Shop Press Question

[strength_and_power]

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!

Well, I started with Unobtanium but it was too soft.
From there I switched to Chi-nesium which was better.
Ultimately I ended up using material used in the making of imported bed frames. It’s harder than Calculus

 

[gearhead1]

20T is perfectly fine for bushings and bearings and the vast majority of general automotive tasks.

I had a HF 12T for many years before I traded it and upgraded to a bigger press I made because I got the materials for free and liked the idea of a bigger table.

I think a 20T is a great option to start with. You can always go bigger if you really need it.

 

[OccupantRJ]

"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.

You can sometimes smack the lower press table with a hammer when the press loads heavily and it will jolt the pressed item further in or out before the jack pressure has to get so high to make it move.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have a 50t. Its nice when you play with big trucks like I do. I also use it to bend metal when needed. They are a very handy tool.

 

[mikedodge]

I have a 20 ton harbor freight style one that has seen some commercial use in a small shop. Some of the scrap bearings that came with it are crazy sizes and its easily done what I've put through it. There are also plenty shops around that use them. Use your budget to figure out what to get. Check out used too.

 

[tiredoldironworker]

50T air/electric over hydraulic here, I can't remember the brand but do recall it was made in north Carolina. It has never failed to produce the expected outcome.

 

[OccupantRJ]

50T air/electric over hydraulic here, I can't remember the brand but do recall it was made in north Carolina. It has never failed to produce the expected outcome.

Possibly Carolina Equipment out of Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina?

Hydraulic Presses and Parts Carolina Industrial Equipment, New and Used Machinery Dealer, Hydraulic Presses, Mechanical Press, Vertical and Horizontal Band Saws, Parts

Hydraulic Presses and Parts Carolina Industrial Equipment, New and Used Machinery Dealer, Hydraulic Presses, Mechanical Press, Vertical and Horizontal Band Saws, Parts

www.carolinaequipment.com

 

[tiredoldironworker]

That's it.

 

[Steve_P]

The 20T Carolina press seems to be the same as the Sunex; both are in Traveler's Rest, SC on the same street, but different addresses. Interesting.

 

[Doubled33]

My vote is a 20t is fine.

I have a DAKE. Definitely a large difference in quality between it and HF due to the design and the press being way more stable. No comparison between the two.

If you are bowed up on something the press that has slop can be dangerous regarding wanting to kick out the part under a lot of force.

Buy a used quality press.

 

[Caa311]

Well I had a Toyota spindle in the press last night that wouldn't budge! Changed my setup a couple times. I don't like not having a gage. I think I just about had the thing maxed out. Check this out I'm sure yall will love this. I will be boxing in the c channel or upgrading. It's a bit sketchy when you start getting up to the limit of the jack. If you ever had something fly out of the press it makes you think about what you are doing. I had a 10-12 ft shaft fly out on me when I worked in the machine shop. It came out at an angle and hit the chain link fence on one side of me absorbing most of the energy then rotated and hit the fence on the other side and fell at my feet and never touched me.

 

[OccupantRJ]

The 20T Carolina press seems to be the same as the Sunex; both are in Traveler's Rest, SC on the same street, but different addresses. Interesting.

Read up on Traveller’s Rest, Carolina Equipment, and tool gypsies (Travelers).

 

[whateg01]

Well I had a Toyota spindle in the press last night that wouldn't budge! Changed my setup a couple times. I don't like not having a gage. I think I just about had the thing maxed out. Check this out I'm sure yall will love this. I will be boxing in the c channel or upgrading. It's a bit sketchy when you start getting up to the limit of the jack. If you ever had something fly out of the press it makes you think about what you are doing. I had a 10-12 ft shaft fly out on me when I worked in the machine shop. It came out at an angle and hit the chain link fence on one side of me absorbing most of the energy then rotated and hit the fence on the other side and fell at my feet and never touched me.

I'm adding a cage to my 50T. I've never had anything fly out but I've had stuff "move" and that was enough pucker for me.

 

[Caa311]

I was at the point I was going to put a sheet of plywood in front of it! When it moved the whole press jumped. I had walked away from it to just let it sit for a second. I had my back turned to it and it scared the sh-t out of me.

 

[Pontiac787]

Used presses just don't exist where I live. Is there any consensus in terms of the best value 20-ton press for home automotive use? Redline 1, Redline 2, Sunex, something else?

 

[OccupantRJ]

I'm adding a cage to my 50T. I've never had anything fly out but I've had stuff "move" and that was enough pucker for me.

When I used to have solid forklift tires pressed off at a local shop for my workplace, I would always stand in line with the 12” channel side frame of the very large power driven hydraulic press. A helper with me one day was curious and watching the pressing from about 6 feet away. I motioned for him to move around in line with me. A minute later the setup let go and an 8” or so round steel plate 3/4” thick launched from the press with a tremendous bang and hit the metal building side wall 20 feet away, leaving a large bend and gash in it. My helper was out the open garage door and sprinting a hundred feet away in just a few seconds, scared to death. I waved him back and told him that by the time he heard it there was no need to move as it was all over by then. The gnarly old guy running the press grinned and went right back at it. The plate had passed by him within about 3 feet.

 

[ToolmanGary]

You have to start somewhere, I started with a 20T and it worked fine, then when I found a deal on a larger press I bought it and sold the old one.
That’s the way I typically buy my shop equipment, buy what I can afford, something better pops up at a deal.. buy it and sell the old.
Good used equipment is easy to sell.

 

[Burt Shaver]

I didn’t read through the entire thread so maybe you already made the purchase? Just came here to say I purchased an inexpensive 20T press from TSC a few years back, it’s one of my favourite purchases. I have yet to run into a bearing or bushing that I have not been able to press out or in.
For a DIY’er working in your automobiles a 20 ton will most likely suit all your needs, not worth it to spend big bucks on a bigger press. If you ever do find a need for the bigger press and I don’t think you will, hire that one job out.

 

[tiredoldironworker]

I work for a large crane shop and just the freaking size of some of the stuff we have to press requires a 50T.

 

[lunkhead]

tonnage is important, but more important is the quality of the frame, and the dimensions. The cheap presses do not have enough distance between the bed, you need at least 10 inches front to rear, and 32 inches side to side, and open sides for shafts to extend through. And the frame needs to be straight and square, again something you won't get on a cheap press. And the table should have a cable system for lifting the bed. And a hydraulic or air over system to move the ram, because hand pumping that ram down gets old real fast.