Factory Harbor Freight KTM

1/25/2022 1:41pm
ML512 wrote:
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is...
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is only used in emergencies. The tools in this box might get used once or twice this whole season…no reason to dump thousands of dollars in tools into a box that barely gets used.
usp4u wrote:
THAT is the box that I would want to be filled with good tools.

What a time to have a tool let you down.
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the...
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the good stuff in the most important tool box on the team??

Those one or two uses could be the difference in a title
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in the truck and coach technician trade
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15
agn5008
Posts
2010
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PA, PA, USA
Fantasy
1/25/2022 1:53pm
usp4u wrote:
THAT is the box that I would want to be filled with good tools.

What a time to have a tool let you down.
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the...
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the good stuff in the most important tool box on the team??

Those one or two uses could be the difference in a title
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in...
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in the truck and coach technician trade
That is absolutely bananas.
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1/25/2022 2:02pm
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the...
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the good stuff in the most important tool box on the team??

Those one or two uses could be the difference in a title
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in...
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in the truck and coach technician trade
agn5008 wrote:
That is absolutely bananas.
I know man, some people say we make a ok
Living but we need to buy a stupid amount of tools to do it . Being a truck dealership tech you need all of your own tools some automotive dealerships boxes and tools are provided. I have been in the trade 11 years now and I spent all that my first 6 years now I don’t hardly spend anything on tools now o have it for the next 28 years tell I retire and everything has life time warranty only power tools don’t .
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dadofagun
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Satan's Hollow, OK, USA
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1/25/2022 2:22pm
I’m a truck coach technician here in Canada and when you work with tools for a living there is a big difference between snap on and...
I’m a truck coach technician here in Canada and when you work with tools for a living there is a big difference between snap on and all other brand the cheap box store wrench’s spread won’t grab bolts as well and sockets will round off bolts and not grab a rusty bolt as well as a snap on flank drive socket here is my box . The snap on classic series is like cheaper line boxes same as some other brand but if you get the master series or epiq series they are super heavy built

That is an incredible work station you have built there Sir. I use tools everyday for my trade, and I agree that for what I call "frontline" type work, you get what you pay for. I have an assortment of high end tools, some of which date back to the 80's, from Mac, Snap On, etc.... that are all still covered. My tool reps have offered me free exchanges for some of this older stuff I have around that still perform perfect. Most folks would literally shit their pants if they knew what we pay for quality paint guns..... Cheaper tools have their place for sure, but you'll pay dearly for the stuff your trade demands to do the job right.
Again, damn solid work station you've earned. Congrats to you!
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The Shop

hanzhonglboy1
Posts
127
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Location
tx panhandle & East NM, TX, USA
1/25/2022 3:38pm
Those ratchets use the tried and true PROTO swing pawl design. the ak-47 of ratchet mechanisms. Low backdrag and smooth operation. And made in Taiwan. Ratchet wrenches are probably also made in Taiwan. Even if not, gear wrench, the first name in ratchet wrenches, has moved all their ratchet wrench production to china and are probably no better than HFs version of the tool

Many HF ratchets and sockets are a good deal and are high quality (read: Taiwanese) and you can't go wrong- even using them in a professional setting.
1
hanzhonglboy1
Posts
127
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Location
tx panhandle & East NM, TX, USA
1/25/2022 3:43pm
usp4u wrote:
THAT is the box that I would want to be filled with good tools.

What a time to have a tool let you down.
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the...
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the good stuff in the most important tool box on the team??

Those one or two uses could be the difference in a title
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in...
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in the truck and coach technician trade
Can you get sweet deals on gray tools. Made in CAN and they are sweet. figured you'd get a home team/ country discount
1/25/2022 3:47pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2022 3:47pm
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the...
That’s exactly my thoughts. How much do they spend filling the primary boxes with premium tools? How much more would it really cost to get the good stuff in the most important tool box on the team??

