Clarke CHV12 12-ton pipe bender

[FireStorm]

Are the below any good?

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/chv12-12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender

looking at getting one to use to bend 2.5mm pipe for a roll cage.. wondered if you could bend copper even though it says don't....

 

[rtbcomp]

It will most likely crush copper and other thin wall tubing rather than bend it.

 

[malcolm]

It'll probably crush 2.5mm. There's an official spec for roll cage thickness - I think it was 45mm diameter 3mm tube.

That type of bender will be boarderline for that sort of pipe thickness for crushing/kinking, and the tube might need packing with sand and ends welding up to reinforce the pipe a little for bending, or maybe heating with oxy acetylene.

I've got one and it's fine for scaffold pole which is 50mm diameter and 5mm wall thickness, but that's too heavy for roll cage.

 

[Baz-Cem]

Can anyone recommend a good pipe bender that can do it all?

 

[Wozzaaah]

I gather from other threads about these benders that there are dies available for them allowing you to bend thin-walled tube but I'm not sure where you'd get them from. I did come across a site once where someone had made their own dies which worked fine, If I come across it again I'll post it just because it may be useful to someone. I also remember finding out that competition rollcages have to be made from seamless tube, not a problem if it's just for road use though. Also, those benders are available under several guises and most are cheaper than the clarke ones but I don't know how they compare quality-wise.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Just come across these people, no idea what their prices are though but they sell TUBE benders not PIPE benders which is what those clarke and similar ones are.

 

[FireStorm]

This is what the rules state.

Guessing a hand held one would do the job then? any ideas on a smaller version

A full roll cage; minimum material size and gauge of all tube as listed below is 32mm (3mm)
or 38mm (2.5mm)OD;

 

[snowcat]

If its' to be used in comp's, and track days then there's a good few regs on that cage useing CDS tube will be the least of your problems, If you have a fab shop local with a mandrel bender then it might well save you all kinds of hassle.

 

[MrFluffy]

http://www.jd2.com/

Get saving for the dies though...

 

[MrFluffy]

Or get building :-
http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools/Tube Bender/Tubingbender.htm

 

[bump]

I've used the T7 from the page that Wozzaaah linked to, worked rather well too. That was for some 30mm dia 2.5mm wall tube.

 

[FireStorm]

back on this subject

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-TONNE-HYDR...in_3?hash=item2c4f92ea3a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

would that work, i'm looking at bending 34 - 38mm with a 3mm wall?

 

[Welderpaul]

back on this subject

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-TONNE-HYDR...in_3?hash=item2c4f92ea3a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

would that work, i'm looking at bending 34 - 38mm with a 3mm wall?

No

It will crush the tube and leave horrible flattened bends.

 

[split999]

I recently made this for bending square section (only because I didnt want to fork out for the round formers!)

i'm gonna make a rotisserie for my Split bus. Just paid for the Bottle jack...the rest was from scrap pieces...








tried it out on some box approx 38mm...works fine!!

 

[Seymorebutts_66]

Good Stuff

 

[busa]

back on this subject

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-TONNE-HYDR...in_3?hash=item2c4f92ea3a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

would that work, i'm looking at bending 34 - 38mm with a 3mm wall?

The bender you are looking at is supplied with pipe formers which are not the same as tube formers. Pipe is classified by it's nominal bore, whereas tube is classified by it's outside diameter. As an example, the outside diameter of 1.5" pipe is 48.3mm, the outside diameter of 1.5" tube is 38.1mm

The formers supplied with this bender are made to be a close fit on the outside of pipe sizes and will not provide close fit on tubes.