DEVILSTOY

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 ???

mtparker97

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.

DEVILSTOY

yea i was thinking the same thing

DEVILSTOY

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

jonjon99xj

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

DEVILSTOY

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

cherokee-matt

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.

Jeep450r

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

builtnotbought89'

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

projectmayhem

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

DEVILSTOY

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 ?

projectmayhem

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

Jeep450r

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.

sandaddik2

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

limegreentj

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.