How would you straighten this?

   / How would you straighten this? #11  
Working on a ferry slip. When driving this pipe pile, a 300 car ferry came into the dock. The wave action bent the pile. I had to straighten it with heat.
 

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   / How would you straighten this? #12  
Great ideas, thanks! I think I'll try to straighten it some and also weld the foot onto the crooked end. That way it will slide better. Meantime I'll price a new one. I bought the trailer cheap so I might not feel so bad. But bad enough to not bend it again, I hope. The tubing is 1/8" wall, pretty stout (the whole trailer is, for that matter). Thanks again Jim <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=477249"/>

It will have to be pretty straight to slide properly through the locking collar. Good luck! (0:
 
   / How would you straighten this? #13  
I would fill it with sand, then use the thumb on my backhoe to bend it back straight. If YOU don't have that equipment, then you could put it under something heavy like a truck or large tractor and then use a hydraulic jack to push it back straight. A high lift jack might also work. That pipe should not be too hard to bend since is it thin walled pipe. The sand will keep the pipe wall from bending (hopefully). Failing all that, a muffler shop might straighten it for you in their bender but it might be more costly than just replacing the pipe.
 
   / How would you straighten this? #14  
Back in the 60's just after I got out of college, I worked for a steel fabricator in Texas. One of our projects was a mobile launch tower for Vandenberg AFB. The project was so big that it required 3 different fabricators to work on it. The tower was 7 million pounds when complete and on wheels so that it could be moved away from the rock prior to launch. There were folding platforms every 10 vertical feet so that workers could service the rocket. The platforms when in the down position had to match the exact shape of the rocket within 1/2" and had to clear the rocket when raised. A set of plans was 700 E sheets (34"x44").

Part of my job was "quality control" to meet the exacting government specs. There was no government inspector onsite so we did what needed to be done. The platforms were all of unusual shapes and there were multiple platforms per level. They not only had to match the rocket, they had to match the adjacent platform. Each was about 10' x 10'.

Now as most welders know when welding really oddball shapes, things warp. We had a full time crew that did the "straightening" with torches and rags dipped in a bucket of water. These guys were amazing as to how much they could alter the shape and adjust the different parts of the platforms that sometimes went in different directions.

Of course the specs strictly prohibited heat straightening. Yeah right...
 
   / How would you straighten this? #15  
Back in the 60's just after I got out of college, I worked for a steel fabricator in Texas. One of our projects was a mobile launch tower for Vandenberg AFB. The project was so big that it required 3 different fabricators to work on it. The tower was 7 million pounds when complete and on wheels so that it could be moved away from the rock prior to launch. There were folding platforms every 10 vertical feet so that workers could service the rocket. The platforms when in the down position had to match the exact shape of the rocket within 1/2" and had to clear the rocket when raised. A set of plans was 700 E sheets (34"x44"). Part of my job was "quality control" to meet the exacting government specs. There was no government inspector onsite so we did what needed to be done. The platforms were all of unusual shapes and there were multiple platforms per level. They not only had to match the rocket, they had to match the adjacent platform. Each was about 10' x 10'. Now as most welders know when welding really oddball shapes, things warp. We had a full time crew that did the "straightening" with torches and rags dipped in a bucket of water. These guys were amazing as to how much they could alter the shape and adjust the different parts of the platforms that sometimes went in different directions. Of course the specs strictly prohibited heat straightening. Yeah right...


That's a wild story! Amazing what has been built for the military!
 
   / How would you straighten this? #16  
Either heat and try what ShieldArc suggests or just replace it. He knows what he's doing. Trying to bend it back with force will likely not work and almost certainly not function correctly. Why be unhappy with things that don't work?

When I bend or break things like this I just chalk it up to a learning experience.
 
   / How would you straighten this? #17  
I would put that in my hydraulic press and nudge it back where it belongs, perhaps use heavy angle iron on top of it to spead load...
 
   / How would you straighten this? #18  
No problem. Just cut 90 degree Vs into three wood blocks. Orient with bend upward supported by 2 blocks about 8" apart. Put remaining block at apex and give it a firm tap with a 10# sledge. Continue until straight. Pine will probaby be best as it will conform to the pipe under force and is not likely to dent it.
 
   / How would you straighten this? #19  
If anybody has this book. There is a picture in it, show what heat can do to beams.
 

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   / How would you straighten this? #20  
Since it looks like there might already be a kink in in (pic 2), it might not straighten out properly, depending on how tight it fits in the collar. If it isn't chromed, you might measure it and see if it's the standard 1.625" or 1.875" fence post size and get a replacement section in bright electrogalved cq-20. The foot looks like it might be put on with some kind of rivet, as it is probably some light cast stuff, can't tell from the photo. If so, grind the heads off, drive them in and replace with tek screws in the new pipe.
 

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