Author Archives: Jody Harper

About Jody Harper

At PRO-TOOLS, we are constantly working to incorporate the latest technology and machinery in a never ending search to produce the best product for you. We believe that the tube bending machinery we manufacture and distribute is the best quality in the world-wide market. We use the tools we manufacture and sell everyday in our shop. We try very hard to produce products that are rugged and dependable to do the job they are advertised to do, at reasonable prices. Our greatest concern is for you, the customer, to be completely satisfied. PRO TOOLS is a completely self-supporting 20,000+ sq. ft. manufacturing facility with everything from CNC saws, hydraulic punching and shearing capabilities, optical tracing plasma cutting machines, in-house metal coating capabilities, including hydraulic cylinder manufacturing. We have our own in-house engineer that does all design work on the latest computers with the latest AutoCAD program, plus all tool path programs are generated with the latest CAD/CAM software to guarantee high quality precision parts every time. We have now developed a prototype department with highly skilled people, some with over thirty years experience in manufacturing machines and race related parts to develop and test new products. Look for a steady flow of new and innovative items. All of us at PRO TOOLS realizes that when you are starting a project sometimes a little help is appreciated, that's why we are not only dedicated to producing the finest product, but also offer technical support. Collectively...We have almost 100 years experience in the metal fabrication industry. We will gladly give you helpful, courteous answers to all of your questions.

What does “MADE IN THE U.S.A.” mean to you?

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The term “MADE IN THE U.S.A.” was a staple in american retail outlets thoughout the 1980′s and 1990′s. With China’s increased production and extremely low currency value, they have decimated american companies trying to compete. For instance did you know there not a single television manufactured in the United States. In the 1980′s there were 14 companies producing televisions. The bender market has managed to withstand this onslaught. Fabricators insist on their core tools being made in the U.S.A.

PRO-TOOLS made in the U.S.A. is something you can count on.

made in_USA_logo

Pro-Tools products are produced in Tampa, Florida by american citizens. We also source all the metal from U.S. forges. When you buy a bender from Pro-Tools you get a product that was entirely produced and manufactured in the United States. From the raw steel that goes into the MB-105 bender that is forged in Michigan. The SPX cylinders and pumps that are manufactured in Houston, Texas. All the way down to the stickers that are made in Brandon, Florida.

9-105b

 

All materials are used in Pro-Tools products are Made In the U.S.A.

We go to great lengths to make sure when you get your tool and you see that sticker with Made In the U.S.A..The entire tools is 100% American Made. To us Made in the U.S.A. means pride, quality, and craftsmanship. Its not a chinese tool that will break in a month. Its made to last, made to exceed your expectation, and by no means last, be the greatest value over its lifetime.

How to tell if your tube bends are correct?

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Machines to produce tube bends started at the beginning of the industrial age. Since that time many advances have been made in terms of machinery and technology. The tools we use are far more accurate then they were in the 1800’s. It has been a lopsided advancement though. Tools and Machines have advanced at record pace. The equipment to check the work of those machines has lagged behind greatly. This is especially true in the world of tube bending. Today we have choices to accurately measure the tube bends we make. This is a fairly recent advancement.

 Traditional fixtures required a hard form to check the tube bends.

This is an example of a hard fixture to check you tube bends against the correct shape you want.

For the longest time we used to check our tube bends by using hard fixtures. These fixtures where jigs made from wood and nails to full on milled units. The bender operator would do his bend, take the tube out of the machine, and check it against his fixture and make the necessary corrections to the bending process and correct the tube bends. This is a very time consuming process. It has to be repeated with every die or material change due to the variations of the different bending materials.

HB 302-10 Ton One Shot Hydraulic Bender with 302Di on a tube bend

302Di showing the degree of the tube bend

Today we have a few more options for checking out bends more accurately and effectively. Pro-Tools manufactures a degree indictator that can be used anywhere. The 302Di unit sits on top of the tube as it is bent. This allows the unit to be used in or out of the bender. The easy to read CNC engraved degree marks ensure a longer life than screen print or paint. The unit made constructed from 6061-T6 aluminum to be able to stand up to harsh shop environments. The 302Di was designed with the average fabricator in mind. Its low cost makes it easily affordable and is a must have for any hobbyist or journeyman.

 

On the higher end of the spectrum is the Faro CMM arm. This unit is originally designed for reverse engineering but has made its way into many areas. For more information about how the Faro arm works read this white paper.

