HF 3/4" socket set

[IslandTractor]

.... I think using a cheater bar or a hammer would break them. ..

I would think with your Screenname/Avatar that you'd be using a hammer all the time.

 

[kossetx]

Well, I bought one. 36$ and change with the discount and Unc Sam's part. I really would have liked to get a US made Craftsman set, but with an once annual usage I just couldn't justify the 200.00.

Now, Lets see how it holds up. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Dargo]

Well, I bought one. 36$ and change with the discount and Unc Sam's part. I really would have liked to get a US made Craftsman set, but with an once annual usage I just couldn't justify the 200.00.

Now, Lets see how it holds up. Thanks for the replies guys.

I'd say that it should work fine for your intended purposes. If you break it using it as intended (no cheater bars etc.), you are stronger than 99.9% of the population. As previously noted, I have a penchant for breaking things and my 3/4" China set is still working.

 

[Dargo]

I would think with your Screenname/Avatar that you'd be using a hammer all the time.

Darn, I wonder if "BamBam" is taken...

 

[machmeter62]

I destroyed a HF 3/4 drive socket set removing the rear axle bolt on a 68' VW. The breaker bar started to fold with my 210# standing on the end of a 2"- four ft. pipe, and the 1-3/8" socket gave way also! I headed to Sears for a Craftman's Set. The torque setting on the VW axle was supposed to be 160#, but years of rust may have been a factor when removing? It was a new HF set, and I felt guilty about returning it; so I absorbed the loss.

Their SLIDE HAMMERS are also suspect, and you may need a back-up set standing by! I purchased my second set from NAPA!

 

[Soundguy]

Even with those pythons you got.. I'd be real impressed if you broke the breaker bar on my 3/4 chinese set by hand. There were 2 sets.. one with the breaker bar that had the swivel stub, and the other that had a fixed bar and stub.. the fixed bar was way more stout.. like 50% more.. though you loose the ability to turn and flip it over and keep turning.. you have to pop the socket off, reposition and then tun again. The rod handle on the set is 7/8, and has a solid connection tot he square drive.

I can flex the breaker bar on my 1/2" set by hand.. On this 3/4 set.. I simply ran out of strenght, with a cheater pipe.. and had 0% deflection on the breaker bar. I think the sqivel one might have flexed a bit though.. in fairness. I got that specific set with the solid breaker bar due to my 10' mower.. It came unassembled... and boy was it a task to assemble it!

Soundguy

Yup, I can see that if you use a cheater bar. Otherwise, a 3/4" drive set should be strong enough to hold up to most use. I think using a cheater bar or a hammer would break them. I can break almost all 1/2" sets even without a cheater bar, but the cheaper ones break relatively easy as compared to quality sets. If I really pulled hard with a China made 3/4" set I think I might be able to break the set, but I seriously doubt I can break the 1" drive set by hand; even with them being the cheap stuff.

 

[Dargo]

I got that specific set with the solid breaker bar due to my 10' mower.. It came unassembled... and boy was it a task to assemble it!

Soundguy

You made get a good laugh at myself talking about your mower. After I got that 5000+ foot section of steel cable all wrapped up under my 7' rotary cutter I tried to take the stump jumper and blades off. Ha! No way! I got the big ole nut off without much trouble using my Chinese made 3/4 drive socket set, but that's when things got tough. I had wood block on top of the stump jumper and was using a big pry bar from the rail road (to remove spikes) to try to pry the jumper and blades off. I ended up running the pry bar through the deck of the cutter I was prying so hard! Still, I never got the jumper and blades to budge on their shaft. I ended up using my plasma cutter to cut the remains of the cable out from under the deck, welded the hole shut in my deck, and then wondered if I really even needed to put the darn bolt back on...

 

[SPYDERLK]

Just for the record, here is a pic of a 6" grade 8 nut. How many of you guys have 6" nuts? I forgot what the torque setting was for proper tightness. In the second pic, although I've shrunk some with age, you'll see that 17" biceps on a 6' cheater bar will not break this nut!

As I said, I can break a lot of things, but not a 2" drive set or 6" nuts! As I also said, I have never used a cheater bar, but without one I have not managed to break the 3/4" drive HF cheapo set. However, there's no way in you know where that a 1" HF drive set would break loose 6" nuts torqued down to thousands of pounds!

I told you a million times not to exaggerate. Thats about a 4" nut. Wish I had one.

My HF 3/4 set is at least 10 yrs old and was made in Taiwan. No problems despite use of sockets on an IR Super Duty 3/4 impact wrench.
Larry

 

[kossetx]

It's funny, I bought this set thinking it'd be a while before I used it. I went out to the farm on Saturday and the 5020 had a flat on the back tire. No problem, it happens once and a while, I'll just air it up. Hmmm, it takes air but deflates in 5 minutes. In 14 years I've never had to take that tire off. I get out the 1/2 craftsman socket set because I know it has metric sockets and I long ago broke my 4 way on those lugs. It won't budge any of the 6 bolts. I get out my new 3/4" cheapie set to see if it has a socket to fit the lugs. 7/8" fits just fine. I consider using the breaker bar but opt for the socket wrench instead. It breaks the first bolt almost no sweat. I try the craftsman set again. Won't budge any of the remaining bolts. I try the HF set again, it takes off the remaining bolts almost no problem.

I'm very leary of some HF or cheap chinese stuff, but in my opinion, this set paid for itself the first time I used it. Had I had to have called someone to break those bolts with a big impact wrench after being on that long it would have cost me at least 50.00. So far, I'm happy.

BTW, I hauled the tire 25 miles to the hispanic tire shop that was the only place open. (2pm sat afternoon) They patched 2 holes in the tube and 2 on the tire, and he told me it would be 10.00 for the job. I asked him HOW MUCH, and he started to apoligize. I gave him 12. (I didn't want to upset the locals too much)

 

[Soundguy]

At that price, I should be able to ship my deflated tires and tubes to that shop and ship them back and still come out good.

My last flat was a front tri-rib 10-16 Had a hole int he tube and needed a boot to cover a decent hole in the tire cap. Was 46$

Soundguy