So I got my pretty new bender in (Pro-Tools 105 - thanks FJ Junkie) and put it together today. I'm trying to figure out where to mount the thing and am not crazy about having to mount it anywhere. So I looked up the hydro conversion kits. They're too proud of their work for my budget. I searched on the board (like the good web wheeler that I am) and saw a pretty good writeup of what the guys did to make their own. Nice, but still a bit too pricey for me. So right when I was about to give up, I looked over and saw my cherry picker... It's a 2 ton ram with 1.5" bore (that's the size of the rod, I don't know if that's what you judge it by) and a 17" stroke.

Now, I don't use my cherry picker often (knock on wood) and it fully removable and looks like it would lend itself niceley to the bender.

The ram has a hole bored in it one one side which will fit up great for the bender and the other side has a tube so you can slide a bolt through it as well. So what do you guys think? Won't be as fast with the hand pump, but should be better than doing it manually right? Could I convert it to a powered hydraulic unit down the road when I am able to get some more funds up?

Oh and for the people that are going to jump up and say just buy the kit, :flipoff2: I've spent 2k in tools in the past 6 weeks and if I spend any more my wife will cut my balls off.

Thanks!

-Jack

If it's like one of those orange 8 ton units from Harbor Freight, yes it will work. I've got one and another guy I've talked to has one also.

i don't know if this is the write up you saw,but its some good info.parts list too.http://www.mindspring.com/~jayk3/bender/

Yeah it's been done - you will have to pump like 300 times to make a 30 degree bend, but it will work - I had mine setup like this until I ran accross all the parts for the hydro conversion. Now it's full hydro and I was able to put it together for less than $100. Here's a pic I found on this site- don't know who's it is

Larry, yeah, that was the write-up I saw.

OCNORB, nice looking setup. Can you tell me how you did it for $100?

-Jack

This is why a person should be on the PB. A group of us got a bender and now for less than $100.00 I can go hydro. Sweet! Is it air driven? Thanks!!!

I built myself a copy of the pro-tools bender and originally I used the hi-lift jack to work it. Then I converted it to use my pickers ram and it works but you have to pump all day to bend anything and the ram doesn't work on it's side. I think that a one way air over oil setup is the way to go. Very cheap works very good.

I just checked and my ram doesn't seem to work on its side either. You think that by putting some hydro fluid in there it will work?

-Jack

Yes, I believe that you can over fill it...lay it on it's side and top it off with hydralic jack fluid. But, if you ever use it in the upright position you will blow the o-rings.

Nothern Tool sells a replacement ram (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&TEST=Y&productId=19400&categoryId=0) for 70 bucks so I'll pick that up and use it as dedicated piece for the bender.

I just checked and my ram doesn't seem to work on its side either.

Here's what I did to get mine to work..
On it's side, extend it all the way out, then fill with fluid.

Then the way I have it attached, it's angled just a hair so it'll go. Unfortunately, I mounted the ram straight inline with the bender arm and for some strange reason, the ram would just push the whole unit, so I have to remount the bender at an angle.

But yes, your ram will work.

Originally posted by OCNORB
Yeah it's been done - you will have to pump like 300 times to make a 30 degree bend, but it will work - I had mine setup like this until I ran accross all the parts for the hydro conversion. Now it's full hydro and I was able to put it together for less than $100. Here's a pic I found on this site- don't know who's it is

mine is almost identical to that (might have been the inspiration of that one) and it works great, I'd do that, the ram is air / hydro, and only $85 from harbor freight.

Originally posted by foley


mine is almost identical to that (might have been the inspiration of that one) and it works great, I'd do that, the ram is air / hydro, and only $85 from harbor freight.

This one? I was hoping to get away from having to pump the jack but for $80+ I can live with it. But how many pumps for a 90*? I don't know much about hydraulics but I really need to do a hydro conversion on my JD2 somehow. I'm getting ready to cage the runner and it ass busting work with .120 1.75 DOM.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/43200-43299/43227.gif

Going hydro would be nice, but I'd much rather pull on an 8 foot handle a couple of times than swing a jack handle a hundred times. Sure the jack handle will be easier to move but what a pain. I've already built a couple of cages and it's really not that bad.

Originally posted by yarddog


This one? I was hoping to get away from having to pump the jack but for $80+ I can live with it. But how many pumps for a 90*? I don't know much about hydraulics but I really need to do a hydro conversion on my JD2 somehow. I'm getting ready to cage the runner and it ass busting work with .120 1.75 DOM.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/43200-43299/43227.gif

the picture is decieving. It works on air power or with a jack handle. Except when you lay it on its side the jack handle doesn't work any more, gotta do it with the air pump (damn). You will have to overfill the reservoir to make it work on its side.

any other solutions for using cheap powered hydro? Air over hydro is too loud, so that won't fly. What about using a power steering pump and an electric motor?