Pro-Tools breaks the mold with the improved MB-105 Bender

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The old adage ” If your not moving foward, you are getting left behind” is a saying that will hold true forever. We live in a society that demands constant improvement and innovations. What is here today will be but an afterthought next year.  With that being said PRO-TOOLS has taken their MB-105 Bender and found a way to improve on an already rock solid product.

One of the most frustrating parts of the bending process for me is loading and unloading die sets. Especially the larger radius die sets that require two hands to move. Once you pull the center pin and slide out the die set. The swing arms want to follow the die and slide out of place. This happens mostly because there is nothing to stop them. Inserting the new die set becomes a juggling act between aligning the die, swing arms, and sliding the center pin back into place to lock it all together. This often time requires another set of hands.

Unassembled MB-105 Bender

Dual recesses on both swing arm and frame arm allow for a tension mount.

This is not the case anymore with the MB-105 Bender. The engineers at PRO-TOOLS have come up with a simple feature that eliminates this problem and makes changing die sets extremely easy. Utilizing a tension mount system the swing arms lock into place and also allow free range of motion with little to no drag. PRO-TOOLS is not the first to incorporate a locking system for the swing arms in a bender, but they did so with greater success and easy of product.

MB-105 Bender Innovations

Many innovations have started finding their way out of the R&D department and into the market. Recently PRO-TOOLS release the revised Large Radius Bender with a host of improvements that greatly increased the benders specs and range for a manual bender.

A bender’s Best Friend.

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Everything needs a good compliment. Peanut Butter has Jelly, The crashing waves have the warm sand, and even in our world of metal fabrication the tube bender has a tube notcher. The notcher cuts a small semi circle into the end of the tubing to allow for a precise and clean fit against another tube. We refer to it as notching, but is also known as coping in some circles.

PRO-TOOLS offers a line of tube and pipe notchers to meet everyone’s budget. For those with budget in mind they offer two types of hole saw notchers. These units ultilize off the shelf bi-metal hole saws to cut the tubing. The HSN-500 can do straight and angle notches up to 60 degrees. The HSN-501i takes it a step further and adds offset notches into the mix. An offset notch is when you are crossing two tubes. A half circle cut is made into the side of one tube so that the other tube can slide into it. This increases the structural integrety of the joint.

The HSN line of notchers stand out in the notcher market due to the precision and careful planning of materials used to offer a superior product at competitive prices. The HSN line utilizes sealed ball bearings instead of needle bearings to extend the life of the unit. A solid shaft is also used to eliminate chatter and flex. The best feature is the ability to mount this notcher in a drill press. A drill press allows the user to dial in much more accurately the cut speed. This will greatly extend the life of the cutters and the cost of consumables.

Another product offered by PRO-TOOLS is the EMN-510 End Mill Notcher. They call this unit “GODZILLA”.  It is a beast of a machine in terms of capacity but very easy to use. The EMN-510 uses a roughing mill more commonly found in a machining center like a vertical mill. This unit is focused on production. Using a 1.5hp Lesson motor with gear reduction to limit the spindle speed to 190 rpm. The unit can do straight, angle, and offset notches in the standard unit. Brass inserts are installed to as well as bearings in the on the acme threaded rods to make moving the motor or vise a single hand operation. If your notching 1″ x .065 wall HREW tubing or even 2″ cold rolled solid steel, there is nothing this unit can not handle.

For the best quality American Made fabrication tools PRO-TOOLS offers everything you need for your shop or garage. From Tube & Pipe Benders, Notchers, Bead Rollers, Sheet Metal Brakes, and Dimple Dies. Come check out them out at www.pro-tools.com.

 

The Portable HMP-200 tube bender.

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In this day and age there are 3 concerns when purchasing a Tube bender.

1) Will it bend what I need it to?

2) How much real estate is it going take up?

3) Is it economical enough for my project?

With the Pro-Tools HMP-200 Hydraulic tube bender, the answer is YES! to all 3. The HMP-200 bender has a maximum capacity of 2″ .134″ wall DOM or Choromoly. It can accept die sizes from 1/2″ diameter. So all the popular sized round tube, schedule 40 pipe, and square tube can be used to deliver a quality bend.

The HMP-200 is a vertically oriented bender. It has a footprint of 8″ x 8″ that can be mounted to a rolling stand, bench, or even just placed on the floor. It weighs just 55 pounds which makes it very portable for those who need to move it from job site to job site.

