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Bender Dies

sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
So I’m looking to purchase a JD2 Bender and a couple of dies. The plan is to mainly use it for bumpers and sliders but having not actually built any and this being a learning curve. Do these parts benefit more from a 6.5 CLR or 5.5, 4.5?

In my research, I don’t think I want to use a 4.5 die on larger pipe diameter like 2.0 because it’s too tight a radius and would cause distortion, correct? But does that mean I should get 5.5 CLR for a 1.5” die?

I have a few sharp bends in mind but I am thinking I’ll be using 1.75” pipe in those areas and maybe it’s not feasible.

Last question, is a manual bender all I would technically ever need, and a hydro is just a convenience factor? And can I add hydro to a manual? The website makes it sound like if I purchase a manual I can’t add hydro.
 
UNSTUCK

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.

Flying Club

Flying Club
probender.com

This is what you want. Having ran both horizontal and vertical, vertical is the best way to make bends. Get a magnetic angle finder and put it on the tube for easy measuring. CLR is dependent on tube size, wall thickness and personal preference. For example, I don't think you can get close to a 4.5 CLR on a 2" tube. I think it's just 6 or 7". Check the specks on each die for the wall thickness recommendations. I prefer the smallest CLR in each die. Spend the extra and get 180* dies. Tube > pipe.
 
crosbike

crosbike

Active Member
Location
Utah
I second the smallest CLR on the dies and definitely the 180° . I have a jd2 model 3 (they have "suspended" making them, probably forever) with an air hydraulic ram from harbor freight. It does a good job for the little amount of bending i do. Look for upcoming black friday deals to save some cash.
 
I Lean

I Lean

Mbryson's hairdresser
Vendor
Location
Utah
I agree with @UNSTUCK on vertical bending, but there's nothing at all wrong with horizontal. Plus a manual bender is cheaper initially. Yes, you can add hydraulics to any bender later.

I like the dies from JD2 better than the Pro-Tools ones (that probender also uses), mostly because of the replaceable wear parts on the follower. They are also some different material other than steel--the steel followers tend to gall much more easily.
 
sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
That’s everyone for the input. Yes on the 2” dies the smallest is 6.5 CLR whereas the 1.5” die I think I saw it was offered in the 4.5” CLR.

Definitely planning to go with 180 dies. I was thinking of getting 1.5” and 2” and using the stickied method here to make inserts to reduce the size in between dies.

I’ll go ahead and wait a couple of weeks to see if any Black Friday deals pop up! I wasn’t going to purchase a pedestal/stand since I was going to build one and vertical is what I had in mind as well, so in the interim I’ll continue to research and learn for the best options on mounting and die set.

I’m trying to keep a budget and the tax and shipping have kinda ruined that lol so I’ll likely order a manual and add hydro to it down the line.

Thanks again everyone for your input 👍🏽
 
T

Tebbsjeep

Well-Known Member
Location
Ogden
This just popped up on ksl. Maybe it's a good start for somebody.

classifieds.ksl.com

Custom Hydraulic Pipe Bender

$500.00 Custom Hydraulic Pipe Bender for sale in Springville, UT on KSL Classifieds. View a wide selection of Rock Crawler Parts and other great items on KSL Classifieds.
classifieds.ksl.com
 
sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
I ordered my model 32 during Black Friday and it came in today, so glad it didn’t take weeks to a month to arrive. Then I got a sweet deal on the die I wanted thanks to STAG. So this weekend I’m hoping to button up a stand for it. I was planning to make a vertical mount stand per everyone before me’s advise but I wondered about the spring back pin, it operates on gravity, so do I need to keep an eye on it and push it back in when it slips out?
 
sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
That’s what I was noticing as I fiddled with it in the vertical position that they all work their way out slowly. I guess that would be a drawback to the vertical position. Might just make a dual position mount to see what works for me personally and learn from there 👍🏽
 
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