Tube benders

[heavy4x4]

Anyone bend up their own frames for minibikes or fullsize motorcyles?

Wondering what you used - bender and steel size/type.

I've had some experience building tube-frame vehicles for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Trying to see what's out there for home-owner affordability in tube benders...

-Steve

 

[born loser]

both protools and JD2 (JD squared) make good manual benders. They are easily converted to hydraulic power if desired.

 

[steven Durham]

As for material for tube frames I use DOM 1020 with a .083 wall thickness. And in the most common size 7/8 inch or 1 inch .
As for a tube bender I have a Pro Tools HB 302 one shot hydraulic bender . There are others like the mentioned JD I guess it all depends how much you want to spend and your planed usage.
Steve

 

[ON THE FARM]

i have used one of these on 7/8 .083 dom and it worked fine.
Northern Industrial Tubing and Conduit Bender | Pipe + Bar Benders | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[minibikedude]

Here's on I got of ebay sold under the Hines name. It has the 1 inch round die instead of the 1 inch square die, It works good it has a larger bend radius than the other ones out there. But for home use it not bad for the price I got it for under 190 with shipping. I made a adapter plate for my Harbor Freight floor model bender to mount this on to it. I figured for what it cost I could only get one die to fit in the H.F. one or I get 7 round dies with the kit.

 

[swamperjmb]

OK ,I am going to Hi jack here.....Which one of the harbor freight benders are good. I need a good cheapie to do some bending. Manual or hydraulic doesn't matter......Thanks fellas :wink:

 

[minibikedude]

Swamper, What are you bending. The Harbor Freight floor or bench mount type ones are for bending solid rod/flat stock and there not hydraulic. And you will have to buy dies for bending the steel tubing from other sites like Hossfeild that make dies that also fit in H.F. benders, they run around 150.oo a set. H.F also has a roller type bender but it is for rolling conduit not heaver wall tubing and not a tight bend raduis anyways. It cost money to get a good bender. Someday I get a JD2 bender. but until I have the money this kit works good for what I use it for.

 

[swamperjmb]

Ya, I would like to bend dom 1020. I thought maybe HF would have something kinda cheap to do this with. I wish I would have scooped up some of my dads stuff.......... I thought maybe this one might do it - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices I don't really know at this point..........

 

[newsomtravis]

pipe bender won`t bend tubing

that hf pipe bender won`t bend tubing, tubing is measured o.d, pipe is measured i.d., so, no luck there....it will kink the tubing......i use a williams low buck bender, works good, but i think it cost about 5 hun with only one set of dies, and about 200 per set.....yeah, tubing bending aint cheap

 

[minibikedude]

I forgot about those bender.NST is correct they are for schedule 40-80 black or galvanized iron pipe and they do go off ID not OD. I would not get one of those, a buddy of mine has one and I did not like it how it works or bends.

 

[DrWatson]

how about this one?

Click here for the full specification of it.

Anyone used this one for making a frame? There is no 7/8" die for it, but hopefully I can find one. Closest one is 1".

 

[minibikedude]

how about this one?

Click here for the full specification of it.

Anyone used this one for making a frame? There is no 7/8" die for it, but hopefully I can find one. Closest one is 1".

Don't waste your money on that one. It does not bend past 90 and its for black iron pipe or galvinized pipe, Its does ID size pipe not tubing(OD size) like in a minibike frame built out of.

 

[clemsonreeder]

Has anyone ever tried this for 1" O.D. tubing? 3/4" sch 40 pipe has a 1.05" O.D. I wonder if thats close enough for decent results?

 

[mini99]

Pipe would work in a pinch, but it's heavy and it doesn't weld for:censure: Has anyone looked at Shop Outfitters? I bought a cheapie HF tube bender and bought the dies from them. It works really well and only cost me 85.00 for the bender and 139.00 for the dies.
Metal Bending Tools,Universal Fabricator, Metal Fabrication, Pipe Bender, Tube Bender,

 

[DrWatson]

So I went ahead and bought this one from Hines:

I got it off ebay for $130 with all the dies included. Click here for spec sheet.

Minibikerdude, I think it's the same one you have. Hopefully it works for me making some minibike frames and handle bars.

 

[swamperjmb]

Cool if it works let me know. I would like to make some bars for a old bike of mine........

 

[minibikedude]

It works good. I cut a peice of 1 inch pipe to slide over the handle to extend it when bending the 7/8 tubing I used. I made this with it.

 

[chadillac]

So I went ahead and bought this one from Hines:

I got it off ebay for $130 with all the dies included. Click here for spec sheet.

Minibikerdude, I think it's the same one you have. Hopefully it works for me making some minibike frames and handle bars.

want one have to tried

 

[mike04]

here u go>>> JD Squared Model 3 tube bender.

* Tube bender
* Degree Ring Kit
* Pedestal
* 1-1/4" round tube mandrel set w/4.5" centerline radius and 180 deg maximum bend (P/N 100209)

 

[minibikedude]

Those are nice benders, Just a lot more money than I had to spend for right know, I would like to get one someday.