# Homesteading and equipment that is JUNK



## LastOutlaw (Jun 1, 2013)

I am so sick and tired of spending good money on equipment that is JUNK. 
Example: We make a trip to the farm store. We have numerous needs. One of which is a wheelbarrow. A simple piece of equipment that gets good hard use regularly here. it is used to move dirt and rocks, muck out stalls, even carry containers of water, roll grandchildren around for fun .... many many uses.
Cost: $60.00
We take the wheelbarrow home and begin using it to move dirt from piles and spread it out to create a grade. Good full loads like a man would load and move. We get almost all of the way through a truckload of topsoil and on one of the loads as I toss it foreward to dump the load where I want it i hear HIIIIISSSSSS.
I look down at the wheel and the left side of the rim has COLLAPSED. Bent and pinched the valve stem. I didn't hit a hole, I didn't run the rim into anything I simply tossed the handles in an upward motion to make it pivot onto the front bumper and dump the load forward as I have done with wheelbarrows for years.
So now I have to go to the farm store and buy a new rim and tire which most likely will be JUNK also.
I'm sick and tired of buying junk that doesn't last.
Most likely made in China for American use.
Do you think the Chinese use this same junk equipment or do they laugh and say ...send this to America, we keep the good stuff for ourselves?
I can't help but wonder. 

Another bit of info for all of you who have been following the new 
Trans Pacific Partnership...(What a bogus name).
Did you know that as part of this deal we are no longer allowed to stamp "MADE IN THE USA" on things produced in this country?
CROCK.


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## obg12 (Apr 9, 2016)

Cost: $60.00

Been there done that ! if you want a good one that will last look for one made by Jackson
they cost twice as much but mine is 15 yrs old and still going strong 

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...flat-free-wheels+flat-free-wheelbarrow-wheels

http://www.lowes.com/pd/JACKSON-6-cu-ft-Steel-Wheelbarrow-Flat-Free-Tire/1071007


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Mine, I added and inner-tube for the tire and $30 worth of Rust-Oleum to hold it together... Now I have a $100 dollar wheel barrow.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

the Chinese are capable of building quality stuff, it is most often the north American importer who specs the product for maximum obsolescence ,that is why most stuff has quick fade paint, so that you will look at the faded paint and thing that the item has lasted for a long time. A lot of "made" in the USA stuff actually has the last part added in the USA ..............vract:


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Good time to share this?? Whether you support him or not, you know this is true and explained very well; we Must get our manufacturing back. Oh, my husband broiught home some beautiful tomatoes last week....from CANADA. We can't even buy our tomatoes from ourselves?? 

https://theconservativetreehouse.co...nald-trumps-america-first-economic-proposals/

During the January 2016 South Carolina debate, and in response to Trump pointing out a necessary shift in trade position (a shift to put American interests first - a shift to stop the dependency on cheap import goods - a shift to use China's dependency on access to our market to OUR advantage), Jeb Bush came back with an example of Boeing manufacturing.

Donald Trump, responded to Jeb's Boeing example, and pointed out China is forcing Boeing to open a manufacturing plant in China. As would be typical from a candidate who is unfamiliar and poorly briefed on the issue, Jeb Bush looked back incredulously and said:

"C'mon man"&#8230;

There we saw it.

Right there was the disconnect.

However, almost everyone missed it

*Read on for some enlightening*.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We also bought a new wheelbarrow a couple years ago and it lasted about one summer. The body where the carriage is bolted actually broke and became separated while carrying 1/3 load of pea rock. Ridiculous. We ended up buying a 4-wheels yard cart instead and are much happier with it.

And I agree fully with Tirediron. I have purchased many high quality well made items produced in China: LAPG pants & bags, Holosun & Primary Arms optics, etc. But those companies set very high expectations for quality and have their own quality control people on site doing regular inspections to ensure everything produced meets specs. Big box stores are more concerned with having the lowest price with _just good enough_ quality to satisfy our throwaway society so they can sell them another a year or so later.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

obg12 said:


> Cost: $60.00
> 
> Been there done that ! if you want a good one that will last look for one made by Jackson
> they cost twice as much but mine is 15 yrs old and still going strong
> ...


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

LastOutlaw said:


> ...I'm sick and tired of buying junk that doesn't last...Do you think the Chinese...


Back in the 60's we made fun of Japan and the junk they were making. Took them a few years to supplant the U.S.A. made stuff. I suspect ten years down the road we'll either be praising China's quality or speaking Chinese.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

TheLazyL said:


> Back in the 60's we made fun of Japan and the junk they were making. Took them a few years to supplant the U.S.A. made stuff. I suspect ten years down the road we'll either be praising China's quality or speaking Chinese.


Also in 1931, the Japanese army launched attacks on Manchuria, quickly subduing it. Japan announced that it had annexed Manchuria and renamed it "Manchukuo."
The U.S. refused to diplomatically acknowledge the addition of Manchuria to Japan, and Secretary of State Henry Stimson said as much in the so-called "Stimson Doctrine." That response, however, was only diplomatic. The U.S. threatened no military or economic retaliation.
In truth, the United States did not want to disrupt its lucrative trade with Japan. In addition to a variety of consumer goods, the U.S. supplied resource-poor Japan with most of its scrap iron and steel. Most importantly, it sold Japan 80% of its oil.
So our soldiers pay dearly for American greed after they found out that many of the planes were made with American steel.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

readytogo said:


> So our soldiers pay dearly for American greed after they found out that many of the planes were made with American steel.


