CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

how would you do this?

colbystephens

1 ton status
GMOTM Winner
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Posts
10,967
Reaction score
125
Location
Oregon
ok, so i have a JD2 tube bender and need to mount it so as to use it. i live in a rental home, so i can't just go putting studs into the concrete of the garage (although I've thought about doing it, then when i move out, cut them flush with the concrete and patch...). i need ideas on how to mount my bender in a decent, workable, non-permanent way. i have three ideas:

1. build some sort of hitch-mount system so it can be installed to the back of a truck. pretty good idea, because then it's portable so i can help people who need tube bent. problem is, i have a blazer with a cage in it, and so i'd have problems with tubing getting hung up on my cage. i can think of one way to do this that would work, but i'd be limited to a maximum of about 90 degree bends, unless i bent to 90 degrees and then rotated the whole bender so as to be able to keep bending.

2. build a concrete rolling platform. this would have studs in it so the bender would be removable so as to store the base under my truck. pretty sucky idea because it would be big and heavy and cumbersome and probably expensive to build.

3. go dig a hole on one of the many open lots in the subdivision that have yet to be built on, pour some concrete into it, let it set up and then sink some studs into that lump of concrete in the ground. this seems like the easiest, most inexpensive way of doing this. downside is that i'd have to carry the tubing over to the empty lot and then do the bends, then carry it back, etc. not to mention, it would be a pain to be in the middle of a project and have someone go and build a house on top of my bender base! :haha:

ideas?
 
I like the idea of putting studs in your garage and cutting them flush when you leave :D
 
how difficult is it to patch concrete and match the floor color?
 
is the floor ultra nice and new? or is it just plain old concrete? you could probably just cut out a little square in the concrete when you move and get a bag of conrete from home depot and patch it that way. not sure though how that would look at the end?
 
it's a 3 year old house, so the concrete looks pretty good - minus the typical oil stain. i'm not comfortable cutting a square out, particularly since i don't know how deep it goes.
 
how about mounting the bender on a stand w/ a flange on the bottom. then you can drill holes into the floor and mount lag bolts anchored into the floor.

something like these drop in anchors
http://www.concretefasteners.com/anchors-fasteners/index.aspx?gclid=CIujuoHXspcCFQEoGgodmkvCjw

i know fastenal carries them too.

when you're not using the bender, you can unscrew the stand. you can either leave the bolts in to keep debris out or leave the bolts out for it to be flush.
 
how about mounting the bender on a stand w/ a flange on the bottom. then you can drill holes into the floor and mount lag bolts anchored into the floor.

something like these drop in anchors
http://www.concretefasteners.com/anchors-fasteners/index.aspx?gclid=CIujuoHXspcCFQEoGgodmkvCjw

i know fastenal carries them too.

when you're not using the bender, you can unscrew the stand. you can either leave the bolts in to keep debris out or leave the bolts out for it to be flush.
that's effectively what i've done. in my previous house, i had a concrete slab outside the garage that i could mount it to and remove it. however, i can't lay concrete at the new house and i don't want to put holes in the floor here.
 
It wont cost too much, and you could mount it to a stand with locking castors.....like a tranny jack stand.
 
that's pretty slick, but i bet i could build that same thing for loads less than $88. i'm surprised that the ram costs $99. yowza. i'm going to have to shop around for the ram....
 
i shouldn't require an 8 ton ram. I weigh only 200lbs, and i had a 5 foot extension when i bent my cage manually. A REALLY generous guess is that I was putting 400lbs forward push on that bar (there's no way i can really push that much), which means that an absolute MAXIMUM amount of force I put into bending the cage was 2000lbs (one ton). Thus, the cheaper 3 ton ram should work out perfect for me.

i am fine with pumping it by hand, so this one should work real nice:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36396

this one also has a 2" longer stroke than the one he recommends for his set up. i bet i could build this sucker for less than $60. guess i know what my january project will be! :D
 
The hydro is the way to go unless money is the issue. I just bolted mine to the floor using 1/2 inch lags with led lag sinkers driven below the floor a little. When I moved, i filled the holes with pour stone. Lets face it, only the guys on here look at a garage floor when they walk in.
 
Use an HF coupon and get the 8ton ram (should be around $60), buy some casters (or get em free like I did), use some scrap steel and even make the copperhead brackets yourself (they're not complicated) to save $$$... permanent solution-

benderstand003.jpg

tube001.jpg
 

Latest Posts

Top Bottom