6 or 12 Ton Hydraulic Press?

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340inabbody

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Doing my front end currently and will need to do all my bushings. So I need a press. Not sure if I will ever use it again and wondering if the 6 Ton will do most everything automotive?? No clue what bushings and the sort needs. The cost trnd to be a lot more for the 12 Ton unit as opposed to the 6 Tonner….

Thoughts?
 
if you're gonna buy a press, don't even bother with the 6. get the 12, you can do soooo much more with it.

that being said, as @Professor Fate noted you don't need a press to do the bushings at all as long as you have the correct tools. and a vice. definitely want a vice.
 
I have done all of that work with a 12 ton press, it works ok. I myself upgraded to a 20 ton press, and it was definitely worth the upgrade, it makes everything easier. Both were Harbor freight pieces, so they’re not crazy expensive and sometimes you can use a coupon.

I have also purchased the American Muscle tools. They’re absolutely useless for the LCA work, they do not generate enough force and you will definitely strip the threads on what comes in that kit. For the UCA work, you can make a sturdier tool yourself at your local hardware store for a fraction of the cost.

I do all of my UCA bushing removals and reinstalls with this pile of parts.
IMG_4944.jpeg
 
I think the question is 12 or 20. I bought a 12 for $100 used. It doesn’t get used a lot but it is indispensable when you are doing diffs or wheel bearings (depending on the vehicle).
 
OK I am going to Harbor Freight tomorrow. Their 12ton is like $130 should be good enough.
 
I’ve been collecting small pieces of round bar and pipe as well as old bearing races for various jobs. I just toss them into a milk crate.
 
I just went there yesterday and bought the 12 ton too.
Reg price is $169, but $40 off if you're a HF member.
Yeah I am a very good member lol. Since Sears closed HF has been a life saver for tools. I am grateful that we have at least one tool store in the US. People trash it but for me I love it. I treat tools correctly and usually don’t have problems. I can afford their stuff and the majority of my tools I get there then Amazon then ebay. Works well for me.
 
I’ve had all the above and went to a 50ton. I know not your question.
The truth is when using pipe or sockets or metal Be careful!

Metal can splinter like pipe nipes and split on the seams. You may not see it at first but when those seams break under pressure- they explode.
Metal shards fly apart, I’m not saying I too have not pressed things with my fair share of “adapted tooling.”
Wear gloves, go slow, lots of lube and for GOD’s sake wear safety glasses and a clear shield.
Okay- putting my Dad hat away now.
Syleng1
 
I’ve had all the above and went to a 50ton. I know not your question.
The truth is when using pipe or sockets or metal Be careful!

Metal can splinter like pipe nipes and split on the seams. You may not see it at first but when those seams break under pressure- they explode.
Metal shards fly apart, I’m not saying I too have not pressed things with my fair share of “adapted tooling.”
Wear gloves, go slow, lots of lube and for GOD’s sake wear safety glasses and a clear shield.
Okay- putting my Dad hat away now.
Syleng1
“Go slow with lot’s of lube”! Lol
 
I’ve had all the above and went to a 50ton. I know not your question.
The truth is when using pipe or sockets or metal Be careful!

Metal can splinter like pipe nipes and split on the seams. You may not see it at first but when those seams break under pressure- they explode.
Metal shards fly apart, I’m not saying I too have not pressed things with my fair share of “adapted tooling.”
Wear gloves, go slow, lots of lube and for GOD’s sake wear safety glasses and a clear shield.
Okay- putting my Dad hat away now.
Syleng1
Yep ^^^ I've exploded one socket, scared the hell outta me. Since then, I'm very careful choosing the tooling for the task. And if it has to be a socket, it's an impact socket and I always stand to the side. WEAR EYE PROTECTION.

Even "smaller" presses exert an insane amount of force, and failure is almost always violent.
 
“Go slow with lot’s of lube”! Lol
Get the quote right-
“Wear gloves, go slow, lots of lube and for GOD’s sake wear safety glasses and a clear shield.

Years in the **** industry has taught me a thing or two. LMAO!:rofl::rofl:
 
I have a 20 ton press. Works well on the lower control arm bushings and shells (with the right size tap screwed into the shell).

1736948973193.jpeg


1736949017678.jpeg


I don't use a shop press on the upper control arms. It is real easy to bend the crap out of the upper control arm using a shop press. There's a special tool for removing the upper bushings; that tool and a good vise are all you need.
 
