Harbor Freight cord Mod

DetailingNoob said:
Sorry to bump an older thread.. but a question to all who have modded ANY DA Polisher to extend the cord.

What is an advantage of permanently attaching a longer cord versus using a quality extension cord each time? Is it not safe to use an extension cord to plug the DA Polisher into then plug the other end of the extension cord into an outlet?

To me it would make more sense to have an extension cord separate instead of having a 20-30 foot cord attached to the DA Polisher itself all the time and having it hang and what not. Maybe my thought is wrong.
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The advantage is not having to pull out an additional item when setting up your equipment. Also, not having the your machine disconnect from an additional source in the middle of the job.

The disadvantage may very well be a safety issue. For what ever reason, if you have to disconnect quickly then it would difficult to do so when your only plug is 25' away.

As long as the cord is the right gauge thickness, there shouldn't be an issue.
 
I've taken another route with my polisher. Home Depot has a 12' 16 guage TWO WAY extension cord for $8. Since it's two way the female end is very small. I find a total of 22' just fine so I just taped the connection together and don't have to worry about it coming disconnected during a polishing session. Works just fine.
 
There's little reason to ever debate common sense and this is yet another fine case of thinking out of the box......AWESOME thread and tutorial....:props:
 
I don't mean any disrespect, but what's the point of this mod? Why not just tie an overhand knot with the ends of your DA/extension cord plugs together, plug them in, and voila. No risk of the plug coming undone and the cord can be as long as you like? You can still loop it over your shoulder and no huge cord to store. One extension cord can be used for any tool.
 
To each his own. I personally am getting tired of having to tie cords together. Plus, sometimes the connection still ends up coming loose. Also, when moving around a vehicle a knotted cord is more likely to get stuck under a tire and stop production. Countless times this has happened to me, as well as when working on a ladder and having the cord knot act as an anchor on a rung or something at ground level when going up and down the ladder is an unnecessary hazard. Knotting cords together also puts excess strain/wear-n-tear on the cords and connectors. With out the need for an extension cord, you have one less item to worry about forgetting/misplacing when going to and from a job. If one can live with all those cons, and many others, then don't consider this very useful mod.
Thanks for the Diy write up/tutorial. I did this with my HF rotary using a salvaged shop-vac cord that is about 25ft. I will admit that you have to change up the way you store a polisher when having a longer cord but, that's not a big issue to me.
 
Ok thanks for confirmation. I was wondering if the cord that came with the unit was somehow not rated for the amp draw, and after time, heated up or something but I would think the OEM would provide a decent cord.
 
ShaunD said:
To each his own. I personally am getting tired of having to tie cords together. Plus, sometimes the connection still ends up coming loose. Also, when moving around a vehicle a knotted cord is more likely to get stuck under a tire and stop production. Countless times this has happened to me, as well as when working on a ladder and having the cord knot act as an anchor on a rung or something at ground level when going up and down the ladder is an unnecessary hazard. Knotting cords together also puts excess strain/wear-n-tear on the cords and connectors. With out the need for an extension cord, you have one less item to worry about forgetting/misplacing when going to and from a job. If one can live with all those cons, and many others, then don't consider this very useful mod.
Thanks for the Diy write up/tutorial. I did this with my HF rotary using a salvaged shop-vac cord that is about 25ft. I will admit that you have to change up the way you store a polisher when having a longer cord but, that's not a big issue to me.
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14-3 25' Stay Plugged Red Extension Cord at Menards

Its not the cheapest cord, but the idea is awesome. I bought a couple different lengths and use them for everything. The locking feature obviously only works with male ends that have a hole in one of the prongs.
 
just finished doing this mod (plus the switch rotation mod and grease mod), i can't believe how good it looks. Thanks for the great write up.
 
I need to find a 15+ foot rubber cord like my Flex has. My Rupes is a piece of crap cord wise, tangles every time I look at it.
 
arisking said:
I need to find a 15+ foot rubber cord like my Flex has. My Rupes is a piece of crap cord wise, tangles every time I look at it.
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I found that if you go to a small independent hardware store (if you can find one) they usually have bulk soft rubber 2 or 3 way cord so you can just pick out an appropriate plug and make your own cord.
 
Thanks for the write up! Will check this out as well..
Don't mean to hi-jack..

I checked out this thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum.../55905-harbor-freight-da-polisher-new-45.html

for the HF DA polisher mods.

I went ahead and removed all the factory grease and replaced it with red hi temp disc brake wheel bearing grease i had from work.

The polisher is much quieter, but I don't remember the vibration being so bad?

This is my first time using a DA polisher, does/do these machines vibrate quite a bit?
Thank you
 
Oceans05 said:
Thanks for the write up! Will check this out as well..
Don't mean to hi-jack..

I checked out this thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum.../55905-harbor-freight-da-polisher-new-45.html

for the HF DA polisher mods.

I went ahead and removed all the factory grease and replaced it with red hi temp disc brake wheel bearing grease i had from work.

The polisher is much quieter, but I don't remember the vibration being so bad?

This is my first time using a DA polisher, does/do these machines vibrate quite a bit?
Thank you
Click to expand...

Did you put the backing plate back on yet? Mine went from quite a bit of vibration before the grease mod to virtually no vibration at all after the mod. But if the backing plate isn't installed, the balance won't be correct.
 
For anyone that destroys the cheap phillips head screws when taking the gear head apart, they are M4x0.7 x 16mm. They sell them at Home Depot, 4 to a pack for $1.05, with hex heads so they won't strip out.
 
jdoublehcubed said:
For anyone that destroys the cheap phillips head screws when taking the gear head apart, they are M4x0.7 x 16mm. They sell them at Home Depot, 4 to a pack for $1.05, with hex heads so they won't strip out.
Click to expand...

Good look!
 
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