Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[MoArk Willy]

If you get a 3 point backhoe, a subframe is only $1000 more.

.

OK. Just a few questions.
First of all, which backhoe?
Are the subframes of which you speak specific to certain backhoes or is that a universal fit type of thing?
And lastly...how does that work? Does the subframe mimic the 3 point lower arms and if so how exactly does it attach.

I have been considering adding a backhoe but I do not want to damage my tractor in any way.

 

[herm0016]

anyone have the gas powered pressure washer?

 

[lostcreekranch]

I recently bought the HF 20-ton shop press mainly to straighten bent things or bend straight things. Assembly was straight forward and the manual provide is clear and easy to follow. One person can assemble it but it would be easier with two. All the parts were there - nothing missing.

This thing weighs 190 lbs so it is best to have two people to load and unload the boxes from store to shop.

Having it has all ready saved me money because the first use was to straighten a bent backhoe thumb pin that is 1" round and about 9" long. It worked like a champ! Will be using it to straighten the teeth on a BXpanded trencher bucket soon. A great tool for any shop!

I made a video of the assembly and testing:

Watch for a sale on the HF 20 ton air over hydraulic jack. You'll like your new HF 20 ton press even more.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

 

[KubotainNH]

No videos yet. I started a YouTube account awhile back, just haven't had any time to make videos.

Here is a link to some of the funk stuff on Soundcloud. All me on guitar, bass, and keyboards, and I programmed the drums on a Roland synthesizer.
Chickenhead Soundcloud

I like your sound. :thumbsup:

 

[KubotainNH]

I recently bought the HF 20-ton shop press mainly to straighten bent things or bend straight things. Assembly was straight forward and the manual provide is clear and easy to follow. One person can assemble it but it would be easier with two. All the parts were there - nothing missing.

This thing weighs 190 lbs so it is best to have two people to load and unload the boxes from store to shop.

Having it has all ready saved me money because the first use was to straighten a bent backhoe thumb pin that is 1" round and about 9" long. It worked like a champ! Will be using it to straighten the teeth on a BXpanded trencher bucket soon. A great tool for any shop!

I made a video of the assembly and testing:

I have the smaller orange one with the triangle. It can in the mail with a hole in the box and a bunch of pieces missing. HF promptly sent me the missing parts, twice seeing I didn't realize all the was missing until I assembled it. There was a fitment issue with one of the brackets being drilled incorrectly.

 

[ronjhall]

Watch for a sale on the HF 20 ton air over hydraulic jack. You'll like your new HF 20 ton press even more.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Picked up a 20 ton air/hydraulic bottle jack today. $84 using 20% coupon. Makes a good press a lot better.

 

[dragoneggs]

Picked up a 20 ton air/hydraulic bottle jack today. $84 using 20% coupon. Makes a good press a lot better.

Yep, best mod I have made to my 20T HF press! :thumbsup:

 

[aeblank]

OK. Just a few questions.
First of all, which backhoe?
Are the subframes of which you speak specific to certain backhoes or is that a universal fit type of thing?
And lastly...how does that work? Does the subframe mimic the 3 point lower arms and if so how exactly does it attach.

I have been considering adding a backhoe but I do not want to damage my tractor in any way.

Might be minimal help, but my dad's.... Take off the 3pt arms and put the pins back in. The subframe hooks on those pins. Then on the front, there's some "hooks" that flip up and hook on some cross member somehow. It's a bushhog brand on a Kubota grand L3710.

 

[John_Mc]

If you get a 3 point backhoe, a subframe is only $1000 more.

OK. Just a few questions.
First of all, which backhoe?
Are the subframes of which you speak specific to certain backhoes or is that a universal fit type of thing?
And lastly...how does that work? Does the subframe mimic the 3 point lower arms and if so how exactly does it attach.

I have been considering adding a backhoe but I do not want to damage my tractor in any way.

