Harbor Freight 20-Ton hydraulic press mods

[dragoneggs]

I wish I had thought of that design. I drilled a hole to match the roll pin on the bottle jack valve, and of course the holes didn't line up.

Hole for the OEM roll pin wasn't drilled perpendicular to the axis and of course I didn't notice. Had to 'fine tune it'. A hammer was involved..

. View attachment 462045

Terry

That was kinda what I was thinking of doing until I saw Sodo's design.

 

[BukitCase]

If you look at the pic of mine (first page) there's a plastic knob - these come with threaded inserts

Knob & Bolts

and I drilled mine out - had a less-pronounced version of Terry's experience, figured out a way to fix it.

Measure the valve shaft, drill out the knob, remove the pin, find a drill bit that'll JUST fit the hole (helps if you have a 1-60 drill index) - measure how far onto the valve shaft the knob can go, then drill ONE SIDE of the knob just into the center hole, slide the knob onto the valve shaft, line up the (half) hole with the hole in valve shaft, finish the drilling of the knob - the bit will track thru the pin hole and put the far side right where it needs to be.

Roll pin the proper length/diameter, then.....

Do NOT hammer the pin in, UNLESS you can support the valve shaft - if you size the roll pin correctly, you can set a pair of channel lock pliers so they're parallel jaws, then use them as a kind of "mini-press" to insert the pin.

That way there's NO CHANCE you will shorten the life of any internal seals... Steve

Gotta admit tho, Sodo's way is prob'ly a LOT more fun, 'specially if you're lookin' for things to TIG :=)

 

[Big Barn]

If you look at the pic of mine (first page) there's a plastic knob - these come with threaded inserts

Knob & Bolts

and I drilled mine out - had a less-pronounced version of Terry's experience, figured out a way to fix it.

Measure the valve shaft, drill out the knob, remove the pin, find a drill bit that'll JUST fit the hole (helps if you have a 1-60 drill index) - measure how far onto the valve shaft the knob can go, then drill ONE SIDE of the knob just into the center hole, slide the knob onto the valve shaft, line up the (half) hole with the hole in valve shaft, finish the drilling of the knob - the bit will track thru the pin hole and put the far side right where it needs to be.

Roll pin the proper length/diameter, then.....

Do NOT hammer the pin in, UNLESS you can support the valve shaft - if you size the roll pin correctly, you can set a pair of channel lock pliers so they're parallel jaws, then use them as a kind of "mini-press" to insert the pin.

That way there's NO CHANCE you will shorten the life of any internal seals... Steve

Gotta admit tho, Sodo's way is prob'ly a LOT more fun, 'specially if you're lookin' for things to TIG :=)

Sorry Steve, while you were busy posting , I went out and fixed it.



Terry

 

[KubotainNH]

Thinking about it... at my local HF store the shopping carts are swiveled on all four! It's fun cruising through the aisles and drifting to avoid crashes. Wondering if those carts are the same countrywide?

They are on this side of the country.

 

[KubotainNH]

I also made a brake which is great for fabing parts.

I like that brake.

 

[dragoneggs]

I have wheels on mine and it makes all the difference in the world! All are swivel for maneuverability. I also made a brake which is great for fabing parts.
Can't beat the price when it's on sale and then use a 20% off coupon to boot. :thumbsup:

Here's a picture of my son learning to do some bending...

View attachment 462042

View attachment 462043

Looking good, BigBoy. Is that your own brake design? Do you have plans you can share? The SWAG is $199 for the heavy duty kit but it seems a tad much. Any one use the finger version? Wondering if I will regret not stepping up to that? It seems a luxury I would rarely use.

 

[Big Barn]

Looking good, BigBoy. Is that your own brake design? Do you have plans you can share? The SWAG is $199 for the heavy duty kit but it seems a tad much. Any one use the finger version? Wondering if I will regret not stepping up to that? It seems a luxury I would rarely use.

Mark, I have the finger version. It was cheaper to buy it than make it.

However if you decided a non finger brake was adequate I would build my own.





Terry

 

[Sodo]

Harbor freight wheels are not really working out.....
Rated at 150 lbs but if they sit in one place for a log time, collapse.
The press weighs 150 lbs total so that's 37.5 lbs per wheel.

The way these casters are extended away, it's feasible to stack lots of stuff on the supports, but there wasn't anything on the supports other than a few press plates etc. Prob not more than +20 lbs.

They have a stated capacity and are being used far below than number. Not impressed with these wheels at the moment.

 

[Aquamoose]

You'd need steel or neoprene castors. Every wheel has its purpose.

 

[Big Barn]

Sodo.

Steel casters wouldn't flat spot on you. OR:

My press is a bit heavier but I used (4) pieces of 2"D. solid round stock drilled for 1/2" axles.



This setup gives good stability and can still be moved using a pry bar.

Terry

 

[dragoneggs]

You'd need steel or neoprene castors. Every wheel has its purpose.

