Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[brin]

I have to say that for more years than I can count I have bought from Harbor Freight....at least 40 yrs. I think...by mail order until just a couple of years ago they opened a store only 15 min. from my house....I am like a kid in a candy factory....I love the place...I cannot go in there without buying more than a couple of things...I know I need rehab or counseling...

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I have to say that for more years than I can count I have bought from Harbor Freight....at least 40 yrs. I think...by mail order until just a couple of years ago they opened a store only 15 min. from my house....I am like a kid in a candy factory....I love the place...I cannot go in there without buying more than a couple of things...I know I need rehab or counseling...

It used to be that the nearest Harbor Freight to me was an hour away. I shopped there and at another store 4 hours away (near the in-laws). Ironically, when a store was built only 15 minutes from my home I stopped shopping there so much. Now that it's so easy to stop in and buy something I don't feel the need to stock up and buy anything I might need in the next 6 months every time I pass HF. The other possibility is that I finally bought one of everything I need from Harbor Freight.

 

[crazyal]

Has anyone bought one of the 5000lb Badlands winches? I'm thinking of getting the 5000lb one. it's on sale for $175. With a 20% off coupon that's $140. I would use it on my side by side so 5000lbs of pull should be more than enough power.

 

[Reg]

Has anyone bought one of the 5000lb Badlands winches? I'm thinking of getting the 5000lb one. it's on sale for $175. With a 20% off coupon that's $140. I would use it on my side by side so 5000lbs of pull should be more than enough power.

I haven't, but I did download the manual.
Don't count on that 5,000 lbs as a continuous rating, it is a PEAK and things are likely to get quite warm quite quickly.
It only applies to the first wrap of the cable on the drum (obviously) too.

I guess it depends on your application, but stuck vehicles typically take a LOT of seconds to get out and your mind isn't on how long the winch has run and when it needs its next rest (-:

 

[some zilch]

i have the 12k, or maybe 10k--i forget, badlands winch on the front of my trailer. it works very well. it may not be a warn, but it cost 1/4th the price. i took the planetary assy apart, and put lots of good grease in it, and put it back together. it got much quieter. i have used to to pull a couple small bulldozers up onto my trailer.

one of the off-road/4x4 magazines rated it as "the best deal in winching" and was impressed w/it

 

[crazyal]

I doubt it would get worked hard, it's only a side by side. Most people go slightly larger than an ATV winch, 3500 or 4000 lb so even if it doesn't reach 5000 it should still be big enough.

 

[daugen]

I'd be concerned hooking up a winch that powerful on a UTV unless some custom reinforcement was done.
I have a two inch receiver hitch on my Kubota RTV400 and I would break something pretty quickly with that much
pull. Granted my model is a lighter weight model, not like the larger diesel Kubotas. If your UTV originally came with a winch option, I'd find out what the oem spec was and not exceed it.
Or the wrong thing may pull out.

Hope this helps, just being cautious.

 

[crazyal]

The factory winch is a warn 4000lb. It has a mount that comes with it for behind the front bumper. I opted to make a 2" receiver tube on the front that's mounted to the frame extremely well. I'm not worried about an extra 1000lbs since it's probably over rated, assumes you have most of the cable out and only one row of cable wrapped around the spool, and most likely it can't sustain that pull for very long.

 

[California]

I just read the following over on Welding Web - not verified by me.

New Harbor Freight warranty:

Well here is the New extended service protection that Harbor Freight has now went to.

Anything under $299.99 retail will still be a REPLACEMENT warranty.

Anyting over $300 retail will now be a REPAIR warranty. It will only be REPLACED if it CAN NOT be repaired in 30 days.

Also the warranty plan cost is now based on the RETAIL price NOT the sale price.

There is also 2 plans a 1 YEAR and a 2 YEAR.

Made a few phone calls about this repair warranty and found out a few things.

1) First you call this number 888-838-3421 and give them all the info they need.

2) Then they call someone else with the info and they call you back ( within 24 to 48 hours) and tell you were to take the item to be repaired.

3) The repair place can be up to 100 miles from you. You have to take it there (unless you bought the on-site plan extra at $49.99 for 1 year and $99.99 for two years )

4) The 30 day time line starts the day it is at the repair place (NOT THE DAY YOU CALL) so this may end up taking a lot longer then 30 days.

 

[sixdogs]

OK, I'm taking the 10" adjustable wrench out of the "don't suck" column and sliding over to the "maybe" column. I bent one--with my own two hands, while tugging on a big nut. I must not know my own strength.

Take a look...