Shop Press Question

[2ndTry]

I am considering purchasing a hydraulic shop press for my shop. I’ll use it mostly for automotive bearings and bushings. Is a 20 ton capacity adequate for such work? What other features should I look for?

 

[RoninB4]

-Tonnage needed will depend upon the size of the work envelope, interference fitment, and the frame . Automotive applications usually don't have drastic interference fits but removing the old can require higher tonnage than pressing in the new. The size of the bearing/bushing obviously make a difference in required tonnage as well. What is usually planned for duty often gets expanded for other applications you hadn't planned on. If you attempt making bushings for pressing you would really want to control how much of an interference fit is ok, danger exists as the tonnage increases. The frame that will flex/move and allow misalignment of force can also be frustrating when the bushing/bearing gets squashed in cockeyed or even dangerous when the assembly cracks or shoots out of the press.

-If you're looking at a HF or equivalent press it might fit your needs but would recommend some modifications to reduce movement/flexing that are available on the internet. The supplied base plates are cast and susceptible to breaking/shattering, some plates from the scrap yard of cold rolled or hot rolled plate are a worthwhile purchase. It's difficult to recommend a purchase candidate without knowing what you need and your budget. I wouldn't consider purchase of any press without checking it for movement and planning on the modifications needed. I consider movement/flexing to be at least as important as the tonnage available. Movement can occur in the ram, the bed, and the frame itself. Press construction is not very complicated, getting it to work properly/safely depends upon how robust the design is. An inexpensive press frame made from channel iron (common) is ok provided it has been modified. An unmodified channel iron type usually will be disappointing, dangerous, or both.

-I've used 100 ton Dake presses often during my career at work and 20 ton HF presses at home. There's a world of difference between the two in performance and price. With a hydraulic press you often get what you pay for.

 

[pelletman]

I have a 20 ton DAKE, used to have a 75 ton. I got rid of the Harbor Freight press we had hanging around. There is NO comparison, I would look for used high quality press

 

[Retired dozer fixer]

What is there on modern cars are there that you need to press that a good vise can’t do? Is this another want just because? Wish I had your money for a maybe

 

[Torque&Recoil]

In my experience, 20 tons is plenty, but like RoninB4 says, there are a lot of details which make jobs go easier. I used a 12 ton HFT press for many, many years. Never encountered a bearing it wouldn't remove or install - but the whole experience was crappy. It flexed. It was slow. I often struggled with fixturing. But at the time I didn't have much money, and the thing did work.

Two years ago, I moved up to a Torin 20 ton press which has some features which I really like. Two speed operation, so you don't waste a lot of time pumping just to close a gap. Man, is two speed operation nice !! Foot pedal instead of hand pump (frees up both hands to position parts or whatever). Multiple press pins (ram? whatever you call the part that applies the downward force) so you can use either a large pin, or smaller one, depending on the job. A gauge so you know when the force starts increasing. Good press plates. You can get by without any of that, but those features sure make things easier and more satisfying to use.

 

[OccupantRJ]

A press where a removable bottle jack hangs underneath the upper members is a no go for me. Guidance, support, and forces seem sketchy. I built mine with the jack on top pushing a guided rod down through two guide plates in the upper frame members. That makes a big difference. I used a Dake 50 at work for some pretty serious work and loved it. I added a powered winch system for moving the table weight up or down with assemblies in it.

 

[AEAdam]

I wanted a press for my Bridgeport rebuild. I really wanted an old 3ton arbor press, which I think would have been plenty. I ended up using a hammer! (And heat. Not recommended).

In the process of looking for a press, I encountered tons of content on the internet and YouTube about mods people have done to the 10 20T HF presses. Looked kinda fun. But some of them maybe could have built their own presses easier and more economically.

So just suggesting before everyone talks you out of a HF press, look into the mods.

 

[paulsomlo]

I have the HF 20 ton - it gets the job done, but it's a crude piece of junk. Fine for occasional use, but if you're going to be using it on a daily basis, get something better.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

For basic automotive repairs such as rear axle bearings I use this press. Its a little bit on the light duty side but it gets the job done.

