# Harbor fright 97869 2 hp dust collector- sanding belt 40861.



## Allanwoodworks (Aug 15, 2010)

Mike,

I have had nothing but good luck with my HF Dust collector. The only mod I have done is that I cut out the cross like screen on the 6" intake, because I kept getting shavings blocking as they got hung up on the screen. Hope everything else works out with your new one.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Mike,

Only thing I can say is that is a very odd thing to happen with any new machine. You should be fine with a new one… Then again you should have been fine with this one…

Once you get the new one set up and it is working reliably, replace the dust bag on it. That 5 micron filter just makes things worse than none at all… Get a 1 micron bag at least, or a 1 micron or better canister if you can afford it…


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## Bsmith (Feb 2, 2011)

Mike, I had to step up to a 20 amp breaker. That's just what mine was doing, then throw a breaker. Might check that if it happens with the new one.


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

I have not had good luck with Harbor Freight tools in general. The quality, at best, is not consistent. I will buy some non-power hand tools (particularly the type that get abused anyway such as yard tools) but not much else.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

I've got one of these Harbor Freight dust collectors and it's run fine for 2 years. If all the dust it's collected was in one pile, it would cover my shop. Anybody need some extra sawdust and wood chips?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Mine's run for over a year now with no problems. I did get the extra one year additional warranty with mine, so it's probably waiting for that to expire before rolling over dead.

You probably just got a dud. Hopefully the replacement will be good.

Depending on how many times you "popped" the breaker, you might need to replace it as well. A couple of years ago I had a garbage disposal that had an automatic reversing switch in it to clear jams. Problem was it would sometimes get stuck in forward and reverse at the same time which would trip the breaker. After about 10 trips it got where the breaker would not hold at all. New breaker fixed it.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Mine has been fine for at least 2 years. More than I can say for the Delta it replaced. At least I don't have to have four hands and a next door neighbor to help change the bag.


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## MikeGo (Jul 19, 2011)

Just put the new one together and works fine and also they replaced the sanding belt. They took it back with no problems. I think ill buy the warranty anyways. Thanks all for your help. I sold my 1hp cummings dust collector today and that coverd 2/3 of the cost of the 2hp, very happy.


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## BigAl98 (Jan 29, 2010)

Mines been fine for 3 months now….used it about 3 hours so far…off and on.


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## Jimi_C (Jul 17, 2009)

Had mine now for 1.5 years, though I've only really been using it for a year - my old garage workshop didn't have any outlets that could handle the start-up peak and always tripped so I feel your pain. Glad you got it up and working, though keeping at 1 star seems unfair since you got it replaced with minimal pain.


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## PCM (Jan 23, 2010)

I've had one for about one year. I replaced the bag with a cartridge filter and added a penn state remote control. Great combo for a reasonable price. I suspect you got a defective unit.


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

You need to run on a 20 amp circuit braker…dedicated for better results. good luck!!!


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

If you get a hum which trips the breaker a few seconds later, then that's a issue with the motor starter (either capacitor or centrifugal switch). You'll need to return it and get another one.

Last time I needed a part under warranty, I just spoke to the store manager who opened a new box and gave me the part I need. That saved me the hassle of disassembling and returning the trailer I partially completed building or trying to deal with their customer support.


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

I hope it all works out, I know many on here have had good luck with them. I chose to buy a good by spending a little more money. I got mine from Penn Industries after reading a review in a wood mag. I hope all you problems work out. I do agree with others above on a 20 amp breaker and try using a solo circuit.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Glad to know they got it squared away for you…

Like I mentioned above, you will want to upgrade the filter on that as soon as you can. They Wynn 35A canister is a very popular option. I went with the Bill Pentz recommended Spun Bond poly.

I do understand though if that is a bit pricey. Budgets are tight enough to use as drum skins these days.. So if the 35A is out of your reach, at the very least, upgrade to a 1 micron bag such as the one from Highland Woodworking.

Your lungs will thank me for mentioning this to you…

I have had mine with the 35A now for a couple of years, and have been very pleased with how well it works. Sure I wish I had a big 5HP cyclone, but this rig with a Thien separator does what I need it to do at a price I can afford…


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## dustyal (Nov 19, 2008)

No problem with mine and I run it on 15 amp breaker. I need to upgrade to 1 micron bag instead of the 5 that it came with… otherwise all is fine. Sometimes, you can get any product with a poorly made part… that's when you need the return policy and warranty. Hope it works out okay for you.


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## Raymond (Mar 12, 2008)

I have had great luck with HF stuff, as you can see from my reviews. I am sorry to here your experience with them has not been good. The have great customer service and I know they will look after you. Still an inconvience though. Glad to here things worked out ok.


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## TheOldTimer (Dec 13, 2009)

Installing a 20amp breaker will not help the problem if the wire size is not adiquate. You will need #12 wire in addition to a breaker. I never had any luck with HF abrasives and will no longer buy them. You never want to increase breaker amprage unless you increase wire size to handle the increased amprage. That is a fire waiting to happen. It is like trying to put out a fire with a garden hose.


