Bought a bender today . Been looking for many years . I found a few but timing financially was always off. Got a good deal and made a new friend who is a talented builder as well. I found plenty of you tube videos on usage. Got any tips?
i bought a small unit like that [off shore cheapy on sale] it came with an instruction manual that showed how to set it up to make letters of the alphabet. my first thought was i am never going to make letters, this is stupid. then i tried to make some bends. i fumbled with moving the dies around and wasted a bunch of metal. then i realized i wanted to make a Z shape and consulted the manual. presto. a tight L okay, i get it now. the alphabet contains all the bends and or combos of bends..................i made a copy of the manual in big print, put it in a binder and hung it near the machine.
I got this tubing bender and finally have a project where I needed to make square tubing bends. I made a mount that fit in my receiver hitch and use the tailgate as my workbench
Thats a nice one rick . Square tube that size is useful. Anyone with a hossfeld hydraulic ? I could use some measurments for a future upgrade.
When you mark your tube for a bend make another mark as to witch side of your mark you want to start your bend.
you are welcome anytime. I know from the vids on youtube that the big plate the cylinder mounts to is 6 x ?? x 3/4" I got a pm from a fellow who can get measurments monday. If you have specific questions ask away and I'll relay them. So far all i need is the stroke of the cylinder and the rest i can extrapolate from pics.
Great, I'm not able to open it here at work, but will check it out tomorrow. Does it say what size hyd cylinder to run?
Morning, Get yourself the factory manual, it helps. Hossfeld still makes these machines, check ebay for dies, or try Hallidie Machine in Auburn WA. My pedestal is similar to yours but I made mine so it will lock or spin while I am bending with the hydraulics , pretty handy when your bending up a main hoop or other long piece, it can make your shop seem pretty tight! I made full size flat templates of all my tubing bends, tubing O.D. and centerline radius, really helps when laying stuff out. An adjustable third arm/Christmas tree stand thingy will help too, Momma or the kid aren't always willing participants in my bending endeavors! My latest 39 Willys sedan, I typically build a halo style cage, like the access for the A pillar down tube weld. Good luck, John
Yep get the longest handle you can afford or will fit in the shop. We had one at several places I worked over the years, my best advice is get yourself some scrap and mark it up and practice to see where you start your bends before you decide to build something with it. I have discovered that dies vary and how you lay out a piece depends a little bit on diameter.
The Hossfeld is a good quality bender - much better than the import or cheap knock offs. I built many roll cages and entire tube chassis using a Hossfeld - including cars that won the BAJA 1000. Did it manual for years before converting to hydraulic. Good purchase.
I converted mine to hydraulic to bend 1-3/4 x .134 wall. When it was manual, and with pretty long handle, it still took a minimum of three guys with sticky tennis shoes, to get the job done !
When Rich Davis had his sprint car shop in San Jose, he used a Hossfeld for a few years... Always had enough 'hangarounds' to bend the big stuff!
Thanks for the replies. I set up the bulldozer bender and did some 90° bends for no real reason. Found a decent spot and will be mounting to floor soon. Got some info on the cylinder " 1" rod, 2 1/4 body and 17" stroke."
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