Brush Guard Project

[deere_x475guy]

Gene, great looking job on the brush guard. How did you do your joints? Did you use a tubing notcher of some sort? My girls just bought me a bender and scroller for my birthday. I want to make up some dies to bend tubing on the bender some day. Also I am not far from you. My wife and I just finished having a log home built in Eaton Rapids. It is just off of Whitom Rd (we bought the ole Pikes Peak property if you know where that is.). Stop by some time.

 

[GeneD14]

I don't have a tubing notcher so I notched the end of the pipe on the end wheel of my stationary belt grinder with an aluminum oxide belt. It made the radius close enough to weld.

 

[cmuncy]

Gene,

Very nice!!

What kind of tubing did you use for the project??

 

[GeneD14]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What kind of tubing did you use for the project?? )</font>

For the main tube along the bottom: 1 1/4" black pipe. The rest is 3/4" and 1/2" black pipe, all the steel is basically "off the shelf" from a lumber yard.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[twinstackram]

how sharp of bend can you make with the bender?I put this on another site and they said that the pipe would kink or buckle,and that you needed a mandrel bender so it don't collapse in the bend,or pack the pipe with sand to keep it from collapsing,anyway what was you experiance with the bender,I was wanting to make mine out of 2" exhaust pipe what are your thoughts?

 

[RedRocker]

Keep in mind that black pipe goes by I.D. on size and tubing goes by O.D., so if this bender works with black pipe, the dies most likely won't work with tubing.

 

[SnowRidge]

Harbor Freight describes the bender as a "Pipe Bender." They also carry tubing benders.

 

[GeneD14]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( how sharp of bend can you make with the bender?I put this on another site and they said that the pipe would kink or buckle,and that you needed a mandrel bender so it don't collapse in the bend,or pack the pipe with sand to keep it from collapsing,anyway what was you experiance with the bender,I was wanting to make mine out of 2" exhaust pipe what are your thoughts?
)</font>
3/4" black pipe is about 1" OD and I can easily bend a 90 degree angle with no kink. But I haven't ever bend exhaust tube on it. If I had some I would try it. My guess is that on thin wall 2" tube if you don't use a mandrel it will kink.

 

[LeRoi]

I have one of the same benders and it does kink exhaust pipe.
the wall thickness is too thin on exhaust pipe and it will kink almost immediatly.
sorry but custom exhaust work is out, but Genes ideas about nerf bars with thick wall pipe sound really interesting.
Leroy

 

[Nasty135]

Gene, Another fine project there ... looks better than what the manufacturer would do, I guess the winch will mount where the Texas tag is Huh?? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif