The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Hydraulic Press

Ok, so I love the BFH, grampa's anvil, and the brass bar and hardwood blocks. Looking at buying a hydraulic shop press for bearings, wheel studs, a ball studs, other thing around my 46 rebuild. Thoughts?
Cavebull

It's one of those tools you may use once a year or less, but when you need it, nothing else will do.

You can hire a bunch of bearings pressed for the price you'll pay to buy a press.

I've got a 12 tonne and it is great for the smaller stuff.I'd probably get a 20 tonne if I had to do it again.

Hey Cletis, any excuse for buying a new tool is a good one. You should know that.

I agree.

A lot depends on how much you want to say that you did your self.
I've got two, a twenty ton 6' high press I made with 4"x 7lb. channel iron that I can and have done axles in, pressed centers out of wheel rims, straightened tie rods, used it to form parts into a die, pressed apart the main shaft of my SM420 last month, in fact I use it a lot because I like to have as much control over my restoration as I can, (I'm a control freak you know!).
My dad made a small bench top press from 3"x 5# channel and he used a 2ton jack mounted inverted with a hole drilled in the base so he could mount a reservoir on top. I've been using it once or twice a month for 25years and he used it a couple few decades before me. I've used it to press wheel hubs, I do a lot of cutting of leather, cork, rubber and gasket materials with it. I just finished making some special 3/16" 'D' shaped washers for radio knobs using a punch and die I made up. using leather punches I've made cork washers for the spring shackles, leather washers for the AD window regulators and lot's of those felt seals for the floorboard feed-thru.
So you see, it all depends on how much you are planning on doing your self or jobbing out.

DG

I bought this 12 ton press about 6 years ago and it has paid for itself. I wish I had bought it when I was restoring the Suburban.

Bought a 20 ton press from Harbor Freight. The clerk discounted it and gave me the warranty as I have heard done with others.
It took me maybe 20 minutes to put it together and immediatly pressed out 24 wheel studs and pressed 24 new ones in!
Ball studs tommorrow! Plug: put the late model steering mod parts up for sale on the other form.
Cavebull

Thumbs up to ya Brett, I'd much rather see ya pressing those studs in and out than beating them in with a that BFH.
I've always felt that if ya give a guy a tool he'll find a use for it and if you plan on doing quality restoration work you will find a lot of use for it.
DG

A hydraulic shop press (12 or 20 ton) removes rear wheel studs real nicely when the axle is off the truck; however, this lighter weight ball joint removal tool easily removes rear wheel studs from axles that are still on the truck (often on sale at up to 50% off).

Also great for shackle and spring bushings, u-joints, and countless other task.

Grigg

Yeah buddy, today I pressed in new clutch and brake pedal bushings and pressed out one ball stud for the passenger side steering arm. I am on fire! the other ball studs tommorrow and maybe pressing replacments back in, providing I get them lapped in. If not it is tortillas! Nice tool so far.
Cavebull

I would say put your $$$ elsewhere (like in the truck) unless you know that you will use this 20 times or more. Use a local machine shop, the guy that did the work on my block pressed the few things I have needed for nothing. Otherwise, they make a great coat rack or conversation piece. Just a lot to pay for a good one that will take up space in your shop.

Hey there Hank, it might take up space in your "garage", but if you have a "shop" that indicates to me that you're doing more than just assembling the work that others have done.
Anyone that does any substantial amount of restoration and or fabrication work is gonna find a lot of uses for a press. Even a small bench press comes in handy. Heck, just look at the list of thing Brett found for his and he's only had it a week.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Reasons a-plenty... I have told you of all the things I have done with the press in less than a week, but sometimes it's not what you say, it's what you don't.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dodsonbrett/6209133840/in/photostream

Cavebull

I bought a engine hoist but I could have used three logs, some rope and a come-along. It works and sometimes makes for an entertaining event.

We have very few machine shops up here that would do it for walk ins, and none I suspect for free. In fact after I let a buddy come over one Friday night in a emergency to press some bearings on his Audi axle, I was not surprised to see the same press in his garage the next time I visited.

If you have a friend in a machine shop, congratulations. The machine shops in this area are in business and have to charge a reasonable fee for services.

My 12-ton hydraulic press takes up only a little more floor space than my grinder/buffer on a pedestal-stand (or, my bench drill press) and all are rarely used and all have paid for themselves. Nonetheless, I am lucky to have a multi-bay home-garage and still every empty space is filled. If you do not have space for floor tools, you have to carefully consider how often you might make use of a tool that takes up floor/bench space.

Hey Denny, no bench builder here, check my website and you will see the 51 I am working on. Yup, I do 95% of the work, not assembling and taking credit for others labor or craftsmanship. This is one of several restorations over the years...just never found a press to be that valuable and necessary in my "shop". If it is more than a coat rack for you, then more power to ya! Seems my comments ruffled some of you guys feathers. Wow!

O.K. guys, ya made me look. Found a real purty coat rack i like, ooopps, sorry, err shop press:

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/30-Ton-Hydraulic-Shop-Press-p/iit36950.htm

Denny and Tim, looks large enough for you to hang your coats on there with mine Prolly room for you too Maple, i'll save ya a spot.

Have fun fellas!

No ruffled feathers around this shop Hank, just a counter point of view and it simply
depends on how you want to approach a restoration.
You might not see a need for a lathe or mill in your shop either, I on the other hand find
myself standing in front of mine making parts or fixtures several times a week, wouldn't
be with out either of them or the presses. I guess I'm luck cuz I've had access to these
sorts of tools since I was a kid, which was a loooong time ago. If I wasn't using the tools
or machines at home in dads basement shop then I was using the ones where I worked
over lunch break or after work.
Most of what I make I try to make indistinguishable from a factory made part and that's
because it was machined in a mill or lathe or formed or assembled in a press rather than
made with a hand drill, file and BFH over the edge of the bench.
Again, there are a hundred ways to approach a task and get 'er done. But I certainly
wouldn't discourage anyone from adding tools to their shop that will result in a
professional quality job if they’re willing and able to invest in them.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

That will be my retirement purchase..a lathe or a mill..I've got a few buddies who are machinists who are willing teach me. I'd love to make my own parts, etc.. The old man was a good backyard fabricator, I'd have loved to see what he could have made with some training - sorta like those Cuban backyard mechanics who are adapting Russian tractor ball joints to early 50's chevy front ends with a file and not much else..

BTW a 30 tonne press is a great item for pressing the meat out of lobster claws LOL. No ruffled feathers here either.

Point taken Denny. I have some of you craftsmanship in that thriftmaster stencil you made for me. I would agree Maple, lobster sounds good to me. Glad you guys are cool. I wish i could afford a lathe......not enough cash in these economic times.

Gotta say I am flat going wild with the press.
I was having touble getting the new ball studds in the rebuilt tie rod and drag link assemblies. Went to the drill press and inverted a bit to push the cup down and compress the spring. the bit would center in the cup so the ball stud would not insert far enough. Looked at the press. Greased the ball, put it into position, and applied pressure. It slid right in place.
Was sitting in the truck checking pedal positions and new steering wheel height. Noticed the shifter was a bit further back than to my liking. Popped it out put it in the press and straightened her out a bit...
Nice tool
Cavebull