This fall im hoping to buy a new frame and tubing bender. What is everyone using? I know alot of people use the JD2 & ProTools benders but they are pricey and have to be mounted to the floor unless you double the price for the hydro unit.

If you have some reading time check this out. Its mobile and runs off air. Not really worried about price but if i can save some money that is always good.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376183

If you read all 20 pages they started with a engine hoist jack then went with an air jack.[/img]

I have a minimal amount of experience using tubing benders. But I have been able to use both an air over hydraulic and a manual bender. In my opinion, while the air over hydraulic unit was alot faster at making bends, the manual bender was alot better for making precise bends. If your not going to be making a ton of bends I would just get the manual hydraulic one. If you end up using it alot you can always upgrade later. Plus you can switch them out if you ever brake a hydraulic line.

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Jim

www.tubetek.net I bought one of these and for the money I really don't think it can be beat. I built a stand with air over hydraulic and love it. I built my entire frame with this bender and two dies.

what does max clr of 4.5 or 6 mean?

http://www.tubetek.net/products/product_details.php?p=8

that looks like a really good price.

I'de steer clear of the TubeTek. The only person that works there is hit or miss to get ahold of. A guy on Pirate right now has been trying to get ahold of him for more than a week. He recieved a bender that was short a part or 2 and now is getting nothing.

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www.F-O-A.com

On of the guys in our local 4x4 club built one of then benders like on pirate. He came over and borrowed my die (protools 105hd) to make sure he had everything lined up right before he finish welded it. We compared prices. By the time you add up all the little stuff he wasn't much cheaper and had a bunch of time in it. I had kinda figured this out previous thats why I just went ahead and bought one.

John

I had no problems with tubetek and would definitely use them again. I will say that I bought my bender over a year ago so they may be different now but customer service was top notch at the time I purchased from them. CLR is Center Line Radius. The smaller the CLR the tighter the bend. I bought a 1.5" and 1" die with the 240 degree capacity and have been very happy. Here is what I have done with the bender.

Very nice looking buggy. I was wondering it that was the same guy that I read about on Pirate. I might give him a call this fall when im ready to buy and if i can't get ahold of him ill pass.

Did your friend have to pay for machining the pieces or did he do it all himself? If you have to pay for the machining i can see the price climbing fast.

In my early years of building Custom Harley's there was very little after market parts available. So you had to make them. As the years went buy and CNC became popular parts became ready availiable and were so much cheaper when you factor your labor you are better off buying a proven mass produced product with a warranty provided allready. Same goes for these tubing benders. The moral of the story is buy it if you can and make it if can't.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

Backwoods if your ever in Newark stop in and check mine out its a ProTools 105 and I put 110v hyd on it

Hell im in Newark quite a bit im only about 20 min away. Im getting married in like 2 weeks so im pretty busy right now but after that ill have time.

Married in two weeks! Congradulations. Well there goes your riding!

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!