Beast!!
Favourite Tool
- Thread starter Diesel Cruiserman
- Start date
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I thought my Stihl was powerful at 4.3 hp but slightly heavy at 13ish lbs.
That one is 7.2 hp and almost 17 lbs. There’ll definitely be a time and a place where it can’t be beat, but I’d not want to be schlepping it around all day.
New plug, new needle bearing cage, and fresh gas… it’s alive. Starts easy and cuts well.
Still could be cleaned up a bit more.
And before cleaning…
And before cleaning…
So far I think my favourite is my Shindaiwa 488. It’s powerful and only about 10 pounds… but I’ve not really used the Stihl other than bucking a 12” log into a few rounds.
The Stihl MS390 feels really long with a 24” bar. In total it’s about 3’ long… making it somewhat on the big side for trimming dead branches out of our trees.
Nice saw. Should spin that bar around and get more wear out of it.
I will… at this point it has very little wear so I wasn’t too worried about it.
Higher priority is giving the carb settings a little tweak. Right now it’s idling a bit high and the clutch is starting to engage and turn the chain. I did slow it down a bit, but I didn’t have time to fully warm it up to adjust the carb. So that will have to wait for another day.
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It hasn’t seen anywhere near the hours that this saw of mine has seen…
Makes me wonder how much cleaner this would come.
Makes me wonder how much cleaner this would come.
Cleaned up my ‘98 Husqvarna a bit and put some gas in it for the first time in a few years. After a handful of pulls it flashed up and ran perfectly. It was a pleasant surprise since it hasn’t been started in a few years.
Next to my Stihl it looks so tiny.
Next to my Stihl it looks so tiny.
FYI…
January 15-17th they will be 179,95 at KMS tools.
So a few months back I got to thinking about the ratings of my floor jacks. I had generally figured so long the jack I was using was rated above the weight on the wheels closest to the jack it should be adequate. However, I had fa couple times the weight wasn’t perfectly centred on the bowl of the jack, and I noticed that one of the rear wheels on the jack was lifting off the ground,,, a bit scary even if just reaching under it to place axle stand. The 2.5 ton jack is enough to theoretically lift my entire 40 so it’s not a concern. The Ambo weighs almost 9500 lbs+ with about 6500 lbs on the rear wheels. The drivers side is 500+ lbs heavier than the passenger side. So if I used two jacks 3 ton on the left and 2.5 on the right, and lift evenly we’re golden… right?
Unless something went wrong with one jack… or one drops too quickly when lowering it. Then we either have 6500 lbs on 3 ton or even worse on a 2.5 ton.
So I started shopping for a stronger floor jack. I found 3.5 tons were probably the most economical, and 7000 lbs is close to the 75% of the Total vehicle weight. So I picked up a new Big Red jack from Canadian tire. I shopped around a bit and found most people are asking $125-150 for used 3.5 tons. Costco’s 3 ton has plastic front wheels so I immediately decided to rule it out for ANY lifting… ANY. WTF
A week later this Napa 3.5 ton “professional” jack popped up on marketplace. For $20 as is where is, I jumped on it.
It was filthy but works well. I topped up the oil, only to have most of what I put in spill out because I’d overfilled it.
Yesterday I jacked up the rear of the ambulance to service the Trac-Lok clutch packs. The Napa jack lifted the heavier side with less effort and a similar number of pumps. The handle is somewhat longer on the Napa jack so it may not be an entirely fair comparison… but at the end of the day it was still easier. It hardly has any wear on the paint from use… so I don’t think it has been used a lot. Visually it looks way stronger than the Red… I’m planning to keep both.
Unless something went wrong with one jack… or one drops too quickly when lowering it. Then we either have 6500 lbs on 3 ton or even worse on a 2.5 ton.
So I started shopping for a stronger floor jack. I found 3.5 tons were probably the most economical, and 7000 lbs is close to the 75% of the Total vehicle weight. So I picked up a new Big Red jack from Canadian tire. I shopped around a bit and found most people are asking $125-150 for used 3.5 tons. Costco’s 3 ton has plastic front wheels so I immediately decided to rule it out for ANY lifting… ANY. WTF
A week later this Napa 3.5 ton “professional” jack popped up on marketplace. For $20 as is where is, I jumped on it.
