Hydraulic press $159 at Harbor freight

I just purchased a 20ton hydraulic press from Harbor Freight, after reviewing the press for months in many of the monthly magazines i get.
You know the yellow pages with lots of little pics.
The 20t press was $159 in the magazine yellow page ad, but 199 at the store......all i had to do was bring in the ad, or magazine, and it was scanned at the mag price $159.
It is a fairly well made press with a questionable 20t jack, but it has worked for me for several Norton jobs in just 3 days that i would be doing in a vice (with an extension on the vise arm) and has worked very well.
This is a medium quality, not high quality, hyd press, with manual, Chinese jack....so a little slow............but just fits my needs, and only $159
cheers
Craig
example of HF ad but not the press ad.



found an ad, not what I used, but good example

Crud. I didn't see that one and bought the workbench model for $69. It doesn't fit half the stuff I need it for.

I'm going back as soon as one of these project bikes sells.

I'm always amazed that they can build it, ship it all the way from China, sell it for the incredibly low price, and still make a profit.

Lots of what they sell is of questionable quality but a simple press like this is hard to screw up. I've got a much bigger US made press with two speed pump and movable ram that I bought years ago used, for more that twice that price and it's served me well for bigger jobs on heavier equipment . For anything on a bike that press is more than enough.

Save all your old bearings to use as tools. I cut a slot through the inner and outer race of old bearings then rotate the inner race and cut it again through the slot in the outer race, remove the balls or rollers, and you have a tool to press only on the outer race when pressing new bearings into a housing. Even if the new bearing goes deep into a hole the slot in the old race/tool will let it come back out without becoming stuck.

I sometimes save inner or outer races of larger bearings without cutting them to use as support tools. Years have left me with quite the collection.

Collect heavy scrap steel for making special press plates.

JimNH said:

Save all your old bearings to use as tools. I cut a slot through the inner and outer race of old bearings then rotate the inner race and cut it again through the slot in the outer race, remove the balls or rollers, and you have a tool to press only on the outer race when pressing new bearings into a housing. Even if the new bearing goes deep into a hole the slot in the old race/tool will let it come back out without becoming stuck.

I sometimes save inner or outer races of larger bearings without cutting them to use as support tools. Years have left me with quite the collection.

Collect heavy scrap steel for making special press plates.

Click to expand...

I thought every red-blooded male did that sort of thing - my workshop - especially the area near the press, is full is 'useful' bits of junk!

My way of dealing with Harbor Freight is to use whatever I buy that is expensive and breakable right away and see if I can break it... not abuse it, but find a tough application. In the first month or so you can get your money back, else it is exchange, and if I can break it I dont want another one. I bought a knock off porta power at HF and broke it first day and got my money back and shelled out for a real genuine PortaPower. My theory is if you cant break it, do it quick, otherwise the HF tool is worth the savings. I had a 4 1/2" Makita die grinder - $85 from the depot. Liked it but going from grinding wheel, to wire brush to cutting wheels and back and forth got tedious. So I bought 2 of the 4 1/2" Chicago ones for $14.99 each on sale. They sound like hell - like there is sand in the brushes or something, but 10 years later they still grind, clean and cut just like the Makita...couldn't break them. So...I like HF, but I try to find out quick if the thing I buy is no good. I want to buy one of their english wheels, but there is major work required to rigidize the "C" frame, methinks...

Agree mostly. Esp the bench press is too small.
They dont call it Harbor Fright for nothing but often one use of their tool saves yer
butt but continued use will cause you to pull your hair out if it still works.

This worked quite well for the price. :shock:
Sorry its raining and bored.........

http://www.harborfreight.com/hamburger-press.html

Paddy_SP said:

JimNH said:

Save all your old bearings to use as tools. I cut a slot through the inner and outer race of old bearings then rotate the inner race and cut it again through the slot in the outer race, remove the balls or rollers, and you have a tool to press only on the outer race when pressing new bearings into a housing. Even if the new bearing goes deep into a hole the slot in the old race/tool will let it come back out without becoming stuck.

I sometimes save inner or outer races of larger bearings without cutting them to use as support tools. Years have left me with quite the collection.

Collect heavy scrap steel for making special press plates.

Click to expand...

I thought every red-blooded male did that sort of thing - my workshop - especially the area near the press, is full is 'useful' bits of junk!

Click to expand...

Ha! The area under the press IS the scrap pile! It looks quite the mess but it's the go-to whenever I need to make something. I also save every broken socket and extension to have a square drive to weld to whatever tool I build.

JimNH said:

Ha! The area under the press IS the scrap pile! It looks quite the mess but it's the go-to whenever I need to make something. I also save every broken socket and extension to have a square drive to weld to whatever tool I build.

Click to expand...

Good man!