Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Discuss your workshop and related equipment

Moderator: FORDification

Post Reply
User avatar
FORDification
Site & Forum Admin
Site & Forum Admin
Posts: 8050
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:52 am
Location: Kansas, Wellsville
Contact:

Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by FORDification »

The last few times I've been in the shop working on the truck, I've been eyeballing my '67 442 that's been sitting back in the corner for several years waiting to be reassembled. The frame's been painted, all the suspension pieces have been powdercoated and are sitting in a box, I've got all new stainless steel brake and fuel lines ready to install too. The thing that's been holding me up is simply getting all the new PST polygraphite suspension bushings pressed into the A-arms. I'm just a little nervous about some yahoo bending the A-arms trying to install the bushings, so I've been meaning for some time now to just break down and buy a hydraulic press to do it myself.

So tonight I made a completely spur-of-the-moment purchase...a 12-ton A-frame hydraulic press from Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... umber=1667
Image

I probably should have done this before dropping my truck's I-beams off at the local machine shop to get pressed out, but...oh well. It's not a super heavy-duty unit by any means, but should be able to take care of the few things around the shop that I would need it to do. :D ....and it'll also give me more room in the shop, since the frame and body are separated right now. By getting the chassis reassembled and getting the body dropped back down onto it, it'll definitely give me some more room to work in there.
____| \__
-O-----O- Keith
'67 F-100 2WD SWB ~ '69 F-100 4WD SWB w/7" chop ~ 1975 F-250 Ranger XLT Supercab Camper Special
ImageImageImage
My '67 restoration video
-> Posting and you! <-a MUST watch for all!!
User avatar
hardtailjohn
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 422
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Montana, Marion

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by hardtailjohn »

Keith,
I bought their 20 ton H-frame press about a year ago, and I can't believe how much I use that thing!! I've done everything from squeezing rivets to pressing bushings, to straightening out heavy metal on it. You'll never be sorry for the purchase!
John H.
Never trust a grinning idiot holding a big hammer!
User avatar
FoMoCo
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 1:18 am
Location: Ohio, Cincinnati

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by FoMoCo »

Sounds like my situation. I bought a harbor freight sandblaster after the blaster I took my panels to warped them. I you want it done right, do it your self I suppose.
Nick
1969 F-100
2006 Fusion SEL
2006 e-320 cdi
2004 excursion V-10
User avatar
Old70F250
New Member
New Member
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 10:32 pm
Location: Iowa

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by Old70F250 »

It will be one of those things, you wounder why you didn't buy the press years ago. The press just makes things easy.
User avatar
FORDification
Site & Forum Admin
Site & Forum Admin
Posts: 8050
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:52 am
Location: Kansas, Wellsville
Contact:

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by FORDification »

Well, the press came in a couple days ago, and I finally got a chance to get the boxes opened up today:

Image

Doesn't look like much, does it? I had it delivered to me at work, and my supervisor saw the boxes sitting there and asked me if that's all there was to it. He couldn't believe it would fit in two small boxes.

Anyway, it took me over an hour to assemble it, since the assembly instructions they included really weren't much help, so I was pretty much winging it. I had to partially disassemble it three times to redo something that wasn't covered in the instructions. :roll:

Here's a shot of the finished product:

Image

I'm going to have to pick up some angle iron to replace the main legs, since this thing is so short that I have to kneel down to use it....but it's too tall to set on a workbench. Oh well...it does to what it's supposed to do, so I guess that's the important part. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the '67 442, getting started pressing the front suspension bushings into the control arms:

Image

I know it really doesn't mean squat to anyone here, but I'm really gettin' excited about this again. I've had this car for almost 20 years, and it's been completely disassembled for the last 8....but as of today, the reassembly has begun! I actually have all the new components to get a rolling chassis done. :D

Anyway, just wanted to show this off to anyone who was possibly thinking about picking one of these up....since we all know that sometimes the Harbor Freight equipment is borderline in acceptable quality. Though it's not a high-dollar piece by any means, I think we can file this one under "Adequate". ;)
____| \__
-O-----O- Keith
'67 F-100 2WD SWB ~ '69 F-100 4WD SWB w/7" chop ~ 1975 F-250 Ranger XLT Supercab Camper Special
ImageImageImage
My '67 restoration video
-> Posting and you! <-a MUST watch for all!!
derrabls
New Member
New Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:45 pm
Location: Dexter, Missouri
Contact:

