Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Skyco]

The main reason I want a 40 pound generator is to charge the backhoe and big truck batteries without having to remove them or to help start them in cold weather.

About 15-20 years ago Coleman came out with the first invertor generator I ever saw. The really neat thing is it came with a quick connect set of jumper cables that put out IIRC around 80-90 amps of DC to quick charge a battery. I used that feature far more than I ever used it to make AC which IIRC was around 900 watts.. Usually a minute or two would bring a weak battery up enough to start a vehicle. It was also a 2 stroke and weighed maybe 30-40 lbs, again IIRC.
Unfortunately a few years ago I went to use it and couldn't find it...to this day I have no idea where it went, although I have a suspicion I can't prove

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I see the Youtube comparisons but I have not yet understood the point. Who compares a new $15K car to a $120K car.

When power goes out I have my backup gen set and a back up to it. They are not for loan because we are all electric and there are minors in the house.

To help out those without power I would be glad to fuel 1-2 $100 generators and set them up for those in need of power to prevent food spoilage/thawing. With two I could cover 8 homes in 24 hours or 4 every if I returned back after burning a tank at another neighbors.

If the pole saw can be ran off of one that will be nice. Having a way to boost dead batteries with out the use of jumper cables will be huge. The ability to set up work lights for work or play will be nice.

I had planned to used the little heater we keep in the MH for a break in load until it reported 700 watts on the Kill A Watt and the manual states NO more than 600 watts for the FIRST 25 hours.

At 9:30 PM I can top of the tank and when I wake up in the morning I will have 25 hours on this new 800 watt HF generator. I plan to get new spark plugs to fit it tomorrow.

If I come up with another one or two I would like put the 25 hours one them and prep it for 10 year storage and rebox it and forget about it. 25 hours of break in cost about $25 .

The fact these do not require the oil be checked and should start in cold weather interests me. This last restart took three rope pulls and the tank/carb were bone dry because it ran out while I was driving my backhoe home from the welding shop.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's a plug for the masonry angle grinder discs. 4-1/2" Cutoff Wheel for Masonry, Pack of 10

I made 210 inches worth of cuts tonight. I used 2 of the 10 discs and it took me about 20 minutes. That time included climbing ladders, position, measuring, etc. I was surprised how fast these blades cut the concrete. They cut concrete a lot faster than skinny wheels can cut metal.

 

[Kernopelli]

Looked on Ebay last night and couldn't find any for sale. What do you use as search. Is there one specific company that auctions all their stuff?

The seller is "Tadd Wholesale", if you simply search "Tadd" on Ebay, you'll find some of their auctions. Located in Lebanon TN in a huge old Texas Boot factory. They will not ship large items so local pickup is required and consequently palletized items generally sell VERY reasonably. They have a dedicated Ebay customer pickup area and every time I've been down there, there is a line of Ebay buyers pulling trailers waiting to be loaded....they have an incredible business going on! I am convinced if you lived close, you could make a living buying from them and reselling through multiple venues. In fact, there was a guy there driving a yellow F650 "pickup" like Lucky Phillips' (Turkeyfoot Equipment) that said he lived 20 miles from there and that's exactly what he did ( made his living by buying and reselling from TADD).

Can you repair these? I could use a few if you are interested in selling them repaired.I'm surprised about the close quarters drill, not surprised about Drill Master. That whole line screams 'throwaway tool'. (but actually my two work fine). And thanks for the tip how to get brushes out professionally!

The gear box problem isn't repairable. They all had stripped and grenaded gears that cracked the metal trans. case.

I just got done going through 15 of the Drill Master variable speed buffer/sanders. Some were obviously new/nearly new, some pretty used. EVERY ONE refused to power on and showed 20-50V where the power cord entered the power switch. I found that if you cut 18"-24" out of the cord they would get the full voltage to the switch.(??!!!) I decided to use all my close quarter drill cords to replace them and they now work like a charm. Judging from the use some of these appear to have seen, they're probably fairly durable and worth the money.....if you get a bad one take the 4 screws out of the handle and shorten the cord and put it back in service. Takes about 2 minutes.

Moving to battery chargers next.....will keep you posted.

 

[California]

Sorry I wasn't clear. It is the Marine Pump I could use a few of.

This year we will have 100 new trees to water in the orchard so I'm redesigning my watering rig.

In 2009 I experimented with various HF pumps. The Bilge Pump works great and moves a lot of water. I finally ended up using just the Marine Pump. I need 15 gallons per tree, and that model applies 15 gallons in under two minutes. That is as fast as I can pull weeds/plug gopher holes/reinforce the levee - as the tree's basin fills. (Trying to stay ahead of the high-volume Bilge Pump would have given me a heart attack. )

2009 photo:

 

[Travelover]

I also use the marine pump for tree watering, using a trailer pulled by my truck. I picked up a couple of 55 gallon plastic barrels and tapped a 1/2" pipe thread in the side near the bottom. I use a quick connector off my trailer lights to power the pump off the tail light circuit.

It seems like the pump doesn't like to sit. Each spring I have to partially disassemble it and get everything loosened up.

 

[Kernopelli]

California,

I would say the pumps ARE repairable. The only issue I saw with them was the "brush holder" part #7 http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/94000-94999/94639.pdf. It is made from a thin fiber/resin board that is very brittle and was burned under the brushes of all the pumps I had. It appears that you can order new holders since they re listed in the parts section but that would probably be a temporary fix. The real fix would be to use the old holder as a template and make a new holder out of some type of heavier/more durable nonconductive material......what that is, I can't recommend but I'm sure there's a good substitute out there.

Other than the brush holders, the pumps seem nice and heavy w/ decent bearings supporting the armature and steel and aluminum construction nearly everywhere. The impeller is rubber (or maybe silicone or something similar but you get the idea)

I was not going to do anything further with them and would have been glad to have simply thrown them all in a USPS flat rate box and given them to you. I gave them to my buddy though, he has several boats and thought he might try to do something with them.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

SAE Jumbo Combination Wrench Set - 6 Piece

This set does not see a lot of use but for less than $10 a piece it is worth it when needed.

I have found the they can make nice extension handles for smaller wrenches.

For breaking large hydraulic fittings a third one can be slipped over the head of one of the two wrenches on the fitting and used as a lever to turn the two wrenches in the same or opposite directions with less effort.

Just noticed they have a 25% off a single item sale good only for Easter Sunday with limits.

 

[Travelover]

Just noticed they have a 25% off a single item sale good only for Easter Sunday with limits.

Coupon Display

 

[California]

Saw this elsewhere. I immediately thought we need a shout-out in honor of the the founder of this thread.