Tool and equipment review

One of my favorites is my 18 inch long, 1/2" drive snap-on ratchet. I dont need a seperate breaker bar. I LOVE that thing!

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http://lownfamilymaplesyrup.com/ max@lownfamilymaplesyrup.com
Professional Tool. 1220 Woodmere Ave,Traverse City, MI. 49686. 231-941-8003. http://professionaltool.com/

...like an air powered impact wrench? I love my Ingersol-Rand IR244. I think they cost around $180. Very powerfull, and very durable. Ive had mine for 20 years, and for 6 of those, I was working full time as a mechanic.

I have bought snap-on inpacts before. I dont think they are as good ad the ingersol 244, and they are $500

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http://lownfamilymaplesyrup.com/ max@lownfamilymaplesyrup.com
Professional Tool. 1220 Woodmere Ave,Traverse City, MI. 49686. 231-941-8003. http://professionaltool.com/

I have a lot of tools as I do home rehabs for a hobby. I love ridgid and dewalt power tools and craftsman hand tools but my favorite has got to be my milwaukee sawzall. I have beat the crap out of it, dropped it in water and it still keeps going. If I had to throw every tool away and had to keep just one it would be that...I heard of a guy who sawed his whole house in half over a divorce dipuste with one...I have no doubt it did the job!

I purchased a 1/2' Cambell Hausfield from TSC, for $17. It seems to work real good, for the times I have used it on shocks and trailer tire lugs.

The High Lift "Post Popper".

Best $40 I have ever spent, for working with fence "T" posts.

One of my favorite tools.

Milwalkee tools were great.... I never could afford them, but my boss had them and they were incredable...Worked with his building stuff for 10 years, powerful, durable and no problems. It is sad to know they are being built in China now that I could affords some of my own.

A chain and a Hi-Lift jack always worked great for pulling t posts. It also works to raise fence, rip small stumps, and of course, jacking up trucks.

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"There is no overkill, only magnitudes of effectiveness." -- Me

Wow! Did they really have canned food way back in the olden days?

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"Only the rocks [and really embarassing moments] live forever"

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands..." tick-tick-tick

I had a similarly disappointing experience with the HF post puller when used in its intended fashion as a lever - manual post puller. It would pull maybe 25% of the posts on a good day, but most of the posts were in the ground far beyond what that little puller could lever out.

However, all was not lost as I took the hook off the puller and put a longer chain on it, and it works good with the loader on the tractor to pull the posts straight up out of the ground.

I agree. I have had real good luck with the IR air tools.

Update on the HF T-post puller. I called HF just to see what they would say. They will sell me a new top bar/handle for almost what the tool cost. Funny thing is they must have so many broken they're on back order. I said I'd pass, I'll make my own.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

I was wondering when someone was going to start mentioning good tools. When I was working the line in shops I used snapon, and only snapon when it came to hand tools. In the many years and serious abuse I put them through I only replaced one. It was a 5/8 open end wrench that I was using with a 3 foot "cheater" pipe over it, with me jumping up and down on trying to bust a nut loose. The snapon man looked at the pieces, looked at me and said, "I dont wanna know how you broke this, heres yer new one." I always admired their warrenty, not only will they automatically replace broken tools with no questions asked, they do the same with lost or stolen tools. All you have to do is bring them in, they replace them for free!

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

I bought my IR from the snapon dealer, he demonstrated it by putting both impacts on the same nut. The IR spun the snapon backwards, I bought it on the spot, that was in about 1972 or 3, Still using it.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Explain that ;-)

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

I used my "post puller" today to pull a stump out of the way of where I was wanting to put a stone wall for a terrace. Its an older model, "ferguson 35". I love that thing, its good for so many different chores around the farm. It will pull fence posts, drive them, stretch the wire, plow the garden, plant it, cultivate it, mow the hay, rake it, bale it, and haul it to the barn, and clean out the mess after the cows eat it. It'll pull stuck vehicles out of the mud, cut firewood, bust it and haul it in from the woods, and much much more! not bad fer a tractor thats my age! It even carried the stone for the terrace walls, and hauled the compost to backfill the flower beds. Love my fergy.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Pretty simple really, if you lose a snapon tool, or if its stolen, just bring it in and they will replace it for free. Hey, I aint the snapon guy, thats just what he told me.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

When we built the house I splurged on a 5 hp Delta Unisaw and a 3 hp Unisaw spindle shaper. Kinda pricey but I used them to build all of the cabinets, vanities, and some of the trim. The money I saved on that way more than paid for them so I was already money ahead. I still use them all of the time and they work just as well as the day I bought them, and I've no doubt they will long outlast me with a little care.

For small hand tools, ratchets, sockets, wrenches, etc. I've had good luck with Sears Craftsman tools, and I use them pretty hard. Might not be suitable for a professional mechanic but for use around the farm they have served me well. They have a replacement policy that they have always honored with no hassle the few times there have been a problem.

I wonder if there isn't just a little snob appeal in using Snap On and other high end other tools. I have several I’ve bought at garage sales and auctions and I really can’t tell much difference. It’s for darn sure that after factoring in the cost differential I will stick with what I have been using for a long, long time unless the quality drastically declines.

I think the explaination he wanted to hear was how do you "take in" a lost or stolen tool?

I like the older craftsman hand tools. I had quite a few, but most of them somehow walked away a few years ago.

Harbor Freight can be a very mixed bag, but they seem to be getting better. They also offer a lifetime warrenty on their handtools now, and are easier to work with to get a broken tool replaced than sears have been with me lately.

I have a cheap HF 1/2 rachet that has an composite handle. I bought it on sale and in a pinch thinking it would maybe get me through until I could get home. It did, and still works. I even put a three foot cheater pipe on it.


Shovel made by fiskars. It is the best shovel I have ever used.

Here is a Wikipedia article about this tool.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener