How long should my Harbor Freight shop press hold the pressure?

[Industrial Toys]

That is where you get what you pay for. Industrial stuff like Enerpac is extremely expensive. I have had HF type jacks good for 20 tons and they will only lift a fraction of that. So you buy one, four times more capacity than you require. They are cheap, who cares. And here at Princess Auto (lkie HF) you can always take the crap back, no time limit, no hassle.

 

[Fallon]

That is where you get what you pay for. Industrial stuff like Enerpac is extremely expensive. I have had HF type jacks good for 20 tons and they will only lift a fraction of that. So you buy one, four times more capacity than you require. They are cheap, who cares. And here at Princess Auto (lkie HF) you can always take the crap back, no time limit, no hassle.

Ya. I use my press enough to justify (well, probably debatable, but I like gadgets) getting the HF air powered jack. I dont use it nearly enough to justify getting a good press or jack. A good chunk of stuff in my shop that way. I'll spend the money for nice stuff I'll use a lot. But if it's not gonna get much use I'll live with or repair the cheap one. Or get a high quality used tool I likely have to repair or refirb.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The really sad thing is when you buy a tool cheap for that very occasional job and find out within seconds of trying to use it that the thing is just garbage. Like one of those impact drivers you hit with a hammer. First hit and it granaded! Or big drill bits, where the bit becomes smaller and the hole stays the same size.

 

[furnone]

I stopped in HF today and they will exchange the cylinder. Or, I can upgrade to the air assist modification for another $50. I'm not sure if the air assist is worth it for my occasional use, mostly on laminating wood. I would have to crank up the air compressor, which I only do when I have need for it, each time I use the shop press. Not a big deal, but it doesn't seem to offer an advantage other than not having to manually pump the jack. Am I missing something?

 

[dragoneggs]

I stopped in HF today and they will exchange the cylinder. Or, I can upgrade to the air assist modification for another $50. I'm not sure if the air assist is worth it for my occasional use, mostly on laminating wood. I would have to crank up the air compressor, which I only do when I have need for it, each time I use the shop press. Not a big deal, but it doesn't seem to offer an advantage other than not having to manually pump the jack. Am I missing something?

I can assure you will get tired real quick of manual pumping. It isn't the effort but the time... not that the air assist is a lot faster but cranking just seems so 'tedious' because of the distance the ram travels per stroke is soooo small.

It is a fun project to add. Also add a twist knob to your release valve and you won't be hunting for the handle, having to put it down, pick it up for adjustments, etc. You won't need the handle at all. The more you use the jack, the more you will appreciate the air power. I admit, I generally like tools that are air/electric/gas over just about anything hand actuated. though.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would love to have an air/hydraulic trolley type vehicle jack. They are expensive beyond belief. I bought a BIG RED one, which was just a bottle jack on a trolley, but useless because although they claimed a certain lifting range, it was by way of varying adapters and you were stuck with the stroke of the bottle jack which wouldn't even take the squish out of the tractor tires, before reaching end of stroke.

 

[furnone]

I can assure you will get tired real quick of manual pumping. It isn't the effort but the time... not that the air assist is a lot faster but cranking just seems so 'tedious' because of the distance the ram travels per stroke is soooo small.

It is a fun project to add. Also add a twist knob to your release valve and you won't be hunting for the handle, having to put it down, pick it up for adjustments, etc. You won't need the handle at all. The more you use the jack, the more you will appreciate the air power. I admit, I generally like tools that are air/electric/gas over just about anything hand actuated. though.

Oh, I see that it can be used manually or with air, that does it, I'll trade up.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Stimw]

I have the HF 20 ton and I added the air jack and love it!
I was cutting a lot of 3" seals out of 1/4" neoprene and the air was great.
I bring cutter down close and pump the last few strokes manually. Very good control.
I also put height extensions on the legs so I don't have to get on my knees to use it.
I also added a boat winch on top with cables down to the table on each side to raise or lower it easily without removing the plates.

 

[crazyal]

If you use the press more than just occasionally then I would go with the hydraulic cylinder style over the bottle jack type. The cylinder can be slid side to side to make it much easier to line up with your work. Occasionally I use my 20t press for wood. Since I don't need anywhere near 20 tons of pressure I'll slide the cylinder to one side and then use a bottle jack on the other if the project is large enough to require pressure on a large surface area.

 

[RickB]

I stopped in HF today and they will exchange the cylinder. Or, I can upgrade to the air assist modification for another $50. I'm not sure if the air assist is worth it for my occasional use, mostly on laminating wood. I would have to crank up the air compressor, which I only do when I have need for it, each time I use the shop press. Not a big deal, but it doesn't seem to offer an advantage other than not having to manually pump the jack. Am I missing something?

Not from my perspective. If it’s too much work to pump a hydraulic jack the work you are doing with the press will probably kill you.