I recently purchased the Harbor Freight 20 Ton Press and I thought that some of you maybe interested hearing about my experience with it. So have attached the following video I made on it.
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I recently purchased the Harbor Freight 20 Ton Press and I thought that some of you maybe interested hearing about my experience with it. So have attached the following video I made on it.
A hydraulic press is invaluable for those of us who like to play with metal and/or repair equipment. For a press that large I do prefer one with a pressure gauge - it sometimes helpful to see what pressure is applied for consistency and comparison ("hmm... this one took 5-tons to remove but the last three took 2-tons") I like your use of time lapse in the video to speed up the assembly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Reeber
JKJ
Paul, nice press. I have one of the older versions that's orange. Coincidentally, I recently put casters on mine since the shop is getting crowded and I wanted to be able to relocate it. I see your's came with casters but looking at HF's website right now the pictures don't show that. Still, a nice upgrade.
I've made several mods to mine over the years, like a semi-permanent little "T" handle for the valve. A press is one of those pieces of equipment that you don't think you'll use much at first but then find a lot of things you can do with it.
One thing I'd like to warn you about is the arbor plates that come with it. They are poor quality cast iron and can break easily as I can testify from my own experience. Parts and pieces can go flying quickly with 20 tons of pressure. I bought a good set of steel arbor plates for piece of mind and my safety. You'll get sticker shock from a good set of plates but I feel my safety is worth it. And please wear safety glasses when using your press.
My grandson is entertained with things like squishing dimes into pennies. He wasn't nearly as interested in repairing the landscaping rake I use with the tractor or pressing seals into a hydraulic pump. Go figure.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Ziebron