Quote Originally Posted by MuttonHawg View Post
Perhaps a stupid question, but considering how much you've modified this press reinforce it, do you have an estimate for how much more/less it would've cost to just build your own? Plus, then you could design the dimensions (wider, for instance) to whatever you'd need rather than be constrained by the dimensions of the existing press.

Or, posing the question another way: having gone through this process, would you consider building your own, or stick with the reinforcement of an existing HF press?
Not a stupid question at all!

I did do some calculations on getting all the metal and building from scratch. Scratch would be about 30% more than getting a Harbor Freight 20 ton and modifying it. I got a really good deal on the HF press, $149 out the door. My local HF is just a few miles away. The closest metal store is 45 miles away. So I saved on gas. I had scrap metal laying around from other projects and so the cost of all the extra metal was not an issue. I also got a pretty good deal on the air /hydraulic jack on E-bay with a 15% off coupon. That cost me $132 with free shipping.

The design of the HF press is a pretty standard design and it does have some pretty good strength to it. With all the changes, I almost doubled the weight of the press and was able to use up a lot of scrap steel laying around and put it to use. Most of the work on the press was already done. Holes just needed to be widened from .75 to 1. And then just adding metal to the places that need it. I've never really needed anything wider than 22 inches so the HF press works for me. I had a 25 ton press and it sometimes was a bit less than what was needed. The new jack is actually rated at 35.2 tons or 70,400 lbs. .

I guess it comes down to circumstances. I was needing a new press. Harbor Freight had a sale on theirs. I saw the 32 ton jack on E-bay and had a 15% off coupon. I had lots of leftover steel. If any one of those things did not happen, I probably would have just built one from scratch. But then again, I'm pretty happy with what it has become so I think I made the right choice in modifying the 20 ton.