What pipe bender is for me?

[willrideanythin]

Jack powered or manual? What are the benifits or each one. I will be making nerfs, bumpers, and roll cages? Are dies available for these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160476249992&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160473859184&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[dksix]

The second one won't do well with hollow stock, ever square tubing will collapse if you try to bend it with that thing. The first one is a good bender, allot of places sale versions of that one. IDK about nerf bars and bumpers but most people use tubing for cages, not pipe. Neither of the benders you have post will work well with tubing. The mandrels for pipe benders are different than ones for tube benders due to the OD of pipe and tubing being different. If you are going to do performance oriented stuff like buggy's, quads and trikes you might want to check these people out. http://www.pro-tools.com/index.html They have a full line of tube bending supplies and ever will give you the blue prints to make a very nice little mandrel bender (they will even sale you the dies, lol).

[HuffieVA]

Unless you are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime you will have a very hard time bending roll bar stock in the manual one, the jack versions work but are quite cumbersome, I lucked out and found an old chain driven "3 wheel" bender at a surplus auction similer to this (by concept)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zopf-ZB-7072-MD-Pipe-Tube-Bender-w-dies-1-2-5-2002-/310247235446?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483c2d1f76

But about 50 years old and not very safe (it coasts to a stop) but it works and I dont let anybody else near it, it could definately take off a few fingers pretty quick. But they do make the 3 wheel type that are manually driven with a big wheel or crank similer to:

http://www.medfordtools.com/rmd/rollbenders/index.html

They are a bit more pricy than the jack but make a nice smooth radius that can be duplicated

[Thorpe]

If you are going to go that route... Look for a pneaumatic assist... If it were me, I would get a larger hydraulic bender (with electric pump)

[willrideanythin]

I think I should add Ill only be using this 2-3 times a year on a project or2.

[cr480r]

JD 2 would be my choice... cheap, simple and work well.. dies are expensive though.. an assist ram is not needed for small projects... and can be added later.

http://www.jd2.com/shop/custom.aspx?recid=1

[SWIGIN]

JD 2 would be my choice... cheap, simple and work well.. dies are expensive though.. an assist ram is not needed for small projects... and can be added later.

http://www.jd2.com/shop/custom.aspx?recid=1

HRE has one of those and it is awesome! Easy to bend by hand and easy to hook a ram up to if need be.

[Thorpe]

an assist ram is not needed for small projects... and can be added later.

Not a need, but nice to have... Didnt see the part about occasional use. I work in a custom fab shop where we do alot of cages and tube chassis' so its more of a need for me...

[willrideanythin]

Im just a red neck winging it in my garage from time to time. Having fun and screwing around.