im finally breaking down and buying a tube bender , i dont wanna spend all the extra money on die sets right now tho , i narrowed to an idea of what i want , i just need some help deciding , i figured 1 1/2" , 1 5/8" or 1 3/4" , i figured a good universal size and not small would be 1 5/8" and as long as i use the right thickness for diff applications i should be fine , whats every with experiance on cages and armor building opinions ???

 

im curious to know this answer too. i just want to buy 1 die too. i think you can get 1 size and be able to bend a size smaller with it. like a 1 1/2 you can bend 1 1/4 or 1 with but im not sure as i dont have one.

 

yea i was thinking the same thing

 

and if some one can help me out with clr that i need (centerline radius)

 

i feel a 1 3/4 would work for alot of things, what will u build out of 1inch tubing?

 

i didnt mention anything about 1" tubing , there is other non truck related things i could build out of 1" tho but ill worry about getting smaller dies for that down the road

 

Most of your hydralic pump and air over hydralic benders come with different size dies. Places like Northern Tool and other companies seel them for 200-300 dollars.

 

I have a 1.5" 6"CLR Die, and wish I got a 1.75" 6"CLR Die. With the 1.75" Die, you can use 1.5" tube with a little modification as seen here. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost....39&postcount=2

 

They recomend the right size die for the tube, cause it will pancake or kink the tube!

 

id go 1.5'' all the way no questions asked i have the exo to prove it, anything bigger is not really needed. everything i ever built is 1.5 and i built a few things, lol

 

Sounds good to me , I was thinking 1.5 would be good , so many people have so many diff opinions , do you know what the clr of the die is ? I'm looking to get jd2 bender and the company is asking me what clr I want , and also what notcher are you using ?

 

i use a 4.5 in die, if thats what ur asking, and you can pick up a jiga-joint for around 45bucks

 

Id say 1.5" looks best on XJ's. 1.75" looks a bit bit unless your XJ itself is a monster. I would recommend getting the tightest (smallest) CLR you can find. It will help you follow the lines of the body better.

I use a Pro-Tools 105 manual bender. Got a killer deal on it from someone over on Pirate4x4. I love it. Pure beef.

I am using a cheapie notcher from Harbor Freight. I had to adjust a few things on it. Its cheap, but it gets the job done. You definitely get what you pay for though. And it only goes from 0*-60*, which is a bummer.

 

it all depends on what tubing you bend the most. i use my 1 inch die daily so id replace that first if i had to start over. but the 1, 1.5, and 1.75 inch die are most useful to me. it all depends on what your doing.
1 5/8 is a bit odd imo.
as far as clr my 1.5 and 1.75 inch dies have a 5.5 clr and they are nice, i have a 1.5 with a 6.5 clr and its a bit large.

just figure out what size your going to need first/most and go from there.

keep an eye on craigslist. my dad got his bender with stand, 1, 1.5, 1.75 and 2 inch die for 800 bucks

 

you should just get this

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-...der-32888.html



ahahahahahaha im sorry...i had to! what is a tube bender thread without the loved Harbor Freight PIPE bender!??!?

just wanted to spice it up a bit.