For people buying busses

[akroyaleagle]

The Caterpillar 3406B (mechanical) in my truck is still being made as the 3406C-basically the same engine with minor differences. Mainly because 3rd world countries do not want electronics for pumps or generators. Good Luck, TomC

Tom, my first choice when I repowered was a 3406B.

I believe Caterpillar might have been pretty nice, mostly because of their honest horsepower compared to DD and Cummins. I have been told that DD measures HP at the flywheel end of the crank, Cat where the rubber meets the road and Cummins somewhere in between. None of that may be true! But I heard it from a respected long time diesel truck mechanic a long time ago. (That was a lot of brain cells ago too!)

The only reason I didn't go with the Cat was my Eagle would have been about a foot and a half too short or I would have to have re-engineered the miter box out.

I went with a Reliabilt remanned to 2000 specs, 8V92TA with 9A98 injectors. It has served me very well for over 17 years.

I still like the 3406B!

[Zephod]

Zephod, I assume you buy cheap stuff because you talk about how little you have spent on your bus conversion.  I have probably spent more money on my bus this year than you spent on your entire conversion other than the shell.  You used a cheap $10 to $20 Chinese solar controller.

It should be no surprise that a laptop fails after six years.  They generally take a lot of abuse if you actually carry them around like they are intended.  My employer budgets to replace laptops every four to five years because they start to fail rapidly after that point.  Desktops are kept longer because they take less abuse.

My laptop was used as a desktop. Never moved.

I see a lot of charge controllers that look identical, all claiming to be made other places but the reality is that 90% are Chinese whatever it says on the box.  That's where paying more gets silly if your Made in Canada box only has a Made in Canada sticker but the rest was made in China.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[muldoonman]

Why does everybody assume I buy cheap stuff? I just don't get that!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I really don't have a clue.

[HB of CJ]

My old 1974 Crown Supercoach had no electronics.  Our old 1984, (kinda) 4 door VW Rabbit Diesel had no electronics either.  Both could be bump started if necessary.

In fact the Rabbit could be cold weather started just by pushing it out the driveway to the hilly main street.  Coasting down hill spinning the mill.  Then hit the fuel switch.

Just got a new cell phone and am trying to find time to read and GROK the owners manual.  So many neat cool functions.  Times they are a changin"  I must adapt.

[Zephod]

I remember bump starting cars. I used to park on a hill when I had a dead battery just so I could bump start. Not sure I can do that with my Carpenter as it has an automatic box.

I bought a $29 smart phone and use it as a phone and a wifi hotspot. I don't bother with any other feature.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jeremy]

 That's where paying more gets silly if your Made in Canada box only has a Made in Canada sticker but the rest was made in China.

Iphone 10s are made in China, but so is the $0.99 disposable junk sold on market stalls. You need to be better at discerning whether something is a quality item than simply judging it on whether the word 'China' appears on the box somewhere.

Jeremy

[Slug]

Where's the H3 Hummer made, look closely Made in China under license for GM after the sold the Plant equipment to them when it went belly up
They only have a few years to go before GM stop supplying the US running gear and then China produce their own
All the major Auto brands are there GMChina Ford China also look at all the small GM cars at the moment come out of South Korea GM Daewoo and all the small Utes come out of Thialand
James

[richard5933]

... all claiming to be made other places but the reality is that 90% are Chinese whatever it says on the box...

I think that this is part of your problem. If you assume that everything is made in China and is all junk and therefore buy the cheapest of the bunch, you're setting yourself up for constant failure.

There are a lot of knock-off goods being made, true. I once got taken by a replacement battery for my Samsung phone that claimed to be OEM. It looked just like, felt just like, and was packaged just like. Unfortunately, it certainly didn't function just like. It wasn't until I did a little research that I was able to tell the difference between the actual Samsung product and the knockoff.

This is the main reason that I try as much as possible to buy all mission-critical items from retailers or vendors I know and trust. They will be buying through legitimate channels and there's a much higher likelihood of getting quality merchandise. Place of manufacture is not as important as quality of manufacture, and that depends largely on who ordered and spec'd the merchandise from the factory. It costs more to shop this way, but in the end it's often cheaper due to longer life and fewer failures.

Whenever I buy from online box stores, Amazon, eBay, etc I consider the item to be disposable. I'll only buy expensive and/or important items online if I'm able to do the necessary research to be reasonably certain that the item is quality. That said, I've returned more than a few things for poor quality.

Richard

[luvrbus]

Try this Texas Instruments made in China the 1st Texas Instrument scientific calculator I bought in the 80's cost me over a 100 bucks it lasted till 2016,I replaced with a new one made in China from WalMart for 20 bucks.
I buy American when I can find it but some things are not made here any longer one thing I don't buy are tools from Harbor Freight lol that is new junk store that sells junk with a warranty and they do honor the warranty,they replace a grinder for me about every 2 weeks   

[akroyaleagle]

But Clifford,

You use your tools more than most commercial shops. Folks are also always borrowing yours.

Most of us use them rarely.

I too try to buy quality tools. I do, though, buy a lot of stuff from HF. I may only need it once. I don't loan tools. I may allow someone to use one at my shop. I get some of them broke even then. Especially Craftsmen ratchets. Now they've sold out to someone else and they ain't what they used to be!

You could borrow anything I have or could steal except Frankie.

[windtrader]

HF is wonderful! For those DIY mechanics who might use a special tool once every couple years, you can't beat HF. I have so many tools that I would not have been able to afford or justify for one off jobs. Any tool I use regularly I buy quality brands.

[Zephod]

HF is wonderful! For those DIY mechanics who might use a special tool once every couple years, you can't beat HF. I have so many tools that I would not have been able to afford or justify for one off jobs. Any tool I use regularly I buy quality brands.

No problem with Harbor Freight here.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[kyle4501]

The HF grinders have weak motors & don't keep the keep the rpms up. Slower speed of abrasive wheel/ disc means faster wear.

I paid over $100 for a dewalt grinder & it is amazing how much longer a disc will last on it vs a HF grinder.

[windtrader]

TYou'll get zero disagreement to the inferiority of most HF tools. From my vantage point, like many others, the cost of the cheapie tool is equivalent to renting once. As long it gets the job done then you're ahead.

Specific to grinders. I' more than happy with the cheapie HF grinder. It does a great job cutiing metal and grinding metal faster than any way I had before. I have no remorse if it packs up tomorrow. I'll decide if that tool is useful enough to get a quality model or just buy another cheapie HF.

[luvrbus]

I can pay 5 bucks for a 4" cutting wheel American made at my local welding supply and it will outlast a 10 pack of the Harbor Freight junk same thing with my 14 inch cut off saw.FWIW Tractor Supply sells better Chinese made stuff.
After 4 attempts 1 per year with the H/F self darkening welding hoods I broke down and paid the bucks for a good Jackson digital hood I should have done it to start with and would have saved a few bucks in the long run