Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Skyco]

Last radio controlled winch I worked with before the HF one was 360 ton capacity, you could barely see it move. Of course it probably cost 10,000 times what the HF one did

 

[excelagator]

360 ton!!!

 

[Skyco]

Yup It was in the top of a reactor containment building.

 

[gemini5362]

Last radio controlled winch I worked with before the HF one was 360 ton capacity, you could barely see it move. Of course it probably cost 10,000 times what the HF one did

I think you are being very very conservative at guessing only 10,000 times what the HF winch cost.

 

[gemini5362]

Yes mine bumps and I have no need to stop it in a inch or so. If it was a name brand and 3 times the price, yeah I would complain about reeling a foot at a time! If I need that pin point precision I can muscle it manually where I need it. If you can't try a snatch block, very handy item for any winch! My father-inlaw has the same winch and uses it for stocking up wood for his furnace. He has moved countless trees with it this summer.

Remember this is a radio controlled winch. No hard lines, only radio waves controlling it. I spent years racing RC cars and anything that is a properly radio controlled requires constant input to operate. To me it is a safety issue designed in and I can get to a very safe distance with this one. Since I have raced RC cars and yes I have experienced "rogue" frequencies and conflicts. I would still take the RC route over short leads. Most factory control leads even with major winch companies will never get you out of harms way properly and I have worked with alot of them.



I have worked with a commercial 20 ton bursting winch.
HammerHead - World Class Tools for Contractors Paid by the Foot...Not by the Hour.

I have the 10,000 pound HF winch. One of the things I did not like about it was that If I use it to drag a car or something I have to steer on my 16 foot trailer the control was too short. ( they did not have a remote control available when I bought mine) I bought a 25 foot light duty extension cord cut the ends off and used it to lengthen the control unit for the winch. Now I can go to the end of the trailer and then steer whatever I need to while I am controlling the winch. i did have a problem with mine but that was strictly my own stupidity when I was doing some work on it. I managed to get a replacement brake assembly from HF for the unit and now it works fine.

 

[excelagator]

Gemini,
Slick addition to your winch! I remember operating a tow truck and having to walk back and forth to pull and steer the vehicle loading.

 

[gemini5362]

Gemini,
Slick addition to your winch! I remember operating a tow truck and having to walk back and forth to pull and steer the vehicle loading.

Thank you. One of the things I have noticed and I have no clue why it is that way. You can buy an extension cord with the ends on it for a lot less money than you can buy the equivalent length wire of the same gauge and same number of conductors.

 

[slaveToHorses]

Thank you. One of the things I have noticed and I have no clue why it is that way. You can buy an extension cord with the ends on it for a lot less money than you can buy the equivalent length wire of the same gauge and same number of conductors.

sometimes it is due to a difference in quality of the cable. But usually it is just a case of mass production and cost of sale at the retailer. It usually requires assistance to purchase bulk cable but none to purchase an extension cord. Plus the cost of the storage rack for the cable... but it is pretty ironic.

 

[Merlint]

I never even heard of Harbor Freight until about a month ago when I got their flyer. Took one look at the tools, then the prices, then laughed and threw it out. Friends told me they're not bad though...depends on what you need. So I found a $5 mini torch that I "need" at HF, but---do you have to find a HF store to make the purchase? Please advise. Thanks.

 

[dfkrug]

: but---do you have to find a HF store to make the purchase?

No way! For many years, I bought from HF mail order. It was not until maybe
a dozen years ago that I visited a store. The store was disappointing in that
they only stocked maybe 1/50 of what's in the catalogs.

If you ever get to S Cal, the HQ warehouse IS impressive however.