Heavy-Duty Press Break Built From Scrap

Heavy-Duty Press Break Built From Scrap FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 21-1-4 "It's one-of-a-kind and it works as well as any commercial high dollar machine," says Randy Keck about a heavy-duty, 150-ton press break he built out of scrap to bend metal sheets for floors and sides of his company's ensilage beds. "We used a hydraulic cylinder mounted horizontally in the frame, instead of vertically, which gives us a greater, 5 to 1 mechanical advantage," notes Keck. The 12-ft. long machine's frame is built of channel iron and I-beams, with a 27-in. I-beam serving as its base. Its blade is made from 3-in. thick steel. The press operates hydraulically, with an electric solenoid valve controlling flow. It uses a two-stage pump offering a choice between high volume-low pressure or low volume-high pressure flow. The press weighs 12,000 lbs., features a 9-in. throat and is powered by a 15 hp electric motor. "We've bent 12-ft. lengths of 10-ga., 10-ft. lengths of 1/4-in. thick, and 6-ft. lengths of 3/8-in. thick steel," says Keck. Scrap metal was purchased for 10 cents per lb., so Keck's out-of-pocket expense was $7,000 to $8,000. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Randy Keck, GRK Enterprises, Rt. 1, Box 56, Fairview, Okla. 73737 (ph 405 227-2903).

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