manual hydraulic pipe bender?

[chops76]

anybody got some advice on how well these manual hydraulic pipe benders work out? i am planning on building a complete exterior skeleton, roll cage and bull bar for my 1976 blazer...plan on bending up to 2 1/2" schd. 40 pipe..i am looking at a 16 ton bender with 7 differnt die sizes for under $100.00..what'cha think?thanks

 

[tRustyK5]

I think 2.5" pipe is ridiculous, and those $100 benders are money wasted.

I'd recomend HREW tubing in the 1.75"-2" size and a 'proper' tubing bender. DOM is cool too, but a fair chunk more money.

Rene

 

[Poohbair]

anybody got some advice on how well these manual hydraulic pipe benders work out? i am planning on building a complete exterior skeleton, roll cage and bull bar for my 1976 blazer...plan on bending up to 2 1/2" schd. 40 pipe..i am looking at a 16 ton bender with 7 differnt die sizes for under $100.00..what'cha think?thanks

Wow, that would be a HEAVY cage!!! Go w/ the Tubing that was recommended and spend a few more bucks, but save some weight and make your life a little easier in the long run.

 

[tRustyK5]

This is a proper "Rotary draw" manual tubing bender.

http://vansantent.com/model_3_bender.htm

Rene

 

[gauder]

I got the NE5 model from www.mtechsupply.com

 

[tRustyK5]

It wasn't a specific brand recomendation...more an example. Not that there is anything wrong with the JD2, it's the brand I have and I'm quite happy with it.

Pro-tools 105 is another similar bender.


Rene

 

[cbbr]

Don't waste your $$ on the pipe bender. Ask me how I know.

 

[rdn2blazer]

the best manual tube bender i have seen is the JMR bender. it has a gear reduction drive on it. you can bend tube with a 3/8's retchet with a 3/4 socket on it. saw it at the OFF ROAD EXPO last weekend. a tool could be made out of a 3/8 3in long extension where you cut off the female end, mill three flats on the shank so it wont spin in the chuck of a 1/2 capacity hi torq low rpm drill motor. then you could bend tube with ease. they clain there bender bends 2in .120 wall cromoly and 1 1/2 in .25 wall cromoly with ease. that i AM a tad skepticle of but at the show the guy had a piece of 1 1/2 tube that bent with the ratchet very easy. i have the M-TECH manual bender, it works fine, but i will convert it to hydro when i can afford to. just my .02 cents.

 

[chops76]

thanx for you replies and info

i guess i wasnt as detailed as i should have been.. i was planning on bending up to 2 1/2'' SCHD 40 but it wasnt for the truck, that is just the size of pipe i need to bend for some ornamental side jobs that i do. i will look into these other benders and see what i can come up with..thanks

 

[monster man]

a good manual tube bender can be had for about $400 with die. That's a big chunk of change, with the four dies I have I'm over $1200. BUT, think of the cost of the tubing, you'll spend more on that in a short time frame than on the bender so might as well get a good bender. I would not suggest any of the pipe benders like Harbor Freight or similar, I have used them and seen them used to make some pretty funky rollbars that I would not trust. Kinks, splits, etc. are very common with those, they simply crush the tube (or pipe), rather than draw it through a die

I bought my JD2 from Medford Tool Supply