Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[dickfoster]

Not a tool but I picked up some nice casters with 600 lb load rating to build my backhoe dolly with. They look to be well made and should do the job as I figure the backhoe weighs about half a ton. I got two swivels and two fixed. Also got some large combination wrenches in both SAE and Metric since some of the blots on this tractor are larger than what I have. If I run across anything larger than 2", someone else can do it.

 

[DFB]

10" Cable Cutter is a decent pair of cable cutters for $7. HD wanted $17 for about the same. Cut my 2 gauge copper wire like butter. Would not expect it to work on steel cable like cable for bike locks.

I have a pair of them they do what I want them to do ok.

Mine are orange

Have some a couple of pairs of small (9" maybe?) boltcutters style that are also pretty handy for heavy fencing wire or small rod.





Funny how I keep being reminded of my old HF purchases

 

[newbury]

I see all of the recommendation for the tool chest, but what are you guys using for drawer liners?

Mine came with thin mats for draw liners.

 

[MossRoad]

I see all of the recommendation for the tool chest, but what are you guys using for drawer liners?

Depends....




Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Kinda laying on thick aren't you?

 

[dragoneggs]

Depends.... Sorry, couldn't resist.

That was funny.

 

[hutchman]

Last Saturday I picked up their 7000W/8750W generator.

I have a 20+ yr old DeVilbiss 5000W generator with a little over 300 hrs on it but it is so loud it will wake the dead. I don't have power at our land yet so I got it for that.

It's very quiet and a lot better on gas than the old one. I did a bunch of reading and they are basically Generacs. Same engine etc. I've been pretty impressed with it so far. I've almost got 10hrs on it trying to break it in with light to moderate loads to get to the first oil change.

I got it when they offered the $549 super coupon.

The old Briggs doesn't have electric start so with my recent bicep tendon rupture, the electric start is so nice. I was kind of on the fence at first telling myself I didn't need it but now that I have it and have used it I'm glad I bought it.

I'm going to be brave and run my Inverter based welder and plasma cutter off it. I looked for a line conditioner but couldn't find much that did 240V 30A. I read that all of these have less than 5% THD so hopefully it will be OK. Of course the HF spec doesn't give that number out but the Generacs do.

The outlets have very generous current ratings unlike my dad's 3250W generac that has a 14A circuit breaker that's shared by the 240V and 120V legs. So that means the 120V side can only do 1680W which is such a rip off!

I also picked up the L14-30 cord they sell on sale and dropped a 20% super coupon on it. So that means that you can get a 10ga 25ft. nice service cord for about the same price of a L14-30 plug (just the plug only) you would by at Lowes or Home Depot ... so the 25ft. of service cord was basically free. For anyone that's recently priced out service cord you know what I mean.

I lopped off the end of the cord and wired up a NEMA 6-50 receptacle.

 

[sixdogs]

I see all of the recommendation for the tool chest, but what are you guys using for drawer liners?

My best ones came from Lowe's. Almost equal are the Harbor Freight ones that are made by General or whoever it is that makes the tool boxes.

I have a set of the ones made by that toolbox company and put it my toolbox with the heavy, irregular or nasty stuff. I figured they wouldn't last but years later they look just fine.

 

[California]

At Goodwill I found a new, leftover fragment of what I assume is carpet underlayment, less than 1/8" thick. It looks like tool drawer liner and serves that function fine. And the price was right.

 

[jack707]

Would any of you use their chains to chain your tractor? I'm looking for two chains but I don't know there cheaper then Menard or any where else but I'm more concerned about quilty.