HF 20 Ton Shop Press Product Review

[WHX?? 48,833]

For those of you you don't have one... get one!.

30 years ago when I worked on farms I happened by a traveling salesman who had a press, a engine hoist and a small standing  bandsaw all in the back of a pickup. For 350 he let me have all three. I eventually traded the band saw for I don't remember but the press and the hoist I traded to a buddy for my current drill press. I never really had the use for a shop press till I caught the  bug. Steering wheels, and other stuck things being such. So my buddy still has the press and never uses it, same thing with that lathe he refuses to part with! He would let me use the press whenever he is at his shop but catching him ther is a PITA. 

So in watching for the coupon at HF I went and got my own...hey the steering wheels are piling up! $185 regular and armed with a coupon I got one for 130. Yeah it's a over seas cheapy but I figure for a hobbyist.

Pros:

Fairly heavy and came with a heavier set of multi cut out arbor  plates.

Paint was fairly decent and resistant to chips.

Some assembly required but 10 minutes.... took me alot longer to clear out the junk to place it! 

Fairly  compact but good work space. They offer a 12 ton version that is really compact but I feared 12 might not cut it. 

Easily removable jack with handle case you need to take it out for that  under the apple tree work! 

 

Cons:

Jack is very slow ... pump to piston displacement means you have have to really work it to get it move a 1/2"to get it to the work piece.

Stand ....While the frame is heavy enough the legs are small angle and are held on by four cheesy bolts allowing it to wobble a bit. Would be worse on uneven floors. The ticket will be to weld them solid, shim and anchor it to the floor. 

Jack handle was two piece and fell apart when you looked at it . Drilled it and put in a roll pin. 

Rather narrow apron ...might not let you get steering gear or other work pieces throught it. 

 

All in all pleased with it so far but will see how it does other work  Handled two steering wheels easily.

 

Feel free to show what you might have.

 

Edited October 1, 2018 by WHX21
Speeling & Gramma

[Digger 66 3,485]

Cool review !

I've been meaning to pick one up but I just don't have the floor space yet .

Getting my basement done so some of the things in the garage will be able to make their way down there and should change the floor space issue .

 

Do they have a die kit / set  available ?

Hate to use other stuff in their place .

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2018 by Digger 66

[squonk 41,162]

I had the 12 ton worked fine. and was able to move it around. Finally sold it to my b-i-l.I really didn't need it. you want a slow moving jack for power. If it moves fast you end up doing more work pumping than you think and if somethings really stuck you'll be "hanging off the handle. Slow jack means more mechanical advantage.

 

Look at the "rapid pump" floor jacks. They are 2 stage. with no load they raise fast then when the load hits they slow down.

[WHX?? 48,833]

4 hours ago, Digger 66 said:

Do they have a die kit / set  available ?

Don't really know will have to check, I think most guys use steel scrap they have around. I used a bolt to get the first slug out then ground that one down to a loose 3/4" to use on the next.  

 

4 hours ago, squonk said:

"rapid pump" floor jacks

Ok Mike we want pictures of you using a floor jack in there!

[Daddy Don 905]

Got one and it works great.

[Sarge 3,463]

Be really careful with the included press plates from HF - they can shatter or break. Look into the set from

http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Arbor-Plates_c_52.html - very well made.

I sourced my own from a steel scrap yard - found a large chunk of 1-1/4" plate steel that is A-50 grade, more than handles my 30 ton Carolina press.

 

Sarge

Edited October 1, 2018 by Sarge
dead link

[squonk 41,162]

5 hours ago, WHX21 said:

Don't really know will have to check, I think most guys use steel scrap they have around. I used a bolt to get the first slug out then ground that one down to a loose 3/4" to use on the next.  

 

Ok Mike we want pictures of you using a floor jack in there!

I will need to have my Duluth long tail t shirt on for that pic 

[AMC RULES 37,132]

 Thanks for thinking of us Mike.   

[Shynon 7,459]

10 hours ago, Daddy Don said:

Got one and it works great.

[cleat 6,078]

My 20 ton looks like that.

 

I upgraded to a 2 stage jack for it and it now works nice and quick.

 

The other upgrade I did was to add a crank and pulleys to the top connected with small cables to raise and lower the bed.

 

Cleat

[WHX?? 48,833]

Mods up date...

How many times have you stripped a tractor down only to have a steering wheel brown welded to the shaft and unable to separate it from the dash?