I bought a used Woods 7500 backhoe that was set up for 3 Pt hitch mount. Used it on my NH TC33D a few times - I was aware of possible issues with using a 3 Pt backhoe on most compact tractors, so was really babying it. I finally decided that it was ridiculous to own a backhoe and not be able to operate it properly. Woods had just released their 4 point quick-attach backhoe subframe. They sell slightly different models to fit different tractors. I ordered one of those. The subframe permanently mounts to the tractor, but does not seem to cause much loss of ground clearance. It has 4 mount points on the back of the tractor, two high, and two low. The backhoe was modified by simply unbolting the part designed to mate with the 3 Pt hitch, and bolting on the assembly designed to mate with the subframe.

With a bit of practice, I can mount it in a little over 5 minutes (if I haven't done it in a while, it takes me a bit longer). You back up close to the backhoe, connect the hydraulics (in my case, a PTO hydraulic pump, since I wanted to keep the tractor hydraulics separate from the backhoe's system). Use the backhoe hydraulics to lift it into position, back the tractor in until things engage properly, jockey the backhoe hydraulics a bit to get the holes to line up, place two bolts to lock it in, and you are done. (The box wrench to tighten the bolts rides in a little holster on the backhoe, so you always have it handy.) I do have to remove the upper 3 PT hitch link, but the lower arms stay on the tractor (and are unused). I just have to disconnect the lower arm stabilizers to allow the lower arms to swing out of the way of the backhoe.

If I recall correctly, it did run me about $1000 for the subframe. As an added bonus, the subframe made an excellent place to mount the belly pan I added to protect the underside of the tractor during forestry operations (I'm almost never using the backhoe in my woods, but since the subframe stays with the tractor, this worked out well.)

 

[sixdogs]

I bought a used Woods 7500 backhoe that was set up for 3 Pt hitch mount. Used it on my NH TC33D a few times - I was aware of possible issues with using a 3 Pt backhoe on most compact tractors, so was really babying it. I finally decided that it was ridiculous to own a backhoe and not be able to operate it properly. Woods had just released their 4 point quick-attach backhoe subframe. They sell slightly different models to fit different tractors. I ordered one of those. The subframe permanently mounts to the tractor, but does not seem to cause much loss of ground clearance. It has 4 mount points on the back of the tractor, two high, and two low. The backhoe was modified by simply unbolting the part designed to mate with the 3 Pt hitch, and bolting on the assembly designed to mate with the subframe.

With a bit of practice, I can mount it in a little over 5 minutes (if I haven't done it in a while, it takes me a bit longer). You back up close to the backhoe, connect the hydraulics (in my case, a PTO hydraulic pump, since I wanted to keep the tractor hydraulics separate from the backhoe's system). Use the backhoe hydraulics to lift it into position, back the tractor in until things engage properly, jockey the backhoe hydraulics a bit to get the holes to line up, place two bolts to lock it in, and you are done. (The box wrench to tighten the bolts rides in a little holster on the backhoe, so you always have it handy.) I do have to remove the upper 3 PT hitch link, but the lower arms stay on the tractor (and are unused). I just have to disconnect the lower arm stabilizers to allow the lower arms to swing out of the way of the backhoe.

If I recall correctly, it did run me about $1000 for the subframe. As an added bonus, the subframe made an excellent place to mount the belly pan I added to protect the underside of the tractor during forestry operations (I'm almost never using the backhoe in my woods, but since the subframe stays with the tractor, this worked out well.)

Very good review. Do you recall the retail price or what you paid for the 7500 backhoe itself?

 

[5030]

Bought a Badland 5000 pound ATV winch for my wife's new Kubota Sidekick UTE. Nice winch, my second one (put the 2500 pound winch on my Honda Foreman 400 a couple years back and it always performed flawlessly). The 5000 pound winch comes with a cabled remote and handlebar remote (which I didn't use). Very quiet winch. Hardest part was wiring it to the UTE's electrical system. Used welding cable with Tweco crimp / solder on lugs. Had to literally take the UTE apart to route the cables from the front to the back but the winch works well.

