Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[aczlan]

VERY IMPORTANT.........YOU MUST TURN ALL SWITCHES OFF BEFORE EVER TURNING ANY ON. Never turn on a blue switch while a red switch is on and never turn on a red switch while a blue switch is on. Doing so will cause a major short.

Relays and a A/B switch switch might be a safer option.

Aaron Z

 

[California]

Relays and a A/B switch switch might be a safer option.

What you said.

I wouldn't use individual switches for this project due to the deadly consequences if somebody switches it wrong.

Something like ganged A/B knife switches, where it is impossible to have current at A and B at the same time, would be the minimum it seems to me.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Hey guys your are making my simple idea look complex. :laughing:

 

[tallyho8]

I was just stating the easiest and cheapest way I knew for him to do his project. This is not a failproof way. One could easily spend $500 on switches and relays to do this in a safer manner if money is no object and you have the technical know-how to do it but if one is careful, self-confident and safety conscious and has no one else operating the machine, this is one way to achieve his goal with complete instructions and limited expense.

This is the way I would do it, however I would not let my wife, son or most other people I know have access to the switches.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I was just stating the easiest and cheapest way I knew for him to do his project. This is not a failproof way. One could easily spend $500 on switches and relays to do this in a safer manner if money is no object and you have the technical know-how to do it but if one is careful, self-confident and safety conscious and has no one else operating the machine, this is one way to achieve his goal with complete instructions and limited expense.

This is the way I would do it, however I would not let my wife, son or most other people I know have access to the switches.

Thanks tallyho8. I need to get some of those $10 cut offs anyway. Our 48v based UPS at the office that I keep up has a fused link so with the correct fusing the end of the world even could be prevented.

http://www.cooperbussmann.com/6/HeavyDutyFuses.html

These options go up to 800 amps.

 

[patrick_g]

I would like to hear from anyone who owns, or has used one of the hydraulic pipe benders. Will it create a descent bend without alot of distortion? Also i am insterested in what the radius of bends would be using 1 inch pipe. I have been toying around with building a go cart from scratch and this would be the only way of making the curved pieces of the frame without having to pay someone with a high dollar bender to do it. Thanks.

I got one of their benders. It works but doesn't perform miracles. You still can't violate the laws of physics. There are elastic limits, ductility/malleability issues and such. You can't arbitrarily put just any radius on any pipe/tube. Try to get too much bend and you'll crinkle the workpiece. You can pack the tube full of sand and that helps on bends nearing the limit for small radii. I have never tried heating the tube/pipe but that is another possibility.

The simple hydraulic bender will not do as neat a job as the big high dollar machines with precision steel rollers and smooth polished mandrels but you can do some pretty good work with them. They are not at all expensive, especially if you got a coupon or catch them on sale.

I have the 12 ton and sometimes wish it were the 20 ton model but then I try to work some pretty heavy wall pipe rather than thiner wall tubing. Give it a whorl, even if yo can't do everything you want you will probably surprise yourself at how much you can do with it.

Sorry but I have never done anything as small as or close to 1 inch. I'd take a sample, pack it full of sand, and give it a whorl.

Pat

 

[patrick_g]

What you said.

I wouldn't use individual switches for this project due to the deadly consequences if somebody switches it wrong.

Something like ganged A/B knife switches, where it is impossible to have current at A and B at the same time, would be the minimum it seems to me.

Faced with a similar switching challenge I bought a couple disconnects and wired them to switch my welding trailer from commercial power to on-board generator power. Since you want break before make the disconnects were perfect. I "HID" one of the shorting bars to have as a spare. In use to switch from one power source to another I pull out the shorting bar from one set of contacts and plug it into the other. I was nudged in this direction by beneficial suggestions from one of the great guys right here on TBN, Gemini is his handle.

This was a significant cost and size savings compared to buying a switch with the rating required AND it is fool proof, you can't get a short or cross connect the generator to commercial power.

Pat

 

[Gale Hawkins]

10/2/55 Amp, 6/12 Volt Battery Charger/Engine Starter

Tonight I broke out this charger I picked on on Saturday to start conditioning some deep cycle 12v batteries that I let set too long.

It jumps out to 13 amps and quick gets back down to 10 in a few minutes. When it drops to 9 amps I move it to the next one. When the 40 amp charger finishes a bank of four that it is topping off currently I will put this last set of four on it.

 

[Travelover]

10/2/55 Amp, 6/12 Volt Battery Charger/Engine Starter

Tonight I broke out this charger I picked on on Saturday to start conditioning some deep cycle 12v batteries that I let set too long.

It jumps out to 13 amps and quick gets back down to 10 in a few minutes. When it drops to 9 amps I move it to the next one. When the 40 amp charger finishes a bank of four that it is topping off currently I will put this last set of four on it.

Please let us know how this charger works out for you. I have considered it but the reviews are all over the place.

 

[tallyho8]

Please let us know how this charger works out for you. I have considered it but the reviews are all over the place.

I've had one of those chargers for several years now and used it quite often. It has performed flawlessly.