Beware of cheap harbor freight cast iron arbor plates

[Ninja Performance]

I have a 40 ton air over hydraulic ram press, and pressing apart a customer's transfer case spool (severe interference fit) this cheap plate shattered/exploded throwing the chunks in the air hitting one of my techs in the face. Luckily he only got a small cut on his upper lip.

When I do transfer case spools I literally hide. I have air over hydraulic so I set everything up, get it touching, then take the line with the trigger and hide under the bench beside the press. This is why. Scary shit.

Local Mount Croghan Machine Shop 5 minutes up the street cut this new set for us from 1" thick plate steel. $90 total for the pair. Cant beat that.


https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1274939_617764514913066_127177438_n.jpg

Work safe and smart

-Chris

[Greg E]

Hey we got one of those at work! Same thing happened.

[OhioSpyderman]

Very happy that it wasn't worse (I'm sure the tech doesn't feel that way)....

How are you doing Chris ?(I have been following your threads)....

Love you (no homo)...(just want you to know I CARE)....

Bob.

[Ninja Performance]

Thanks Bob, doing pretty good, will be starting on chemo as soon as it gets approved.

-Chris

[j2k4]

Ima go give my Pittsburgh jack the hard stare...:mad:

I try not to save too much on high-stress tools - as big a fan of Harbor Freight as I am, I don't wanna get hurt using their stuff.

[sergechronos]

Ima go give my Pittsburgh jack the hard stare...:mad:

I try not to save too much on high-stress tools - as big a fan of Harbor Freight as I am, I don't wanna get hurt using their stuff.

:stupid:

[Streamln1]

I trust their jacks....if they were faulty they would get sued so bad they wouldn't be in business anymore. But ya they use cheap / light metals in most stuff that fails. I bought a small press from them once and wound up bending the press rather than the piece I was trying to press out.

[VR-4 0wnz j00]

Thanks for the warning. I use harbor freight for specialty tools I might use a few times but for anything serious I will buy quality tools.

[UTRacerX9]

I haven't had any luck with Harbor Freight stuff. Got a reciprocating saw once, motor burned up the first time I used it. Same thing with an angle grinder cutting some 1/4" thick metal brackets. Lasted about 10 min. Even some tie down straps I got there failed, locking mechanism bent under the pressure. Thankfully I didn't buy any of this crap, I got them as gifts and was able to return them. My dad bought an air compressor there, it worked for 1 year with very light use before it died.

I've had far better luck with Northern Tool stuff. The quality is much better IMO.

[green-lantern]

Damn that is scary as hell