Best part was I bought it with a 25% off coupon. OTD price was 132 bucks. The Warn 500 pound winch retails for over 250 bucks. Good buy on the winch.

While I was there I also purchased the Bauer 3/8" 20 Volt Lithium rechargeable impact wrench, 325 foot pounds break away torque. So far so good. Very light (even with the high amp hour battery). Recharges in 1 hour. I plan on getting the 20 volt Lithium drill driver as well when my high buck DeWalt peters out and it will. I'm on my 3rd DeWalt. I manage to 'find the smoke' in them after a few years and the cost of rebuilding them and the cost of new batteries (they peter out after a while too), is prohibitive.

 

[5030]

Watch for a sale on the HF 20 ton air over hydraulic jack. You'll like your new HF 20 ton press even more.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Good video but you need to lose that yellow cordless impact wrench and get yourself a Bauer 20 volt lithium....lol

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]
While I was there I also purchased the Bauer 3/8" 20 Volt Lithium rechargeable impact wrench, 325 foot pounds break away torque. So far so good. Very light (even with the high amp hour battery). Recharges in 1 hour. I plan on getting the 20 volt Lithium drill driver as well when my high buck DeWalt peters out and it will. I'm on my 3rd DeWalt. I manage to 'find the smoke' in them after a few years and the cost of rebuilding them and the cost of new batteries (they peter out after a while too), is prohibitive.

Maybe it's a regional or targeted-marketed thing in my case, but it seems that HF has recently been advertising more for the Bauer line of 20v lithium-battery tools than their more spendy Hercules line. Has anyone else noticed that? I've been curious to see how the comparisons of those two lines turn out over time.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Good video but you need to lose that yellow cordless impact wrench and get yourself a Bauer 20 volt lithium....lol

Video?

 

[5030]

ooopps, not you. Post #11660

 

[John_Mc]

Very good review. Do you recall the retail price or what you paid for the 7500 backhoe itself?

I do not recall. In thinking back now, it was probably 10 years ago. I bought it used from an equipment rental place. Everything worked, but it was obviously well used. I replaced a couple of hydraulic hoses (not leaking, but heavily weather-checked and/or worn), and one snapped off grease zerk. I do remember it was less than half of the new price, but how much less, I don't remember.

 

[John_Mc]

While I was there I also purchased the Bauer 3/8" 20 Volt Lithium rechargeable impact wrench, 325 foot pounds break away torque. So far so good. Very light (even with the high amp hour battery). Recharges in 1 hour. I plan on getting the 20 volt Lithium drill driver as well when my high buck DeWalt peters out and it will. I'm on my 3rd DeWalt. I manage to 'find the smoke' in them after a few years and the cost of rebuilding them and the cost of new batteries (they peter out after a while too), is prohibitive.

A tip on getting maximum longevity from Lithium batteries: the don't like to spend large amounts of time either completely full or completely empty, so don't store them in that condition for extended periods. Aim for about 50% charge for storage (anywhere from 25 - 75% is good).

 

[5030]

A tip on getting maximum longevity from Lithium batteries: the don't like to spend large amounts of time either completely full or completely empty, so don't store them in that condition for extended periods. Aim for about 50% charge for storage (anywhere from 25 - 75% is good).

Good tip, thank you. One nice thing about the HF Li-Ion battery pack is the 'fuel' lights on them. Easy to see the state of charge. My DeWalt packs don't have that.

 

[Diggin It]

Anybody have the six ton A frame benchtop press?

6 Ton A-Frame Bench Shop Press

I need to straighten some gauge wheel shafts ( https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...d-rotary-cutters-post5538643.html#post5538643 ) but not sure if this will handle that task.

 

[flyerdan]

If you have the floor space, you might want to see if you can score a 12 ton one off craigslist. You might find one for around the same price, and it will allow you to do taller stuff than the bench model. Plus it will have twice the force. If they have one on display at your local HF, take one of your shafts in and field test it.