Convert Harbor Freight 20 ton press to 32 ton

[Steve]

Not much HF left in there.

Reminds me of something another mechanic used to say about some cars. "You just need to jack up the radiator cap and install a new car under it."

Ha! That is pretty much true. The only thing left is the side rails, the top and some of the bottom.

I've probably got a little over $500 in this 35 ton but to get one like it new would cost quite a bit more than that. I know Harbor Freight has a 50 ton for $699 but it is pretty big and it looks like it is begging to be modified!

[everlastsupport]

Not much HF left in there.

Reminds me of something another mechanic used to say about some cars. "You just need to jack up the radiator cap and install a new car under it."

I heard it as jack up the wipers when I heard it from an old mechanic.

Looks like his press will hold up. It takes 2-3 people to move mine. Wheel might be in order.

[DVA]

Not much HF left in there.

Reminds me of something another mechanic used to say about some cars. "You just need to jack up the radiator cap and install a new car under it."

That is a good one. I may need to borrow that line from time to time.

[ShaneJackson]

Not much HF left in there.

Reminds me of something another mechanic used to say about some cars. "You just need to jack up the radiator cap and install a new car under it."

LOL that is too funny. I agree it does not look like a HF press at all now. I have one sitting in the corner... I may have to upgrade it.....

[Steve]

It's been a little while since I modded my Harbor Freight 20 ton and made it into a 35 ton press. I can report that the mods have made this press a very useful tool that I have used quite a bit lately. I would recommend to anyone that even if you don't reinforce your Harbor Freight press, at least get the air over hydraulic bottle jack for it. They have some pretty good deals on 20 ton air hydraulic bottle jacks on E-bay. My old press was hand pumped and I hated using it as it took so long and took a lot of effort to make it work. The air bottle jack makes it a really nice tool to use. I also recommend putting some wheels on it. Moving it around is now so much nicer now that it has wheels.

I've been bending a lot of 10 inch wide half inch thick plate with it and I highly recommend heating any metal past 3/8 inch thick. I bent the Swag Off Road brake while bending half inch. The base of the brake got squashed and the whole brake bottom bent. The hydraulic press did not even notice! It was fairly easy to fix with the new 35 ton press and I also reinforced the Swag Off Road Brake with a thick piece of angle on the base, effectively doubling the thickness and preventing any more bending. But I have noticed stress cracking on metal I am bending that is thicker than 3/8 inch. So I heat it up with the torch and then bend and that solved the stress cracking. Plus it is less stress on the press and brake. I just have to remember not to grab the metal!

Overall I would say that if you have the need for a great press, the Harbor Freight 20 ton press with modifications is the way to go. Their 50 ton press is almost $600 and has some issues that make it too big for a lot of folks. The 20 ton with the 35 ton mods makes it a press that fits in the same space as the 20 ton while giving 99.9% of the performance of a larger tonnage press. Plus it is a whole lot of fun modifying it and then testing on bowling balls and golf balls.

[everlastsupport]

What bent on the brake, the die? How thick is the die and punch on the SWAG. We made ours, was a lot of grinding though, but does 1/2". We have a homemade 20 ton and commercial 50 ton (with 20 ton bottle jack).

How do you like the henrob and what do you use it most on.

[Steve]

What bent on the brake, the die? How thick is the die and punch on the SWAG. We made ours, was a lot of grinding though, but does 1/2". We have a homemade 20 ton and commercial 50 ton (with 20 ton bottle jack).

How do you like the henrob and what do you use it most on.

The part that bent was the angle iron at the bottom. When that bent, the base of the Swag Off Road press brake also bent. The weld held but the bottom of the brake and the angle iron bent. There was a big noise and the piece of metal I was bending broke apart. The metal was part of a flat truck spring that I was using to make a 1/2 inch thick bracket for a truck part.