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## woodworkerscott (Sep 12, 2010)

Have had mine for years….love it. More horse and more affordable than the Jet and others. If and when mine goes bad I will buy another HF.


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## RichK (Mar 10, 2010)

I ran a dedicated #12 line on a 20 amp breaker for mine and have no problems whatsoever. It could 'suck' a little more in my humble opinion but I stuck it out in the garage and I work in the basement. I can only ask so much of the thing. It has been a great unit so far. Oh, rather than a remote I just installed a 20 amp light switch in the basement to turn it on and off.


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## bvdon (Feb 22, 2010)

I try to stay in the under $5 items for purchases from HF. They just opened one in my area, so it's nice to check out all the stuff, but the tools I've looked at seem to be very poor quality. Stay away from their paper dust masks too-they are worthless. Spend the extra $2 at Lowes or HD and get something that works.


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## dustprocrastinator (Jan 17, 2011)

I have had mine for a year w/o any problems. The directions are a joke, a not very funny one at that. For the money one cannot do better.


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## LoneTreeCreations (May 27, 2010)

I love mine, converted it to a canister chip collector with a Thien baffle and it works great.
I'd get another one and try it. I have some HB tools and I like most of them for the price.
http://lumberjocks.com/LoneTreeCreations/workshop


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I've had this same collector for 3 or 4 years. It's pumped a lotta dust through it. I have 20 amp circuts + a few 220 outlets in my shop. With equipment, and shop tools, I wouldn't run anything less than 20 amp circuts. I think you might have just got a bad one.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Why would you do a review on a piece of equipment without using a working example? You get a dud once in a while from every manufacturer. Wait until you get some time to use the replacement THEN do a review…


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## MikeGo (Jul 19, 2011)

it worked for 8 min and died, thats all the time it gave me to review it. if you dont like what happened to me pass by my review of a bad tool that I bought . as I said it must of been a bad unit and HF replaced it. the new one seems fine.Save it!


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

I have one not yet hooked up I was a bit confused as it's peek amp is 20 amps in which I will be running it on a solo 20 amp breaker with # 12-2 wire so my question is what about the receptacle? does it have to be rated at 20amps as well? Mine will be located outside the shop and was going to switch it from inside the shop but having trouble finding a switched 20am receptacle only ones that Home Depot carry are 15 amp rating.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I have had 3 units for years that have given me great service. Harbor Freight is great about returning or exchanging tools ,thank goodness because much of what they sell is low quality but not their dust collectors I've purchased from them.


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## taoist (Jul 31, 2011)

I've had my HF dust collector for about 7 months. When I set it up I made a 2 stage collector out of it and then bought the Wynn 35A canister. I set the motor up so there is no curve between the motor and collector. The metal trash can collects almost all the sawdust with a cyclone lid. I think it will be years before I have to empty the collector bag. I got a little over $300.00 in it and I couldn't be more pleased.


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## ic3ss (Oct 19, 2010)

Anything from Harbor Fright that has a wire should come with a death certificate. They are trying to fill American homes and shops with poor quality tools and trying to make their customers think that price is the only thing that matters and that quality is a non-issue. Unfortunately, they're doing a pretty good job of it so far.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

No problems with mine, either.


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## KenBry (Sep 13, 2011)

I scored a used HF dust collector recently for 60 bucks. The guy that had it before me used it when remodeling homes and collecting sanding dust from refinishing gypsum board. From what I can tell he had it a year or so. It runs good and does what it's supposed to. No complaints from me. I was actually 2 days away from buying a brand new one from HF at the Coupon price. Darn glad the wife wanted to hit Garage sales that day.


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## cdhilburn (Jan 19, 2011)

Harbor Freight had the DC for $169.99 but were sold out at the local store. They gave me a rain check and honored the 20% coupon so I got it for $135.99 yesterday. I had been watching the sales ever since I missed the $139.99 coupon last spring. They wouldn't let me use the 25% off New Years coupon so I went back today and used the 25% coupon for the DC accessory kit. I only live 8-10 minutes away. I know guys bang on Harbor Freight but their cheap tools, clamps, bits, vices, etc. have allowed me to enjoy this hobby a lot more than I should on my minimal budget!!!


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## hoosier0311 (Nov 8, 2012)

Old thread but I'll chime in anyway. Picked mine up a couple of weeks ago. same as otheres said. instructions were a little spotty, but hey, it's really justa big shop vac. got it hooked up to my planer and it works very well. I beleive someone said the impeller on thiers was plastic, mine is some sort of cast metal. I checked all set screws before final assy and went from there.
I have some plumbing to do so I can hook my table saw up as well, plan to make a seperate port for a hose that I can attach to the smaller hend held stuff. So far I like it.


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