Anyone have a shop press?

krugford · Aug 31, 2007

I've been thinking about getting one for awhile now. Problem is, I don't know which one to get without spending big $$$. I was thinking a 20 Ton would be more than enough for me. I been seriously looking at this one from Northern Tool. Anybody have this one?

Torin 20 Ton Shop Press

Anybody built their own? If so, how did it work out?

I'm really looking for all advice here. I can't seem to find one locally to save on shipping. So I'm either going to have to order one online or build one.

Thanks in advance!

-krug

Todd · Aug 31, 2007

Our club, MTU Four Wheelers, have a press much like the one pictured.

It gets used a lot and everytime I have used it its worked great.

rickcdewitt · Aug 31, 2007

it should be fine you want to press things in not squash them. i have one almost identical and i use a little heat when it won't quite do the trick.also if something slips the parts only fly at mach 1 unlike a high powered unit.

AngloSaxon · Aug 31, 2007

I got one from Northern, just like the one pictured, only yellow/orange and it works great.

Capt Jay · Aug 31, 2007

Occasional use, buy it.

Explorin94 · Sep 1, 2007

I have a 30 ton press. I bought it at an auction minus the bottle jack. I gave $50 for it and it has save me a ton of headaches doing simple jobs that need a press. It beats taking a bearing off with an air hammer.

MAKG · Sep 1, 2007

I picked up a Harbor Freight 12 ton press on sale for $100 when I rebuilt my Bronco II's 7.5 rear end. I figured out the cost was about the same as the cheapest setup labor I could find.

It gets occasional use. It's a bit of a POS (had to square the ram once), but it's adequate for the occasional use I need. 12 tons has been adequate for everything, including FWD bearings, PITA Mitsubishi transmission input bearings, and so on. It's not adequate for daily use.

Ozwynn · Sep 1, 2007

ooooohhhhhh aaaaawwwwwwwhhhhhh I want I want........ want one of those and a tubing bender ..... any body build their own bender?

yyc_tbird_sc · Sep 1, 2007

I picked up one last summer, and I've used it for more wheel bearings, supercharger bearings, ball joints, wheel studs, and a bunch of stuff I'm probably missing. I've got a 12ton press that I picked up locally. I think I payed about $120 for mine.

jubangy · Sep 1, 2007

I picked up a 20 ton from homier or something like that for $100 like 2 or 3 years ago. Has worked for everything I needed it for like balljoints, u joints, I even used it for some u joints on a 98 ram that seems to have everythign on it beefed up it took a bit but it popped it out pretty easy. Mine is black can't remember the name though. I don't know what happen to homier they used to have tool shows here like once a year but I haven't seen one advertised in quite awhile.

Will · Sep 2, 2007

krugford said:
I've been thinking about getting one for awhile now.
I'm really looking for all advice here.
-krug

What are you using it for.

For ball joints, u-joints and such, a little c-clamp press is better because it comes with all of the cups you need. They are about $40 from Harbor Freight. I use it a dozen times a year max so I don't want to have to trip over a 20-ton press for the other 353 days.

I've never needed a 20 ton press. But I've never done a gear change or rebuilt a manual tranny. Besides that, I can't think of a use for one. Tell me what I need it for so I have a reason to go buy one too.

Get a welder or a tubing bender. Much more useful.

krugford · Sep 2, 2007

Will said:
What are you using it for.

For ball joints, u-joints and such, a little c-clamp press is better because it comes with all of the cups you need. They are about $40 from Harbor Freight. I use it a dozen times a year max so I don't want to have to trip over a 20-ton press for the other 353 days.

I've never needed a 20 ton press. But I've never done a gear change or rebuilt a manual tranny. Besides that, I can't think of a use for one. Tell me what I need it for so I have a reason to go buy one too.

Get a welder or a tubing bender. Much more useful.

Probably the thing I'll be using it the most for is a press brake. Northern tool also happens to sell press brakes made to go into the 20 or 40 ton presses. The way they're set up, they bend 90 degrees. To get other degree bends, you just have to stop the bend early by inserting different stop blocks (homemade) into the brake. That and the occasional wheel bearing, ball joint, u-joint, thing that needs smashed, etc. I can't really afford to buy both the press and the brake at the same time and I've got the money saved up for the press but it'll be a little bit before I can get the press brake. I was just wondering what everybody's opinion was about different brands, capacity, etc. I don't want to spend super $$$$ if all I was going to use it for was a press brake.

I've already got a welder and tubing bender. When it comes to making bumper brackets (or other things), a press brake would surely beat having to cut and weld or heat it up and hammer it in the vise. And isn't smashing random things with minimal effort worth it anyways?

Thanks for all the replies! I love this place!!

Will · Sep 2, 2007

I cut and weld and design around my limitations. But you seem to know what you need so go for it.

MAKG · Sep 2, 2007

Will said:
What are you using it for.
I've never needed a 20 ton press. But I've never done a gear change or rebuilt a manual tranny.

You don't need a 20 ton press for either of those. I've done both with a cheap 12 ton.

You can rebuild most manual transmissions with no press at all (a BFH gives you several tons of pressure all by itself), but it IS a convenience for some stuff. There are tricks. Pressing apart is done almost exclusively with bearing splitters and/or BIG pullers. Pressing bushings onto a mainshaft is done with an oven set at 400 deg and an oven mitt (it works GREAT -- you just have to be very fast).

What a press buys you is finesse. It's a lot easier to aim and control a press than a BFH.

And I wholeheartedly agree with the C-frame press. I tried to put a driveshaft into a press once. FN pain. After that, I use a BFH (it's easy enough that I don't want to bother assembling the C-frame press). For balljoints, a BFH is more difficult, so I use a C-frame press for that.

Anyone have a shop press?

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