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Been wanting to get one of those cheap harbor freight shop presses for the longest time. My hangup is what size to get? Don't want it bigger than needed, due to garage space issues. Want it for general purpose automotive work, including suspension bushings and the like.
How small can you get by with to do most everything on a car? 20,12 or 6 ? or is this not the right type of press to be looking at?
I have the 12 ton version and I wish I had the 20, not just for the pressure, but the frame size. The bigger frame would definitely be a help for me doing a few of the things I want to do, but it makes it difficult, or I can't at all. The floor size between the 3 really isn't that much different, unless space is TIGHT, I would just buy the biggest/best one you can afford.
Side note, IMO the 6 ton is VERY limited in it's capabilities because of the shape of the frame, and it has no workable space below the "table"
The Harbor Freight "20" ton is laughable - you'll NEVER get anywhere close to 20 tons out of it. The bottle jack might be rated for that but you can't actually put that much force into the handle. Not gonna happen.
Also the cradle is much too narrow for all but the most feeble of press needs. Pretty worthless IMO.
I think the Grizzly offering is a million times better than the HF garbage:
With a press - you WANT heavy and hard to move. They can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. The last thing you want is it moving around on you.
If you want to do suspension parts - get the largest one you can with the widest slot in the table. Because compared to the press suspension parts are BIG and getting them to fit so you can press on them can be a challenge.
GD
Last edited by GeneralDisorder; May 17, 2019 at 10:55 AM.
Well, trying to press bearing on and off axles is where I have most of my problems because of the table and the height of the press. I also had an issue with not being able to generate enough pressure to get the U joints out of the stubs for my front D60 axle for my Suburban. With the design of the 6, you wouldn't really be able to do A arm bushings, or stuff like that where you may need to hang below the table surface.
The weight shouldn't be too much of a problem. The design of the 12 and 20 are essentially the same. When I move my 12, I pull the jack out since it is really easy, then I pop the table and pins out so it is more manageable and I don't have to worry about the table falling out.
With a press - you WANT heavy and hard to move. They can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. The last thing you want is it moving around on you.
Axles (bearing removal) are difficult no matter what. I have about a $1000 20 ton two-stage hydraulic press at my shop and I can't do them without building special fixtures. And usually I wouldn't try anyway - I will just heat or cut the old bearings off. Having a full height press for the axle shaft when pressing them on is a must. An induction heater comes in real handy for getting things together also.
No but I own a couple of presses (yes one of the HF 20's also) and the reviews are good. My shop press was quite a bit more expensive than the HF offering. I think around $1000 delivered. I certainly know what I want in a press now having bought several and having worked in an industrial shop with a 110 ton unit that we used regularly (awesome and scary!).
Axles (bearing removal) are difficult no matter what. I have about a $1000 20 ton two-stage hydraulic press at my shop and I can't do them without building special fixtures. And usually I wouldn't try anyway - I will just heat or cut the old bearings off. Having a full height press for the axle shaft when pressing them on is a must. An induction heater comes in real handy for getting things together also.
GD
I should have said ON, not off. The retaining sleeve on the 9 bolt (and I would assume others) is cut off only, from what it says with the new bearing.
I also have problems with pressing bearings on and off the carrier for the axle assembly, and on/off a pinion head. The table is just so damn small. Also the arbor plates that come with the HF setup are cast, kinda suck and shouldn't be trusted for too much. I am looking at getting the arbor plates from SWAG in the future
I Have the HF 20 ton press as well, and the table doesn't look any different than the Grizzly linked above..... the plates for mine are machined steel. Rather substantial, with zero signs of wear. (and they get a fair bit of use over the years.....) So far, I haven't ran into anything the my HF press couldn't deal with......
I'm finding plenty of internet discussions on the HF, but absolutely zero on Grizzly. Tough choice when you know nothing about how people are receiving the Grizzly.
The HF press seems great till you use literally anything better. And having the pressure gauge is an absolute must IMO.
So you will find tons of discussion about the HF unit - because it's cheap and has lots of market penetration. Literally anyone can just drive down and pick one up same day. It's easy and convenient. But it's not that great.
In addition to the press, what other things would be needed for general purpose shop usage. i.e. take off A-Arm bushings, put back on, rear control arm bushings, ect..... basically, the sort of stuff you're gonna need to do over time.
This is the closest to the one I have in my shop. Mine is older and from a different retailer but is obviously from the same Chinese factory. It is virtually identical but is blue. Works quite well and been used in a 5 bay shop environment for about 7 years now.
This is the closest to the one I have in my shop. Mine is older and from a different retailer but is obviously from the same Chinese factory. It is virtually identical but is blue. Works quite well and been used in a 5 bay shop environment for about 7 years now.
very nice. I'm not worthy of it. I think the biggest stuff I will be using a press for are bushings, wheel bearings, water pump rebuilds, ect. I don't think a lot of force needs to be my objective, just something that isn't sloppy/moves around as it presses down. what tools do you need to go with it to get this stuff done?
Don't kid yourself. That's what we use it for. Transmission rebuilds, wheel bearings, pumps, etc. It's not huge and it's still "20 ton" just like the HF junk. It's just built to actually handle and achieve that rating. The gauge is there to keep it honest.
You can buy sets of press adapters, etc but I just keep every round thing that is reasonably stiff (with or without a hole in it) and after a while you will have a large collection of old bearing races, bushing sleeves, pipe nipples, and so forth that will do just about any job.Obviously arbor plates are important but a good press will come with at least some kind of starting point.
A lathe in the corner helps to bridge any gaps in the collection or built any one-off stepped devices you might need to set perfect depth, etc,
The other item is bearing splitters - you will NEED these. They are an absolute must have and cheap one's aren't even worth the bother. The HF one's for example will be destroyed the first time you attempt to use them. They are worthless, I recommend Snap-On. They are guaranteed for life and you WILL eventually dull, chip, and break them. But mostly because they actually can do the job required of them without flexing, warping, folding, and denting like wet toilet paper.
Also when I'm pressing stuff I tend to rely heavily on my Snap-On impact sockets. They make great press adapters and are guaranteed of course. I just swapped out a couple on Friday when the truck came around for getting too loose in the hex. Owning a shop - I actually wear out Snap-On sockets. The impact one's anyway. If you break a chrome socket they just crack as they are much harder.
GD
Last edited by GeneralDisorder; May 25, 2019 at 06:20 PM.
I have the HF 20 ton press. It works fine for what I do with it and it really comes in handy for bending steel if you are in to fabrication, plus I only paid 100$ for it. That's said, it does flex like mad when you really crank on it and you definatly get what you pay for when it comes to shop presses.
Finally pulled the trigger on this, should arrive next week. Been working on my other car lately and it put me over the edge for needing one. And I've got a stuck bearing on my diff project for Liquidblue. Thanks for the help guys!
