Hydraulic Press

Boonie Buster · Apr 13, 2007

what are you guys using for a press? i saw one for about $120 (12 ton) like a harbor frieght style stand up. will this work for removing bearings and u-joints and other stuff well??? i'm tired of waiting for stuff to be pressed in and out and paying for it and not having it done correctly.:looser: i think my dad and me might split the cost on one, since we'd both use it equally. me for u-joints and stuff and him for sticking my head in it when i tick him off:redneck: :haha:

Pook · Apr 13, 2007

Personally would go bigger. Can never have enough tonnage.

If you have steel fab tools I'd consider making your own frame (go take alook at the HF stuff its not to beefy). And if you want it bottlejack powered just buy a good sized one and I would keep an eye out at garage sales and other used industrial tool stores for decent quality older jacks.

Hip · Apr 13, 2007

the HF 12 and 20 ton are POS unless you add welded gussets to the frame. and then you still have a fairly weak frame. i have the 20t at my shop and it does work for small **** but when you really need a press it flexes too much and the ram moves off center and bends....

if i was gonna buy one id get the 40 ton minimum.

but i would really rather make my own for less money.

cheesemaker · Apr 13, 2007

Build your own. Alot of the new ones look real cheap. Even in the latest Northern tool and equip catalog they look cheap for a high price! A friend made his own out of some I-beams and a 40 ton bottle jack.

Roccrawler · Apr 13, 2007

Boonie Buster said:
what are you guys using for a press? i saw one for about $120 (12 ton) like a harbor frieght style stand up. will this work for removing bearings and u-joints and other stuff well??? i'm tired of waiting for stuff to be pressed in and out and paying for it and not having it done correctly.:looser: i think my dad and me might split the cost on one, since we'd both use it equally. me for u-joints and stuff and him for sticking my head in it when i tick him off:redneck: :haha:

For bearings and u-joints that one would be fine.. light duty stuff

TrikeKid · Apr 13, 2007

If you plan on more than bearings and u-joints, building your own is the way to go, we built this one out of a forklift mast, that's probably the best way to go, getting channel like this (1/2" thick) is wicked expensive otherwise. It's got a 10 ton jack in it now, and untill it gets a new table (needs 3/4") and stronger pins to hold the table that's all it can run, it bent the makeshift table and pins (both 1/2") pretty easily. The opening is big enough to get pretty much anything that would need pressing in, and the jack can be moved side to side to suit the job.