Shoulda just spent the buck or two on a seal if the rest was in good shape . . .

- Tim

 

It's seen better days and is missing a couple dies by now.

 

Nice ! I have one and it paid for it self too . I actually used it to bend some 1/2'' square and worked great.

I remember you posting your end smasher too. :drinkup:

 

Yeah, I bend flat and even square with a custom die. I do find the 12 ton to be much better than the 16 ton 3" model.

 

Blackbart , I don't know if you saw this before with the HF bender mounted on a engine stand , pretty slick.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlSnVSrWg0M

 

Interesting, it looks like it would work. The two support rollers would benefit greatly by being the right size. The slightly more expensive JET bender has multiple size supports. I only keep using the 2" HF around because the rollers are made for 2" and all my drawings and measurements are based off it. The three inch, 16 ton unit leaves slight creases on 2" pipe because it's rollers are for 3.5" OD.

 

I have one of these benders too - used it for scd 40 pipe and it performed fine

 

I have found batches of inferior pipe in the past couple years. As long as it say's SCH 40 and the ASTM# it seems to work. SCH 80 is fine too. There is no doubt almost all the other benders, like JD2d are better, but many people trash these ones because they try to bend exhaust tubing or EMT.

 

I even used it for an odd project bending ore cart rail for a landscape project for Woodleaf's young life camp.

 

They won't bend anything but pipe (sch 40, 80 ). They are advertised to bend exhaust tubing, roll bars etc. I suppose you could try to bend other tubes with the above video link, packing with sand, or filling with low melt (200 deg) cerrobend or equivalent. I have seen many at yard sales being sold from people calling them "tube crushers" which they would be.

 

Well, the cheap $100 one came and it has much smaller dies then my broken cheap one. It may or may not work, but I'm putting new "O" rings on my old one since all my old measurements are based off it before I play with the lighter one. So there may be some valid gripes about the cheap ones. My first one was Central Hydraulics from harbor freight. This new lighter one says "CE" on it. Both are cheapo models but the first had beefier dies.

 

OK, I have to humble myself, and say we were both right. I didn't think you could get cheaper, but the last one I ordered, instead of fixing mine, was much cheaper and smaller. It would not bend sch 40 2" pipe well at all. The heavier one was harbor freight "central hydraulics", The lighter new one was $100 with free shipping and had "CE" on it. So when I told you guys the 12 ton pipe bender was OK when used as intended, apparently that is not always the case. Unfortunately they all look the same on eBay, and I have no idea if the "central hydraulic" brand is as heavy as it was when I first bought one 20 years ago.
As far as rebuilding it, all the local shops don't carry the main pressure seal. I may custom build a one way cylinder or look around online for the jack seal.
In the pictures, the red die is from the older 12 ton pipe bender, the black one is the $100 one from eBay with unacceptable results.