Non Laverda - hydraulic shop press size?

Paul LeClair

Paul LeClair

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Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hi all

I am having to deal with a broken rear passenger side drive axle on the 72 Triumph Spitfire for the third time now.......... :'(

this time around I need to press a big bolt out of a suspension bracket and trunnion, as well as press a hub off a tapered and keyed shaft, then on again.

The labour price quote I just got from the local sports car specialist is more than the cost of a basic 12 ton hydraulic shop press, which I would have other uses for later.

So, 6 ton, 10 ton, and 12 ton are all quite inexpensive for the cheap Chinese made brands, then there is a fairly stiff price jump to 20 ton, then a huge price jump again to 30 ton and up. This will be occasional home garage use, but I don't want to hurt myself with cheap tools either.

so, how big a hydraulic shop press do I realistically need to press out large frozen bolts, shafts, bearing's, hub's etc.? Is 12 ton enough? I have no idea.

Paul LeClair
 
Paul,

My 15-ton press has given good service for quite some time.  Picked it up secondhand as I couldn't afford a new one at the time, and the chinese workshop tool flood had not yet begun...

Enough for general work, now and then a crankshaft will show up its' limitations, but so far nothing a decent whack on the table with a 2kg hammer when the workpiece is under pressure hasn't been able to loosen.

Just as important as max. pressure is the size of the table, ie inside dimensions, make sure it suits your needs.  If you can find one with a foot-operated pump that suits you, go for it.  Frees up an often-needed extra hand!

piet
 
I do alot with a small 10T I picked up for the right price as the press deck was not square ( I knew I could fix it myself easy) size is good but I did not consider Lav whells size whoch will not go between press struts. So while all else is good wheels are still hammer and drift.

I dont like the one that have a hydrolic jack at top for ram that I used  as it moved so very hard to be accurate.

Jugs
 
Rather than buying a press, buy an Alfa!

IF you MUST persist then generally speaking it's best to over size than undersize.  I have an Enerpac 25T press I picked up from an aussie auction site, it is quite overdimensioned for it's rated capacity.  I have so far not used it for anything that required much more than 10T, but at 10T it was rock solid with no flex.  Flex is your worst enemy in a press, it makes things increasingly more unpredictable in the way they move, and it stores energy that can release itself in very dangerous ways.  Presses look pretty innocuous, but can actually be a very dangerous bit of gear that demans as much respect as something like a large lathe or mill.  A 30T rated press will operate very differently at 10T than a 10T rated press!  I would also allow for the fact that chinese tons might not be the same as tons from elsewhere. :) 

If you budget will allow (and factor into it the cost of being hit in the face by a piece of ejected steel doing 500kmh), try to up-spec beyond the ones which use a bottle jack and two springs to retract it.  I know a guy who was lucky to avoid a major injury when one of those let go in front of his face.

For tool purchases remember: The Bitterness of Poor Quality remains Long after the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten.
Once you've got a press in your workshop you'll be amazed how you got by without one.  A very useful jigger.

Cheers
SteveB
 
There was an interesting sign on a press at a foundry I worked at once.Its said 4500 tons.Impressive gadget
 
I have a USA made 55 Ton press and it is great, second best piece of kit I have bought
go for the 20 ton option, you will not regret it

as the rest have said, not keen on the modified hydraulic jack version
 
Mine, ex Todd, is redlined at 60 tons. Ancient old thing, the press not Phil.... I would be lost without it, useful for a thousand different jobs not just cranks. So far nothing has been able to resist its charms  :D


    Keith
 
If you need to push longer things through then this 20 ton type is handy:
020414055.jpg

Nearly ?500 at Machinemart (including 20%VAT), so might be Chinese.

Enerpac is an excellent manufacturer, but not cheap at all - no, no!

I have learnt to put something soft underneath (not my feet  :D) so the shaft doesn't get ruined hitting the deck, or of course catch it.
It is sometimes difficult to predict when something is due to go through the final release.

I keep the baseplate as high as possible to limit sideways flex - this increases efficiency and limits the possibility of any loose drift/shaft used to push through turning into a ballistic missile.
 
Paul, I wold think in Calgary a general machine shop could do this for a lot less than the price of proper press or maybe a specialized sport car shop.  I have one of the cheap Princess Auto presses with the jack on top for small jobs like changing shock springs etc. As the others have said it is not very accurate as the jack part that does the pressing moves around and you need to center it for small parts like studs. Once it starts pressing then it stays in place. Biggest issue is the total height is limited, it just fits a shock. On the other hand the press sits unused for months and months on end. Luckily I have access to some friends who have real presses when needed. I know I pressed a piece off an Alpha sports car drive shaft on a big proper press and it took a lot of pressure to break free.     
 
Some good practical info in this thread.

Here's some possibly less useful info:  Not all tons are equal.

USA ton = 2000 lbs (907 kg)
UK ton = 2240 lbs (1016 kg)
Metric ton = 2205 lbs (1000 kg)

Seems most of the Chinese presses are rated in American tons, so a "20 ton" press is actually only 18 pommy tons. Not that the 10% difference is going to mean much when you're pushing out a seized shaft, but it could be a relevant factor when you're shopping around and comparing the specifications of presses from different manufacturers.
 
I have used the "costs the same to buy the gear as get the job done" argument many times. Consequently have plenty of gear that sees very little use, sometimes just the job it was bought for. I suppose I could sell stuff, but you never know you may just need it again some time in the future  ::)
 
I have a friend who seems to have more money than he knows what to do with, and poor budgeting skills. So he'll buy a tool that he might need for a particular job, with no thought for its cost, and maybe only ever use it once in his life. Not that I'm criticising his purchasing decisions - I'm just jealous! I'd probably do exactly the same thing if I had his financial resources.

He has some some really cool stuff lying around that has hardly been used, like a thermal imaging camera, every sticky product Loctite ever made, possibly a M23 x 1.5 left hand thread tap (I haven't asked), and 37 espresso machines in a quest for the perfect cup of coffee. He's a generous bloke and handy to borrow stuff from. His nickname is, not surprisingly, Mr Gadget. We are privileged to have such a nutcase in our local motorcycling community, and I use the term "nutcase" with great affection  :D

 
well, I got the hubs off the used Spitfire axle shafts using the totally non approved method of a monster three jawed puller, a LOT of heat, torqueing the puller as tight as possible with an air impact running 150 psi, then beating on the puller with a sledgehammer until the hubs let go with a BANG and shot across the garage ......

still have not gotten the offending cross bolls out of the suspension arms, so a press is still on the radar, but as much as I hate to admit it I am running out of room for more big tools that take up a lot of space, bloody hell...... If I do go for a press I think I will shop for the type that does NOT have a bottle jack, and as powerful and well built as I can justify.

Lots of great info in this thread, thanks all!

Paul LeClair
 
I don't know about Canada, but here in California on Craigslist there are many used hydraulic presses for sale. Most of much better quality and lower prices than new Chinese presses.

Bruce
 
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