 

[cannuck]

I built a production run of 20 ton presses with 20t bottle jack pressing on a guided beam that holds several tools at different attachment points. Table beams probably not much stiffer than HF but triangulate head immensely rigid. The presses have served several shops very well for last 40 ofd years, but I have to admit two big shortcomings: as mentioned, table beams not sufficiently stiff - so things can jump a fair bit when a tight fit lets go and the fixed location of ram over main center column can be very limiting. So: spend the money and get something with a 20t ram threaded into a bearing plate that is free to be rolled left and right to fit stuff that isn't centered. Get super rigid table. I insist on open frame as my little press does a lot of shaft straightening and some tube bending. I also have a 100 ton that I keep on farm, and maybe 10x a year I have to take a job out there as need more room between posts or power to form something.

As with any other machine shop tool, count on spending as much on tooling to get most out of it. I someone said they were selling me a cast V block - I would run for the hills. I find for the 20 ton 1" plate makes good V blocks strong enough to lay on their side for some operations.

 

[Steve_P]

The HF 20T press is fine for home use- I have one, it removes car/light truck wheel bearings just fine for me. The issue with it, IMO, is the bed depth, from front to rear, is narrow, so you will have to get creative and shim some stuff up because it will not pass between the cross bars on the bed. I had this issue on Tacoma front wheel bearings

If you have the $, say 4-5X more than the HF costs, there are other new options that have a deeper bed. I wish HF made another model with another 2" depth. The problem is that it's either HF, or the next step up, new, with a deeper bed costs 4-5X as much. I looked at presses years ago as I wanted something better than the HF, and I think it was Sunex that had a deeper bed. But again, it was at least 4X more expensive at that time.

 

[DrinkMan]

I have the HF 20 ton - it gets the job done, but it's a crude piece of junk. Fine for occasional use, but if you're going to be using it on a daily basis, get something better.

The HF 20T press is fine for home use- I have one, it removes car/light truck wheel bearings just fine for me. The issue with it, IMO, is the bed depth, from front to rear, is narrow, so you will have to get creative and shim some stuff up because it will not pass between the cross bars on the bed. I had this issue on Tacoma front wheel bearings

If you have the $, say 4-5X more than the HF costs, there are other new options that have a deeper bed. I wish HF made another model with another 2" depth. The problem is that it's either HF, or the next step up, new, with a deeper bed costs 4-5X as much. I looked at presses years ago as I wanted something better than the HF, and I think it was Sunex that had a deeper bed. But again, it was at least 4X more expensive at that time.

I'm in the group that has the HF 20 ton. Agree with both statements. But there are projects (Alfa Romeo rear suspension bushings) that I could not have done without it. It works just fine, I make adjustments to do my projects but I only use it about 5 or 6 times a year and it is perfect for that.

 

[Steve_P]

I'm in the group that has the HF 20 ton. Agree with both statements. But there are projects (Alfa Romeo rear suspension bushings) that I could not have done without it. It works just fine, I make adjustments to do my projects but I only use it about 5 or 6 times a year and it is perfect for that.

Exactly. I wouldn't call it a "crude piece of junk" as the other comment said, but it's obviously not the Rolex of shop presses; I added some washers during assembly in various places to take out some of the slop. It works; it does the job for me. I also have a 25-30 year-old HF 12T press, and the construction is much nicer; but I eventually found out that 12T is not enough for many jobs - so don't make that mistake. The 20T hasn't failed me; I've stalled the 12T a few times before buying the 20T.

For buying new you either go HF or spend 4X+ as much for something nicer. I just looked and the Sunex I mentioned is ~$1100. When I researched this years ago, the Sunex was the only other that was in my price range that offered a deeper bed. I would've liked the Sunex, but for home use couldn't justify it. And I needed it tomorrow, because I wasn't sure the 12T was up to the job. Maybe someday I will upgrade.

 

[rsanter]

20 ton is good for most of the things you will get into.

however this is GJ, so you will want a minimum of 80 ton even if all you are working on is RC cars

 

[jubilee]

I have no name 12, 20, and 50 ton presses.
20 and 50 are in compressor room and seldom used.
12 is in handy spot and has acy/oxy torch right beside it.
12 and torch handles everything car related.

My philosophy: If it’s from a car or pickup and it doesn’t move
with 24,000 lbs., better heat it before you tear it up.

Of course heavy equipment entirely different.

 

[Spikes]

I have the HF 20 Ton press also. The base plates are no longer cast, they have been replaced with very thick plasma cut plate. I replaced the jack with a 20 Ton air over hydraulic jack and put the thing on castors because I'm that lazy. It does everything I need, but if I had a business where I would be using it on a regular basis, I would upgrade to something more substantial for longevity.