Kinda cumbersome to store on the shelf and even harder to get the whole assembly in the press.

Hers a mod I did to be able to slip the whole assembly in the bed.

First fab and mount a top piece across the top of the bed. Doesn't have to be real heavy as there is no real stress here when pressing. I used a loose tightened bolt with a nylock on the back side for pivot and a hitch pin on the front for tool less use.

 

Then cut out about an inch of the angle holding the bed halves together. Cut the whole thing out if you prefer.

 

Install back on press and give her.

 

This one gave up pretty easy but have a few more that won't. I have a soft touch wheel that has some real nice moss growing on it I would like to save but the roll pin is welded solid and gonna be a bear. Already trashed two cobalts  trying to drill it out.

Edited December 5, 2018 by WHX21

[953 nut 55,325]

19 minutes ago, WHX21 said:

roll pin is welded solid and gonna be a bear.

I like your Mod, been thinking of doing that myself.          Your next Mod could be a saddle to hold the hub of the steering wheel while pressing out the roll pin.

[WHX?? 48,833]

The saddle is not my problem Dick ..it's finding a piece of hardened steel of the right diameter to use as an arbor.

[953 nut 55,325]

9 minutes ago, WHX21 said:

piece of hardened steel of the right diameter to use as an arbor.

The butt end of a high speed steel drill bit should be hard enough, you would also need to make a fixture to hold it in position on the press.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

On 10/1/2018 at 9:40 PM, cleat said:

My 20 ton looks like that.

 

I upgraded to a 2 stage jack for it and it now works nice and quick.

 

The other upgrade I did was to add a crank and pulleys to the top connected with small cables to raise and lower the bed.

 

Cleat

Pictures please. 

[cleat 6,078]

Here are the pics.

 

 

Basically built from scrap pulleys, a piece of rod, and some bits of flat bar.

 

Nothing is welded (but could be), I used bolts or roll pins.

 

The cable is the thinnest aircraft cable I could find with crimps on the ends to hold it.

 

Cleat

[ebinmaine 67,672]

Questions for those who have experience with these presses.  

 

How do you catch the piece coming out the bottom if it isn't very big and it's well stuck?

I'm figuring it would fly out wit some rapidididity. 

Do you place cage or plate steel as guards?

 

 

[cleat 6,078]

My 20 ton hasn't launched anything down yet.

Things seem to break loose then I have to keep on pushing as I hold on to the shaft or whatever is being pushed out.

 

Now the 50 ton press I used to use at my old job would launch things down and I kept a 5 gallon pail with an old jacket in it as a pad to catch things.

 

The 50 ton also had a cage around it so catching parts by hand was not an option.

 

[ebinmaine 67,672]

3 minutes ago, cleat said:

I kept a 5 gallon pail with an old jacket in it as a pad to catch things.

I like that idea

[WHX?? 48,833]

I just have a tub with a rag in it. Mainly to catch the chips & oil  when broaching hubs tho. 

When doing a hub or steering wheel one usually has to put the moxie to it and then lets loose with a bone jarring crack. Once it lets loose then it's usually an easy fight to the finish. 

[ebinmaine 67,672]

4 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

I just have a tub with a rag in it. Mainly to catch the chips & oil  when broaching hubs tho. 

When doing a hub or steering wheel one usually has to put the moxie to it and then lets loose with a bone jarring crack. Once it lets loose then it's usually an easy fight to the finish. 

 

So it's usually similar to pulling a hub with a homemade puller made of another hub....

 

I've never had anything remotely this powerful before. 

[WHX?? 48,833]

Just now, ebinmaine said:

 

So it's usually similar to pulling a hub with a homemade puller made of another hub....

 

Yep so now when doing a tranny just get an easy side hub off, disassemble the differential and take the other hub to the press. Avoids breaking one of the weaker "star" style hubs or a three hole one. Don't ask me how I know...

[squonk 41,162]

Why not put 2 pieces of steel across to catch the "hub"  of the wheel instead of pushing on the wheel itself? 

 

 

 

[squonk 41,162]

On 12/4/2018 at 8:23 PM, WHX?? said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one gave up pretty easy but have a few more that won't. I have a soft touch wheel that has some real nice moss growing on it I would like to save but the roll pin is welded solid and gonna be a bear. Already trashed two cobalts  trying to drill it out.

 

I sheared a roll pin in half on my 1267 that was stuck with a big puller, brg. separator and an 18" Cresent wrench. You're not a "Sally" are you?