is this harbor freight spring compressor suicide?

i need to get my OME lift installed and i'm exploring my options. is this crazy? anyone use this?

 

Used that for installing some 5100s on someones taco. A little bit of a pain to use but they get the job done for cheap

 

Yea exactly...its probably the best DIY spring compressor you can get without dropping some serious cash.

 

ive got one........gonna use it saturday.

 

Anything that is bought from said place is suicide . I bought numerous tools from them and they either broke or exploded

 

I've used a different type from autozone that has two threaded rods. You place one on each side of the spring. Then tighten each one independently to compress the spring. It takes a while and kind of a PIA. The one from Harbor Freight looks much easier to use. I'll probably go pick one up.

 

Never used this particular tool from said place but all other tools I have used from there have broken.

 

another option is to take your springs/shocks off the truck and go to a local shop and have them swap your top plate over. Merchants tire only charged me 40 bucks to do both sides, so all i had to do was reassemble them back on the truck. MUCH easier than dealing with a spring compressor.

 

mine looks/seems pretty well built actually.....except the main bolt, and i plan on getting a good grade 8 bolt to replace it if i can find one. i think tractor supply has them.

 

called my local shop..they wanted $200. hahahha. he actually said, taking the spring/shock out was the easy part, with the majority of the time and effort spent being at the spring compressor. i almost laughed at him.

 

he was actually telling the truth. it takes more time to install new springs with a spring compressor....then it does to remove the shock/strut assy from the truck. the price is a joke tho.

 

yea thats BS (the 200 dollars), they can do it in about 30 minutes for both sides...providing they have the commercial compressor that mounts to the wall.

 

you should see how fast prerunnerseth is. FAST.

 

good deal.

 

I bought the exact same one to do my 5100's last weeked. I had a hard time using it and ended it up giving up after fighting with it for 30 minutes. I managed to get one side of the spring locked in the compressor......the other side wouldn't fit go in. Then I couldn't get it off! Had to take the whole dag thing apart. I called a friend and brought them to the shop. Hour 1/2 later and $50 bucks cheaper I had the springs on my new shocks. Good luck either way!

 

Looks safer than the Autozone loaners I've used successfully a few times. I just keep spring perpendicular to my body and pointed in a safe direction. If it blows, it's less likely it's coming at me.

 

I think these units from HF must vary. The one I had, the hooks on the arms were too big to fit between the coils of my TRD springs. Went to a local shop and 30 min. and $40 dollars later, they had my Eibach / Bilstein combo assembled.

 

I had the Harbor freight one with the two bolts and fingers and it exploded! I never saw the one the OP showed when I was looking. I ended up going to a garage around the corner and they had a nice floor mounted rig. Charged me $30.00 Well worth it.

 

$30 or $40 is cheap 2 B safe. I rented one of those spring compressors once. I got the job done but it did slip B 4 I got the job done and I won't do it again.