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Post by scbrian on Sept 8, 2015 19:37:58 GMT
You'll thank yourself for buying one. Especially when you're working on a clamp way down and close to the engine.  |
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Post by AngelOfWar on Sept 8, 2015 21:07:47 GMT
Anybody used (or know somebody who has used) any of the new Li Ion battery weed trimmers or blowers? My old weed eater is dying rapidly, and I've been holding my blower together with duct tape and hope for several years now. The new 40 v models get decent reviews. I've got your basic urban dweller lot, takes about 15 minutes to weed eat and I rarely use my blower (mostly to clean the cobwebs out of the garage). I don't want to screw with an electric cord, so battery seems the way to go. My dad has a L-Ion Black And Decker battery weed eater. Has enough power to take care of the house and back yard. He let's it recharge, and then tackles the front (he has a big yard). |
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Post by scbrian on Sept 9, 2015 0:06:57 GMT
One of the ways I buy tools is keeping an eye on clearance and returns, though this can be risky.
At Home Depot / Lowes, I always swing by the tools section and look at the returned power tools. I've picked up a Dewalt Reciprocating Saw ($150) for $20. Previous user apparently used it to cut up tires or some such. Covered in black rubber marks that. Associate couldn't find anything wrong with it, nor could I. Heck ya, I'll buy it for $20 with just cosmetic issues that can be cleaned. Bought a hammer drill the same way. At Northern Tools, a lot of times they will put stuff up that's been turned in for warranty work and they just dont want to put the time/effort into it. $50 For a poulan pro 18" chainsaw. Only needed a tune up and to loosen the chain stop.
Guy I work for does the same thing on a bigger scale with appliances @ Lowes / HD. People buy a $2000 fridge and it gets delivered with some corner damage, they send it back. Gets put back out in the store at a major discount. Hey buys it and sells it for profit. He's built up a relationship with a few of the employees and they will call his cell phone when they have something come in they think he'll be interested in now.
In any of these situations, dicker with them. They know what the bottom line is, you dont. The worst they can say is "No". I've watched him knock a few hundred off the price of appliances.
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Post by redeyes on Sept 9, 2015 5:00:30 GMT
You'll thank yourself for buying one. Especially when you're working on a clamp way down and close to the engine. Already had to do that; at night, in a sketchy neighborhood, in a slight drizzle. Luckily my girlfriend's dad parked the car near a Papa Johns. They stay open til midnight, so if anything went down I would have had witnesses. Also, half way into the duct taping of the hose Richmond County PD showed up to check out a couple of suspicious vehicles in the parking lot. Nice of them to hang around until we got on the road. The hose was a small one, carrying coolant, near the engine, underneath the heater hoses and interior to another slightly larger hose. Basically, the only way it could have been in a worse position is if it had been behind the engine. Had to take off a good portion of the air cleaner assembly to even get too it. |
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Post by misterdark on Sept 11, 2015 4:25:41 GMT
I bought a Ryobi 2200 inverter generator on a whim a few weeks ago. It was on sale at the big box, and I was tired of how loud my 3800 is.
I have run 1 tank of gas thru it, and so far so good. I brought 3 - 575watt lamps from work, and loaded it down to close to max capacity - the gennie loaded down a good bit when I first plugged them in (all 3 at once, oh yea!) but the lights looked to be at full wattage from the get go. It ran for just shy of 4 hours under load with approx a half tank before running out. I am ok with that.
Although it is a chinese motor, it appears Ryobi is doing some good QC. I changed out the oil after the 1st tank, and didn't see any evidence of metal shavings or excessive wear. The gennie is decently quiet (a little louder than the equivalent Honda, but half the price) and is light enough to toss in the trunk and head off for a day of tailgating. The gas tank is well sealed, so even if it tips over nothing spills.
At 15 amps, it obviously won't power my whole house, but that is enough juice to power several fans, a bunch of cellphone/device/laptop chargers, and either the fridge or a small window air conditioner.
Another win from Ryobi.