Yep wrong wheel material used here. Look for rubber with a lower profile and flatter bearing surface. Polyurethane or neoprene (which is more tolerant of fuels/oils). At least 70 Shore A hardness. Those 'fancy' translucent ones are more commonly used in interior applications where non marring is important. They will also probably become brittle due to UV exposure if exposed to outside. Steel is good too but I don't like how they seem to hang up on dirt and small crap.

 

[Sodo]

I don't see what the material has to do with it. The product has a capacity rating on it that is not correct.

Perhaps its time related. It does hold 150 lbs for a few winter months.

 

[dragoneggs]

I don't see what the material has to do with it. The product has a capacity rating on it that is not correct.

Perhaps its time related. It does hold 150 lbs for a few winter months.

The material and design are very important. Properties such as Hardness, Elasticity, and Creep. Bearing surface, temperature, etc. Capacity ratings can be very subjective without a standard to define performance at given temperature and environmental conditions. Wheel might still roll at capacity after sitting awhile but who said it needed to be a smooth ride?

 

[Sodo]

Smooth ride at capacity? Its "total failure at 25% capacity." Seeing how the others seem OK I'm gonna ask Mr. Freight to replace it.

 

[dragoneggs]

Smooth ride at capacity? Its "total failure at 25% capacity." Seeing how the others seem OK I'm gonna ask Mr. Freight to replace it.

Oh don't get me wrong! I am totally with you. I would do the same. Just saying that all ratings are subjective if no industry standards are met. Go for a metal hub with polyurethane 'tires' that have low profile sidewalls.

 

[Sodo]

I used (4) pieces of 2"D. solid round stock drilled for 1/2" axles.This setup gives good stability and can still be moved using a pry bar. Terry

That looks easy too, could set the channel on 1/2" rod across the very bottom, thru rollers, and tack the rod on the ends (on channel edge). That would be quick. The quickest is to just throw down my best $3.99 and get one more caster From Mr H. Freight. If another one collapses I will be on the lookout for some kind of rollers. It doesn't get much use, just want to be able to move it easily anytime out to use it stow it when done.

These wide "anti-scalp mower deck rollers" look good, are about $8 each. If they fit within the channel iron, an axle welded on would be quick. They're heavy plastic, can probably can skid them sideways on concrete.

 

[ThomasH]

I don't see what the material has to do with it. The product has a capacity rating on it that is not correct.

Perhaps its time related. It does hold 150 lbs for a few winter months.

It has everything to do with it. Castors are generally rated at their load capacity, which is dictated by the strength of the castor frame, bearings, and wheels. That does not mean that they are made to have that load on them continuously, it's a point of time measurement of strength. You need steel, iron, or hard rubber castors. I have four hard rubber castors on my table saw that have been on it for about 20 years and work fine. The saw weighs about 600 pounds, and the castors are rated at 300 pounds each. They have not deformed in any way, and make it easy to move the saw around when it is needed.

 

[Sodo]

Ratings are ratings, except for BS ratings or typos. Just looking at the physical size of this little caster, it's probably a typo. Mr Harbor S. Freight gets a little wild sometimes. He wants me to use safety glasses whenever working around these wheels.

Pretty sure the ONE wheel was defective. Of the 3 remaining wheels the TWO diagonal wheels are currently supporting the 150 lbs (75 lbs each), and are doing OK. Incidentally Harbor Freight's warranty is 90 days on these castors so I'm out a whopping $3.99.
:shocked:
It's one nut to change it out. If another one craps out I'll get different wheels. I like these cuz they caster around entirely within that 5" channel.

 

[jwmorris]

This is one I built but you can see how to reinforce the channels,, your not boxing them rather triangulating them. Also how I built my press brake and I just drilled a hole in the end of a bolt to make a simple lever to let the pressure off. And an air over hydraulic jack is worth it.

 

[Ford850]

Ratings are ratings, except for BS ratings or typos. Just looking at the physical size of this little caster, it's probably a typo. Mr Harbor S. Freight gets a little wild sometimes. He wants me to use safety glasses whenever working around these wheels.

Pretty sure the ONE wheel was defective. Of the 3 remaining wheels the TWO diagonal wheels are currently supporting the 150 lbs (75 lbs each), and are doing OK. Incidentally Harbor Freight's warranty is 90 days on these castors so I'm out a whopping $3.99.
:shocked:
It's one nut to change it out. If another one craps out I'll get different wheels. I like these cuz they caster around entirely within that 5" channel.

Yeah, I'd throw a replacement on there for the one flat wheel before I'd replace them all. You might find a good 2" stem caster with higher ratings someday to replace them all easily. Also note that those casters you used are now listed on HF as "Supports up to 90 lbs". Maybe Mr Harbor B.S. Freight is following this thread.
Here's a better cast iron 2" caster but it doesn't have the stem. http://www.menards.com/main/home-de...442247454-c-13090.htm?tid=4068267952647024119 Only $3.97 too.
That gives you a good idea how exaggerated the HF rating is on yours, since the cast iron is rated at 125 lbs compared to the HF sticker on the soft rubber at 150 lbs.