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Decent arbor press?

GT6cops

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Whats the GJ opinion on a Famco WR arbor press for $125? Its a four ton with a racheting arm, but it has a flat base rather than a rotating plate with grooves. It seems to me that not having the rotating plate might limit the unit's use, please school me on these presses - I need it! Thanks
 
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bobcatdan

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I'm guessing the plate is missing, they often are. You have a chance to get a ratcheting famco and you are asking use if that is good one, go buy the damn thing.
 

oldtools

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Whats the GJ opinion on a Famco WR arbor press for $125? Its a four ton with a racheting arm, but it has a flat base rather than a rotating plate with grooves. It seems to me that not having the rotating plate might limit the unit's use, please school me on these presses - I need it! Thanks

Are you sure it is a 4 tons? It doesn't say anywhere.
 

bobcatdan

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I think that is something added. The angle of the pictures do not show the front where it would be cut out. I'm pretty sure that is a normal press. It would be a pretty limited production press if not.
 
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GT6cops

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The 4 ton designation came from the Famco website for the WR model (http://www.famcomachine.com/arbor.htm).

bobcatdan: it looks to me in the first picture that the area under the ram directly contacts the table without a cut out, but I think I'll send a note to the seller to make sure. Thanks for the tip.
 
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zkling

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That is a dedicated production / assembly press, not a true arbor press.

Would it work for you, depends on your applications.

For a general shop press it would not be that great as everything you press free would have to be supported to provide clearance for said part.

Ex. If you are pressing studs out of a wheel hub, or removing a bearing from a shaft. If you think broaching is in your future, this press would not be of any use for that.

Me personally I would keep looking, the price is not that great to put up with the lack of center hole.

Now on the other hand if you are in need of a press to assemble components with a flat back, this would be a great deal.

As with most machine shop tools, the bigger, older and heavier it is, the better it will be.

You say you need it... What applications do you have in mind? Other option is an h frame style hydraulic press, then again depending on your applications.
 
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GT6cops

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Zkling,
Ok now I can name it - a production press not an arbor press. The lack of a notched base was a concern as you note for precisely those reasons, but I have been searching for a press for quite some time and all there seems to be is HF. I have been pressing in and out suspension bushings, wheel bearings and smaller press fit applications on an older British car using a Dake No. 1 (quite sweet) at a friends house but I've been keeping an eye on for a CL for options. This one is a nice size and with the rachet arm I was attracted. Although I'm thinking I could fashion an alternate table that would sit on the base table I'd lose a fair bit of drive length. Maybe I'd better wait. As for my needs, I was after the schooling not necessarily this particular press.
 

Outlawmws

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I fail to see the big deal? Drill a damn clearance hole and another one to center a plate. This is not rocket science...
 

oldtools

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For $125, you can get an at least a 12 tons H-frame hydraulic press which is much more useful than an arbor press.
 

OccupantRJ

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For $125, you can get an at least a 12 tons H-frame hydraulic press which is much more useful than an arbor press.

THIS. I could have had 5 or 6 arbor presses from work over the years, got two right now I could get, and I won't even bother to bring one home. Between the H frame press and a large vise, I have no need for one. However, for light production assembly, they are the cat's meow. A good operator can press several hundred items an hour, depending on the complexity of alignment. We could not survive without an arbor press at work.
 

bobcatdan

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Arbor press have their place and can be very handy. When I worked at Deere, I used the arbor press more often then the 50 ton hyd. press. The thing with a press, arbor or hyd, there will always be times you want one bigger. That said, I would take an arbor press, espiecally a ratcheting one over a HF press anyday. I have a 20 ton HF at home that was given to me. It was never use before me. Two wheel bearing jobs later it is so bent up it is unsafe to use. I have pressed many of things at work in the big Dake and never had a problem so I will assume I know how to use a press propperly.
 
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