Hydraulic Press

[dfkrug]

Didn't build it, bought it at an auction about 28 years ago for $75. 30 ton jack in a 40 ton frame.

View attachment 460178

I like the innovation of welding a bracket at each end of the table to keep the table from
falling off the pins when changing height. Yeah, it's happened to me. I should add those.....

I bought my 20T from HF 20y ago for about $175, after I considered building one. I did
add a custom bending brake to it. I also bought a 20T jack with air control, on sale, and
that was under $60! I prefer the manual control on the press, however, and I have
maxed it out numerous times.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I bought the Harbor Freight 20 ton press a few months ago and added the HF 20 ton air operated jack. Managed to use coupons on both so have less than $200 in it plus a spare 20 bottle jack for ranch use.

2 ton Air Hydraulic Bottle Jack

I plan to add about 12" of channel to the sides to raise it up to a more comfortable working height and add to base to make it more stable.

 

[Billrog]

Looks like the ones at Princess auto have jumped a bit in price.
Powerfist 2 Ton Hydraulic Shop Press | Princess Auto

On sale their a couple hundred less.

 

[Fallon]

Hard to beat the HF presses for the price. You'd have problems getting the material to make one for what you can get a HF one for at normal price. And if you are paying normal price for anything at HF you are an idiot or in a huge rush. Everything ends up on sale every few months or find a 20% off coupon that grows in the back of any remotely manly magazine.

I'm thinking about changing out my jack for an air powered one & it would be nice to have a winch or something for moving the cross piece like some of the more expensive ones. But I don't use mine enough to justify those upgrades at the moment.

 

[Big Barn]

For those of you thinking of building your own, this is how I lift my bed with the double acting cylinder.





Terry

 

[fried1765]

fried1765 here's a couple
Search results for '2� ton hydraulic jack' | Princess Auto

I understand that both Canadian Tire, and Princess Auto DO sell hydraulic bottle jacks.
That WAS NOT my question.
A hydraulic bottle jack SHOP PRESS utilizes a hand operated hydraulic bottle jack to provide the pressing force, rather than a powered hydraulic cylinder.
My question is: Why does neither of the above sell a 20 TON (40,000 lbs.) hydraulic bottle jack SHOP PRESS? Could it possibly have something to do with CSA?
Inexpensive 20 TON hydraulic bottle jack SHOP PRESSES are available everywhere in the US.
I have had one for nearly 30 years.

 

[bigdeano]

The government thinks you're so stupid that you're going to smash your fingers without government supervision.

 

[Threepoint]

Very happy with my 20-ton HF shop press that I bought with a coupon last year for $150. :thumbsup: Still looking for neat projects to use it for, but I know they'll come along. In the meantime it works great cracking walnuts. Thanks to another TBN member for that suggestion. :laughing:

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What about Busy Bee? (the Canadian version of Harbor Freight, or is it Grizzly??)

SR

 

[crazyal]

Looks like the ones at Princess auto have jumped a bit in price.
Powerfist 2 Ton Hydraulic Shop Press | Princess Auto

On sale their a couple hundred less.

That press is a much nicer one that the bottle jack style that HF sells. I have one that's identical to it from Greg Smith except mine has both manual and air power. Several other brands are sold in the US (like Red Torin) and they all sell for around $400 the last time I looked. That has the movable hydraulic ram. You can slide it from one side to the other to help making lining up the ram on your project. That comes in handy if you are working on something that's not centered. Another nice feature is just the ram moves, not the whole jack and guide plate. This gives you more room to work. Plus the end of the ram is removable. So if you are handy you can make (like I did) inserts that can be swapped out when you need to press something small in diameter. I had a 1/2" extension for a ratchet/ socket that the end broke. With just a little welding I turned it into a 5/8" diameter press pin. It also has a large dial gauge to tell you how much pressure you are exerting. If money is tight I don't think I would spend the extra money but OTOH having more options is always nice.