-Jack

Originally posted by foley


the picture is decieving. It works on air power or with a jack handle. Except when you lay it on its side the jack handle doesn't work any more, gotta do it with the air pump (damn). You will have to overfill the reservoir to make it work on its side.

What's wrong with using the air pump on it? You'd rather pull the handle a 100 times? What controlls the on/off? Is there a switch on it somewhere? I agree that swinging a big cheater isn't that bad, but hydro would be soooo nice. I dont' care if it's loud. I'm used to my oil less compresser and it can't be any louder than that.

I have a shitty oilless compressor that is super loud which means no late night bending.

-Jack

Originally posted by yarddog


What's wrong with using the air pump on it? You'd rather pull the handle a 100 times? What controlls the on/off? Is there a switch on it somewhere? I agree that swinging a big cheater isn't that bad, but hydro would be soooo nice. I dont' care if it's loud. I'm used to my oil less compresser and it can't be any louder than that.

You missed my sarcasm.

It has a button on the air line you can use to control the bend motion VERY precisely. The air ram itself makes practically no noise, so it would be governed by your air compressor.

Originally posted by foley

It has a button on the air line you can use to control the bend motion VERY precisely. The air ram itself makes practically no noise, so it would be governed by your air compressor.

How fast is the Air Ram and how powerfull?

What PSI are we looking at, My oiled belt driven compressor has 10.3 @90PSI, Im guessing that will do the trick.

Why whould anyone do the expensive hydro set up over the air ram? Yes Hydro is more power.. is it the speed..

thanks guys,

Originally posted by ashmanjeepXJ


How fast is the Air Ram and how powerfull?

What PSI are we looking at, My oiled belt driven compressor has 10.3 @90PSI, Im guessing that will do the trick.

Why whould anyone do the expensive hydro set up over the air ram? Yes Hydro is more power.. is it the speed..

thanks guys,

I run mine off a 33gal 5.5 HP compressor from Sears / Craftsman, it runs out the ram in about 45 seconds on 1.5 x.120 wall DOM, and gets about 80 - 85 Degrees of bend.

Originally posted by ashmanjeepXJ

Why whould anyone do the expensive hydro set up over the air ram? Yes Hydro is more power.. is it the speed..


I've searched hi/lo for other air/hydro rams like that one and besides some VERY costly units ($300-400) with about the same specs as the HF model can find no other ones with more stroke than the HF model which most would count as a negative since it can't even do 90 deg without repinning the die. For the cost comparison compared to a full hydro setup I've got time to repin the die myself ;)

- jack

Originally posted by morpheus


I've searched hi/lo for other air/hydro rams like that one and besides some VERY costly units ($300-400) with about the same specs as the HF model can find no other ones with more stroke than the HF model which most would count as a negative since it can't even do 90 deg without repinning the die. For the cost comparison compared to a full hydro setup I've got time to repin the die myself ;)

- jack

Why are people so hung up on 90 deg without a repin?

Other than CJ hoops, how often do you bend 90? Seems like I am generally in the 75 and under range, or 120 and over for shock hoops and such. In most vehicles you cage, the only 90 degree bends will be in the halo, the rest will be variable, depending on configuration of the vehicle.

The HF ram gets you out to 85 degrees, and if I had had more dies available I could have gotten more. The reason I didn't was I only had one die, and I left myself some slack in the ram, in case there was variability in the dies that would require them to load the ram earlier in its stroke.

Originally posted by foley

I run mine off a 33gal 5.5 HP compressor from Sears / Craftsman, it runs out the ram in about 45 seconds on 1.5 x.120 wall DOM, and gets about 80 - 85 Degrees of bend.

Ok, so the shorter stroke requireing re-pin is the main cost-performance trade off.

So on the hydro setup how fast could it do the same 80-85degree bend?

Re-pin, DONT MIND IF I DO!

45 seconds sounds easy enough.

Originally posted by ashmanjeepXJ


Ok, so the shorter stroke requireing re-pin is the main cost-performance trade off.

So on the hydro setup how fast could it do the same 80-85degree bend?

Re-pin, DONT MIND IF I DO!

45 seconds sounds easy enough.

I've never used one with a production hydro kit.

I used a friends with a hydro kit he had made, which incorporated a 10Hp or so Hydro pump, and it was probly twice as fast as mine is.

This is great, hydro for $89 bucks. It's slow but who the hell cares? :D Anyone see a reason why I couldn't mount the ram like this? Just weld a peice of 1/2" stock on the ram housing and either find an adapter like the one in pick has or drill the end of the ram for the pin.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=945066

that pic is horrible. I don't know if it's just my machine here at work or if it posted that ugly. Just in case here's a link to the thread with the pic. Sroll about 2/3rds down.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=89286&perpage=25&pagenumber=1