Rogue Fabrication "Alpha" tubing bender, $595 with 180 degree die set

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Original post was really outdated... Updated with new features and die sizes, images, etc.
 
We have some customers with big diesel trucks and they want to build cages out of what some people use for suspension links… So the test of 2.00” heavy wall and high strength material begins.
Testing is done on a “rough” bender we use for demos and such. Bender is a standard production unit, with our 2.00” die set, which comes with the HD kit.
First test is a piece of 2.00x.134 DOM, 1026 carbon steel. If you ask your metal supplier for 1026 instead of 1020 they can probably get it for you, or they may even have it in stock. It is slightly more brittle, but has a significantly higher yield and ultimate strength (1020 is a 48/65 KSI material, 1026 is 60/70). Since yield is when the material permanently bends, this is the real number the bender works against.
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As you can see, we didn’t encounter any problems bending the material. This bend was done in one shot on the ram (no re-pin). We got the same deformation that is typical when 2.00 material is bent on a tight radius (3x the OD, or 6”). The small lead in bump that 50K benders eliminate via the use of a wiper die is much less apparent than it was on the 2.00x.120 wall 1020 material. This is expected.
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Next on the chopping block: 2.00x.156 1020 DOM.
 
Here is a good reason to bend the heavy walled stuff: suspension links. We bent this tubing for a customer with a 72 bronco. He is going to make radius arms with bends in them for tire clearance. Material is 1.75x.250 and 1.50x.250 DOM.

 
Thanks for all the comments guys!
Just wanted to annoucne that ATV & side-by-side illustrated just published a 4 page article on our bender in their April 2013 issue. Here is a link to the article:
https://www.roguefab.com/reviews2.php[/URL]
We also posted a link on our facebook page (which has a ton of other photos too). Like us so you can find out when we post news on material testing, etc.!
Facebook - RogueFab[/URL]
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We just found a nice review posted by one of our customers. Garrett in Lake Elsinore posted this on the NAXJA forumsa little while ago:
"Let me start by saying I am posting this thread up for anyone that Is in the market for a new tube bender. This is my experience, as a rookie, novice, and self-taught builder. I have no ties to the said manufacturer of this product. I paid full price for it, didn't get any kickbacks or free stuff. I just want to give other people, like myself, a chance to see how this product performs.
I recently purchased a Rogue fab tube bender to aid in the cage construction for my current build. This is my first real tube bender, and really my first attempt at building a roll cage. I have used a cheapo HF crush bender, in the past, to build a bumper and tire carrier, but this is a whole other animal.
I decided to go with their most affordable set up, the 1.75", 4.5" CLR, 180' bender/die set. I feel bad for the delivery guy that had to carry this to my door step, as this is a 100lb package deal in one box.
The bender comes unassembled and has to be welded together. The instructions were very simple to follow, and all the pieces really fit together quite well. The only item I had to go out and purchase was an air/hydro ram that I picked up from harbor freight for about $60 after all my discounts.
It took about 2 hours for me to assemble and weld everything together. I still have yet to paint it, but I wanted to make sure I knew how to operate it before I get it all painted up. I did find that the hitch pins they send with the kit have a VERY TIGHT fit. Only one of the pins really get pulled on a regular basis, so I just lubed the others and worked them in. Maybe a little clearancing in these locations would help them fit a little better.
The fully assembled unit is VERY heavy. I am tempted to mount some small casters under it to make it easier to move around the garage. If I had a tall shop, I would mount it to a mobile bench for sure. The unit seems to be very well balanced, it doesn't even budge with a 10' section of pipe hanging off the side of it, so I do t think it would have any issues sitting on a bench.
I have really liked working with this bender, it's a great product"
And here is his Jeep and our bender:
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We just made another small revision to the bender design. All benders are now shipping with .25" thick ram mounts. Before they were .1875". We discovered some flexing in the ram mounts when we were bending 2.00x.188 DOM!!! This is some serious beef material guys and gals.
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Ever wonder how we ship so fast? We have everything in stock. We don't cut die sets to order, and we have Tubing Benders ready to ship same day most of the time.
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JP magazine's editorial staff stumbled across our bender and decided to cover it in ther latest issue (no, we didn't pay them to do it).
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Let us know if you guys have any questions about our benders or want a quote.
 
Here is a mini-class mud dragster frame we built for a customer. He wanted us to make this part of it, and he is going to weld it and build the rest. It is made from 1.25x.120 1020 DOM steel and was bent on a Rogue Fabrication Alpha Tubing bender and Notched on a Rogue Fabrication VersaNotcher.

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You guys have been asking for a new video of the bender forever, here it is:
 
Another youtube video we shot for you guys:

Bending HEAVY wall tube on the Rogue Fab bender-
 
Just added more dies. 1.875, 1.125, , and we're testing 1.5 square too!
 
subscribed!
 
Our customers have been requesting it for a long time now, and we're finally releasing the 1.5 inch square die. Here are the photo results: (.120 wall minimum, 6" CLR, and $349 shipped!).

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I'd say that looks pretty nice! Will we be able to chose a set of these with a bender purchase as opposed to round?
 
Yes you sure can. Bender will be $721 with this die set.
 
So what dies come with the basic $595> I see that you can choose radius but what tube sizes?
 
So what dies come with the basic $595> I see that you can choose radius but what tube sizes?

You can choose from:
1/2
1/2 square
3/4
7/8
1
1 square
1 1/8
1 1/4
1 1/4 square
1 5/16
1 3/8
1 1/2
1 5/8
1 3/4
3/4 pipe
1 pipe
1 1/4 pipe
 
Holy cow batman that is one hell of a selection!

Next and hopefully last question, I use an air over hydro on my 12T press for my homemade brake, how hard is it to swap back and forth?

I know I can get another one for cheap but in the mean time until I can save some more pennies for a second one is it a big hassle or pretty simple?
 

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