Those one or two uses could be the difference in a title
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in...
It cost me around 20,000 Canadian for this snap on box and other $60,000-70k to fill it with snap on . It’s not Cheap working in the truck and coach technician trade
Can you get sweet deals on gray tools. Made in CAN and they are sweet. figured you'd get a home team/ country discount
Not really that sweet of deal gray is a bit cheaper then snap on but still price is pretty close to snap on prices . They also have a cheaper line called jet now it’s kind of like snap on cheaper line blue point made in China so cheaper then their main brand tools
Brad460
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1/25/2022 4:17pm
Jbulz wrote:
I couldn't resist. Figured that new custom box blew the tool budget this year! Although I must admit even I was seduced by The General. I...
I couldn't resist. Figured that new custom box blew the tool budget this year! Although I must admit even I was seduced by The General.

I still stand by my opinion of their low-end hex keys, screwdrivers, and wrenches fitting like shit. Their ICON is surprisingly good.


Common theme maybe..


jridout12
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USA
1/25/2022 4:19pm
My rule of thumb when buying from harbor freight is, if it can kill me or seriously injure me if it fails (ie: jack stands or a jack) I'll buy elsewhere. But for wrenches and screw drivers harbor freight works perfectly fine for the price
3
socalmx716
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Fontana, CA, USA
1/25/2022 5:15pm
I work in a shop and my tech with with a 40K Snap-On box can't convince me it's 25K better than the equivalent ICON box across...
I work in a shop and my tech with with a 40K Snap-On box can't convince me it's 25K better than the equivalent ICON box across the shop.
I read somewhere that the ICON is made in the same factory Snap On comes out of. They're the X-Brand Goggles of tools.
1
1
lumpy790
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York, SC, USA
1/25/2022 5:46pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2022 5:48pm
My 30+ years as a MC tech has proven that cheap tools break.

When its a race time emergency pit do you want to be stranded because the tool breaks in a time sensitive situation?

I have broken lots of Harbour Freight tools and even found out the paid for warranty does not work on the replacement that also broke.
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1
1/25/2022 5:55pm
Some serious tool talk going on in here, boys.

6
SEEMEFIRST
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Arlington, TX, USA
1/25/2022 5:57pm
I am a machine tool technician. Have been for a long time.
My home box is full of high dollar stuff.
My work box is a mix of things that I need to be right every time, and mostly things that I can afford to lose.
Northern Tool makes, or made great wrenches. Why carry a $300.00 set to the job when a $100.00 will get it done?

Who ever asked this never had a $100.00 tool stolen from them.
1/25/2022 6:17pm
No shame in my game, I shop at Harbor freight. +90% of the time the tools I use are just for hobbies. If my livelihood depended on it, I would invest in nicer stuff. But most of what I use the tools for is hobbies. Certain things from HF are perfectly fine depending on the type of job being done. Certain jobs require a higher quality tool. Both serve a purpose. Hell, I've paid more money for what I thought was higher quality tools and they have turned out to be junk too. You don't always get what you pay for. Sometimes, you just pay more for the same crap. Sometimes you get great quality for the extra price. To each their own. But definitely no shame in my game, I'll keep shopping at HF for certain things.
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1
CraigCrashes
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Sacramento, CA, USA
1/25/2022 8:36pm
It’s funny cause all my friends with credit card debt and a credit line on a tool truck swear that those tools are better. But all my HF tools are doing just fine 🤷🏻‍♂️
8
1
Magoofan
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Shadow Glen (for those who remember), CA, USA
1/25/2022 8:53pm Edited Date/Time 6/28/2024 12:13pm

It's lame to trash Harbor Freight tools. Are they the best...no. Are they good enough for the average person...yes.

If you're not a pro mechanic using them daily, they are just fine. Even these on the KTM cart...as has been said, how much will they be used?

I inherited my dads Craftsman tools...the old good stuff before the brand went to shit. I have better HF tools than newer Craftsman garbage (which is one reason Sears went tits up).

True story... one experience with Snap-On. I had a bolt loosen up on my Harley seat years back while many miles from home. Didn't have my tool roll with me. I stopped by a mechanics shop and pleaded my case to borrow a socket to tighten it back up.
The Snap-on socket he loaned me would not fit the factory SAE hex seat bolt. The same bolt my old mans Craftsman tightened regularly when I needed to get into the battery compartment.

Some people just need to spend a ton of money to make them feel good about themselves.