I love the Henrob / Cobra 2000. I use it a lot for welding really fine parts and for heating metal. It also is fantastic for auto body work and for sheet and stainless steel. I've even used it for welding aluminum (with flux of course). It welds aluminum very well and when they say weld like a tig, they were right. It is perfect for welding cast aluminum transmission cases and small engines because it does not have to be perfectly clean like tig in order to weld it. I also have used it on truck aluminum fuel tanks. I found that cleaning the tanks for tig took too long. With just a little clean up, the Henrob handled patching fuel tanks easily. It is a great cast iron welding tool too. The only thing it won't weld is titanium, which I doubt I'll ever have to weld anyways.

[Steve]

Here is a YouTube video of the press in action. I really love this press now where before it was just OK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhAnkQD0HOo

[redbeard]

Wish I had seen this thread before I "upgraded" to a 20T jack. The air-over looks pretty damn sweet, even if it doesn't break any speed records.

[everlastsupport]

If not doing just 90's speed it cool. I like slow in case something wants to give or needing to get something over 90. I still pump mine, but that would be a cool addition if I used it enough or just had extra cash.

[zoama]

Wish I had seen this thread before I "upgraded" to a 20T jack. The air-over looks pretty damn sweet, even if it doesn't break any speed records.

You can get this 20 ton air hydaulic jack for about $60 when it's on sale + a coupon. http://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-...ack-95553.html

[Steve]

Wish I had seen this thread before I "upgraded" to a 20T jack. The air-over looks pretty damn sweet, even if it doesn't break any speed records.

I like the slowness of the air / hydraulic jack as it allows for possible problems to be addressed before they get out of hand. Now that it is air / hydraulic, I also do not dread having to pump it up to use it. I want to use it!

The 20 ton jack from Harbor Freight is a great little jack and if you get it for the right price, a really great deal. I went with the 36 ton jack because I wanted to be able to bend 1/2 thick x 12inch wide steel and the 20 ton was struggling with bending half inch. I do heat up larger 1/2 inch thick pieces to allow for smoother bending when going over 8 inches wide. I probably would have to go with a 100- ton press to bend the thicker wider metal without heating.

This press with modifications has exceeded all my expectations and has made my metal working life much easier. Weld a part crooked? Just put it in the press and bend it straight. Need to make a heavy duty bracket? No problem at all. I also have been pressing holes in half inch steel with a press die. The 20 ton jack won't punch holes like the 36 ton jack can. The 36 ton does punch pretty good but it is slow. Way faster than a drill though!

I am finding so many uses for this press that I am now wondering how I ever did without it.

[zoama]

What's the 20 ton's limit punching holes ?

[Steve]

What's the 20 ton's limit punching holes ?

Not sure but it was having a hard time punching holes in a 1/4 inch plate. It would work, but was getting to the point where the jack would almost stall.

I have to say that I would not have been able to do any of this without my Everlast equipment. The power plasma 50 and powertig 250EX has been great. I use them every day and so far have been problem free. They have more than paid for themselves and have made my metal working so much easier and a whole lot of fun. This press is just icing on the cake and helps in my fabrication abilities. If it were not for Everlast, I would not have any need for a hydraulic press!

[zoama]

Ever thought about putting a winch on it to move the bed up and down ?

[Steve]

Ever thought about putting a winch on it to move the bed up and down ?

Not necessary at least for me. I am strong enough to move it even though the bed weighs in at around 85 lbs. I do the pin walk.....you know......lift one side up and move the pin up or down one level. Then move the other side. I can and sometimes do remove the bed for other uses of the press and even at 85 lbs, I can lift it fairly easily.

[everlastsupport]

I do the same, I walk it if working alone, otherwise, tell someone to grab the other side. Mine's outside, old and rusty but gets the job done. When I bought it, it was outside at a electric motor repair shop. A monster compared to the first one we built. Air over would be cool if I used it more.

Steve, do you use the Henrob a lot? I have wanted one for years, but price always stopped me?

