What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’m big on quality wheels as well, usually buy a bulk pack these days. I’ve been wanting a portaband for awhile and have highly considered the HF one. Might have to just bite the bullet already.

Yeah, I buy bulk packs too. Cheaper that way, despite an expensive hit when you first buy the pack.

I had a friend tell me they compared the Milwaukee and HF portabands. They said they were about identical, so I bought the HF one when it was on sale. Ended up picking up a used Milwaukee for like $30 a year or so later. Virtually no difference between them. I wanted a second and the price was right on the Milwaukee. Might get the stand (HF sells a stand to use with them) and mount one of them and use the other as a portable one.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I use the heck out of the HFT cutoff wheels since they're way cheaper than anything else, in the low amp grinders they last pretty good as long as you don't snab something wrong or use it the way they don't like to be used on sheet metal (don't remember if it's pushing or pulling that eats them up). My brother has a nice DeWalt grinder that's like 11A that can be mean to them but they can live decent, he had some DeWalt blades too and they did last longer but dong random farm repairs they seem to work fine for us...

I've been thinking of a portaband, I have a horizontal bandsaw already and a plasma I pull out here and there. I'll get into more heavy fabrication hopefully next year on the Explorer that I'm sure everything will be used on...

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Had the transmission fluid changed.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Never realized there was an upgraded all metal hub write up in the tech section. Sometimes I forget how awesome the info on this site is. Anyway I scoured the internet and found one place with those upgraded jeep rear axle hubs in stock. Never heard of BPRinnovations but I’m giving them a try!

 

[Rick W]

I use the heck out of the HFT cutoff wheels since they're way cheaper than anything else, in the low amp grinders they last pretty good as long as you don't snab something wrong or use it the way they don't like to be used on sheet metal (don't remember if it's pushing or pulling that eats them up). My brother has a nice DeWalt grinder that's like 11A that can be mean to them but they can live decent, he had some DeWalt blades too and they did last longer but dong random farm repairs they seem to work fine for us...

I've been thinking of a portaband, I have a horizontal bandsaw already and a plasma I pull out here and there. I'll get into more heavy fabrication hopefully next year on the Explorer that I'm sure everything will be used on...

they did last longer but dong random farm repairs they seem to work fine for us...

Wow, harsh, I wouldn’t want my dong repaired on your farm…

 

[Rick W]

Another Craigslist score: short solid shaft triple ball. $15

Before:

After:

I’m thinking Missing Linc toolbox

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Another Craigslist score: short solid shaft triple ball. $15

Before:

View attachment 99861

After:

View attachment 99862

I’m thinking Missing Linc toolbox

Nice work on cleaning and painting. Are those 3–ball hitches still made new? Most I see on pickups look pretty old.

 

[G McMahon]

Wow, harsh, I wouldn’t want my dong repaired on your farm…

Especially not a random one!

 

[Rick W]

Nice work on cleaning and painting. Are those 3–ball hitches still made new? Most I see on pickups look pretty old.

Harbor Freight sells them with a slightly longer hollow shaft for about $30. The tripleball with the hook is about $45 which never made sense to me.

The chrome was pretty much used up on the 2” and 2-5/16” balls. It’s seen many miles. I used a small wire brush on a corded drill and cleaned it up in about 10 minutes. Then two coats in two days of my trademark Rustoleum. I’m going to finish up with some clear polyurethane on the balls so the balls don’t rust in the tool box.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I use the heck out of the HFT cutoff wheels since they're way cheaper than anything else, in the low amp grinders they last pretty good as long as you don't snab something wrong or use it the way they don't like to be used on sheet metal (don't remember if it's pushing or pulling that eats them up). My brother has a nice DeWalt grinder that's like 11A that can be mean to them but they can live decent, he had some DeWalt blades too and they did last longer but dong random farm repairs they seem to work fine for us...

I've been thinking of a portaband, I have a horizontal bandsaw already and a plasma I pull out here and there. I'll get into more heavy fabrication hopefully next year on the Explorer that I'm sure everything will be used on...

