Which bender would you buy?

[LT.]

I am now in the market for a tubing bender. As of now I have narrowed it down to a few different choices and I am unsure of which way to go. We will be using it for different applications everything from cages to frames. As of right now I am looking at manual benders and I may upgrade to a hydraulic unit later down the road. So, which would you buy and why?

LT.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I have the model3 JD2 and love it. and you can upgrade to an air over hydro ram for under $100.00

This is a pro tools (Basically the same bender as the JD2) bender with the ram set up like I am talking about

 

[LT.]

I am leaning towards the JD benders as well. They seem to have the easiest site to navigate, and the largest option list as well. I am really dumb when it comes to this kind of thing and I only want to purchase one bender to do everything I want now and later. Thanks for your thoughts.

LT.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

When considering what Die to buy you might want to check out what I did with mine. Depending on what you would be using most this might save you some money.
http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=64205

 

[LT.]

Smart thinking! That is a sharp idea. I may have to try that out once I decide on what bender to get. Thanks for the bright idea.

LT.

 

[KrazyKarl]

I've been really happy with my jd2 and like they said it was super easy to set it up for air over hydraulic

 

[cuban b]

I have a pro tools 105 manual bender and it is awesome. I have no complaints. bends are easy and repeatable.

Unless you're doing production, you don't really need hydraulic. It would be nice to not have to bolt it down to use it though.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

It would be nice to not have to bolt it down to use it though.

This is the main reason I want the hydraulics.

 

[Caleb]

If I were to buy another bender it would be the model 4. I had a model 3 and while I didn't use it a ton, it was a very nice bender. I'd go with the model 4 because they are a bit nicer and a bit beefier. I would 100% made sure whatever I went with had hydraulics. While it's not necessary, it's nice not to have to bolt it down so you can move it depending on your bend. Also, it gets annoying yanking on the handle.

 

[jeepspeedtj]

I have the model3 JD2 and love it. and you can upgrade to an air over hydro ram for under $100.00

This is a pro tools (Basically the same bender as the JD2) bender with the ram set up like I am talking about

How do you up grade it for so cheap?

 

[I Lean]

Any of the options will make you happy. That said, I've dealt with both Pro-Tools and JD2 quite a bit, and JD2 by far is nicer to deal with as a company.

 

[jswainthug]

Buy Rad buggies tube shark so we can quit giving each other hell!!

 

[ChestonScout]

Mine is a pro tools with hydraulics. It is a VERY sweet bender.


If you can do the hydraulics on the jd2 for under 100 bucks I would do that no questions asked!

Like was said already. Hydro isnt a neccesity but it sure is nice.


Why do you even need a bender??? Your a big tough guy! Just grap your tube and bend it like He Man would......


Bottom line is the whole list of benders you have are all very nice. You will be happy with any of them

 

[Corban_White]

How do you up grade it for so cheap?

Harbor freight air over hyd. ram, some tube, some plate, some bolts, a drill and a welder.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Harbor freight air over hyd. ram, some tube, some plate, some bolts, a drill and a welder.

X2

The one pictured is not mine but the only thing you need is the Ram if you have scrap laying around.

If you don't want to build the mount I think copperheadfab sells one for like $80.00

 

[rockreligious]

Harbor freight air over hyd. ram, some tube, some plate, some bolts, a drill and a welder.

Sounds like its time for an instructional thread...via Corban builds a hydrobender so we can all cheat and copy yours. I have a JD2, and Im sure im capable of figuring it out, but you could save us all the grief by posting pix.

 

[jeepspeedtj]

Harbor freight air over hyd. ram, some tube, some plate, some bolts, a drill and a welder.

Score! I am going that route.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I am not positive but I think rockmonkey built one and posted it in a thread somewhere. But I might be wrong

EDIT: Here it is http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=23937&page=4&highlight=copperhead

 

[LT.]

I am glad that y'all have written in and voiced you opinions. I was really starting to take a hard look at the ratcheting bender and thought that I could run a 3/8 impact on it. This would have given me the cheaper alternative while still using an air tool to operate it. After looking at the prices for the dies I am about to drop it altogether. Thanks go out to the folks that have voted. I really think that the hydraulic version of the JD2 model 4 is what y'all have voted for and I will be trying to purchase in the coming months.

LT.

 

[rockreligious]

yep, dies are a killer at average $200 a set. you want to have a good idea what tube your going to bend most.