SWAG Tubing Roller "HULK"

Weighing in at 80 pounds, this machine is a real beast! With 4340 Chromoly axles, fully machined drive yoke, and powered by a two-ton bottle jack, there isn’t much that the Hulk roller can’t handle. 

If you have any experience rolling tubing, you know that most machines have a few main issues; the material twisting as it is rolled and how difficult it is to make repeatable bends. We have addressed the first issue by implementing several key design features. The 4340 chromoly non-drive axles are machined down to a tolerance of +/-.003” and two adjustable shaft collars on each axle are used to keep the dies perfectly centered between the ¼” thick steel frame plates. This prevents any side-to-side play that can cause the material to corkscrew as it is rolled.

The second major cause of material twisting as it is rolled is play in the center drive yoke. There are several large radius rollers on the market that use a cast steel yoke or a formed piece of steel to hold the center drive roller in place. Unfortunately, cast and formed parts will never be perfectly square or straight. When the center yoke is not square, the drive die tends to contact the material you are rolling with uneven pressure, pushing your material to one side, and causing it to twist. The center drive yoke on the HULK is made of 3 pieces of ¾” thick steel which have been fully machined and bolted together to ensure a perfectly flat and square yoke. This means the downward force that the drive die exerts on the material is always straight down, thus preventing any twisting and helping to prevent irregular material deformation.

Another often overlooked issue many people experience when rolling tube is the challenge of creating repeatable radius bends. The HULK includes a high-quality digital read out height gauge that measures downward travel of the center drive die, making it easier to create the same arc over and over. To use the DRO, place your material in the roller then “zero” the height gauge when the drive die is barely touching the material. Roll one piece of material to the desired radius and record the location of the outer dies as well as the measurement displayed on the digital read out. If you need to create the same part in the future from the same material, just put the non-drive dies in the same location and roll until the DRO gives you the correct measurement. Easy!

Most rollers on the market use a large top-screw to apply downward pressure on the material and cause it to form a radius. Tightening the top screw can be quite difficult when working with thick-walled material or square tubing in general. The HULK uses a 2-ton bottle jack. This makes applying smooth, consistent downward force much easier. The 2-ton bottle jack is bolted to the top of the drive yoke to prevent any movement while under load and ensure it is always perfectly centered over your material.

To ensure smooth operation, all of the dies ride on high-quality roller bearing. The 3-way adjustable manual handle can be unbolted and replaced with an electric pipe threader that is available from Harbor Freight. Their pipe threader (item #62203) is an easy, simple to install add on that will take the cumbersome and tedious chore of rolling thick-walled tubing and turn it into an almost completely hands-free operation.

With its powder coated steel frame, internally threaded aluminum spacers, green powder coated handle and stainless-steel fasteners, this tubing roller is designed to look as good as it performs. The HULK is sold as shown above, except for the sheet metal base structure which is not included. It comes 90% assembled.

As a general rule of thumb, the Hulk Roller can roll round tubing and solid material (flat bar, square stock, etc,) to a 12" radius and square/rectangular tubing to a ~36"-48" radius.

The (4) 3/8" bottom mounting hole locations are 29" x 7.625" on center. The total footprint of the base plate is 30" x 8.625".

KEY BENEFITS

• 100% designed, machined, formed, manufactured, and assembled in the USA
• 4340 chromoly axles, fully machined drive yoke, & powered by a 2 ton jack
• Center drive yoke made of 3 pieces of thick steel ensures flat & square yoke
• Includes high quality digital read out height gauge to measure downward travel on center drive die
• Uses a 2 ton bottle jack to apply downward pressure on material to form a radius
• Can roll round tubing and solid material (flat bar, square stock, etc,) to a 12" radius and square/rectangular tubing to a ~36"-48" radius.
• The (4) 3/8" bottom mounting hole locations are 29" x 7.625" on center. The total footprint of the base plate is 30" x 8.625

• ELECTRIC PIPE THREADER UPGRADE KIT OPTION

- Works with either Bauer 58475 Electric Pipe Threater or Central Machinery Model 62203 Electric Pipe Threader from Harbor Freight -

Looking to power your Hulk instead of cranking it by hand? We have the solution with our Electric Pipe Threader Upgrade Kits. Harbor Freight currently offers two different pipe threaders, the Central Machinery and the brand new Bauer offering. Though the Bauer threader is a bit more, it has more power and boasts a 40% speed increase so it very well might be worth the extra cost depending on your rolling style. Whichever option you go with, both upgrade kits come with a new axle that features a drive hub as well as an anti-rotation assembly that forces the threader to power the axle rather than just spinning around it. These kits are fully welded and ready to be added to your Hulk Roller! No assembly required.
 

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