It was filthy but works well. I topped up the oil, only to have most of what I put in spill out because I’d overfilled it.
Yesterday I jacked up the rear of the ambulance to service the Trac-Lok clutch packs. The Napa jack lifted the heavier side with less effort and a similar number of pumps. The handle is somewhat longer on the Napa jack so it may not be an entirely fair comparison… but at the end of the day it was still easier. It hardly has any wear on the paint from use… so I don’t think it has been used a lot. Visually it looks way stronger than the Red… I’m planning to keep both.
Found this in Nampa. I’m not sure it’s going to be a favourite… but I thought it was neat so I bought it for the $2 asking price.
A 48” brick layers level likely made 1936-1941 by a company that later became Milwaukee. I decided to refurbish it… although some collectors may feel it was worth more in original condition. The dried out mahogany was begging for some attention imho.
Most tools aren’t made like this anymore… although, surprisingly, Mahogany levels with brass edges are still available today if you’re motivated. Not sold at most local stores though.
A 48” brick layers level likely made 1936-1941 by a company that later became Milwaukee. I decided to refurbish it… although some collectors may feel it was worth more in original condition. The dried out mahogany was begging for some attention imho.
Most tools aren’t made like this anymore… although, surprisingly, Mahogany levels with brass edges are still available today if you’re motivated. Not sold at most local stores though.
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If I could find some time Miller would be taking my top prize...
Although, cruising along the Idaho highway at 80 mph
, I was extremely happy with the rear sway bar mounts that Miller was instrumental in fabricating.The mechanical engineer, riding shotgun, asked me if the Ambo would slide or roll first... I'd never looked it up, but figured slide... given how over-engineered they are. He crunched some numbers and agreed... slide. I looked it up and that was the case.
In case you're wondering... I don't drink.
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Picked up a treadle sewing machine
Rough estimate is a 1954 Adler 30-1. The 90+ year old man I bought it from purchased it in the 80s. It’s a patcher, making it possible to sew in even the tightest of spaces.
I’ve used them often. Mostly for shoe repairs and custom work in awkward places.
For anyone not familiar, it’s a walking foot sewing machine that allows you to turn the foot in any direction. It will then walk in whatever direction the foot is facing. Originally designed for shoe/boot work, but they are also frequently used to sew on badges onto shirts and jackets. The long narrow arm allows you the flexibility of hand sewing but the accuracy and convenience of sewing with a machine.
Rough estimate is a 1954 Adler 30-1. The 90+ year old man I bought it from purchased it in the 80s. It’s a patcher, making it possible to sew in even the tightest of spaces.
I’ve used them often. Mostly for shoe repairs and custom work in awkward places.
For anyone not familiar, it’s a walking foot sewing machine that allows you to turn the foot in any direction. It will then walk in whatever direction the foot is facing. Originally designed for shoe/boot work, but they are also frequently used to sew on badges onto shirts and jackets. The long narrow arm allows you the flexibility of hand sewing but the accuracy and convenience of sewing with a machine.
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Wow, how'd you find that, and where can I get a set? That's the perfect dingus for a dingus that likes to walk around swinging their dingus!
Reminds me of this set my dad has. Think it's called "Metrix"
The hexes are a weird slightly rounded shape so they allegedly fit metric AND standard.
In actual fact, they don't fit anything right.
My dad knows not to pull out that toolkit while I'm around because I've told him the first thing I'm doing when he dies is throwing those ******* things into the ocean. Possibly before he dies if he tries to make me use them.
The hexes are a weird slightly rounded shape so they allegedly fit metric AND standard.
In actual fact, they don't fit anything right.
My dad knows not to pull out that toolkit while I'm around because I've told him the first thing I'm doing when he dies is throwing those ******* things into the ocean. Possibly before he dies if he tries to make me use them.