Cheap Tail/Exhaust Pipe Expanders are Pathetic - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Diesel911 · #1 09-07-2014, 04:17 PM

Cheap Tail/Exhaust Pipe Expanders are Pathetic.

I went to Harbor Freight and bought a Tail Pipe Expander and got into My Van only to see that it was Cracked???

Went back in and got an exchange and when I got into the Van an got it out of the Package I found it was also Cracked???

Got My money back and went to another cheapie Tool Place and got a similar one made by Pitbull (oddly it has US type NF Threads) for $5 less.
I got 2 expansions out of it and it broke on the 3rd expansion. Now I am not able to finish My job.

My present acceptable options are to go get another Cheap one and finish the job or heat the Pipe up red hot and drive a large Socket into the pipe.
Or get a KD made in the USA one on eBay at around $22 and wait for it to arrive (one place local wants $39 for the same Tool).

Also this is ther first time I have ever needed a Tail Pipe Expander and I have never been around when someone else used one.

tangofox007 · #2 09-07-2014, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel911

I went to Harbor Freight

Your experience is a perfect example of why I recommend avoiding Harbor Freight.

Where I live, some parts stores have pipe expanders in their loaner inventory.

SD Blue · #3 09-07-2014, 04:58 PM

You actually may have been in luck. The Harbor Freight units may have broken while inside the pipe and jammed, making removal a nightmare.

I've resigned to the fact that Harbor Freight is good for shop towels, acid brushes and supplies and not much else. They can frustrate you so much with the time wasted, returning broken, non-functioning items. This isn't even mentioning the down time to try and complete the project.

In this case, the tool didn't even meet the standard of "I only want to use it once".

leathermang · #4 09-07-2014, 05:47 PM

Steel pipes are very strong...
you may need to anneal that couple of inches you want to expand...
heat it evenly to deep red..
let it cool SLOWLY....
then use the tool...
but the tool has rubber bands on it... so pipe should be cool to the touch before putting the tool in....
If you look at the hydraulic expanders used at exhaust pipe shops.... they can exert an amazing amount of pressure....

barry12345 · #5 09-07-2014, 06:43 PM

In defence of cheap tool places you have to be selective. Many guys cannot justify a large tool budget.

Some stuff that gets reasonable use actually does quite well in my experience. Unfortunatly the Canadian equivelant operations have experienced quite a price increase in the last year.

For example unless improvement has occurred I would not purchase their chromed sockets etc. Where their cheap black impact stuff is usable with hand tools and even limited air gun use it has seemed to have stood up okay with me.

We were talking perhaps 10c on the dollar when on sale not that long ago compared to name brand stuff has to be taken into consideration.

leathermang · #6 09-07-2014, 08:20 PM

I have gotten several real deals on Harbor Freight tools which work just as good as the expensive stuff.. .including a band saw that is awesome for the $260 I paid for it on sale....

Diesel911 · #7 09-07-2014, 09:34 PM

I have been buying from Harbor Freight since the 1980s and once in a while something turns out to be junk. What suprised me is this particular item X2 did not appear to have been removed from the Package and was broken. I just felt had to say something on this particular item so no one else in need buys one.

That could be a shipping isseue. I bought a Roll Away Tool Storaged and it was warped. Perhaps some Fork Lift Diver did it or it simply had too much weight stacked on it. When I got the excahge one I uncreated it in the Parking lot to make sure it was OK.

Sometimes if you paid several Dollars for a Tool and it gets you out of some Jam and then breakes later it was worth it.

Marvelicious · #8 09-07-2014, 09:51 PM

It's hit and miss, and I haven't come up with a fool proof way to tell the good from the bad. In a perfect world, we would all have the budget to buy top of the line. I have some HF tools, some Snap On (industry leader in profit margins) and everything in between with a large contingent of pre Kmart Craftsman. One thing I can say, as far as basic hand tools go, the Taiwan stuff is generally decent, the Chinese, not so much.

strelnik · #9 09-08-2014, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvelicious

It's hit and miss, and I haven't come up with a fool proof way to tell the good from the bad. In a perfect world, we would all have the budget to buy top of the line. I have some HF tools, some Snap On (industry leader in profit margins) and everything in between with a large contingent of pre Kmart Craftsman. One thing I can say, as far as basic hand tools go, the Taiwan stuff is generally decent, the Chinese, not so much.

I often look around for quality used tools, especially ones at estate sales. Plus the tools there, if older American, may not be Snap-On, but other good brands which were bought out after the founding families died, like Williams and Plomb.

Diesel911 · #10 09-13-2014, 06:22 PM

I could not find the Post but I thought that someone said to use the Free Rental ones like at Autozone. I finally got around to looking and sure enough they had one but it also was cracked. The Girl at the Counter said it was the last one they had; apparenlty that particualr design sucks no matter who makes it.
Autozone usually sells and rents OEM Tools.
Previous to checking with Autozone I had decided to buy a KD Tail Pipe Expander from ebay at a total cost of $22. It is USA Made and a different design. It came today.

Not apprent in the Pic the end you tighten has no Hex on it there is only 2 Wrench Flats on a round shaft and oddly the flats are located on the lower 1/3 of the shaft.
It is also designed to expand a smaller area.

I added this. I went to another Autozone and rented an expander becasue the KD Tool one was slightly too large. I expanded the Pipe enough to get the KD Tool in and let the KD Tool do the rest.

Diesel911 · #11 04-24-2016, 10:41 PM

Working on another Exhaust system this time 3". I needed to re-expand a pipe and My KD Tools were too small. So, I went back to Autzone and rented theirs (2-1/8-3-7/17" range). OEM made in Taiwan 27028.

It did not expand the pipe as far in as I wanted but did enough that it is workable. The Tool did not crack and the pieces that cracked on the other smaller ones are a lot thicker on the larger tool.

I rented a Tail Pipe/Exhaust Pipe Cutter OEM 27045 (sprize the tool is made in the USA or at least that is what is stamped on the central rivit). If you go over to Amazon.com you can see how other customers rated the Tool.

The tool is essentialy a string of tubing cutter type blades mounted in a Cain that you squeeze to bring the blades incontact with the pipe.

It worked but you need to be careful not to squeeze it too hard. I did that on the old pipe and it put 2 dents in the pipe. Since the tubing cuter blades are round that means it was sort of like getting a wheel stuck in a ditch making it harder to rotate the tool.

I was more careful on the other cuts I had to make. Cutting new tube was slightly harder but it worked fine.
The cutter is accurate within about 1/4" and it maxes out at 3".

If you need to see what it looks like you can see it on Amazon.

Also I looked at prices and there is a wide variation in prices for the exact same tool. The free Autozone rental turned out to be brand new.

Mxfrank · #12 04-24-2016, 10:47 PM

I have one of this design that's been in the kit for 20 years or more, don't know the brand. It's still fine. I guess they don't make things like they used to.

w123fanman · #13 04-25-2016, 04:11 PM

I had a similar experience with a pilot bearing puller that I tried renting at 3 different autoparts stores. The first store didn't have it so they told me where the closest store was, which was half an hour away. I got there, they had the tool, got back my house opened it up then touched it to the pilot bearing and ti broke. One of the hooks had been broken before and glued back together. I then headed to another store that wasn't the same chain and they had it! But it was already broken in the exact same way. I ended up heading to Summit and they have a better designed bearing puller and only cost me like $20. Summit has been a life saver sometimes, glad then they put one 30 minutes from my old house.