Manley 25 ton press

[454ragtop]

Found this Manley press on CL, been posted for quite a while, started at $75, then dropped to $55. Why so cheap you ask, seller said it had a blown seal. I wanted it and was watching for a while, just couldn't find time to go retrieve it. Surprised to see it still available, I made arrangements to get it Wed. Yesterday I decided to see where it was leaking, after getting somewhat of a sticker shock at what seal kits were going for. Pleasantly surprised to find an external leak where the pump pressure piping entered the ram body. Kind of a PIA to take it apart, but after cleaning the threads, recut the external thread with a die, and reassembling with Loctite Hydraulic sealant, no leaks, and works like a champ. Info, or even pics for these seem to be hard to come by, Google search didn't turn up much at all. Any idea what the valve on the top of the ram housing is for? May flip the bed or table channels over because of the bends in the flange (How'd they do that?). Not that simple though, will need to cut the table raising cable arms off and reweld on the other ends of the channels. Looking at the tag, I'm guessing it was made in 1951.

 

[454ragtop]

Forgot to add, appears the ram had been out before, probably to be rebuilt, somebody spray bombed it red over the original orange. The leaking pipe ****** isn't original either, only part with no orange paint. The piping to the gauge was a little bent, straightened that out while it was apart. Really like the art deco details and the pump handle that is easily repositioned to whatever position is desired.

 

[cvairwerks]

Probably for two reasons...purge the cylinder after changing the hydraulic fluid and for a pressure gauge to determine applied force. I often see presses with much more accurate gauges on the feed to the cylinder to use a specific pressure to do a repeatable task.

Nice score for $55. I would go ahead and chase down a seal kit for it while you can find one. I need to do seals on both my KRW's rams and pumps.

 

[dep5]

Thanks for posting these detail photos. Interested in what the oil reservoir cap/cover looks like. It is missing from mine.

 

[FTG-05]

Reported to the nearest sheriff's office for felony theft!

 

[jmarkwolf]

Nice score for $55. I would go ahead and chase down a seal kit for it while you can find one. I need to do seals on both my KRW's rams and pumps.

Yup, that's what I would call a "snag"!

What are your favorite "snags" on FB Marketplace or Craigslist?

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a thread on this forum celebrating the best "snags" you’ve ever found on either Craigslist or FB Marketplace, so I’ll start one. I was tickled to find a Wilton 20inch drill press on Craigslist back in 2021 about 3 miles from my house for $100. The only thing wrong...

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