No, it was Japanese greed and the grand view of their leaders to create an imperialistic reign over the entire region. They were the problem, went to war 10 years before we became involved.

Yet here you are bashing america... learned your lessons well in Cuba, didn't you? "We are to blame" for a war that started 10 years before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Lets not forget the 100's of thousands of Koreans who died before the Japanese attacked us. I suppose you blame Americans for that also.

You figured this all out by yourself? or perhaps your just repeating leftist propaganda, I mean obama propaganda... No, I'm pretty sure you thought all of this up on your own... Hats off too ya!

:hatsoff:


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## DrPrepper (Apr 17, 2016)

TheLazyL said:


> Back in the 60's we made fun of Japan and the junk they were making. Took them a few years to supplant the U.S.A. made stuff. I suspect ten years down the road we'll either be praising China's quality or speaking Chinese.


I guess it is a good thing I paid attention in my classes at the Defense Language Institute, then! I spent three years as a Chinese interrogator/ translator in Uncle Sam's Army. That was 37 years ago, though, so now I can barely converse with the guy at the local Chinese restaurant - but I do still remember to how to ask how many machine guns he has!

:2thumb:


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## midwestmom (Jun 24, 2014)

I think it was more than 60 bucks but my husband got a wheelbarrow for me to use hauling off debris when I remodeled our bathroom. It had four tires and they're solid. Not hard plastic solid, but kind of rubbery solid, if that makes sense. He doesn't remember where he got it though. Knowing him probably an auction of some sort


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## LastOutlaw (Jun 1, 2013)

readytogo said:


> Also in 1931, the Japanese army launched attacks on Manchuria, quickly subduing it. Japan announced that it had annexed Manchuria and renamed it "Manchukuo."
> The U.S. refused to diplomatically acknowledge the addition of Manchuria to Japan, and Secretary of State Henry Stimson said as much in the so-called "Stimson Doctrine." That response, however, was only diplomatic. The U.S. threatened no military or economic retaliation.
> In truth, the United States did not want to disrupt its lucrative trade with Japan. In addition to a variety of consumer goods, the U.S. supplied resource-poor Japan with most of its scrap iron and steel. Most importantly, it sold Japan 80% of its oil.
> So our soldiers pay dearly for American greed after they found out that many of the planes were made with American steel.


Ready to go...
There is nothing wrong with posting articles that others have written. However you seem to be on a kick lately of posting other people's writings as if you wrote it yourself.
This is called plagiarism. It is not only deceitful but I believe it is illegal.
When you post copy written by someone else you MUST also post a link to their article so they get credit for their work. It is no different than posting one of my photos as if you took it yourself. If you do that with a Getty Image they will demand you PAY THEM for each and every day the image sits out there. They also will SUE YOU if you do not pay for COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.

It isn't hard to find the article that you plagiarize. A simple google search for that exact text will send surfers directly to the article that you stole it from

http://usforeignpolicy.about.com/od/asia/a/The-United-States-And-Japan-Before-World-War-Ii.htm

See? Now if I can do it so can Steve Jones who wrote it. His attorneys can get all over you for that.

I'm hoping that you simply did not know any better.


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

I have not much good to say about the uninted States..we are just as big of terrorists as the other guy, we treat each other poorly, "we" can take your money quickly but hesitate giving it back...EVERYTHING is illegal yet everything is "accepted" I'm unfortunate I wasn't born in an earlier era but what can I do? Just sit back and laugh at the modern way an laugh at people that try to come up with excuses about how America is soo much better than anyone else lol NEWS FLASH america is one of the most in debt country in the world. I won't go on and won't reply back but that's how I feel


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

texasbeerescue said:


> I have not much good to say about the uninted States..we are just as big of terrorists as the other guy, we treat each other poorly, "we" can take your money quickly but hesitate giving it back...EVERYTHING is illegal yet everything is "accepted" I'm unfortunate I wasn't born in an earlier era but what can I do? Just sit back and laugh at the modern way an laugh at people that try to come up with excuses about how America is soo much better than anyone else lol NEWS FLASH america is one of the most in debt country in the world. I won't go on and won't reply back but that's how I feel


While we have our issues America is still a great country. We are actively trying to fix the problems at the government level as you can see by the massive outpouring of votes for a candidate outside the political elite that has been strangling us for so long.

Now back to the thread subject. I am also tired of the junk everybody seems to sell. It's like products are now purposely designed to fail so you have to replace them often and companies can make more money. Whatever happened to pride in workmanship and standing behind your products? The companies that sell crap or carry it in their stores are just as responsible as those that make them.