 

[tool_scrounge]

For most of my work a 12 ton press has worked fine. I decided to find a nice quality used press. I ended up with a Nugier 12 ton press (US made, still in business) and it is way heavier built than the 20 ton Harbor Freight press.

 

[ChevyEFI]

My 20t is around 20yo. Lots of bearings and bushings like OP mentioned.
F the 12t; pointless "savings."

Save a bucket of steel sleeves, plate, cutoffs, angle, etc. next to it. And there is a pair of 1"x3" plates w/ a couple accessories offered by HF and Sunex. Worth just getting right off the bat depending on your random metal "pieces and parts" sitting around.

When you get uppity and need to upgrade, you will more than have gotten your investment-worth from the 20. I have exceeded mine and would buy a 50t next time but don't have the room/need.

The "accessories" guys yapped about cast plates enough years ago that it gets mentioned ad nauseum in these threads (see above,) Non-issue.

 

[engineer2]

I did a lot of wheel bearings with my 12 ton HF press for myself, friends, and relatives. It always worked fine, even with the challenges of Chicago rust.
I was lucky enough to snag some Kent-Moore press tooling back in the 80's. Since most bearings are metric, a lot still works on cars today.
I upgraded to a used 20 ton HF press a couple of years ago and have used it exactly zero times. That's how it goes. Buy a better tool and the work evaporates.

 

[whateg01]

What is there on modern cars are there that you need to press that a good vise can’t do? Is this another want just because? Wish I had your money for a maybe

Lots of things. Plus, fixturing is easier on a press than in a vise. When I replaced the wheel bearings on my 626, we used a 30t and it still took heat. I sure don't see that fitting in a vise and I don't think anything short of maybe a fireball would have had a shot. And really, crapping on somebody wanting to buy a press? What about the people spending 20x that on a toolbox? Sheesh!

 

[L.Cheapo]

What is there on modern cars are there that you need to press that a good vise can’t do? Is this another want just because? Wish I had your money for a maybe

Try pressing a rear wheel bearing on a semi floating axle shaft with your vise and get back to me.

 

[RoninB4]

What is there on modern cars are there that you need to press that a good vise can’t do?

-Not going to throw rocks at you, I use my milling vise a lot of the times but there's plenty of applications, based on physical size, where a press is what you want. Every time I see a bent vise handle this comes to mind. Necessity may be the mother of invention but is also the mother of f'ed up results.

 

[DocsMachine]

I have a 40-ton Christensen, with a cool pressure gauge marked in Tons. I've only done one job- a spun Toyota axle bearing shell- where I used more than ten tons. At 12, the bearing let go like a rifle shot.

Using things like press brakes, even on 1/4" plate, rarely takes more than 5 tons.

Doc.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Here is the press I built back in the 80’s with the jack overhead instead of underslung. The coil spring on the push rod is from a 750 Honda motorcycle shock. The guide and tension rods are 7/8” HRS. The lower plate under the upper press member has a 1-1/2” hole to act as a primary guide for the push rod, and the two tension rods pass through it and are welded top and bottom. Some of my various shop made press plates can be seen on the wall in one of the pics. There is a toolbox at the base of the press with various spacers and such that I have machined for use over the years. All are painted yellow to identify them for press use and not just a random piece of material. The jack lives there but can be removed in seconds if needed elsewhere.

 

[zmotorsports]

As many have already stated, a 20-ton press will most anything an automotive based shop requires, even most industrial for that matter.

That being said, I would keep your eyes open for a bit more stable or upscale press than the HF or equivalent.

I purchased a used 20-ton Nugier back in the early 90's and it has been a solid performer for over 3-decades now. It was about 10-years old when I purchased it and all I had to do was reseal the cylinder which I was able to source the seals and packings locally for low cost. I also installed a gauge on mine and seldom do I exceed 6k pounds when pressing most automotive related components, usually in the 3k-5k range.

Another thing I would highly recommend is getting a good set of arbor plates. I would not trust the HF ones or any of the cheap cast arbor plates as I have seen online and heard of many failing recently. I was able to get some solid ones when I bought my used Nugier, but also fabricated some out of old forklift forks that I have used for years. About 3 or 4 years ago, I did break down and purchase some nice high quality ones and really like them.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You can alot of money or a little bit of money.. Unless it has been abused, there's nothing wrong with buying a used press. . Buying used may get you more, way more for your money.