[Steve]

I do the same, I walk it if working alone, otherwise, tell someone to grab the other side. Mine's outside, old and rusty but gets the job done. When I bought it, it was outside at a electric motor repair shop. A monster compared to the first one we built. Air over would be cool if I used it more.

Steve, do you use the Henrob a lot? I have wanted one for years, but price always stopped me?

I do especially when I am welding up aluminum diesel tanks or oil soaked aluminum. The Henrob is great for dirty aluminum as it does not have to be super clean like it does when you tig. It will burn any impurities off before the aluminum melts. I have a lot of trucking companies around here that have diesel tank leakage accidents or other mishaps and so they need to have them repaired. I also find the Henrob excellent for body panel repair on cars. It does require flux to weld aluminum but it is worth it as I can weld even the thinnest aluminum with almost no blow through. I find that you really can control the flame with the Henrob and it is a bit hotter than any other torch by about 500 degrees from what I've been told. Something to do with the design of the torch itself.

For brand new thicker aluminum you just cannot beat a good Everlast tig unit though. I find that having both the Henrob and the Everlast powertig 250, I can do almost anything with aluminum or steel. I would have gotten an Everlast Mig unit but I got a really good deal on a Hobart Handler 210 that I just could not pass up. Having Pulse mig would be really nice.

[everlastsupport]

I do especially when I am welding up aluminum diesel tanks or oil soaked aluminum. The Henrob is great for dirty aluminum as it does not have to be super clean like it does when you tig. It will burn any impurities off before the aluminum melts. I have a lot of trucking companies around here that have diesel tank leakage accidents or other mishaps and so they need to have them repaired. I also find the Henrob excellent for body panel repair on cars. It does require flux to weld aluminum but it is worth it as I can weld even the thinnest aluminum with almost no blow through. I find that you really can control the flame with the Henrob and it is a bit hotter than any other torch by about 500 degrees from what I've been told. Something to do with the design of the torch itself.

For brand new thicker aluminum you just cannot beat a good Everlast tig unit though. I find that having both the Henrob and the Everlast powertig 250, I can do almost anything with aluminum or steel. I would have gotten an Everlast Mig unit but I got a really good deal on a Hobart Handler 210 that I just could not pass up. Having Pulse mig would be really nice.

Now you have me going to look at the Henrob again (done it for years). Fathers day is soon right? I've looked at them in the past many times.

Hobart handers, I use them here and there. It's not an Everlast pulse MIG for sure, but they work well. Our MIGs are pricey but they work so well. Which is what I think the Henrob will be for me if I ever drop the cash on one.

[redbeard]

I like the slowness of the air / hydraulic jack as it allows for possible problems to be addressed before they get out of hand. Now that it is air / hydraulic, I also do not dread having to pump it up to use it. I want to use it!

The 20 ton jack from Harbor Freight is a great little jack and if you get it for the right price, a really great deal. I went with the 36 ton jack because I wanted to be able to bend 1/2 thick x 12inch wide steel and the 20 ton was struggling with bending half inch. I do heat up larger 1/2 inch thick pieces to allow for smoother bending when going over 8 inches wide. I probably would have to go with a 100- ton press to bend the thicker wider metal without heating.

This press with modifications has exceeded all my expectations and has made my metal working life much easier. Weld a part crooked? Just put it in the press and bend it straight. Need to make a heavy duty bracket? No problem at all. I also have been pressing holes in half inch steel with a press die. The 20 ton jack won't punch holes like the 36 ton jack can. The 36 ton does punch pretty good but it is slow. Way faster than a drill though!

I am finding so many uses for this press that I am now wondering how I ever did without it.

Great to know, I'll have to save up for a hefty airover. I'd really like to do some bigger stuff. How large a hole can you punch in 1/2"? I've got a bunch of 7/8 holes to do that I am NOT looking forward to drilling.

BTW, I agree about the slowness when actually bending, I was more concerned about the time to take up the slack. Sorta like not having a 2-stage on your log splitter.