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## wiffleballbat (Feb 9, 2014)

It is called planned obsolescence. It has been around for a while now.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Another vote for the Jackson M5 wheelbarrow. The only thing about the new ones is the run flat tire. It isn’t as wide as the inflatable and doesn’t have that bounce either. You know, the going across rough terrain give that the inflatable tires do. Switched mine out and it is a great tool to use.

Let’s talk garden tillers. I had an older Troy Bilt Horse back in PA, many blue moons ago. What a fantastic tiller! Jumped and bucked like a bastard, but was reliable, got the job done and practically indestructible. Heavy as a small horse also, maybe where they got the name? 

So, moved to NC, bought a place and went tiller shopping. Garden here wasn’t near the size of then, so went with a Troy Bilt Bronco tiller. What a belt driven POS that was! Didn’t even hold up for the first day of tilling raw NC clay and granite rocks. We are talking a full day of work also. Brought it back and took a closer look at what they had. All about the same. Thin sheet metal, belt drives and not put together quite like I figure they should be.

Looked on Craig’s List and such, saw a few older Horse models. Almost bought one and happened to talk to someone who had a fancy blue BCS Two Wheel Tractor. Made in Italy. Basically it is an engine, transmission and PTO 3-point hitch. The man was happy as can be with his. Went shopping and a small local tractor type place carried them. Carried Stihl chainsaws and all, so I knew I was in the right place. None in stock but could get me one in about a week. Bought one with an 18” tiller attachment. $2,200 or $2,500 bucks. Yes, a bit more than the $600 the Bronco cost and made me put off other purchases.

I couldn’t be happier with that thing! Runs like champ, smooth running too I tell ya. You can use it all day and still be ready for more. Power up the wazoo from that little 8 HP engine and more than enough gears to get any job done. ‘Traveling gear’ will make ya RUN to keep up with it! But, there is a little seat on wheels you can get if you have to travel far with it. Built like a tank and many attachments available for it.

I put dual wheels on mine, for more stability on the slopes. Nothing to it and every bit as heavy duty. Wore the tines right off it in less than the first year. That NC clay and those little granite rocks do a number on everything you put to it. Second set of tines lasted into the first year. Haven’t changed them since and they still look great. Got the bull work of breaking raw ground and now it is only tilling in new organic matter. It gets used also! Some might call it abuse, I’m pretty demanding of stuff like that.

Grillo also makes a two-wheel tractor but haven’t even seen one. I did hear they are just as great as the BCS. I will happily make a recommendation for anyone that needs a tiller to do some actual work, to look into any model BCS. There are some mighty big ones too!!!

We can talk shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction if you like. For them, you do get what you pay for. That $6 shovel is going to be exactly that, a $6 shovel. Maybe they are $10 or $12 now. If you use it once a year or less for small things, you should be fine, until it bends that is. If you use it like a regular tool, shop around for a nice one. I have no idea what brand my older ones are. I did recently buy a Cobalt fiberglass handle trenching shovel that is heavy duty and should last for me to pass it along. I used it for a good part of a day and the blade hardly showed any wear. I prefer a wooden handle as I can burn out the old part of and replace it with a new one or a small tree whittled to fit.

And boots? Let me tell ya, there are some cheap POC’s out there posing as work boots. Those new molded on soles are the devil’s invention. Come apart easier than an old 225 slant six. Had my fill of them. I stick to a sewn on sole with a full leather upper. Hard to find but they aren’t going to come apart the first time you kick something to get it into place. You can bring them to the local cobbler to have them sew on a new sole too! There is no fixing to the glued on ones.

And socks? You want to wear out the heels in some, head to WalMart and…….


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## LastOutlaw (Jun 1, 2013)

Woody said:


> Let's talk garden tillers. I had an older Troy Bilt Horse back in PA, many blue moons ago. What a fantastic tiller! Jumped and bucked like a bastard, but was reliable, got the job done and practically indestructible. Heavy as a small horse also, maybe where they got the name? 
> 
> We can talk shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction if you like. For them, you do get what you pay for. That $6 shovel is going to be exactly that, a $6 shovel. Maybe they are $10 or $12 now..


Troybuilt: The old ones had a bronze worm gear. It was about the only part that wore out and it was meant to be the sacrificial part rather then a drive shaft or a belt. You could drive the heavy thing with one finger.

Shovels: I can tell that you haven't bought one in a while. They are not 12 dollars now.... they are 20 to 30 for a piece of crap.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I have 5 wheelbarrow, only bought one new, 3 was given to me.
The big tubeless one was free, cost $300 new.


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## musketjim (Dec 7, 2011)

Love my flat free tires on all my wheelbarrows. Just had some wooden handles break on a wheelbarrow and replaced it with heavy duty metal. My old Troy-Bilt Pony is a running machine.Tills about everything I need. But the last couple Troy-Bilt weedeaters have been junk. Upgraded to an Echo Bearcat mower trimmer, with 2 different blades, plus the trimmer line head. We'll see how that works out.


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## Von Helman (Oct 31, 2009)

Light Bulbs, 

I seem to replace light bulbs more frequently than I ever remember. Put in a new light bulb and I swear I'm replacing the same one in less than 2 months.


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