HELP..rear wheel breaks off!

[Bird]

Re: Back in business...

Wen and del, cheap tools always make you wonder what you'll get. I still use a 3/8" butterfly that I ordered from Harbor Freight about 16 years ago and it's seen a lot use. I also use a cheap 3/8" air ratchet that's worked for years as well as an expensive one. On the other hand, I bought a cheap bench grinder that lasted 2 weeks. And I've been using a cheap 4" vice for 5 years with no problem, del, but my brother bought one of the same vices and it broke in less than a week. I have quite a mixture of "cheap" vs "good" tools. It's just a gamble; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

Re: Back in business...

Bird,

I bought one of those "cheap" Made in China, five inch bench grinders at a mobile tool sale and have been lucky so far! Only thing that has given me a problem is the on/off switch. I only use it occasionally, but it does what I need. If I used one more frequently, I would have bought a name brand USA.

And of course, you know since I own BLUE, I use my tools less and less all the time...nothing to fix! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[W5FL]

Re: Back in business...

Jim

Bring your tractor over to my place. With all the rocks, I am sure I can break something on it daily and you will need to learn to weld and use those tools. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Re: Back in business...

Actually, JimBinMI, the "cheap" 6" bench grinder I bought didn't last long, so I bought a little more expensive one that's lasted 5 years; however, I did a lot of shopping first locally, and I didn't find one that didn't either say "Made in China" or "Made in Taiwan."

And since you own a blue tractor that's not used, I wouldn't expect you to use your bench grinder much, but I use my orange tractor enough that I have to sharpen the mower blades occasionally./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Of course, my bench grinder is used for at least a few minutes 4 or 5 days a week, with a wire wheel on it, to remove rust and corrosion from tool parts.

Bird

 

[Mike H]

Re: Back in business...

Wen: I've had really good luck with Harbor Freight tools as well. I've got plenty of Craftsman too, but about 10 years ago I wanted a 15" adjustable wrench for something. It was $40 at Sears and I got a 15", 18", and 24" for that price from Harbor Freight. I figured I could break two and still be ahead - I haven't had a problem. I've never broken a socket or wrench I've gotten from them, although the cheap groove joint pliers didn't work at all and quickly led me to ChannelLock's (sp). I even made a point of visiting my sister when she lived in Lexington, KY just a mile from the Harbor Freight store there (OK, my wife made me visit - but I did go shopping)! You get what you pay for, but I figure I don't need much from some tools; and from others I need a lot.

 

[W5FL]

Re: Back in business...

I was raised in a family where my dad was a mechanic. He wouldn't let me use a pair of pliers for anything except twisting wire! He had (and still has) only SNAP ON tools. They are fine (and expensive) tools, but he thought my Craftsman tools were also very good tools. Now there are a lot of other popular brands that compete for Sears' tool market, that it is hard to tell which is which any more. The place where the SNAP ON tools and Craftsman showed their stuff was in the thin wall sockets and ratchets that held up when others would not. The thing I noticed was that my Dad would use primarily 3/8 in drive sockets to do heavy work and I would usually resort to 1/2 inch. He made a living with his tools and being very fast was very cost effective. SNAP ON also stocked a lot of special tools that you could not get anywhere else. Sounds kinda like John Deere Implements, doesn't it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JimBinMI]

Re: Back in business...

Wen,

IF it broke, would it have to wait for you to fix your Kubota to be worked on? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Since you can teach me, have you had a lot of experience fixing that Kubota?

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[Bird]

Re: Back in business...

Wen, I love your comment about your dad using 3/8" sockets when you'd use 1/2". That's a major part of my little air tool repair business; fixing 3/8" ratchets and impacts that mechanics used when they should have used a 1/2". And of course if they save enough time that way, it may be money well spent and may be worth it to them (and I'm glad to get the business)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[Alan W.]

Re: Back in business...

Mike I've bought quite a few tools from that same Harbor Freight store in Lexington. I think the 3/4 drive socket set is one of their best buys. I think everyone should pick and choose tools on its quality regardless of where its made.