1
2
dnf736
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Location
Alpine, CA, USA
1/25/2022 9:48pm
ML512 wrote:
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is...
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is only used in emergencies. The tools in this box might get used once or twice this whole season…no reason to dump thousands of dollars in tools into a box that barely gets used.
When my son was racing in Baja I set up our chase crews with craftsman and harbor freight tools, that way if they lost a socket, wrench or, in one case, the whole tool set it didn't hurt so bad. At least they didn't lose the chase truck...
1
Austin_Rankin
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Location
Georgetown, KY, USA
1/25/2022 10:59pm
I bought a press from harbor freight and will never again buy another, ill build my own before i buy one of theres it was a piece of shit
2
1
mx317
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5348
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USA
1/26/2022 5:14am
lumpy790 wrote:
My 30+ years as a MC tech has proven that cheap tools break. When its a race time emergency pit do you want to be stranded...
My 30+ years as a MC tech has proven that cheap tools break.

When its a race time emergency pit do you want to be stranded because the tool breaks in a time sensitive situation?

I have broken lots of Harbour Freight tools and even found out the paid for warranty does not work on the replacement that also broke.
Almost all of my hand tools are Snap On. They just work, but the big box I pictured earlier works just as well as the Snap On box I have and is three times as big for 1/3 the price. The drawer slides are supposed to be the same as high end boxes and they work smooth. I'm happy with it and that is all that matters.
1
McG194
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Palm Coast, FL, USA
1/26/2022 5:31am
ML512 wrote:
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is...
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is only used in emergencies. The tools in this box might get used once or twice this whole season…no reason to dump thousands of dollars in tools into a box that barely gets used.
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important than tools in your regular box. If I break a tool or round a fastener at the truck, I have a replacement part at hand or can borrow a tool. If you are working out of a cart and a tool/part breaks it could be a DNF.
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12
1/26/2022 5:55am
McG194 wrote:
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important...
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important than tools in your regular box. If I break a tool or round a fastener at the truck, I have a replacement part at hand or can borrow a tool. If you are working out of a cart and a tool/part breaks it could be a DNF.
What exactly do you think they are doing to snap the tools on the (seldom used) pit cart?

Motorcycles are relatively low torque applications and a race bike pulling into the pits for an emergency repair isn't the same as working on some rusted out relic, every bolt should turn just fine with a Pittsburg wrench. At least 90% of the time a rider pulls into the pits it's just get their levers adjusted after a crash (the mechanics seem to mostly carry their 8mm and 10mm T-handles with them anyways) and to have the mechanic kick the front end kinda straight for them. Realistically if their bike needs much more than that it will take too long to accomplish to save a meaningful result for SX.
10
1
ML512
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1/26/2022 6:15am
ML512 wrote:
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is...
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is only used in emergencies. The tools in this box might get used once or twice this whole season…no reason to dump thousands of dollars in tools into a box that barely gets used.
McG194 wrote:
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important...
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important than tools in your regular box. If I break a tool or round a fastener at the truck, I have a replacement part at hand or can borrow a tool. If you are working out of a cart and a tool/part breaks it could be a DNF.
No one around the pits is worried or talking about what tools are in KTM’s pit cart…
21
yota
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Location
Crystal River, FL, USA
1/26/2022 6:23am Edited Date/Time 1/26/2022 6:24am
I like old tools and toolboxes. redid this 1967 MAC a few months ago.

24
McG194
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Palm Coast, FL, USA
1/26/2022 6:36am
McG194 wrote:
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important...
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important than tools in your regular box. If I break a tool or round a fastener at the truck, I have a replacement part at hand or can borrow a tool. If you are working out of a cart and a tool/part breaks it could be a DNF.
What exactly do you think they are doing to snap the tools on the (seldom used) pit cart? Motorcycles are relatively low torque applications and a...
What exactly do you think they are doing to snap the tools on the (seldom used) pit cart?

