Tool set for tractors

[2nstonge]

Now that I have the tractor, the trailer and most of the attachments I need I find I'm missing one key ingredient. A decent tool set to maintain and adjust everything; metric & english with sizes above 1in and 20mm, probably 1/2in or 3/4in drive plus wrenches.

I've shopped the usual culprits; Sears/Craftsman, Home Depot/Husky, the auto parts stores, even the new TSC nearby. Nothin'. It's all the smaller sizes. Anybody have a good online source for a good quality 'big nut' tool set?

Thanks much, -Norm

 

[skivt]

I have three for you to try that all have tons of goodies:

Northern

Harbor Freight

JC Whitney

<font color="red"> Warning: Hot sites may cause uncontrollable spending. </font>

Happy shopping,

skivt

 

[skivt]

PS - check out the 3 point hitch attachments on northern. They have a decent selection, good prices and expensive shipping. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Most any work I do on my equipment is either 3/8 or 1/2". Home Depot sells Husky and if you keep an eye out you will get some great deals on sets from them. Just recently they revamped the Husky look so all the old sets were marked to sell and I have a very nice collection now. I have not found any situation on any of my equipment where I need anything bigger then 1/2" drive. If I ever do I will deal with it then. But Home Depot is a great place to get tool sets and wrench sets in Metric and SAE. They might also have 3/4 drive but it could be a special order item.

Husky has a lifetime warranty and if something breaks you go to Home Depot and they give you a new one on the spot.

 

[PineRidge]

If you have a Harbor Freight close by I would give them a visit. They have some pretty hefty socket sets and for the kind of casual work that you'll be doing they should work fine and at the same time save you some bucks over the big box stores.

 

[burnetma]

I would recommend Northern Tool as a first stop shop.

http://www.northerntool.com/

A good 1/2" impact (Ingersoll-Rand 231) and an impact socket set will be your best friend. I worked for IR and did a lot of testing on impacts and the IR unit is all you will ever need and will last a lifetime and then some.

Craftsman sells hand tools in 1/2" and 3/4" sets but the 3/4" set is VERY expensive and hard to justify for the amount of work you will get out of it. Again, I go back to the impact socket set and wrench as your best choice. If you need a socket larger than is in your 1/2" set, buy the one socket that you need in a 3/4" drive and get an 1/2" to 3/4" adapter.

Please note that a 231 needs about 4 cfm @ 90 psi so your basic pancake compressor will not do the job. I bought a really nice unit from Greenbergs

By the way, I just sold my home in Buskirk NY and moved back down towards Binghamton NY (in order to keep the wife happy). I kept the 90 acres up in Buskirk and really look forward to finishing the work I started.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Maybe I'm stuck in my ways, but I don't buy any wrench or socket that doesn't say "Craftsman" on the side. Impacts are the exception, but that is because they came with my impact wrench. Which brings up -- I recently got a 1/2" drive Porter-Cable electric impact driver. What a great tool! I didn't want to buy a huge air compressor right now, but wanted to be able to use power when wrenching on tractor and implements. The electric impact is a great way to go without needing a huge compressor.

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> If you have a Harbor Freight close by I would give them a visit. They have some pretty hefty socket sets and for the kind of casual work that you'll be doing they should work fine and at the same time save you some bucks over the big box stores. </font>

Seen on the web:

"Harbor Freight sale prices are just above free." /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Bird]

Like some of the other guys have indicated, I would forget the 3/4" drive stuff; too expensive and not needed. When I was repairing/rebuilding air tools, I rebuilt several 3/4" drive impact wrenches, but never owned, or needed, one. I did buy one single high priced 3/4" drive impact socket for removing blades from a brush hog simply because I could not find that size socket in a 1/2" drive, but then I also had an adapter so I could use that socket on my 1/2" drive impact wrench. Of course I had adapters to go both up and down for 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" stuff when I was working on the tools. I did draw the line at the 3/4" impacts; just didn't work on the 1" and larger simply because there would not have been enough business to justify buying the bigger equipment that I would have needed.

And while, at one time or another, I've owned both Black & Decker and Craftsman 1/2" electric impact wrenches, and I've also owned a Harbor Freight cheap 1/2" pneumatic impact wrench, my all around favorite was my IR231, as burnetma mentioned. The IR2131 is even more powerful, and a fine tool itself, but the old 231 was all I ever needed and believe it would be all you'll ever need.

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree with bird about socket size. Half inch drive is plenty. I have one 3/4 inch drive Proto socket for my shredder blades and use a 3/4 to 1/2 inch adapter on it.

I bought a Porter Cable 500 pound impact wrech on Ebay for $80 just to change those blades.

For my big wrenches, I bought them as needed one at a time from my local tool store. It's family owned with no online stuff.

If I was smart, I would have bought the whole set. Oh well.

I've had good luck with the quality of tools I've bought from Northern, but it seems everyone has lifetime warrentees now.