Upper control arm……
I cut the outer shell with a wafer wheel.
Pried the rubber out with a combat screwdriver.
Crushed the outer shell with a C clamp til it submitted.
Soaked UCA in vinegar to remove rust.
 
Upper control arm……
I cut the outer shell with a wafer wheel.
Pried the rubber out with a combat screwdriver.
Crushed the outer shell with a C clamp til it submitted.
Soaked UCA in vinegar to remove rust.

As for shop press…. I got the 20 ton years back for like $200.
Wasn’t a lotta price difference between it and the smaller ones. It’s still in new condition and will be on Craigslist soon.
 
After using many methods without a decent press to rebuild to rebuild suspension parts. I bought a 12 ton from Harbor Freight and used it to rebuild a couple differentials. It worked great but now it's in the way.
 
After using many methods without a decent press to rebuild to rebuild suspension parts. I bought a 12 ton from Harbor Freight and used it to rebuild a couple differentials. It worked great but now it's in the way.
I have very limited room as well in the garage which is more of a concern than the cost of the unit. Maybe the solution is to get rid of the Bowflex or treadmill in the house and bring the press inside so I can hang my clothes on it instead. Then when I need to press something it’s ready and in a environmentally controlled space!
 
I found an out of the way spot in the garage. The press doubles as an air hose hanger. Its sits on top of a little work table. I was thinking of building a dolly or base to mount it on and then using it as a lower shelf.
 
OK I am going to Harbor Freight tomorrow. Their 12ton is like $130 should be good enough.
Ugh. Horror freight.just say no.
I got my press off of CL many years ago.
As far as using a press for control arm bushings I've done alot of control arm bushings and can't say that I have ever used my press to do those. Not once. I tried once and the table that you set your pressed part on gets in its own way. .
I burn what's left of the old rubber out with a propane or mapp torch and walk around the sleeve with a chisel bit in an air hammer, and the shell falls out. I can usually set the control arm on a vise and find a socket or pipe nipple that fits the collar around the bushing and a good old BFH to drive them into the control arm
 
Ugh. Horror freight.just say no.

Why? Because most of the "American" brands now manufacture pretty much EVERYTHING they sell overseas. I see the Craftsman seems to be moving a few things back to the US, but even Snap-On has stuff made in China and of course it still costs 5x as much.

I've had both a 12 ton and now a 20 ton press from Harbor Freight, both are decent quality and get the job done. The 20 ton is quite a bit more sturdy than the 12, more than worth the difference in price. And yeah, they can usually be found used locally, because they're inexpensive enough that people will buy them for a job or two and then sell them.
As far as using a press for control arm bushings I've done alot of control arm bushings and can't say that I have ever used my press to do those. Not once. I tried once and the table that you set your pressed part on gets in its own way. .

Using a press is BY FAR the easiest way to do lower control arm bushings. Not even close. Upper control arm bushings are best done with something like the tool I posted above, but if you support the UCA properly a press can be used too. There's no reason the press has to get in the way if you have the right press plates and some additional material to support the area around the bushing. A few random chunks of pipe couplers in different diameters, or old bearing races can work for supporting the item being pressed. That's basic stuff.

I burn what's left of the old rubber out with a propane or mapp torch and walk around the sleeve with a chisel bit in an air hammer, and the shell falls out. I can usually set the control arm on a vise and find a socket or pipe nipple that fits the collar around the bushing and a good old BFH to drive them into the control arm

No reason to burn the rubber out, it just makes a mess. The rubber isn't bonded to the shell, you just press out the LCA pivot and the rubber peels right out with a screwdriver or pick. I've made the mistake of burning out the bushings before, it's just dumb. With the construction of the Mopar bushings there's no reason for it. With a press the whole replacement job can be done quickly and with no mess at all.

Using a hammer to drive a UCA or LCA bushing is just, well, the absolute wrong way to do it. And that's the nicest way I can put it. Using a hammer to drive anything that's supposed to be a press fit just builds failure right into the assembly.
 
For a home shop like most of us have, Harbor Freight has some pretty good stuff.

Exactly.

And honestly, some of their stuff is better than what you’d get from Craftsman, Husky, Cobalt etc. And that stuff is pretty much all made overseas anyway
 
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