Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Iplayfarmer]

The 2" square thingy that your hitch ball mounts to, the other end attaches to your 2" square receiver hitch.

Greg

Oh! THAT thingy.

Honestly, I don't know what I would have called that. My Dad, brothers, and I always just refer to the ball... As in "Dad, I'm going to borrow your trailer, but I'll need to use your 2-5/16" ball." We just assume that means the ball and the "stinger" it's attached to.

Now I know.

Sometimes I feel like Kevin O'conner from "This Old House". I'm the dumb young one that gets to ask all the questions so that Tommy and Richard can reveal their infinite wisdom to the viewers at home. I'm okay with that as long as I can learn along with the viewers at home.

[Bedlam]

I got a chuckle from that one about this old house.In my opinion he sure is better than Bob Vila.(mr know it all) LOL

[patrick_g]

I got a chuckle from that one about this old house.In my opinion he sure is better than Bob Vila.(mr know it all) LOL

I always liked "Home Time" better. Something about "eye candy" in a construction venue wearing boots and tool belt...

Pat

[gemini5362]

Not buying when you have everything you want, need, or just deem ownable is believable. What is unbelievable is that no one ELSE has ever commented on your arbitration scam which is a thinly veiled series of FREE mini-vacation boondoggles during which the activities most favored may bear no identifiable relationship with the subject arbitration other than the general locale. Not to worry, the fine cadre of gentlemen assembled in this august body will keep your secret safe!

Pat

Pat sometimes you make me laugh so hard I cant type. Actually the veracity of your statement depends on how busy my wife is at work. If she can take off from work and go with me then I like to stay over a couple of days and take in local art galleries and museums. If I go by myself I dont drink alcohol and I am married to one of the best women in the world so there is no need for me to go to a bar. some of my trips are there one day meet with the grievant and witnesses and then arbitrate the next day and go home that night. As evidenced on here I love to argue and it is nice being paid to do something that I love. But I do love your reasoning on why I take those Free mini vacations.

By the way speaking of vacations as you know my stepson is in Austria going to school for a year. He is going to be finished this summer and we are going to go meet him after classes and spend two weeks with a eurail pass seeing europe. I have to get all my online fix in before that because for the first time I can remember we are both of us going without laptops and getting totally away from offices, clients, grievants, cell phones etc

[gemini5362]

Welcome to my world! I never heard of the term "trailer stinger" either nor did anyone else I asked. I GUESSED correctly though. Colorful term but I think I will stay with draw bar.

I prefer the solid 2 inch draw bars. I have them rated for 15,000 lb and balls rated for 30,000. HF hitch pieces are OK for the price but are strictly light duty. I would never personally use the light duty HF stuff since I have plenty of HD parts. I'm sure for light weight light duty applications they are just fine.

Their draw bar with hook does look sort of attractive though and I think I will get one of those.

Pat

ok guys you have me confused I assumed he was talking about the 2 inch square tubing welded to a piece of angled flat stock which you have a hole in that you mount your trailer ball on. the other end fits in the reciever hitch mounted to your truck or in some cases maybe mounted on a tractor.

To me there are two types of drawbars. One is the common one that fits on your 3 point hitch and has a series of holes down the length of it. The other I commonly refer to as a swinging drawbar which mounts to the underside of your tractor and usually has one hole in the end and maybe a couple of smaller ones just in front of that.

Are you saying that the thing the previous poster was talking about is a drawbar under my definition above

[patrick_g]

Pat sometimes you make me laugh so hard I cant type.

By the way speaking of vacations as you know my stepson is in Austria going to school for a year. He is going to be finished this summer and we are going to go meet him after classes and spend two weeks with a eurail pass seeing europe. I have to get all my online fix in before that because for the first time I can remember we are both of us going without laptops and getting totally away from offices, clients, grievants, cell phones etc

Laughter is the best medicine.

It isn't a vacation if you are reachable by phone for work related calls or you place them. Ditto for a laptop employed for non vacation purposes. A laptop with WIFI or other WWW connectivity can be a useful tool when doing dynamic trip planning on the fly. You can compare and contrast alternate destinations and such, book lodging, or do other trip related things but should get a good spanking if you do work stuff!

I assume this trip will be a photo op and I am looking forward to seeing the pix and hearing your story. Bring them along when you guys come to visit. If the pix will be available in a compatible format we can get them onto the 65 inch HD TV (DVD or CD or ...)

Pat

[valleydweller1]

ok guys you have me confused I assumed he was talking about the 2 inch square tubing welded to a piece of angled flat stock which you have a hole in that you mount your trailer ball on. the other end fits in the reciever hitch mounted to your truck or in some cases maybe mounted on a tractor.

To me there are two types of drawbars. One is the common one that fits on your 3 point hitch and has a series of holes down the length of it. The other I commonly refer to as a swinging drawbar which mounts to the underside of your tractor and usually has one hole in the end and maybe a couple of smaller ones just in front of that.

Are you saying that the thing the previous poster was talking about is a drawbar under my definition above

Yes Gemini, that is what I was referring to. To me, drawbars are for tractors and fit between the lower 3ph arms. I've only ever heard it called a stinger, maybe it's a west-coast thing? We call it a stinger because of the way it feels when you run into it with your shins.

Greg

[855Idiot]

Having purchased most everything they sell, I'd say I only have had a problem with:

The 260fp impact wrench. It won't take off my 65fp lugs. I exchanged it for another and that one won't take off my lugs either.

I had a 3" red vice that the kids broke while crushing Hot Wheels.

My small drill press broke the top gear spindle. I used liquid steel to fix it.

Some of the small sanders don't hold the sand paper.

The sand paper does not have the grit glued on at all.

Everything else I have purchased at HF, I've been happy with.

I'm on my third 4.5" grinder. Used up one to build my buggy.

Sign up for their email coupons. They are great!!!

My .02
Glenn

[RobJ]

I always liked "Home Time" better. Something about "eye candy" in a construction venue wearing boots and tool belt...

Pat

She(they) scare me dude. If she was around she'd be on the tractor all the time!!

Dean has been around for a while, the chics have come and gone..

[Iplayfarmer]

Dean has been around for a while, the chics have come and gone..

Yeah, but if you hadn't noticed, Miriam has the same last name as Dean.

1) Daughter
2) New Trophy Wife
3) Odd coincidence

My vote is #1 and she'll be around for a while. She may even take over Hometime.