HF tool pass/fail

In reply to RacetruckRon :

It's great for Independence Day, too. First you unwrap about 20 gross of bottle rockets, line them up on the street, all facing the same direction, and then walk barefoot down the line, lighting them all off as you go. Soon to be followed by lighting off mortars in the street without first putting them in a tube. It's best if your friend's quiet mom is sitting on her front porch when the neighborhood explodes-- you get to hear her swear for the first time. 
 

Ohhhh yeah I forgot... FIRST you have to get utterly smashed

A 401 CJ said:

RacetruckRon said:

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html

Ball joint separator gets a big pass in my book.  I broke a cheap pickle fork and invented some new swear words changing lower control arms on my yukon.  I had to give up and got this guy from the hammer store to finish the job.  I had to grind the opening a little wider to fit around the large truck ball joints but works like a charm.

Hmmmm...I was just getting ready to give that a fail.  Mine required a bunch of grinder work to go around the lower control arm ball joint on a C5 Corvette.  I mean it's not like I'm trying to work on a Cat.  Had to grind the back side of the pivoting arm a bit too for a few extra mm of opening.  I don't know the specs on the particular ball joint in question but being GM it's got to be fairly common.  Maybe I was just trying to use the wrong tool but I saw several YouTubers using that exact one - but mine was just a tad too small without surgery.   And yes I had the pin in the right hole

Edit: perhaps I should read your post next time before commenting.  I see now that you had to grind yours too.  :-)

It's a pass for me.  I have Hondas, and it's a bit tight on the ball joints but that actually helps keep it in place when using it.  I could see it maybe being a bit on the small side for cars with larger ball joints.

That ball joint separator is effective but not my friend.  Last time I used it, the admittedly annoying ball joint let loose with a bang and I felt pain in my finger.  It was a few minutes before I was brave enough to look to see if it was still attached.

In reply to P3PPY :

So many uses for such an aggressive torch   I was planning to use for preheating cast manifolds for welding but whiskey-fueled pyrotechnics is a great option too.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html

This one gets a pass from me, as well - recently used it to remove the old rear toe arms on our '06 Rav4 and it worked well.  I've separated some ball joints without much drama, but those two definitely popped out with a bang! 

How are the electric pressure washers for cleaning car carpets and parts?

Not looking for anything heavy duty, just something for basic stuff. knocking off grime off of old wheels etc

HF has a "20% Off Any Single Item" sale this weekend, excluding anything you might actually want like tool chests, electric tools and welders...  

I prefer the aluminum ball joint separators that you get at FLAPS. Super nice to have if you're separating something like a bump steer adjuster that you don't want to damage.

Any feedback on the corded electric impact guns? I'm looking at the Bauer 1/2" corded one.

This guy

I'd just get an air impact but all I have is a little pancake air compressor. 

stroker said:

HF has a "20% Off Any Single Item" sale this weekend, excluding anything you might actually want like tool chests, electric tools and welders...  

Yep, I saw that too. Sure it's 20% off but it pretty much excludes everything that you would want.

stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) said:

stroker said:

HF has a "20% Off Any Single Item" sale this weekend, excluding anything you might actually want like tool chests, electric tools and welders...  

Yep, I saw that too. Sure it's 20% off but it pretty much excludes everything that you would want.

 

I need a winch

Winches are "Badland", and not specifically listed, so that coupon should work...

So...

I fell for the deal and picked up the Hercules version of this tool:

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/impact-wrenches/20v-brushless-cordless-38-in-3-speed-impact-wrench-tool-only-58446.html

I've been wanting a small impact for use on the pinto, and removing stuck things from aluminum. Anyone have experience with this? I accidentally got the 1/2" chuck version, so I'm planning to go back and exchange it for the 3/8". Although I'm tempted to just return the whole battery/charger/tool package and just keep using breaker bars. Some of the reviews are pretty poor, even for removing lug nuts. If it doesn't help get the really stuck fasteners in spots that are hard to reach with a big bar, then I don't see much utility to it.

Well, I don't know if it correlates exactly or not, but I bought the 450 ft lb air impact and it wouldn't remove lug nuts that were torqued to 100 lbs.......I took it back and bought the "Earthquake " version and it's a beast. It's done everything I've asked of it, plus some things it shouldn't have, but did - like an enormous nut on a trailer hitch ball that was truly seized on.

So, if they offer an higher ft lb battery version - maybe that's OK too?

"Torque Test Channel" on YT does reasonably scientific tests on power tools, the guy works for Astro air tools. $15 to get all of their test results w/o wading thru the videos.

I didn't find a test of that exact 3/8 Bauer cordless, a different one from a year ago was not too bad: https://youtu.be/5iheNYkFZM0?t=713

Late response to stanger_mussle, the corded Bauer impact puts out ~600 lb-ft rather than the advertised 1k, comparable to one of the Earthquake pneumatics or a 20V cordless Bauer.  https://youtu.be/zQm95N8sGTg?t=561  Multiple years ago I got a corded impact off Amazon: I've used it like twice b/c it weighs a bloody ton and has a huge amount of inertia, but it did work w/o an air compressor.  If I were to do it again, I'd spend the extra $ for one of the Amazon cordless tested by TTC, unless the extra 200lb-ft really matters: https://youtu.be/4sJ8C2HIa1s?t=797

stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) said:

Any feedback on the corded electric impact guns? I'm looking at the Bauer 1/2" corded one.

This guy

I'd just get an air impact but all I have is a little pancake air compressor. 

I used mine for the first time within the last month.  It's had VERY light use but it has worked fine, once I acquired the correct sockets for my task....

The company air compressor left a lot to be desired. It was 30-40 years old and missing the belt shield. Rather than chopping someone's fingers off or having the tank rupture I decided to replace it. I had the guys pick up one of the Fortress air compressors from the Hammer Store. I opted for the 26-gallon. 

I'm impressed. Build quality is good and it's super quiet, even compared to a traditional belt drive compressor. Pass with flying colors so far. 

That compressor looks the same as this form factor? I recently bodged one onto my old Husky tank and it is super quiet which I love. Very cool if that's what the Fortress uses

It has become apparent that I need a set of 3/8" drive metric Allen / hex bits and Torx bits.

Anybody have a report card for the HF versions that I assume are available?

If not, other suggestions for shadetree mechanic level stuff?

In reply to Duke :

I have a couple sets and haven't broken any yet, even putting them on the impact and letting them live outside for months on end. 

In reply to Duke :

I managed to break an HF 3mm ball head allen socket... it was probably my fault as much as any problem with the tool.  My standard sets have been fine.

Does anybody have one of these?

My question that I didnt see answered on their site is what is the height capacity of the bottom shelf? I would like to put my Lincoln tombstone welder on the bottom of one if it will fit.

Gearhead, I can try to remember to measure mine tomorrow morning for you

In reply to buzzboy :

Thanks, it's no rush. 

My cart is 16x30, but I believe they're all the same height. The opening is 19" from the top of the walls and the walls are 3.5" tall, giving you 22.5" of total height if you can tilt your tombstone enough to fit it through