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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    124

    Default Hydraulic Press on Castors

    I've just purchaced a 20t Hydualic press for my shop, and given my ever decreasing space, I'd like to fit some heavy duty 100mm castors to aid movement around the shed.

    Couple of options come to mind on how to approach this, but my current train of thought is,


    1. fit 3 castors to each support foot
    2. replace or strengthen the support feet with 100 x 6mm angle
    3. manufacture a retractable support between the two castor wheels on each foot.



    be interested in your thought please gentlemen.


    Hafco AL320G Lathe
    Toolex RF31 Mill/Drill
    Saber Bandsaw

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,105

    Default

    Why not just fit 4 Castor wheels, it is only a light duty press.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    South of Adelaide
    Posts
    1,225

    Default

    Top heavy things and castors usually aren't a good mix, i wouldn't do it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Berowra Waters
    Posts
    149

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by snapatap View Post
    Top heavy things and castors usually aren't a good mix, i wouldn't do it.
    I agree with this idea.
    isnt a press normally something that sits in a corner against a wall and gets used maybe twice a year?
    Find a spot to stick it in.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    124

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Com_VC View Post
    Why not just fit 4 Castor wheels, it is only a light duty press.
    that was my original thought, but then I got to thinking about the weight (of the uprights, crossmembers and the jack itself) and possible flex or distortion of the support feet. (50 x 3 angle)
    Hafco AL320G Lathe
    Toolex RF31 Mill/Drill
    Saber Bandsaw

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Age
    67
    Posts
    362

    Default

    I thought about it when I built mine but had no spare wheels at the time. Now having moved it twice in 10 years it I am not too bothered.

    Tony

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,416

    Default

    I put 75mm casters on my 30 ton press (2x fixed at the back and 2x locking at the front with only 2 bolts each) 8 or so years ago as a temporary thing to move it around, here I am today and it hasn't changed, lol

    I was going to get around to welding square plates on, but wouldn't worry about it now.

    It's the model with sliding cylinder and separate pump, so heavier at the top than a standard one.

    Moved houses 3 times and it made it easy getting it on the tailgate loader etc, never had enen a slight problem with it wanting tip top over.
    The angle iron standard on mine is 620x50x4mm.
    Using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi Oldhack,

    I have a 20 ton press which I built and it too, has 4 x locking castors, on 550mm centers, one on each corner.

    It is almost the identical design as yours, albeit with a little bit heavier construction- built with 100mm x75mm taper flange beams that I got cheap.

    I have used it maybe a dozen times in 3 years. It has never come even close to tipping over.

    All of my heavier equipment except the lathe and grinders are on castors.

    My once spacious 9 x 6 m steel shed is not as spacious as it once was. Sometimes you need the floor space or other times you need to push equipment aside to effectively clean under or around it. However,my wife does say, I am not guilty of that too often.

    Grahame

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,105

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by riverbuilder View Post
    I agree with this idea.
    isnt a press normally something that sits in a corner against a wall and gets used maybe twice a year?
    Find a spot to stick it in.
    Depends what you are pressing, sometimes you need more space when working with longer items. It is convenient to move it around if you have a smaller workspace.

    I cannot see anything dangerous about a press being on wheels as long as they are rated to the weight of the press. If a wheel is damaged that is when it could topple over.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Laidley, SE Qld
    Posts
    1,038

    Default

    Nothing to do with castors. I have a 20 tonne press of similar construction but painted red, it was purchased from well known supplier of machine tools maybe 15 years ago.
    When using it above the 10 tonne mark the frame starts to transition from a rectangular shape to an oval.
    I consider it to be a 10 tonne press. YMMV

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,416

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bob ward View Post
    Nothing to do with castors. I have a 20 tonne press of similar construction but painted red, it was purchased from well known supplier of machine tools maybe 15 years ago.
    When using it above the 10 tonne mark the frame starts to transition from a rectangular shape to an oval.
    I consider it to be a 10 tonne press. YMMV
    Agree
    I wanted a 20 ton press, so went for the 30 ton as it had a sliding cylinder, separate pump and air over hydraulic and a gauge.

    It's lightweight C channel construction but should be good for 20 which I've never got anywhere near. The table rocks a little because it was welded like that.

    The thing that bothers me is the restricted width, just after buying it my son and I found you couldn't even fit a motor bike wheel in there without the tyre on.
    You either have to widen it, or buy the 50 ton one at double the cost. I've found it restrictive on other jobs as well.
    For $450 new from H&F I can't really complain.
    Using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Age
    67
    Posts
    362

    Default

    I have wandered how these companies rate their presses.
    To me a press showed be able to go to max load with some deflection then rebound to its normal state. I have seen two 20T models go into plastic deformation before max load was reached. One was less than a month old. He did get has money back.

    One of my pet peeves is when companies put loads as say 20T, 100T or what ever on their product. I have wound up a few sales people asking, what does the T mean? Most say that means ton and look at me as if I am stupid. Too which I ask is that US short ton, Imperial ton or tonne and it its tonne why when being sold in Australia its not marked in Kg. I usually leave at this point hoping they will take the time to learn something about what they sell.

    Tony

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    I have a 30 standardised compression elephants air over hydraulic, fitted a 75mm single bolt lockable pivot and rotation castor in the factory holes for jacking bolts. It works.. if I have to negotiate the area that has all the fall for the drain I lower the bed to under waist height.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Perth
    Age
    42
    Posts
    31

    Default

    I have the H&F 30T hydraulic/pneumatic press and am waiting on a set of these to arrive:

    https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    50mm polyurethane castors with M10 threaded stem to suit the existing frame holes, ball bearing swivel and double wheel bearings. Two braked castors for the front. Double nut on stem will allow leveling for small variations in slab level. Rated at 70kg rating per castor (210kg over three wheels) so should be adequate - 130kg press weight leaves 80kg+ reserve for items being worked on, and I'm unlikely to ever be manhandling something that heavy into its relatively small work area.

    Pretty much everything apart from my primary workbench is going on castors as my shed has to store my hobby vehicle as well as equipment, so everything has to live against the walls but be relocatable for use. The press only has 350mm pass-through clearance when up against the wall so that's somewhat limiting.

    Check the stiffness of your existing feet before you bother reinforcing them. Just tilt the press back a bit, chock up the front with a length of timber and put a straight edge along the foot. That'll tell you how much deflection you're going to get at centre span once you have a castor fitted at each end. The feet on mine deflected less than 1mm so I'm calling them good.

    I'd avoid doing three castors per foot - deflection of the frame under load will result in the centre pair taking the brunt of the load and you'll have to level out three separate castors to prevent rocking. With four castors - one at each corner - you know for sure that load will be distributed between three (as three points define a flat plane) and only have to level out the fourth one. Provided your feet have the requisite strength and stiffness, four castors is more elegant.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    124

    Default

    Hafco AL320G Lathe
    Toolex RF31 Mill/Drill
    Saber Bandsaw

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