[JA545]

Checking out the presses at Harbor Freight I noticed the 12 ton is less than half the price of the 20 ton. Will the 12 ton have enough ass and clearence to press the barrels and parts on/off a AK rifle?

 

[hotbarrel]

I think yes .I believe other have used them , shurely someone with one will post better details for you.

 

[ak'sr4me]

I have the 12 ton press from them and it will do anything you want it to do, but if you can afford it, I would go with the 20 ton. It has a sturdier frame and will hold up a lot better. My 12 ton is real sloppy in its movement but it does work. ak'sr4me

 

[sks_hunter]

after seeing a big-ass bearing housing shatter like glass under less than 10 tons of force this evening in a press, 12 tons is plenty of ass.

 

[mbadboyz]

I have the 12 ton press from HF and have used it on 3 flats now. It works great! One thing though.......it would be best to put some extra welds on it to beef it up a tad. I'm also going to beef up the floor support with stronger angle iron.

12 ton is plenty of power for the pressing.

 

[scubadvr]

I have the 12 ton press from them and it will do anything you want it to do, but if you can afford it, I would go with the 20 ton. It has a sturdier frame and will hold up a lot better. My 12 ton is real sloppy in its movement but it does work. ak'sr4me

I have the tweleve, wish it was the twenty.

 

[Chiroone]

AS I have stated before, I have the 20 ton. Because it has a welded frame it is more stable than the 12 ton. Which is not to say it is perfect. The moving portion of the press does have a little bit of play on the track. I think i will fit a piece of 18 gauge or so sheet stock of either mild steel or brass to act as a sort of shim to prevent the side to side play.

BTW I have seen a 12 ton Harbor Freight press welded up and it worked much better. Just make sure the the thing is square before you do it however.

 

[tarawa]

I have the 12 ton press from HF and have used it on 3 flats now. It works great! One thing though.......it would be best to put some extra welds on it to beef it up a tad. I'm also going to beef up the floor support with stronger angle iron.

12 ton is plenty of power for the pressing.

Are you folding any receivers?

 

[yosuthnmasa]

AS I have stated before, I have the 20 ton. Because it has a welded frame it is more stable than the 12 ton. Which is not to say it is perfect. The moving portion of the press does have a little bit of play on the track. I think i will fit a piece of 18 gauge or so sheet stock of either mild steel or brass to act as a sort of shim to prevent the side to side play.

BTW I have seen a 12 ton Harbor Freight press welded up and it worked much better. Just make sure the the thing is square before you do it however.

Exactly,

I too have the 20 ton press and have noticed at times it can be a bit unsturdy. Your idea sounds like a good one too.

Sorry to veer off subject here, but how do you guys ensure that the ram is pushing perpendicular to the area that the plates sit on? Sometimes I wonder if I am truly pushing at a 90 to the plates. When I first set it up, I tried to make sure the bar that the ram is on sat parallel by using a level and increasing or decreasing the length of the springs. However, after time I think it gets off again. Any suggestions on how to make sure the ram stays pushing perpendicular to the plates and will stay this way?

 

[JA545]

Thanks for the replies. A 12T sounds like it will do what I want for less than 1/2 the price of the 20T model.

 

[chargedmr2]

I just ordered the 12 ton "A" frame press from Harbor Freight. Now Im not sure if it will have enough clearance for a barreled receiver. Pressing a FSB on may not be possible. Has anyone used one of these?? Is there any AK work that can't be done with this style press? I need to know if I should cancel my order. If you can help, please let me know ASAP.

Thanks,

chargedmr2

 

[tarawa]

Exactly,

I too have the 20 ton press and have noticed at times it can be a bit unsturdy. Your idea sounds like a good one too.

Sorry to veer off subject here, but how do you guys ensure that the ram is pushing perpendicular to the area that the plates sit on? Sometimes I wonder if I am truly pushing at a 90 to the plates. When I first set it up, I tried to make sure the bar that the ram is on sat parallel by using a level and increasing or decreasing the length of the springs. However, after time I think it gets off again. Any suggestions on how to make sure the ram stays pushing perpendicular to the plates and will stay this way?

My 20 ton press had so much slop, I had to attach guide rods with sleeves to get it to press straght.

 

[gunny54]

I have the 12 ton from HF and it has 5/8" slop. Took 2 1/4"x3" pieces of flat stock and bent them into an L shape for shimming purposes and made all the difference in the world.

 

[WC846]

Have any of you guys used the Northern Tool presses. i was looking at this one because of it's size. It will fit right into an empty spot in my reloading room.

 

[gunny54]

Thats the same one Harbor Freight sells for $99.

 

[WC846]

Thanks for the info. I will be going to one of their stores in December, maybe they will have one on stock and i can save on shipping..