bought a pipe bender

[Swabbster]

well i bought one of the 99 dollar 12 ton pipe benders from princess auto, well it will be here on Tuesday, but just wondering if any of you guys have used them and have some tips for me, the reason i bought is was because im building a off road dune buggy and i need to be able to make nice bends, the only 3 tips i have found are build a collar to hold the pipe in the die so it wont slip, or use a smaller shoe, and pack the steel with sand, i don't see how packing it with sand could help for the little but that it will shrink it will just compress the sand, i may end up building a a bumper for my vehicle and a head ache rack, also would it work to bend like 2 inch exhaust? im guessing it would just kind, but if a person made a collar to hold it down id think that it would be fine, http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product/8068017/Metal-Benders/12-Ton-Pipe-Bender

 

[souperman000]

Packing it with sand allows the bender to push against the steel without it collapsing. Making for nice curves with no kinks.

 

[OzFab]

Have you ever tried compressing sand?

PM mysteryboy28, what he can't tell you, you don't need to know

 

[gvfc2]

PM mysteryboy28, what he can't tell you, you don't need to know

he could also post here as im curious and would like to get a pipe bender for when i get a bigger place and start making more stuff

 

[Swabbster]

well i dont have it yet, my antie bought it and is bringing it down on tuesday, the closest princess auto is 2 hours away from me, and she is coming down on Tuesday, works out great for me, but i plan on using it for my buggy build and some other builds, a couple of friends want go karts and to make a simple box style go kart is not hard, also with a roll cage, but the same company i got my plans from has plans for a very simple go kart, just two triangle type things witch is the frame and a roll cage, they look kinda like a honda odyssey, if a guy wanted to modify it they could, add suspension, probably power it by a snowmobile motor, its not hard to find 200 to 300cc old snowmobiles for cheap, most people are on a budget, id use lawnmower tires, i may build one just for the hell of it, ive got 2 18-8.5-8 tires and 2 16-6.50-8 tires, both from lawnmowers, the smaller ones are five bolt rims and the 18s are a 3/4 with flats, would be sweet bouncing around the trails with one, but my buggy will have full suspension and ride like a catty, lol http://www.badlandbuggy.com/plans_Velociraptor.html http://www.badlandbuggy.com/plans_sabretooth.html

 

[Jonester 123]

I built my own jd2 tubing bender, got the plans from my chopper building forum buddies. Had to buy the dies for it, in the process right now of converting it to air hydraulic. About six hundred total cost to build with one die purchase. Very usefull tool for bending up any tubing.

 

[Jonester 123]

Would it have cost less to buy one? I see them online for ~$350 U.S. plus ~$150 for each die set depending on the site.

The jd2 bender is roughly four hundred dollars and then you need each die size for each size tubing you want to bend up. I made the bender for under three hundred dollars, but had to buy the dies which cost the money. Average die costs about two hundred dollars and up, shipping costs also, better off building your own in the long run.