Hydraulic press

[alaric]

Hi all. I want a hydraulic press for my garage. I'm not sure what tonnage to go for. I plan to use it for bearings on the +2. Any thoughts on 4 tonne, 10 tonne, 20 tonne?

Thanks.

Sean.

[rgh0]

My press has a 12 tonne capacity and has done everything needed on my Lotus as well as my Landcruiser. A 10 tonne capacity should do you but then again in Australia we dont have as many problems with things corroding into place. I would perhaps buy the biggest unit that fits into the room you have available to put it as the incremental cost for a larger one is small and you never know when you may need the load and space capacity of the larger units

cheers
Rohan

[SENC]

I agree with Rohan about buying the biggest that fits in your space and budget. I have a 20t and can say it is built considerably better and flexes less and is more stable than a friend's 10t from the same mfr - but it does take up a little more space. Stability and minimizing movement is important for safety, with the force being generated by either a 10t or 20t.

[h20hamelan]

I have been happy with my 10t, smaller, the shelf I constructed puts it at 7’. The shelf has a cutout for longer shafts etc. But it frees up floor space for the rolling welding cabinet.

[RichardHawkins]

My press is 20 tons, and has done everything I have needed, but did strain somewhat whilst helping a friend with his plus 2. Sorry to say I can’t remember just what we were doing.

Hope this helps,

Richard Hawkins

[661]

I have 12t ebay, no name, press.
I think 12t of quality will do anything. The problem is at £185 , 5 years ago, you get what you pay for and 20t would probably give you a better margin for dodgy components. The joins have leaked a bit under higher pressures. So far I've been able to tighten them up adequately.
Other stuff from SGS I have is pretty good and I'd perhaps point you to something like this
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/shhp12- ... ulic-press

[Andy8421]

I recently purchased an engine stand from SGS that unfortunately was very poor quality. I have had stuff from them in the past that has been good, so perhaps I was just unlucky.

[USA64]

Question: Isn't the press itself only half the necessary parts? Aren't there pieces between the press and the part which differ with every job?

[alaric]

Thanks for the advice Rohan and everyone else. I am currently looking at a 12T Clarke press, with a set of adapters. I haven't ordered it just yet, as it comes to £450, but at least I know it will be a well built device. I'll then set about bending and pressing anything I can lay my hands on haha.

All the best.

Sean.

[SENC]

£450 sounds high, but maybe these things are cheaper over here. One advantage beyond rating to a bigger press is the ability to press bigger pieces. I'm not sure I would have been able to press bearings off/on the gearbox shaft, for example, with a smaller 10t. Bottom line, check the length capacity on whatever you're looking at and confirm it will work for the longest item you may want to work on.

Here is a picture of my 20t. It is a bottle jack design, which I like because the bottle jack can be easily replaced.

Take care that under the extreme pressure these things generate that slippage can result in heavy parts flying at high speeds, and come up with some form of protection. I hung some heavy woven steel fireplace curtain in front and back. It won't stop a 20 pound object ejected under force, but my hope is the added mass might slow an errant part down enough to prevent major injury.

You'll want and need some other tools along with it - most helpful is a bearing press set with a variety of diameters, as below. I can usually find a piece of pipe or pipe fitting to use as the larger "receiving" bit. Last, realize some press designs make working on certain parts difficult, if not impossible. The design of mine, for example, doesn't work for pressing bushes out of the rear wishbones without risking damage to the wishbones, but fortunately there are simpler ways to do that. If you have access to a mill and lathe you can, obviously, make things to custom fit.

Good luck!

[alaric]

Thanks Henry. I haven't committed yet - prices in the UK do seem high - I just paid £1.87 per litre for petrol - or about 10 USD per gallon if you prefer, so we're pretty much screwed over here. I am looking for a full height version as I have the room for it. There's an economy version and other makes that are cheaper - but the 12T seems to be the one for me.

Regards.

Sean.