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Post by scbrian on Sept 13, 2015 20:59:31 GMT
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Post by scbrian on Dec 16, 2015 22:46:27 GMT
Ok, I'm going to post this but with the knowledge that it's probably out of most peoples budgets. I do some mixed work, carpentry, plumbing and automotive work. This is one of the better diagnosis tools out there. We routinely loan it to a few fellow mechanics when they come across something that stumps them or their code reader does not work or pull enough information. linking the unit from Harbor Freight because it's the exact one we use... www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/diagnostics/autel-maxidas-automotive-diagnostic-and-analysis-system-62385.htmlIf you got a computer in your vehicle, I can read it, test it, pull it's history, and make adjustments. Case in point, Wife's truck - was sure it had a transmission issue creeping up, felt like it was slipping, etc. Sent it to a transmission place, who gave it a clean bill of health. WTF? So, grabbed this from the shop and had her start driving as I watched the engine, tranny, torque converter, etc... after about 15 min, felt the 'slip' no codes or issues along the tranny, etc. Started digging in a little more, and believe it or not, it was a very occasional misfire. About once every 5 minutes or so. watching in real time, I now know the problem, down to the cylinder... Definitely a good buy for a professional level tool... We paid more for it a couple years back. Take advantage of the discounts harbor freight offers (25% off 1 item, etc) and get a great tool for a good price.  |
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Post by scbrian on Dec 30, 2015 20:39:18 GMT
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Post by misterdark on Dec 30, 2015 21:29:17 GMT
Assisted in ~7 (That I know of) BM's in the woods this week. And how often do you lose count? |
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Post by scbrian on Dec 30, 2015 21:46:46 GMT
When you're the only one who brings a shovel... lol.
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Post by redeyes on Dec 31, 2015 1:21:06 GMT
Good tool Cosco Worlds Greatest ladder. Packs small enough to fit in a Honda Civic, reaches high enough to get you on roofs with height to spare. Works great as a tall A frame ladder or small step ladder. Has wide bases for more stability and a larger than normal load capacity. Only downside is the ladder is kinda heavy, but because it packs so small it is less bulky than long ladders.
Not a tool but Computer Exchange and Youtube saved me a bunch of money today. I replaced the starter on my girlfriend's Honda Accord. I forgot to disconnect the connector to the IAC valve when I removed the intake manifold so that I could get too the starter. I pulled some of the wires out of the connector. I went to the Honda dealership to get a new connector but they said they couldn't sell me one separate of a wiring harness. Not wishing to spend "squeal like a pig boy!" dealership prices I went to the internet to solve my problem. I searched used wiring harnesses, perused catalogs full of connectors, until I found a rather poorly shot video of a fellow repinning a connector. I then got the three pins out of the plastic housing, and took them to Computer Exchange to solder new wires on the pins, then used butt connectors to connect the three wiring harness wires to the wires soldered to the pins. Before I got the wires fixed the car acted like it was missing a couple cylinders after it cranked up. Now that I got the connector fixed it runs fine. A bunch of research turned a $500 mistake into a $45 dollar mistake. Still saved 2-300 dollars on the repair.
PS Amazon may not be as good a part source as your local Auto Parts Zone. I bought a starter from Amazon. Alice's Honda Accord uses a starter without an external solenoid. The starter they sent me had an external solenoid and came with documentation that said it was an upgrade from one without a solenoid and was to be installed without modification. I hooked it up correctly. (It is hard to screw up. There are only two connections.) And went to connect the negative battery terminal and the terminal sparked excessively and the starter engaged. I went to O'Riely's and got the correct starter and had no problems.
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Post by nxp on Jan 4, 2016 5:00:39 GMT
Can confirm this is an outstanding poop scoop! |
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Post by redeyes on Sept 5, 2016 7:10:29 GMT
Good Tool; Harbor Freight Warrior 4.5" PolyCarbide abrasive wheel for angle grinders. When you need to prep 30 year old peeling and alligatored paint aint nothing gone work quite as well for as few dollars. Your going to need a bunch of them. I am going through 5 or 6 a day. I would probably go through more, but I can only overhead sand for about a half hour before I need a long break.
Good Tool; 3m N95 8511 Respirator, Keeps the dust out of your lungs and lets you breathe easier than other masks with a similar protection rating. Very soft and cushy too.
Good Tool; Bahco Carbide Scrapers, very light but very strong. The blades last a long time. The blade that come with it may take care of the whole job if you make sure and countersink your nails before you start. Can't resharpen the blades yourself though.
Good Tool; Werner 12" by 24' two person walkboard. It is solid and doesn't sag or wobble and it is still light enough for me to pick up and put on scaffolding by myself.
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