MTFCA Forum

Just received in the mail today,....latest Harbor Freight Tool "coupon book". Happened to notice that on the very last page (back cover) their infrared laser thermometer is on sale for $17.99! I'm usually pretty careful about purchasing a lot of their electric stuff, but I have one of their infrared thermometers and have found it to be a pretty good piece of equipment,....two years now, and I haven't even had to replace the battery!

I think that for less than 20 bucks, everybody should have one! I bought mine for one specific purpose at the time, thinking that after that initial usage, I'd probably never use it again! "WRONG"!!! It's a really neat thing to have and I've found several additional uses for it.

One habit I've developed is to keep it in my tow vehicle, and on an occasional road trip, a quick "walk-around" at a gas stop is a really good safety habit. I hit each tire with the laser thermometer and note the tire temperature, and note ESPECIALLY, any tire that's more than just a few degrees hotter than the others. It's a really quick "tip-off" of an under inflated tire, or, more importantly, a tire going flat. You'd be surprised at what a slight temperature difference will tell you of a problem developing that you can't even see by just "looking" at the tires.

Also, a really neat trick is to hit your Model "T" upper and lower radiator hoses with the laser thermometer to determine how well your radiator is (....or isn't) working. AMAZING how much cooler the lower (inlet) hose is than the upper (outlet) hose if your radiator is working efficiently!

Anyway, FWIW,....just wanted to pass on the good price of a neat piece of equipment at HF right now,....harold

Another use is to find cold spots around windows and doors "heat loss"

Also works to see if the wife is ready to blow a head gasket !!

Just read the same add I think I will try it. Hope the one I get works as well as yours has.
Ralph

I also like to use this type of meter at the gas station when I'm trailering to check the trailer tires and hubs for overheating. I have two, one from HF and another more expensive name brand and they both read very close.

I will admit to owning one, but I do not trust them. Mine is a cheap one from Lowes. I've used some expensive ones at work and even those will give readings all over the board on the same item.

I use this system on my trailers to check Pressure and temp of the tires. Cost more than the HF Thermometer, but will read while in route. Dan
https://tsttruck.com/507-series-4-flow- ... ystem.html

I completely agree. I run heavy equipment now and keep one in my dinner bucket. It's shown me hot pins, cylinders, tires, brakes, etc at work. The mechanic is very appreciative when you help him diagnose problems before he even gets to the breakdown!

At home you can check tires, hoses, brakes (I had an F250 that loved to seize calipers) and the aforementioned wife's temperature as well.

Craig

This weak in Iowa works good to find where the water pipe is frozen