How about something second hand from heavy machinery? There must be junkyards for heavy machinery somewhere around your area.

 

That is a great idea but since I am doing this for a friend on his dime I would rather avoid any mishaps from the junkyard. Stuff like that tends to complicate friendships.

 

Weld, I've used this supplier before with good results. Not sure how they compare but can't hurt to look at their site?

http://www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Cylinders/

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK

 

I looked at the website briefly and it looks awesome. I don't know if they have what is needed for this particular project but I am sure I will use something from there sometime if not this time. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

4"x8" tie rod cylinders are pretty common on old farm equipment although you could look at old combine pickups etc. if you want a lot more stroke. 5" would take some searching. The Lion cylinders (4.x8) in the above thread are rated at 3000 psi and seem like a reasonably good deal at $126. Seal kits will likely be easier and cheaper to source for ag equipment rather than construction equipment, but anything from the construction industry will likely be built heavier.

 

4 bore with 3000 psi will not get me to 20 tons. As far as cannibalizing old equipment like I stated in the other post it is a
idea if I was doing this for myself but since I am doing this on someone else's dime I rather not go that route when dealing with friends. As most people on here probably know all too well when you help out friends or family even though you make no money the expectations are quite high. But thank you for an excellent suggestion.

 

I ceased doing things like this on the "friends" basis for much of the reasoning you cite. A paying job leads to much less hard feelings down the road it seems. Same thing with family believe it or not.

Try http://www.baileyhydraulics.com/ as these guys not only vendor cylinders, they will build anything you need. I've used them for years without disappointment and service is top notch.

 

Thank you for sharing that.

 

I would love to see some pics.

 

Sounds like you are involved in a very interesting project. Funny how so many of us get involved in same attempting to help friends, huh?....I kinda find myself there often where I got the skills/tooling, and they got the need...makes the perfect opportunity for guys to get to be better buds.

I hope you will post pics and describe the challenges and the how and why you solved those challenges the way you did.

For my uses, I only need about a 20 ton press, so I went with the new version of the Harbor Freight that I beefed up and installed their air/hydro bottle jack...It works well for me, but I understand you want something more professional.

If you got time, I suggest you investigate the youtube channel that is published by a guy named Keith Fenner. He has a great vid about his press....It's really impressive....both the press and all his vids are impressive.

Either way, I'm hoping to someday see some pics of what you come up with.

 

I am familiar with Keith. I have seen a few of his videos they are pretty good unfortunately I never seen his press video. The best video that I have seen on YouTube when it comes to DIY presses is this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7K0jwcIAYQ


Right now there are no pictures everything is in SolidWorks, so basically three-dimensional sketches. The design is based on KR Wilson 75 ton press. I think in that category for a DIY it's probably the best design. They have been around for a long time so if you Google some images you'll get to see a lot of pictures.

Even though this frame will handle 75 ton capacity it will actually only be a 20 to 30 ton press. Like with every project funds are always the limiting factor and hydraulics get exponentially more expensive as you get over the 25 ton mark.

 

What is wrong with bottle jacks? The make some 20 ton air over hydraulic ones that are reasonably priced and would do what you want while being easy to use.

If you want a hydraulic cylinder I will say a +1 on Bailey. I have bought numerous things from them over the years for our equipment.

 

Thank you for the suggestion but you simply cannot achieve the same level of finesse with bottle jacks as you can with a good hydraulic cylinder set up.

 

@ Weld - $500 is light on cost for acquiring a electro-hydraulic setup rated to 25T. Are you considering human-powered -or - electro/hydraulic with pump n motor?? Many manufacturers of 25T presses commonly use 4.5" bore x 10" stroke SA cylinders rated to 3k psi.

Check eVilbay for hydraulic 'head' (cylinder) units offered by Parker-Hannafin, Vickers. Also, see what Dake uses on their 25T/50T units. Saw this 25T DA ElectroHydraulic Pump Cylinder - OTC.

 

Thank you for the suggestion. The budget is just for the hydraulic cylinder. The motor the pump and everything else is a separate budget. 5" bore is where this is going to end up at around 3000 psi.

 

http://www.princehyd.com/

We deal with these guys.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Whatever you decide consider adding an adjustable relief valve. Its super handy when you want to dial in just the right amount of pressure.

 

That is a great suggestion for the project thank you for sharing.

 

You will need a lot of money to buy the kind of good hydraulic cylinder

 

4.5 bore and 3000 psi should produce about 21 tons and a 5 cylinder bore along with 3000 psi should be somewhere around 25 tons.

A 4.5" bore at 3k psi is 23.8 tons, 5" bore is 29.45 tons

The bigger thing you will want to find is a cylinder with the largest rod you can

 

Are you going with a double acting cylinder or spring pull back? Surplus center has some nice cylinders in your price range I'm in the process of building a press also but it's slow going I'm stuck at getting the head attached to the cylinder

 

If you want USA check out Enerpac or Simplex. They have many options but a 25 ton jack will run you right around $500. They are inexpensive to rebuild and rarely need it. Mine operate in corrosive environments and that does most of the damage. Step up to 10000 psi. You are wasting money buying 5 inch bore equipment. 10ksi equipment still works with pipe thread, anything above that and the fittings end up costing more than the rest of the equipment.

Motion Industries might be a good place to start for any of your hydraulic needs.