Bender Dies

[sLcREX]

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]

probender.com

probender.com

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]

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 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]

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 👍🏽

 

[Tebbsjeep]

This just popped up on ksl. Maybe it's a good start for somebody.

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

 

[I Lean]

This just popped up on ksl. Maybe it's a good start for somebody.

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

That one will be limited to 90 degree bends at most.

 

[sLcREX]

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]

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 👍🏽

 

[gertsch]

I purchased a rogue fab bender earlier this year. I've been extremely happy with it.