I have a new set of rear axle bearings for '86 240DL as well as front susp bushing kit. Since the closest place I can find to press off/on the axle bearings wants $30/side to do it, I was thinking it might be worth buying a hydraulic press from one of the discount tool companies, and using it on the front bushings too. OK, maybe its just an excuse to buy another tool. The question is what ton press do I need and what is the minimum distance needed to press off the axle bearings? Choices are 12 ton ($110) to 20 ton ($230) presses with 23" and 32" working distances. Any advice from the experienced?

The smaller one will do the job unless you encounter particularly stubborn stuff. Then it will tend to build up pressure on whatever you're trying to shift and eventually it'll move it with an almighty bang. The bigger press will have more "headroom" to shift tight things without straining - either itself or your arm.

I couldn't find one which was completely siutable, so I built my own. All new materials (6' high steel frame, 30 ton press jack, etc) and it cost 1/2 the price of a new one. Only took a weekend to build, too.

Do you have(or would you make) the complete list of parts and a sketch. I am sure a lot of owners would like to build one for this purpose.

My mechanic uses a 12-ton for 99% of his work. The other 1% probably doesn't exist.

A 12-ton one costs around $120(USD) here.

I second the request for some sketch or foto of what you built. Question: did you bolt it all together or did you weld it?

Bram

I doubt my artistic talents would give even a passable representation of what it actually looks like. Couldn't draw a straight line if my life depended on it :) I'll try to describe it in words.

Its basically a totally welded up framework, rectangular "box" ; 4 upright sections of 3" x 3" x 1/4" angle about 6' high. 3" x 3" angle frame at the bottom to form a frame about 2' wide and 18" deep (front to back). Same at the top except using 3" x 2" RHS (rectangular hollow section) steel as thick as you can get instead and with the 3" side vertical. A couple of same sized bits from front to back towards the centre of the top frame with narrow but thick flat bits welded on to the bottom of each to mount the jack (make sure you get a jack which is designed for a press - they work upside down. 20 tons is probably enough. I went for 30 tons because I sometimes have to tackle some heavy stuff). Bore 4 holes through the extremeties of the jack base plate and mount the jack to the flats using whatever size bolts you think will do. The bolts won't be taking a lot of load so 3/8" dia is plenty. Their position will depend on the dimensions of the jack base plate. Bore 3/4" holes through the faces of the uprights which face towards the front, at equal distances all the way up and about 6" apart top-to-bottom. Make 2 rods, 3/4" diameter, long enough to go from front to back of the upright framework, through the holes, with a bit on the front end to form a "handle". Bend the handle part of the rods a bit to stop the rods going right through the holes and falling out. These rods will support the bed. Make the bed using 3" x 2 " RHS (3" side vertical) as thick as you can get; 2 pieces to fit widthways inside the frame, 2 pieces front-to-back inside the frame and all four welded together to form a rectangle. Now you'll just need a pair of pressing plates - flat pieces of steel about 3/4" or more thick, 4" wide and about 12" long. You can move these around on the bed to suit whatever job you're doing. And the height of the bed can be changed by moving the rods up or down in the holes in the frame. That's about it I think. The welds need to be strong but they're not in a beauty pageant so it doesn't matter if they're a bit daggy. Paint it all matte black and no-one will notice.

Phew. Hope that made sense. The end result is a press which will tackle just about anything without straining. Just make sure you put it somewhere where it won't have to be moved too often!

How about a pic?

Maybe we can all ship our stuff to Paul Seminara and he can use his press.

Haven't got a digital camera or any of that stuff. Wife's away from work for a while so can't get to a scanner either. And I can't draw for nuts. I'll see what I can do when she gets back. As long as I can remember.

maybe...but it'll costja

12 ton works good for me, got it for CAN$110 which is about US$75.

The arbor press didn't work good that i tried, nto enough space and really awkaward stuff like a-arms won't fit in, but with the hydro press it was great.