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    Lets talk benders

    Im looking at buying a tubing bender sometime here in the future. I know they range from the thousands to about a hundred bucks. Im looking at the manual type with the 44in handle or a hydraulic style that handles up to 3" pipe. Can anyone comment on these ? I would assume hydraulic would be the way to go but I could be wrong. Im speaking of the harbor freight specials, probably nothing over $150 just for tinkering. Are they just junk ???
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    #2
    I know nothing about either of these since I've only worked w/ automatic benders. Looking at the one on the left though, it looks like it limits you on your bends. For instance if you had a pipe that was 8' long and wanted to bend a complete 180 degree bend, it looks like it would limit you. The one on the right looks like it'd work you harder, but you would have more options.

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      #3
      I have used the manual one the pics and it was ok for small tubing but if I had to buy one I would get the other one.

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        #4
        umm, you have a point there aggiehunter, it would have to be mounted pretty high off the ground---this is if it didn't bind up. How about using these on alum tube ?

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          #5
          I would think you could bend aluminum pretty easily. But as w/ steel, when you get up to the bigger dia. pipes, you're gonna have to work at it. Al. is light, but still pretty strong when it comes to that kind of stuff. Think about this too... W/ the other one you can always put a 5' cheater pipe on the handle to make your job easier

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            #6
            This is going to sound like common sense, but the more you spend on the bender, the nicer of a bend it will give you.

            That cheap harbor freight will kink the tubing while it is being bent, where as a more expensie will bend while the tube maintains its original diameter. Hope this makes sense.

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              #7
              I've got the hydraulic model pictured, and it works good, but not on copper.... bought mine from Northern Tool for a job we were doing in Midland, tried to bend a 2 1/2" L hard copper 90 deg. for the incomming water line, crimped the heck out of it.... OK, blonde moment there... but have used it on S/40 steel pipe and works great.....

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                #8
                The one on the left is a pipe bender not a tubing bender, it will crimp tubing unless you pack the tubing with sand, then even at that it does not do a good job on tubing.

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                  #9
                  thanks for the input.

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                    #10
                    I have both of those. The one on the right is in fact a pipe bender and the one on the left is just a bender. It does not come with dies for bending any tubing. You can however build dies for bending small sized square tubing. I have also built dies for brnding tubing and small pipe from big pulleys that I have found by welding a 5/8 washer on both sides of the pulley. It has worked well.

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                      #11
                      The one on the left is a pipe bender and does a very good job/ for price...but its for pipe. Put in round tubing it will flatten it out on the bend. Tube and pipe are 2 different creatures. If your wanting to bend pipe the one on left works good, I use to have one. The one on the right is tubing bender, dies help prevent flattening out tube when bending.

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                        #12
                        I have been looking for the same for square tubing... www.jd2.com has a Model 32 Bender $545 Mechanical (Limited Time Only $395) I have been looking at...

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                          #13
                          Unless you are going to use one all the time, it is easier and cheaper to buy the tubing, take the measurements and then drag everything down to your local muffler shop and give them $20 to make all your bends and cuts. If it is a project you are doing, they might even have a better idea on how to make it more structurally sound with easier bends and braces.

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                            #14
                            The one on the left is fair at best. I have that in the shop now. I bought it for the same reason as you, to tinker. I never hardly use it because it is kind of a pain.

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                              #15
                              Big gun, the JD2 is a very nice bender, a buddy of mine bought one. We used it to build roll cages for 4x4 trucks/jeeps with round tubing.. We also used the hydraulic bender in first pic(left) to do same that I had bought yrs ago to build roll cages out of pipe. Depends on what you want to do with it i guess.
                              Expressfish, what are looking to build? If its just feeder/tower related I'd stick the hydraulic bender and pipe myself.

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