Yeah, I used to use cheap blades. Then I gave a good blade a try. When I was getting the rear frame section for my green Ranger from a junkyard, their yard guy was tied up cutting a frame for someone else with a sawzall and cheap blades. The yard told me I could cut it myself, so armed with the sawzall I had at the time, a beat up Craftsman, and a Diablo carbide-tipped thick metal blade, I zinged right through one side and started on the other before the sawzall seized up. Set it down for a few minutes to cool, tore it apart, broke the motor free and dumped out some metal shards, put it back together, finished the cut, got a yard truck, loaded up the frame, and was back to the office before their yard guy was done with cutting with cheap blades. Those carbide tipped ones will sail through hardened bolts and still be sharp too. Absolutely worth the $10 or so price tag for the 6” because by golly I got work to do, and I’m impatient!

I really have a problem with patience anymore. I hit a bolt with a ratchet and it doesn’t move, there’s a rapid escalation of force. Impact is the next step and probably a shot of penetrating oil, if I haven’t already done that. If that doesn’t do it, if I’m anywhere near a torch, it’s heat and hit it with the impact. If that doesn’t work, it gets melted. I got bigger things to do than spend hours messing with a bolt. Unless there’s no other way to deal with it other than spend time, that’s where it goes. If I’m not near enough to a torch, I have a 3/4” drive extendable ratchet and a cheater pipe. I have snapped 5/8” bolts by hand. Far easier to melt them but sometimes a torch just isn’t handy. That’s to be remedied soon.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Spent a few hours today detailing my ole friend. Recntly found a clean pair of vinyl sun visors from a 97 ranger, and grabbed the other oh gosh darnit handle for the driver side. After I was done, went for a drive to whiskeytown lake to spend some time at the lake. Took a few pictures.

Love getting to see your pictures and how clean and nice you keep your truck man. Many thanks for sharing.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, I used to use cheap blades. Then I gave a good blade a try. When I was getting the rear frame section for my green Ranger from a junkyard, their yard guy was tied up cutting a frame for someone else with a sawzall and cheap blades. The yard told me I could cut it myself, so armed with the sawzall I had at the time, a beat up Craftsman, and a Diablo carbide-tipped thick metal blade, I zinged right through one side and started on the other before the sawzall seized up. Set it down for a few minutes to cool, tore it apart, broke the motor free and dumped out some metal shards, put it back together, finished the cut, got a yard truck, loaded up the frame, and was back to the office before their yard guy was done with cutting with cheap blades. Those carbide tipped ones will sail through hardened bolts and still be sharp too. Absolutely worth the $10 or so price tag for the 6” because by golly I got work to do, and I’m impatient!

I really have a problem with patience anymore. I hit a bolt with a ratchet and it doesn’t move, there’s a rapid escalation of force. Impact is the next step and probably a shot of penetrating oil, if I haven’t already done that. If that doesn’t do it, if I’m anywhere near a torch, it’s heat and hit it with the impact. If that doesn’t work, it gets melted. I got bigger things to do than spend hours messing with a bolt. Unless there’s no other way to deal with it other than spend time, that’s where it goes. If I’m not near enough to a torch, I have a 3/4” drive extendable ratchet and a cheater pipe. I have snapped 5/8” bolts by hand. Far easier to melt them but sometimes a torch just isn’t handy. That’s to be remedied soon.

I don't have the patience for the rust you guys deal with, conveniently I normally just have to use my fabrication tools for fabrication... not repairs that shouldn't have to happen...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Wow, harsh, I wouldn’t want my dong repaired on your farm…

well, ya know, things happen, I've heard of balls of steel but didn't know other things happened

 

[Rick W]

Spent a few hours today detailing my ole friend. Recntly found a clean pair of vinyl sun visors from a 97 ranger, and grabbed the other oh gosh darnit handle for the driver side. After I was done, went for a drive to whiskeytown lake to spend some time at the lake. Took a few pictures.

Truck looks great, fab! Lake looks magical and serene at the same time. Too cool!

 

[broncc]

Never realized there was an upgraded all metal hub write up in the tech section. Sometimes I forget how awesome the info on this site is. Anyway I scoured the internet and found one place with those upgraded jeep rear axle hubs in stock. Never heard of BPRinnovations but I’m giving them a try!

Good luck actually getting that product. Warn stopped making hubs for the ford d35 axles and all the small guys haven't updated their websites yet. I tried three places including Summit and they all gave me my money back.

Once I verify my auto hubs are good working I'll do a writeup on how to give them a tune up.