Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[CompactTractorFan]

Tractor? I think the closest HF ever got to tractors was the towable backhoe.

I once started a thread on here inquiring about them. I was surprised that several owners really like them and use them for fairly difficult tasks.

Northern Tool puts their label on Jinma tractors. (Chinese). TaskMaster brand I think??? Could you be thinking of them instead?

The tractor was a 25 horsepower that looked exactly like the Northern Tool 25hp tractor. I only saw it in one catalog and I think it was selling for about $6k. (direct factory ship only:thumbsup: I assume direct from...well you know where:laughing

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I just did a dry run on the nailer/stapler and the safety does not work...what a surprise...

 

[California]

....Also got a "particle separator" ... so, for 7.99 I don't think I can go wrong.

Spoken like a true believer!!!





(I'll bet Dargo says that to himself over and over, every time, just before he goes back into HF to try again). :mur: :mur: :mur:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

(I'll bet Dargo says that to himself over and over, every time, just before he goes back into HF to try again). :mur: :mur: :mur:

Yep, that's what I said about the nail gun...:laughing:

 

[1-3-2-4]

I have a name-brand equivalent to that charger and I like it. The 55 amps spins my elderly Yanmar like crazy when it is feeling reluctant in cold weather. If you need that feature, go for it!

Also topping up the battery for a few minutes on the 10 amp setting warms the battery and prepares it to give its best in winter temperatures. I think two amps overnight would be a gentler way to recharge a discharged battery, however.

Not mentioned here - but I used the $3.99 float charger to get several more years use out of my Subaru's battery after I retired it to intermittent use in the tractor. I left the charger on continuous when the tractor wouldn't be used for a week or more. This greatly increased battery water consumption to where a 'maintenance-free' battery needed water maybe every 90 days, but it offset the increasing self-discharge of a several year old battery. A more sophisticated trickle charger might work better but I think the added cost is better spent on just buying a fresh battery sooner.

So you are saying that HF trickle charger is not good or it works but I would look for something better?

 

[California]

The HF $3.99 charger apparently puts out low current at moderate voltage continuous instead of sensing how much charge is needed. My experience was that this continuous charge didn't hurt the battery aside from increasing its water consumption to where I had to keep an eye on it.

I think more expensive chargers are claimed to switch off when not needed, preventing that water loss.

My objective was to get several more years out of a battery I had already retired from my wife's car. After I moved the battery over to the tractor it sat idle sometimes 3-4 weeks between starts during winter, and I would find its voltage had declined when it hadn't had the charger on it. (I've read that a battery's self-discharge increases as it ages). The cheap charger worked fine to maintain this battery for another 3 years.

In summary if you have the patience to top up the water level in the battery every 90 days then this charger is all you need to maintain a tractor/boat/rv battery, particularly one that is several years old, that isn't started up very often. In my opinion it is a 'good enough' solution. Instead of buying a more expensive charger I would just buy the next battery instead and get away from the nuisance of hooking up any charger.

 

[Dargo]

Yep, that's what I said about the nail gun...:laughing:

Hey, be nice now! I just found a use for those blue plastic flat pry bar looking things. I kept burning my fingers using a heat gun getting stickers of the previous company off an excavator I bought and I found those blue things save my fingers from being burned. That is until you get them too hot and they melt too.

 

[bjr]

I'm late to the party, here. I've one of the 18v drills that the chuck locked up on and I CANNOT get it release the bit. Other than that I really like the drill. Has anyone else had chuck problems on the battery type drills? I also have the electric drill with the old standard Jabocs chuck and it works just fine and is my backup. bjr

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Hey, be nice now! I just found a use for those blue plastic flat pry bar looking things. I kept burning my fingers using a heat gun getting stickers of the previous company off an excavator I bought and I found those blue things save my fingers from being burned. That is until you get them too hot and they melt too.

I vote to start a thread called "Injuries Received From Harbor Freight Tools"...:laughing:...Poor Dargo...:mur:

 

[Car Doc]

The other day I got a few of the $3.99 trickle chargers since I have several cars that dont get driven and a few mowers I dont know if they will work out yet or not all I can do is hope.

I also picked up a neat little plug in 20 amp circuit tester (cen-tech) for about $8 that reads amps. I plan on using it for checking excessive battery draw.

It plugs in to the fuse box after pulling the fuse on the circuit in question and reads in miliamps also pretty sweet so far it works great real happy with it and will save me effort rigging my meter up sometimes.