Help with press selection

[CycloneISU]

I have just gotten in to ATV racing this year and I’m finding out I’m going to need a press in the near future to do little stuff. Mainly I will be pressing in bearing and such. I would like to get away with something cheap and not so big I can’t tuck in under my bench. Would a 1 Ton Arbor Press meet my needs or do I need to step in up to a 6 Ton A-Frame Bench Shop Press? Just looking for your taught on it.

 

[fatrhino]

For stuff like that, I would say a 6 or 12ton hydraulic press from Harbor Freight would fit the bill just fine.

 

[kartracer55]

Well and Arbor Press and a "Shop Press" are different, at least when "shop press" is used in its typical fashion. An Arbor press is a mechanical press, where as a "shop press" like your talking about uses a hydraulic jack. For pressing small bearings and things that need a more "delicate" touch, I like the arbor press, you are more in control. With the hydraulic press, you increase and increase force until something gives somewhere. Typically the hydraulic A and H frame presses give more flexibility with fixturing though. I have gotten by building FSAE cars using a larger (5 ton?) arbor press. Sometimes you need two people on the handle, but its always worked just fine for us.