I would start by figuring what you need, what will fit and what you can get home. There is local auctions, online auctions and places like HGR (local to me, reasonably) to buy a used one.

 

[whateg01]

I'm a fan of this style. I have a 20T that I upgraded to electric/hydraulic and built a lift mechanism for the bed based on the design of a brake winch but more "integrated". Was a joy to use and faster than 50,000 pumps when doing multiple parts in the press brake. In fact, I'm getting ready to sell that one because I bought a bigger press. Too bad you aren't closer!

 

[zimman]

For basic automotive repairs such as rear axle bearings I use this press. Its a little bit on the light duty side but it gets the job done.

You stole my thunder and I love it.
This press is for Dodge ball joints. The 4 folks in yellow vest slowly walk the lower control arm up to the press. Another fellow in a silver proxy suit carefully places the ball joint into the hole and then runs like hell yelling "let it eat" The press comes bashing down, windows and doors will fly open, dust and debris will fly everywhere. Women and children can be heard crying miles away. Then the process is over and it's lunch.
Zim

 

[AEAdam]

Sorry in advance if this isn't relevant. I bought a HF engine hoist for general machine shop duty. The hardware was all made of some soft pot metal, harder than cheese whiz, but less well made. Of course it was all metric. So i replaced quite a bit of it with proper industrial grade nuts and bolts. I would recommend that for the shop press. I've heard stories they use the same aluminum hardware (jk)

 

[whateg01]

... So i replaced quite a bit of it for proper industrial grade nuts and bolts.

If that's like "aerospace grade", I think I'd stick with the cheese grade!

 

[strength_and_power]

For basic automotive repairs such as rear axle bearings I use this press. Its a little bit on the light duty side but it gets the job done.

That’s the same press I use for pushing pins out of watch bands

 

[toolmanmark]

I have had a 35 ton press for about 40 years. Rarely has the pressure went higher than 5 - 10 tons.

 

[AEAdam]

If that's like "aerospace grade", I think I'd stick with the cheese grade!

Honestly, it was pretty clear even the stuff in the bins at your local home center is better. I used stuff in the bags in the little drawers. So whatever was in there, I replaced it with Grade 5 or 8.8 level "graded" hardware.

These things are sold to price points, and you can't have it all.

 

[Farmall450]

The base plates are no longer cast, they have been replaced with very thick plasma cut plate.

I came here to say this after the initial comments - I think this was >10 years ago that the change was made.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

That’s the same press I use for pushing pins out of watch bands

Where did you get the press adapter? I have been looking forever for a 1/16" pin rated at 75k tons! Probably be easier to send these Timex watches to you for repair!

 

[Schurkey]

"20 ton" press was JUST able to knock the lug-studs out of my '97 K2500 8-lug rotors/hubs.

I'd pump it up, it'd flex. I'd pump some more...then BANG! the stud would pop free and the press relaxed again. It was a similar chore--not as bad, but tougher than I expected--to push the new studs back in once the brake rotor was replaced.

New studs going back in, with fresh rotor. Three impact sockets to support the hub/rotor, one impact socket extending the ram, to shove the stud in place.

 

[whateg01]

"20 ton" press was JUST able to knock the lug-studs out of my '97 K2500 8-lug rotors/hubs.

I'd pump it up, it'd flex. I'd pump some more...then BANG! the stud would pop free and the press relaxed again. It was a similar chore--not as bad, but tougher than I expected--to push the new studs back in once the brake rotor was replaced.

New studs going back in, with fresh rotor. Three impact sockets to support the hub/rotor, one impact socket extending the ram, to shove the stud in place.

So, why didn't you just use the vise?

 

[drmarkr]

20 ton is good for most of the things you will get into.

however this is GJ, so you will want a minimum of 80 ton even if all you are working on is RC cars

I love you Bro....

 

[drmarkr]

Lots of things. Plus, fixturing is easier on a press than in a vise. When I replaced the wheel bearings on my 626, we used a 30t and it still took heat. I sure don't see that fitting in a vise and I don't think anything short of maybe a fireball would have had a shot. And really, crapping on somebody wanting to buy a press? What about the people spending 20x that on a toolbox? Sheesh!

Speaking of, does snap-on make a 20ton press?

 

[Aileron]

Didnt know anyone made this until a few montsh ago. mine arrived last week but havent had tried to use it yet. I had to cut the hat centers out of old rotors to press some wheel bearings out of the knuckles to hold the knuckle flat.

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