Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[crazyal]

Thanks for your advice!

I took out the safety relief valve and found it is specified in Metric and is stamped in tiny letters, BSP, British Standard Pipe. That thread is also used in Japanese cars and tractors and apparently by the Chinese when they clone stuff.

BSP 1/4" is almost compatible with 1/4" NPT, the American standard. I think the thread pitch is one more thread per inch. I found with oil pressure test gauges some NPT threads will screw into BSP and seal, at least for testing oil pressure, while another NPT fitting will be slightly too fat to catch the first thread.

So since the pressure relief valve is BSP I gambled that the whole assembly is that thread as well. I ordered this replacement pressure switch via Ebay. At only $12.50 its not much of a gamble.

1/4" BSP 4 Port Single Phase Air Compressor Pressure Switch + Safety Valve Gauge | eBay

And as you suggested, I may still need a handful of adapters before I am back to running a reliable pressure switch.

I remember hearing about (I think) a B29 bomber that landed in Russia. The Russians were so afraid of their leaders and didn't want to get something wrong so when they reverse engineered it to copy it they even copied the Boeing logo on the yoke (translated into Russian) because they didn't know any better. Sounds like the Chinese copied the Russians methods for reverse engineering.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

IMHO tank Service Life is greatly affected by moisture in tank. If you drain tank often, especially in humid ares, the tank will last longer. One of our compressors is an early 1970痴 vintage Craftsman.

Yep. My Sanborn is probably 30 years old. Stout tank!

The air tanks on compressors for home and light commercial use are very thin skinned and can become very sharp pieces of shrapnel.. An air tank at 125-150 psi can create enough force to fly through a wall or ceiling, so the danger is all around it. How valuable are the goods around the tank? That is why insurance cos and some local jurisdiction for commercial uses require testing and certification every 2 years. I have seen the results of a water heater going half a block down the road after going though the roof. Not nice.

A water heater explosion isn't even remotely similar to a compressor tank failing. They are completely different failure modes.

To get a compressor tank to explode you need to have the shutoff valve fail and over-pressurize the tank. That will get exciting. If that happens, you are probably better off with a good deep rust spot, as it might blow out there and prevent an explosion.

The normal failure mode was mentioned above - a rust hole breaks through and vents the tank.

 

[3930dave]

Sounds like the Chinese copied the Russians methods for reverse engineering.

There's not much you can't do, when there are no intellectual property laws....

And no environmental regulation......

And no worker protections.......

And you can devalue your currency at will, w/o worrying about getting re-elected.....
........

I buy at HF on occasion, when I'm south of the 49'th. I'm not specifically bashing them....... just saying, it was easy to predict many decades ago what was going to happen.....

Rgds, D.

 

[txdon]

FYI
Air compressor explodes
at 1 minute 25 seconds and at end color pics of exploded air compressor.
Air compressor explosion safety video footage of actual explosion - YouTube

 

[Garandman]

I remember hearing about (I think) a B29 bomber that landed in Russia. The Russians were so afraid of their leaders and didn't want to get something wrong so when they reverse engineered it to copy it they even copied the Boeing logo on the yoke (translated into Russian) because they didn't know any better. Sounds like the Chinese copied the Russians methods for reverse engineering.

Remember when IBM PC XT had a key lock on the case? All the clones used the same key. :laughing:

The Russian B29 clone - Russian B-29 Clone — The TU-4 Story, by Wayland Mayo, Page 10

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

FYI
Air compressor explodes
at 1 minute 25 seconds and at end color pics of exploded air compressor.
Air compressor explosion safety video footage of actual explosion - YouTube

Yeah, I've seen that one. Being an ignorant person, he see rust (which is pretty universal in air compressor tanks) and assumes it was due to rust, rather than the obvious fact that the tank was over-pressurized.

Oddly enough, even though it is such a rare occurrence , rust in air compressors has been well-researched, and the failure mode is well understood. Tank explosions aren't the result of rust, they are the result of over-pressurization. A dramatic video and the conclusions of an uninformed person don't change that.

 

[PhysAssist]

Yep. My Sanborn is probably 30 years old. Stout tank!



A water heater explosion isn't even remotely similar to a compressor tank failing. They are completely different failure modes.

To get a compressor tank to explode you need to have the shutoff valve fail and over-pressurize the tank. That will get exciting. If that happens, you are probably better off with a good deep rust spot, as it might blow out there and prevent an explosion.

The normal failure mode was mentioned above - a rust hole breaks through and vents the tank.

