Harbor Freight 20 Ton Press questions...

Can the cast iron plates be repurposed into machine tools, or is the cast iron too low in quality? I have some junk cast iron which is really low in carbon. Very dead, soft, powdery chips, threads, cuts and files like a dream. Useless for fabrication, but good for machinist uses which do not put the material in tension (too much).
 
I picked up the 60603 yesterday for $137.oo. It bolts together and the plates are 1 inch steel. I haven't assembled it yet but the jack works, all the parts are there and it seems heavy enough to do the job. I want to put castors on the bases before assembly as it's to heavy to work on after it's put together.
 
Thank goodness that the plates are steel and cast iron are a thing of the past.
 
I have a 12 ton I got from Northern tool years ago not much different than the harbor freight and it is bolted together and have maxed it out a few times without any problems and its plenty of press in my home garage, One of the upgrades I did was to get a 12 ton air over hyd jack and replaced the hand pump jack, makes it alot easier to hold pieces in place and lower the jack on to them also lets me get out of the way when pressing something stubborn in case it flies sideways.
 
I have a 12 ton I got from Northern tool years ago not much different than the harbor freight and it is bolted together and have maxed it out a few times without any problems and its plenty of press in my home garage, One of the upgrades I did was to get a 12 ton air over hyd jack and replaced the hand pump jack, makes it alot easier to hold pieces in place and lower the jack on to them also lets me get out of the way when pressing something stubborn in case it flies sideways.


Yeah, my brother has a 20 ton Northern Tool Press and like you said its very similar to the HFT press....he seems happy with it.
 
I picked up the 60603 yesterday for $137.oo. It bolts together and the plates are 1 inch steel. I haven't assembled it yet but the jack works, all the parts are there and it seems heavy enough to do the job. I want to put castors on the bases before assembly as it's to heavy to work on after it's put together.
I changed my mind about the casters as I was worried about CG changes when they swiveled. I went with AZEK pads on threaded rods instead. The threaded rods allow me to adjust the feet to get rid of the "wobbles" and also lifts the unit high enough to get a hand truck under it.DSC_0491.JPGDSC_0492.JPGDSC_0493.JPG
 
Cleaver idea, must have a smooth floor though as you appear to have. What is CG change mean?
When the casters swivel, the spot where the wheel hits the floor changes by a couple of inches, altering the center of gravity. I was concerned the unit would be topheavy and might be prone to tipping over when being rolled around. It moves easily on a hand truck.
 
I see what your saying.. yeah they are a big top heavy for sure. I think if I had to ever roll mine for a long distance I would take the jack off first.
 
When the casters swivel, the spot where the wheel hits the floor changes by a couple of inches, altering the center of gravity. I was concerned the unit would be topheavy and might be prone to tipping over when being rolled around. It moves easily on a hand truck.

You could use double locking casters. These lock the rolling and swiveling ability. Once locked, they limit this pivot type of movement that you experience with the casters that just lock the wheel from rolling.
 
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