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by derrabls »

Congrats on getting your car project rolling again. I know how it feels to have a vehicle just taking up space awaiting the day to be finished, but I'm only going on about 8 years.
User avatar
hardtailjohn
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 422
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Montana, Marion

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by hardtailjohn »

Mine's still hammering away.... and I've used and used it!! Last project was putting a "crown" in 3/8x2 steel bars the hard way..across the 2". We did about 20 of them and it's doing fine. The only issue I've had is that the valve on the jack takes a bit of torque to get it to seal all the way.
Well worth the money!!
JH
Never trust a grinning idiot holding a big hammer!
gonzalo medina
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 323
Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:53 pm
Location: California, Fresno

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by gonzalo medina »

Yeah I am going to pick one up today. As long as it pushes out 8 bushings it payed for it's self and I'm in the process of starting my disk brake swap to so it will defenatly be a good investment
User avatar
390Nut
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:23 pm
Location: Fife, WA

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by 390Nut »

Y'know Keith, between forming this site, showing off your labor of love, and showing off all the cool tools you keep buying, you're making it really hard for me to keep anything in my wallet. :nono: :cuss:

I just might have to go buy one of those!



:lol:
Paul
Image
`69 F100 390 4spd driver
http://www.fordification.com/galleries/ ... ?cat=10251
Dura-Spark II Conversion info at:
http://home.comcast.net/~390nut/Dura-SparkII.htm

Pipes71 did once say, "bumps and bikes.. what a great combo!" :thup:
layedout72
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1280
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 5:11 pm
Location: Mississippi, Hattiesburg

Post by layedout72 »

that thing is a STEAL at only 80 bucks!
User avatar
FORDification
Site & Forum Admin
Site & Forum Admin
Posts: 8050
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:52 am
Location: Kansas, Wellsville
Contact:

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by FORDification »

Yep, it's a great deal IMO. I've only used mine a few times so far, but this is one of those things that is absolutely great to have in the shop. :D
____| \__
-O-----O- Keith
'67 F-100 2WD SWB ~ '69 F-100 4WD SWB w/7" chop ~ 1975 F-250 Ranger XLT Supercab Camper Special
ImageImageImage
My '67 restoration video
-> Posting and you! <-a MUST watch for all!!
User avatar
390Nut
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:23 pm
Location: Fife, WA

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by 390Nut »

Ok, so how big is the footprint, and how heavy is it? Is it something one person could manhandle with a hand truck, if need be, or easily break down into say, two sub assemblies, if it needed to be moved?

Sucks when you have to think like that when getting things like this, but, in my line of work ya just never know when you'll need to move :(
Paul
Image
`69 F100 390 4spd driver
http://www.fordification.com/galleries/ ... ?cat=10251
Dura-Spark II Conversion info at:
http://home.comcast.net/~390nut/Dura-SparkII.htm

Pipes71 did once say, "bumps and bikes.. what a great combo!" :thup:
User avatar
hardtailjohn
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 422
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Montana, Marion

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by hardtailjohn »

390, mine's the 20 ton H frame, and I move it with a hand truck, so I'm sure the others would be manageable.
JH
Never trust a grinning idiot holding a big hammer!
User avatar
390Nut
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:23 pm
Location: Fife, WA

re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by 390Nut »

man, neither of those would work for me. I would need it for pressing wheel bearings, and I have 17 inch wheels on my bike. :(
Paul
Image
`69 F100 390 4spd driver
http://www.fordification.com/galleries/ ... ?cat=10251
Dura-Spark II Conversion info at:
http://home.comcast.net/~390nut/Dura-SparkII.htm

Pipes71 did once say, "bumps and bikes.. what a great combo!" :thup:
layedout72
Blue Oval Guru
Blue Oval Guru
Posts: 1280
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 5:11 pm
Location: Mississippi, Hattiesburg

Re: re: Impulse buy: Harbor Freight hydraulic press

Post by layedout72 »

390Nut wrote:man, neither of those would work for me. I would need it for pressing wheel bearings, and I have 17 inch wheels on my bike. :(


weld in a notch on the sides the width of the wheel and cut out the bracing, and triangle all the corners.....it should be safe.....
Post Reply