New carpet stretcher

pblnslee · March 3, 2010, 08:27 PM

I am going to buy a new stretcher. I found a Roberts one that I like. Any downfalls with Roberts stretchers.
Also do the tubes interchange with Crain stretchers.

rusty baker · March 3, 2010, 08:33 PM

IMHO, Roberts is the one to buy. My tubes are from the 80's but back then they interchanged. The Crain tubes had buttons that are easier to push in than the Roberts. i have a Crain 499 that I bought new and it has been nothing but trouble. I have a Roberts JR, that I gave $100 for at a pawn shop 20 years ago and still use every day.

pblnslee · March 3, 2010, 08:35 PM

So you saying that they wont intercange

rusty baker · March 3, 2010, 08:38 PM

I'm just saying, I don't know about the newer ones.

DJ · March 4, 2010, 07:47 AM

the new crains are pretty cool now

they use a round tube instead of the square shaft now

and yes

the tubes interchange just a sidenote is the new roberts made in china? i know their kickers are

Daris Mulkin · March 4, 2010, 07:59 AM

pblslee said

I am going to buy a new stretcher. I found a Roberts one that I like. Any downfalls with Roberts stretchers.
Also do the tubes interchange with Crain stretchers.

Are you looking to buy new or a good used? I have a friend who called me the other day with a Master stretcher[Roberts] in the case with all the tubes he wanted to sell. The Master is the one you could turn the handle so it could be used on the side in close areas, swivel head, very heavy duty.

Daris

stullis · March 4, 2010, 08:10 AM

Get the Roberts with the swivel head and the Crain pipes especially the AutoLoc.

kylenelson · March 4, 2010, 09:56 AM

stullis said

Get the Roberts with the swivel head and the Crain pipes especially the AutoLoc.

Darren Ramey · March 4, 2010, 10:09 AM

The newer Crains are junk. The design is much better than the old models, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. I broke my first tailblock a month or 2 after buying it. Crain replaced it with one they said was made out of better metal, it lasted another 3 or 4 months. I went back to the tail block from my old Crain and haven't had a problem since. Since then I have replaced every bolt in the head. I should have just gone ahead and done it when the first one broke, but didn't. A couple months ago I was putting a hard stretch on a Sofbac and the last bolt sheared and the whole thing collapsed. I'm lucky I didn't lose a finger. It bent a bunch of the pieces up too, so now it leans a little and I'm worried it wont last much longer.

I'd buy a Sr. but, they don't make ratchet poles for them and that isn't an optional piece of equipment as far as I am concerned.

kwfloors · March 4, 2010, 01:13 PM

There is a Sr. on ebay right now, don't know what the reserve is though. The roberts 254 is what you want and I switched mine to my older cases as the wheeled case I didn't like. The first case I had was broke and I have a replacement case that has never been used.

pblnslee · March 4, 2010, 09:30 PM

I orderd my new one this afternoon. I asked the salesmen if they interchanged. He said yes but the stretcher comes with 6 tubes, I souldn't need any more than that.

Shagtools.com
Roberts value kit.
Swivel/locking head. 1auto lock tube, 5 regular tubes.
$400.

I figured I deserved a new one. My Dad bought me one when I was about 16 or 17. Most kids get a car. I got carpet tools.