so i bought a hf pipe kinker to maybe make some bumpers/stingers/rocksliders etc. for my xj, was gunna use 1 1/4 sch 40. and maybe if i got good enough id start an exo cage.. maybe. but anyway. everyone says oh you cant use a hf pipe bender to bend tube, but itll bend pipe just fine.. well hell it kinks pipe too. i cant even make a 45 degree bend without it kinking on me. so i basically wasted $100. i tried sand and capping the ends, i modified the dies and made the strap to hold the pipe in tight to no avail... still kinks. what am i doing wrong? does anyone that used one of these have any advice?

thinking about just spending the money and getting a real tube bender. not sure which one to buy though.

clueless here..

 

for a cheap bender, jd2 cant be beat..

 

thats what im looking at right now... and im pretty sure thats what im gunna get

 

there are plans and I think videos on youtube for hooking a harbor freight air cylinder to the jd2 bender.. it wont need to be mounted to the floor with a cylinder to bend instead of a long handle.. keep in mind that youll need a way to notch the tubing too.

 

sched 40 is crap and doesn't have any place on any rig, and in my opinion neither does HREW (you will dent it if you hit in on rocks it is 1 time use only). as for the pipe kinker, well you've already discovered how that ends up. you've got a lot of things to rethink before you start trying to build structural parts

 

Listen to these guys...

Get a JD2 M32. Use DOM tube.

There are low cost options to improve the base model bender. Check out this link:

http://www.swagoffroad.com/

This guy is awesome. I got his air over hydro conversion kit, as well as his digital angle finder for the M32. His prices are low, and service is high. He's the real deal...

Take your time, do it right. You've already discovered there is no cheap, easy bender options. Save your money, and get one that works.

My .02

 

ahh the whole sch 40 debate, really didnt wanna bring that up here but like i said, nothing wrong with using it on bumpers and stuff. nothing wrong with doing a cage with it either as long as its done right. ive seen plenty of sch40 cages first hand and i dont see a reason not to do it for a recreational cage. its not like im entering events or trying to pass tech inspection. its for personal use only. i dont even think my wheeling is hard enough to need one. surely sch40 is better then nothing right?

so thinking getting a 1 1/4 pipe die and a 1.75 tube die, is 5.5 a good CLR?

 

Realize that the dies for pipe and tube are different.

I got the 1.75" with the 5.5 CLR. The dies are the most expensive part, ~$300-350 each.

As for the sched pipe vs tube, you're on your own. I know what I run. It isn't pipe. It might be better than nothing in your mind, but if you ever have to rely on it, you'll wish you went tube. First major incident and it'll be fawked

 

it aint cheap.. thats for sure!! i know what i need now

 

maybe if it was possible to design a race style cage in a Cherokee (lots and lots of triangulation and all the right tubes in the right places) it would hold. but that's not the case in a Cherokee. you're going to have a bunch of missed nodes and no where near enough tube (I mean pipe). the material isn't a high enough quality steel to withstand impact.

build what you like. but for ****'s sake don't build anything for anyone else

 

Rule of thumb for bending tube is 3.5x tube od.. 3x tube od is ok in thicker wall tube. thinner tube needs a larger center line radius too. jd2 is a very affordable entry level bender and they seem to work great and produce nice quality bends. just from what I've seen since I've never used one. I use a full hydraulic hossfeld and have well over 10000 invested in it. its been a great bender. had it about 25 years. I'd kind of like to step up to a programmable bender, but cant justify the cost. Oh , as far as pipe goes.. pipe will split on impact in a hard hit. I recommend cold roll electric weld or crew for short.. its cheap and strong. 1.75x.120 tube bent on a 6" clr.

 

my cherokee is not "race style" lol. and i wouldnt have time to build stuff for anyone else, i have enough of my own offroad projects that need completion. if they want to borrow my bender and make use sch 40, thats on them

im looking at tubing prices through my work, i may be able to get a good deal on steel. im looking into it before i make the plunge on the bender...

 

you're missing my point. but yeah the dies are different for pipe and tube so factor in the fact that you won't be able to use any useful materials if you set yourself up for pipe

 

Check out this thread. https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f33/we...e-pics-142460/
This is my jeep . We fell off A cliff going less than 5mph. The cage is cold roll electric weld or crew for short..

 

you can put a crap ton of work into tube(pipe) fab and have it dent and not be happy with it after one trip. or you can use the same ammount of effort and spend some more money on some DOM and be happy with it for a very long time. i guess it all depends on your intentions with your rig but if your gonna have it at all you would want to feel secure with your work man. if sch40 does it for you than thats your choice.
just my .02