Suspension bushes - and more

A 2 ton press will be more than adequate, I have in the distant past changed wishbone bushes using a large vice.

mrcheerful

If you get 2 part polybushes, you only need the press to get the old ones out. Presses look pretty big things to have hanging round the shed to me...

How are your DIY skills? I built a pretty effective bench press out of about £10 of steel I bought from my local engineering/fabrication place, plus four big bolts and a hydraulic jack. There was a bit of welding involved, but nothing you couldn't replace with some nuts and bolts if you don't have access to a welder.

The only downside so far is that it works "upside down", i.e. because I'm using a jack you press things out *upwards*, which is fine except gravity is working against you as you line everything up: jack, bush, mandrill and receiver :-)

If you're interested, I can email you the "plan" - it isn't very complex!!

SNIP

Plan or no plan, I bet the mandrill isn't impressed.

Steve

=========================== Thanks for the reply.

Both bushes and balljoints are readily available including the polyurethane type (GSF amongst others for standard). I doubt if the vice method would be suitable for these bushes as they're not the old simple style 'metalasic' bushes. The manufacturers of the polyurethane bushes state that they're easier to insert than standard bushes but there's still the problem of extracting the old ones - hence the need for a press. If I knew what press capacity was needed I could probably make my own with a bottle jack and steel sections. It would probably be less cumbersome than the ready made one which is about 5' high I think.

Cic.

============== I agree - see my reply above. The problem is that if you want to do a particular job you live with the consequences even if that means a 5' high press in the corner of the shed.

Cic.

=================== Thanks for the offer - it sounds very much like the plans I've drawn. I'm ok with most welding including arc and mig. Both my mig and arc welders will happily weld up to 1/4" and that might be enough for this job. If I can't get some kind of figure for the force needed I will probably make a small framework and use a smallish bottle jack (about 4 ton). If that size of jack breaks then I'll buy the 12 ton press. I tend to think that 12 ton is far more than is needed for this kind of job.

Cic.

==================== Thanks for that information (2 ton press) which is even less that I was expecting. As far as the vice method is concerned (or the threaded rod method) I don't think it will be adequate for these bushes which don't appear to be simple metalastic bushes. As far as the balljoint is concerned it's difficult to say without inspecting it. It might press out easily or it might need a full 12 tons to shift it.

I think I'll clean up an old wishbone and see exactly what the situation is.

Cic.

Damn dyslexia and that speel ( :-) ) checker ;-))

Doki ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

My local Cit specialist burns the old bushes out of ZX/306 arms. Get it lit with the Oxy, then leave it outside, knock it out, quick wire brush, sorted.

Not the most environmentally friendly approach, true...