Which shop press?

[tyyost]

I have a 2002 Focus that is making the wheel bearing rumble. Thinking this may be the time to pick up a smaller shop press.

Hf has their 10 and 20 ton on sale this month. This may be the first job that I can't figure out how to get around using a press for. I can get timken bearings alone for $40 each, or a hub kit for $80. Skipping the hub kit and just doing the bearings alone can save the cost of the 10 Ton press. Checking clist for a few months and no good deals, just hf stuff for retail prices.

I could always plan for a quick Saturday tear down and run down to the local shop for them to press everything apart and back together. Ideally I would like to handle the whole job here and take my time cleaning up everything n the front end for the winter season instead of running all morning.

Thoughts?

 

[vtx531]

I have the same question... Is 12 ton enough for most jobs?

 

[Toolhorder]

I really dislike the HF press. It's ****** IMO. It works but will drive you nuts while you use it. I worked at a Honda dealer that cheaped out and bought one. The thing used to rock and sway while you used it, the handle is two piece and comes apart while you're cranking on it. I ended up welding the two pieces into one piece but it's still a crappy press. I'm sure someone will come along and say differently but once you've used a good press you'll feel the same way about the HF press.
When I get my shop I'm buying a nice USA press like a 40 ton and I'm adding a pedal w/air pressure ram so I don't get popeye arms anymore from jerking the press ram handle.
If I were you I'd just take it to a shop and pay to press them in/out.

 

[TireTracks]

well, i have experience with a old 12ton HF. it works, kinda scary to use( they all seem to be), but it works.

Just be carefull useing ANY press. Dont let the work move around or flex like a spring or bad things happen.

 

[Toolhorder]

well, i have experience with a old 12ton HF. it works, kinda scary to use( they all seem to be), but it works.

Just be carefull useing ANY press. Dont let the work move around or flex like a spring or bad things happen.

Ya all of them will throw your work or pieces/spacers/sockets/etc..
You should have to wear a chest protector to use a press.

 

[tyyost]

The more I think about this the more I am leaning to running it down to the local shop. The higher end presses look much more beefy, but I don't think the savings from the job is worth what a better press costs. For $500 + I can pay someone else to do the whole job.....

Any preference on the kit with the hub vs the bearings by themselves?

 

[CatCow]

Ya all of them will throw your work or pieces/spacers/sockets/etc..
You should have to wear a chest protector to use a press.

It's usually not my chest I'm worried about But yeah, presses are a little scary to work with... Especially when you don't have proper press tools. I have a 20 ton HF press that I bought pretty much just to do my AK-47 project. Romanian AK kits are well known for having stubborn barrel pins, and it took a long time to get it out. Soaking in kroil, freezing, hammering on the press... And I broke a couple of tools trying to do it. And I got pretty darn paranoid about it after that first one snapped in half and went flying. I would almost think some kind of shield around the press would be a good idea. But then watching the whole press flex and move gets scary as well - you don't notice it as much when putting the pressure on, but as soon as you release pressure and it happens fast you realize that these things are pretty flimsy. I suppose it's fine for light hobby use, but I do wonder about it sometimes. That said, it has done the job... So really it comes down to how much use it will get, and doing what, and how much room you have and what your budget is. A lot of people have done some pretty wild modifications to the HF presses - welding together the main pieces, adding rollers and spacers to keep everything aligned... If you have the money, and expect to use it a lot, I'd say go for a better unit. Otherwise I'd say that for the occasional light use the HF model will do OK.