Shop Press

-
straightlinespeed

straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
10,630
Reaction score
4,399
Location
Uvita, Costa Rica
Hi guys,

Im looking at picking up a shop press, just one of the cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Im in debate between the 12 ton and 20 ton... I like that the 12 ton is smaller and would take up less space (I dont have a lot of extra room). But Im afraid it will be to small. I just plan on doing mostly bearings (rear end) and u-joints etc.. What do you guys think, is it going to be enough or will I need something bigger?
 
I have the 12 ton from Harbor Freight. I've used it for bearings etc and it works just fine. I keep it in a corner and pull it out when I need it. You just need to be sure it's on a flat surface. It's the only one I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to but I like it.
 
70DSTR said:
I have the 12 ton from Harbor Freight. I've used it for bearings etc and it works just fine. I keep it in a corner and pull it out when I need it. You just need to be sure it's on a flat surface. It's the only one I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to but I like it.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you for you input...

I have a 20 ton at work, and it just seems like overkill for the stuff we use it for.. I just cant see needing it but I would still like opinions, because I would hate to get one to small.
 
Kinda in the exact same boat Ramie and been wondering the same. 12 tons will surely be enough pressure and as long as we can get the component's we want to work on in there I think we'll be good. I removed the bearings from my old cone style at work on their 50 ton but its gauged, they were tight and it only hit about 6 tons before they popped like a gunshot. The one thing I will do is drill the floor and install lagshields in whatever spot I'm going to use it for stability then simply remove the bolts and tuck it away when its not needed which will be 99% of the time.

*** Just went in and read the reviews on the 12 ton and evidently there is an Orange and a Silver version. Bit contradictory reviews but appears the Orange had Grade 8's on the main beams and Silver has 5's, Silver has a longer shaft on the bottle and lots complained about misaligned holes on the welded jack plate. I can practically throw a rock and hit a HF from where I live so returns while a pain ain't gonna involve much driving but if I had to travel far I would assemble and test in the parking lot before I made the trek home. Don't forget the added costs of a good stout flat plate, pullers and cups to remove and install. Hell maybe I should just use the one at work and all their stuff is pro grade. Lol

***** Caster's now, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching $$$
 
look carefully at the construction.... HF for the most part has cheaply made stuff. You might have a 50T at work and only put 6T of pressure on it BUT, the frame us WAY stronger than the HF 12T press. If it was me, I'd go with the 20T... the frame should be made a lot sturdier, not just have a bigger jack in it.
 
I bought the 20 ton HF over the summer. Also bought some casters and roll it where and when I need it.

$155, IMO, was a good deal by the way.
 
20 ton here,, I got it when my local horror freight opened up and they had them on sale.

One thing I will suggest, if you do get one, replace the plates they provide for using under items to press. They can shatter!!!

I went to my local steel shop and got a couple of pieces of 1 inch steel to use instead.
 
I picked up a old 20 ton at a yard sale several years back. The best thing I did
was put some good casters under it. I can move it around very easy now.
Has made it much more convenient to use.
The hard part now is searching around for the correct size blocks or pipe
to work with whatever your pressing. I have collected a large assortment
of different shaped pieces of steel over the years and seems I am always
looking for more because it never gets used for the same thing twice.
Its still somewhat spooky for me when putting pressure on some parts
waiting for the bang. But most parts take almost no pressure at all.
 
I would try to find a used older American made one. Maybe check out Craigslist. The absolute LAST thing you need is some bullcrap chinkesium metal shattering when you have the press maxxed out. That's way dangerous. That's how people lose appendages and even important stuff like eyes. A Harbor Freight press is not something I think I would buy. I believe I would make one first.
 
The steel for the frame seems solid, I haven't had any issues there, yet.. The plates they provide to use as a pressing surface are not. A friend of mine had one of those pieces shatter under pressure.

Not disagreeing about the quality, I wish I could afford the high dollar stuff that's out there.
 
Hemioutlaw said:
HaHaHa too funny, have to add that to my vocabulary. Wish I had one of those shattered plates to run thru the metallurgy lab at work for analysis. CHINKESIUM -- ROFLMAO !!!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what it is, but when broken they look like an alloy of some kind and not solid steel. Right after I bought the press I was told about them, and haven't used them.
 
:thumbup: I agree with RustyRatRod. Look for a good used one on craigslist....
 
It's more about the quality than the tonnage rating, I would guess. I mean, you don't need a powerful press for u-joints -- I do them in my bench vise. Better to have a 6-ton press with good steel than a 20-ton press built cheesily, IMO.
 
mvh said:
It's more about the quality than the tonnage rating, I would guess. I mean, you don't need a powerful press for u-joints -- I do them in my bench vise. Better to have a 6-ton press with good steel than a 20-ton press built cheesily, IMO.
Click to expand...

exactly! I have an older one that I bought from another shop that was going out of business..... it is american made and probably from the 60's
 
I have the 12 ton one as well but blew the jack out and upgraded to the 20 ton jack. If I had to buy again I'd definitely get the 20 ton to start.
 
I have the HF 20 ton. Used only for pretty light work. Convenient tool as long as you don't plan to tax it. If it don't pop real easy, take it to the shop. It'll do most of your light stuff.
 
Once again I appreciate everyones input. Sounds like some mixed reviews so far, which makes sense I have searched Craigslist off and on for one, but those things dont pop up around here much. Of course I havent looked in a month or so LOL. Thanks much everyone.
 
I have a 12 Ton, I picked it up at a yard sale years ago.........I've dis-mounted/mounted pistons on rods, bearings, u-joints, spring eye bushings; 80% of a presses usefulness is tooling/blocking/support for what you are trying to do.

Have fun!
 
My HF 12 ton has been serving me well for over 10 years now. I put 360° casters on mine to make it easy to roll out to open space when I need it, otherwise it sits against the wall out of the way.
 
It makes life easier. At one point, 90% of the things in my garage were on casters which made a cleanout really easy. Now, I am starting to use the $10 Northern Tools furniture dollys to accomplish the same thing for my misc parts, engines, transmissions, etc...

At one point, I had 4 $10 wooden furniture dollys with jackstands on them with my Datsun B210 on them. I screwed the pairs together with 2x4's and they worked like a charm! Oddly enough, the steel $70 a pair car dollys and the wood one have the same load rating and the Datsun only weighed 2K lbs. Never had a problem with it!

(don't try this at home kids)
 
I was given one of these years ago as a gift and the throat was just too small. Since the frame sections are simply angle iron I bought four 3 foot sections and now it works just fine for control arm bushings etc. Not a high quality unit but I've rebuilt several front ends with this unit, straightened strut rods and pressed in tailshaft bushings with no problems other than having to weld some braces to stop the frame from wanting to shift.

image_25165.jpg
 
I've owned a horror freight 20 ton press for several yrs. and except for the junk pressing plates they send with it it's well built. A buddy of mine bought the 12 ton last year and man is it very light duty in comparison. When I first saw it I thought it was a 6 or 8 ton but it says 12. I've pressed bearings off that have been on for 40 yrs and they can be real buggers. No way would his 12 ton do the job without risking your life.

My theory in buying tools is always buy the best you can afford to buy because sometime down the line your going to need it to do something tougher than you ever expected you'd need. Plus a sturdier tool lasts longer

BTW: pressing can be dangerous. I've seen bearings explode like a grenade. For that reason I keep a piece of 3/8" plate handy to shield me from flying debris on those tough ones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top