Tubing bender

[Tommyathacker]

If I am in the wrong forum please advise where to go and I will move it.

I am building a trike and I am about to buy a tubing bender. I was at harbor freight the other day and then realized there are two styles so I decided to get some information from you guys before I purchased one.

There is a style uses forms and a Hydrolic jack and another that has a wheel. From appearances the wheel style looks more precise or actually easier to NOT bend further than planned.

I appreciate the input

Thanks

[irondad01]

There is a difference between pipe and tubing. Basically, tube is structural and pipe is for transferring stuff inside it, like fluid. A 1" tube is 1" on the outside and a 1"pipe is 1" on the inside. The bender with the jack has dies for pipe. I have one and have bent tube with it. It works OK for slight bends. The closer you get to 90* the more chance it will start to flatten the tube. There are ways to help with the flattening, like packing the tube with sand and plugging the ends.

The bender with rollers and big wheel is good for longer bends. I never used one so I don't know if you can do sharp bends.

Good luck.

[TwistedKarma]

I have mitler bros bender, used it on my build, i did buy the wheel one towards end, for one job. But it never showed in time. Eastwood brand, it can do a 180 degree.

The Mitler ones, do 90 degree, hydraulic

The wheel, manuel

You can only go so sharp of a radious. Dom tube is what to use

Probally a ton of eastwood, other videos on the tube to help your skills

Harbor freight has good quality tools, better than they used to.

I would never use the old jack styles, the shoes tend to deform, than you loose structure, strength.

Hope this helps your choice

[Tommyathacker]

Thank you for the input

[TomyJ]

Tommy, You can also go with square tubing and cut angles instead of bends like I did in my builds under home built trikes section, I used 1.25 w/ .125 wall. just a thought?