Motorcycles are relatively low torque applications and a race bike pulling into the pits for an emergency repair isn't the same as working on some rusted out relic, every bolt should turn just fine with a Pittsburg wrench. At least 90% of the time a rider pulls into the pits it's just get their levers adjusted after a crash (the mechanics seem to mostly carry their 8mm and 10mm T-handles with them anyways) and to have the mechanic kick the front end kinda straight for them. Realistically if their bike needs much more than that it will take too long to accomplish to save a meaningful result for SX.
You kinda contradict yourself there. Kicking something out of whack and low torque. Good chance a crash damaged part may be difficult to remove.
1
7
nwmx
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Corona, CA, USA
1/26/2022 6:44am
I know I’m veering off here but I’m a big fan of their generators. Bought a suitcase one for camping at the track and it works great. Then got a 7800 watt for the house when power goes out. Saved a ton over the comparable Honda generators and like most with harbor freight, they are great for the couple times a year they’re used.
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McG194
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Palm Coast, FL, USA
1/26/2022 7:32am
ML512 wrote:
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is...
All the team’s meschncis boxes are filled with big name brands tools. This is their pit cart that goes down to the line, sits and is only used in emergencies. The tools in this box might get used once or twice this whole season…no reason to dump thousands of dollars in tools into a box that barely gets used.
McG194 wrote:
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important...
Still a pretty bad look for anyone in the know. Besides that, it could be said that tools in a pit cart are far more important than tools in your regular box. If I break a tool or round a fastener at the truck, I have a replacement part at hand or can borrow a tool. If you are working out of a cart and a tool/part breaks it could be a DNF.
ML512 wrote:
No one around the pits is worried or talking about what tools are in KTM’s pit cart…
Understand that 100% but tool dorks like me on the internet are a different story. I like to see the trick bike parts and the trick tool set ups. When I went to the Gatornationals and am in the pit watching Antron Brown's crew turning the car around, I'm spending half as much time drooling over the tools. Personally, I have Matco wrenches in my track box. I got them on a buy one get one free deal.


All that being said obviously, they have enough championships that prove they are ok doing it.
1
13
McG194
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1/26/2022 7:41am
nwmx wrote:
I know I’m veering off here but I’m a big fan of their generators. Bought a suitcase one for camping at the track and it works...
I know I’m veering off here but I’m a big fan of their generators. Bought a suitcase one for camping at the track and it works great. Then got a 7800 watt for the house when power goes out. Saved a ton over the comparable Honda generators and like most with harbor freight, they are great for the couple times a year they’re used.
As long as it's the inverter style it's great. I have a Predator inverter and it runs great. At an FTR Hare Scramble race a non-inverter is how you get everyone to hate you. lol
3
colintrax
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Taylorsville, GA, USA
1/26/2022 7:49am
McG194 wrote:
Understand that 100% but tool dorks like me on the internet are a different story. I like to see the trick bike parts and the trick...
Understand that 100% but tool dorks like me on the internet are a different story. I like to see the trick bike parts and the trick tool set ups. When I went to the Gatornationals and am in the pit watching Antron Brown's crew turning the car around, I'm spending half as much time drooling over the tools. Personally, I have Matco wrenches in my track box. I got them on a buy one get one free deal.


All that being said obviously, they have enough championships that prove they are ok doing it.
My dude, I think you're slotting yourself into a weird subset of the internet tool dorks.
I'm on garagejournal, sub to r/tools, check toolguyd, watched every Boltr video that exists. Im a tool dork.
I can still appreciate the need for cheaper tools and how some of these cheaper (usually Taiwanese) tools can do so well. The toolbox in my truck is stuffed with Pittsburgh Pro. They work good enough to get me or other people home and I won't be upset if I lose one on the side of the road.
5
1
agn5008
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2010
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PA, PA, USA
Fantasy
1/26/2022 7:51am
nwmx wrote:
I know I’m veering off here but I’m a big fan of their generators. Bought a suitcase one for camping at the track and it works...
I know I’m veering off here but I’m a big fan of their generators. Bought a suitcase one for camping at the track and it works great. Then got a 7800 watt for the house when power goes out. Saved a ton over the comparable Honda generators and like most with harbor freight, they are great for the couple times a year they’re used.
Same. I have had mine for 2 years and haven’t had a single issue with it. My gramps has owned a lawnmower/small engine repair shop for over 60 years (no joke, he’s still at it today just to keep himself busy 😂) and he loves the predator generators. If he approves of them then that was good enough for me to make the purchase. I’ve been very happy with it.
2
FGR01
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USA
Fantasy
1/26/2022 8:40am
I think I speak for 95% of Vital when I say I'll just take my POS box with 30yr old mix-match of Craftsman, Harbor Freight, homemade, and Amazon tools and go hide in the corner.
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