Right you are sir:
The original MythBusters water heater segment:
MythBusters - Exploding Water Heater - YouTube

The redux:
Mythbusters Water Heater - Various Camera Angles - YouTube


BTW, my old secondhand Sanborn Black-Max 200 gal compressor [after sitting for 20+/- years in my basement awaiting a 220-V outlet] has a broken off stub for a drain valve, so I first carefully released all but a few #'s of magic PSI from the compressor and then used a Crescent wrench to unscrew the whole mount for that drain fitting, resulting in [despite all due caution on my part in awareness of the awesome effects of pressure] in the part shooting about 15' across my barn and bouncing off my box blade w/ a resounding clang, and less fortunately, yours truly being sprayed from chest to feet with gritty rusty effluent.

More fortunately, I was able to free up the threads in the valve so that judicious use of pliers will unscrew it to allow regular draining of the tank pending ordering a new part when I get one of those legendary round tuits.

And to relate this to the actual thread, as opposed to the blowing up tanks sub-thread, the 6 gallon oil-bearing HF pancake compressor I bought to use until I could get Max in play has been bullet proof, but like so many of the better things they have made off and on, it isn't for sale any more.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I've seen plenty of them flapping in the breeze. The tighter they are, the higher the frequency of the vibration.


I learned the half-twist trick from a trucker, and they don't use cam-locks as far as I know.

Used to haul flatbed freight and did the half twist on every strap. Stopped after 20 to thirty miles and tightened them, stopped again after another 60 miles and tightened again. After that You are generally good for the rest of the day, but checked them again in the morning as part of the pretrip. I don't recall ever regretting throwing an extra strap or two. I do remember wishing I had thrown another strap when I saw something working loose and there was no place to pull over.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Used to haul flatbed freight and did the half twist on every strap. Stopped after 20 to thirty miles and tightened them, stopped again after another 60 miles and tightened again. After that You are generally good for the rest of the day, but checked them again in the morning as part of the pretrip. I don't recall ever regretting throwing an extra strap or two. I do remember wishing I had thrown another strap when I saw something working loose and there was no place to pull over.

I hear ya!

Yeah, it seems like a good shakedown to settle things out, and you are good to go for another thousand miles. I think of that trucker every time I twist a strap, and I'm thankful to have met him.

 

[Scotty Dive]

Need a longer cord for my 7k portable generator. Harbor freight has this cheap one....anyone use it and can recommend? It's a half the cost of the lowes and hd options. 25 ft. x 1 Gauge Generator Duty Twist Lock Extension Cord

 

[Travelover]

Need a longer cord for my 7k portable generator. Harbor freight has this cheap one....anyone use it and can recommend? It's a half the cost of the lowes and hd options. 25 ft. x 1 Gauge Generator Duty Twist Lock Extension Cord

Make sure it is copper wire, not copper clad aluminum wire.

 

[newbury]

Need a longer cord for my 7k portable generator. Harbor freight has this cheap one....anyone use it and can recommend? It's a half the cost of the lowes and hd options. 25 ft. x 1 Gauge Generator Duty Twist Lock Extension Cord

I bought a 10 gauge extension cord from HF about 6 years or so ago. It's VERY rigid compared to other 10 gauge I've got and is a bear to roll up. It seems the liner is the problem.

 

[California]

Another alternative is buy cable in the SO family and add your own connectors. It is both very damage resistant and very flexible, so ideal for extension cords. Ebay might have the best prices.

 

[paulsharvey]

Sitting in docs office to get gout prescription, I see a US General tool cart in the room... . and yes, it is US General, the draw with name tag is towards wall

 

[Ford850]

Sitting in docs office to get gout prescription, I see a US General tool cart in the room... View attachment 526857. and yes, it is US General, the draw with name tag is towards wall

When the Dr comes in and says "open wide and say "aaaa" so he can check your throat, I'll bet he's using a HF free flashlight.

 

[ripHST]

you better get out of there.

 

[Garandman]

Harbor Freight Tools recalls 173,000 trailer tires | Rubber and Plastics News

WASHINGTON優iscount tool retailer Harbor Freight Tools is recalling 173,557 Innova Ultra Runner and Far East brand replacement trailer utility tires, which were sold mounted on replacement trailer rims.

The recall covers Innova Ultra Runner tires in sizes 5.3x12 and 4.80/4.00x12 (manufactured between Jan. 1, 2014, and Sept. 20, 2017) and Far East tires in size 4.80/4.00x12 (produced between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2016), Harbor Freight Tools said.

Apparently all trailers and wheels have been pulled off their site.

 

[California]

A couple of pages back I spoke of my 10 year old HF 10 gallon compressor, no longer sold, that now needs the pressure control replaced. I found a photo. Anybody else have this model? Results?

 

[PJSprog]

I used to have that one, California. It was a good compressor. Never had any problems with it. Sold it when I moved in '05, unfortunately.