12 ton vs 20 ton shop press..

[ReefBlueCoupe]

The only thing I've ever needed a press for is for rear end parts. Maybe at some point I'll need to press ball joints in/out of control arms.

Is there a reason to get the 20 ton over the 12 ton press from Ching Chong? (Harbor Freight) I just do light work on my own pieces of shit in my garage.

12: 12 Ton Shop Press

20: 20 Ton Shop Press - Hydraulic Shop Presses on Sale

 

[soccerman002]

I was looking at the 12 ton myself for when I get around to replacing the bushings in my IRS.

I can't imagine I would need anything more than that, especially if it's just shade tree mechanic DIY work.

 

[TrueBlueGT]

You can do smaller stuff with a big press. Can't do bigger stuff with a small press.

 

[Junior00]

The 12 ton from HF is a royal piece of shit IMHO, and the 20 wasn't a whole lot better. Pressing out a couple seized ball joints from the lowers on my Z-71 as well as a new ring gear did my buddies in(the HF 20tn)...the frame began to twist. Poor welding was the culprit so I bought mine from Northern, the Torin I think, and haven't had a moments trouble out of it. Very solid and has done 3 different sets of ball joints, including my Z that didn't get done before, as well as another rear end and even some gunsmithing. In my experience, that is one tool you MOST definitely get what you pay for.

 

[ReefBlueCoupe]

I shall check out what Northern Tool has to offer. I forgot about them.

 

[03Sssnake]

You can do smaller stuff with a big press. Can't do bigger stuff with a small press.

/thread

 

[ReefBlueCoupe]

Well, that's all fine.. I mean using that logic I should get a 100 ton press.

What can a 20 do that a 12 can't when it comes to passenger car work?

 

[kevinatfms]

^nothing. i have used one of the 12 ton ones for years. just make sure you grease the shaft once in a while. also if you start pressing on something and it doesnt budge due to rust buildup or such dont keep going at it. let it sit for some time in some pb blaster or thrust and then try again.
people bend the frame when they use the full load and keep going. once you have pressure on the bearing/balljoint it just takes time for it to finally move, dont keep trying to force it and bend the frame.

the 20ton can make it happen quicker and has a more beefy frame but for a Ford dealership we had 3 of the 12ton presses and never needed more.

EDIT: we used ours for explorer wheel bearings, 8.8/9.75/9" bearings, balljoints on everything from a fiesta to f450's. no issues so far except for missing the little thing to tighten the pressure bleed screw. had to make my own out of a 2" piece of pipe crushed at the end.

 

[Junior00]

Well, that's all fine.. I mean using that logic I should get a 100 ton press.

What can a 20 do that a 12 can't when it comes to passenger car work?

Just wait till you get that nice new 12 ton and find out that an a-arm or something similar won't fit because the inside width was just shy. If you're going to spend the money, buy the 20. I've done ball joints on a Ranger, Explorer, and my Z-71 and I can honestly say that all but probably 1 set of arms wouldn't have fit inside a 12 ton. To each their own I guess.

 

[cbr repsol]

I have a harbor freight 12 ton and its never failed me. I do a shi# ton of side work out of my garage...pressed dozens of bearings,few honda control arm bushings & built a couple 9 inch third members. Ive had it for years, only thing I replaced was the hydraulic jack. But that was still very cheap,i think under 20 bucks. Go with what works best for u.

 

[usmc320]

I got the 20 ton and used it rebuilding the 8.8. I read some negative reviews about the 12 ton flexing due to being bolted together vs. the 20 ton being welded. That coupled with the increased capacity of the 20 ton swayed me in that direction.

 

[soccerman002]

For those of you that bought either one of those presses, were you able to find it in stores or did you have to order it online? I've never seen one in my local store.

 

[assasyn]

I'll cut you a deal on a 180 ton iron worker.

 

[oldmodman]

If you do decide on the Harbor Freight press don't forget to use one of the 20% off coupons. They are in just about every magazine I get.

 

[usmc320]

For those of you that bought either one of those presses, were you able to find it in stores or did you have to order it online? I've never seen one in my local store.

Both were in stock in Richmond.

 

[Entrenched]

I have the 12 ton and it's much smaller than you would think. It's not big enough to do many big jobs. Definitely not big enough to press off old differential bearings or get much done on the IRS honestly. I ended up using my buddies press in their machine shop for bigger jobs.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

Both in stock down here.

I debated the same thing when I got mine. Went with the 12 to save a little space.
So far it has not let me down going on a few years now.