7. Then use a hammer to hammer in the stiffener so that it is in the center of the lid. Otherwise, the stiffening screws in the cover will be loosened and the strength of the cover will be greatly reduced. When installing the hinges into the lid, use a hammer to align the hinge with the lid. A small ratchet is handy for installing 4 screws. If you overtighten, you will tear the plastic and the screw will not work. Mounting the hinges to the box requires a lot of hammering to achieve alignment. After leveling, use a 1/4" drill bit as above, then insert the screw from the plastic side. The box made a big mistake on this part of the build. The 3 wrench works great on the nut. Everything is assembled, the fit is good and it looks good. I just wish the assembly was easier and the instructions were a lot more detailed.