Pro-Tools has given alot of attention to the materials used in the HMP-200 Bender. This has allowed for an incredibly priced bender option in their bender lineup. Using a 20 ton hydraulic jack (optional air assist) give you the power you need for the thicker wall tubes without breaking the bank. To give hobbists and fabricators added value. Pro-Tools offers the blueprints for the HMP-200 for FREE! If there is a part you can not make then we they sell each individual component as well.

The Pro-Tools HMP-200 bender so versitle that Lovell Racing (Home to the current TORC Series Pro Light Champion & ULTRA 4  Champion) have been using the HMP-200 bender since 2002 as well many other PRO-TOOLS products.  If it can deliver the bending results to stand up to the rigors of what these throw at it. You will be in good hands.

Congratulations again to Brad & Roger Lovell for all they achieved this year and best of luck at the Baja 1000.

Its not a SuperBender. ITS THE BRUTE!!!

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For many years Pro-Tools has offered the 105B tube bender. In its infancy the 105B was a bigger thicker version of the MB-105 Mechanical bender with hydraulics added. It did have a larger capacity than the MB-105 bender. The 105B can bend up to 2.5″ O.D. (.134 wall) tubing and 2″ schedule 40 pipe. It wasn’t until a year ago that 2 customers came in with material that was outside that range.

One of the customers were bending 1.75″ O.D. (.250 wall) DOM for a stunt car roll cage and the other was bending 416 Stainless Steel schedule 80 pipe. Pro-Tools engineers went back to work. They knew the from the 105B’s massive 1″ 1018 plate steel frame that it would hold up to the most challenging wall thicknesses.

Powered by a 15 ton SPX PowerTeam hydraulic cylinder, the 105B only had one thing stopping it from reaching its true potential. The weak link , which was the pins, had to be changed.  Instead of going bigger like other companies Pro-Tools kept the same size pin. They went better. That really isn’t a fair statement. They didn’t go better. They went with the best. Enter stage right the ETD pin sets.

Who would have thought that changing the pin material could have opened a whole new spectrum of applications for the bender. NOW the 105B has grown up into THE BRUTE. Capable of bending schedule 120 pipe and .288 wall DOM with ease. It will not only bend it with ease. It will do it over and over and over. Now with its potential fully reached the 105Brute can now compete with benders costing $10,000 and up. Along with the all the standard features it had before like a built in degree ring, the first true anti-springback on a mechanical / hydraulic bender.

There are no short cuts taken with this bender. It is more expensive than other benders on the market. But other benders can not do what the Brute can do or do they offer the features that make it the best bender for heavy wall tubing.

 

 

 

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SRC Motorsports

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Wally Stroupe, owner of Stroupe Race Cars, life and passion is building drag race cars. He has been providing custom built drag racing vehicles for over 30 years.

Stroupe Race Cars (SRC) specialize in custom built drag cars for Pro Stock and Pro Mod classes. SRC has over 30 years experience producing winning race cars. SRC has built over 350 race cars for teams and World Champions such as Quain Stott, Gary Bingham, Steve Kirk, Doug Kirk, and others.

Many of the cars that he has built have winning track records. He builds them from the ground, up with a level of personalized care that you can’t beat.

Wally’s relationship with Pro-Tool dates back to 1998. He needed a bender he could depend on to deliver quality bends for a demanding NHRA inspection process.  The Pro Model 105 was the bender of choice. The Pro-Tools die sets delivered such impressive bends Wally enlisted Pro-Tools to make custom die sets for another bender he had in his shop. 14 years later and countless wins and championships to his credit the 105 Bender is still cranking them out.

From parts, rollers, and even complete turn key cars, Stroupe Race Cars is the place for the serious competition driver.

Stroupe Race Cars is located 1545 S Battleground Ave ,Kings Mountain, NC 28086. You contact them through their web site at http://www.strouperacecars.com/ or give them a call at (704) 739-5631.

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Badlands Buggy

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Back in 2001 Bruce Hodder was building a buggy.  A friend liked what he was doing and wanted one too!  Bruce being a Mechanical Engineer by trade drafted up a set of plans. After a few changes and tweeks that buggy for a friend ended up becoming the Sabertooth.

      

The locals took notice and asked bruce for the plans for the buggies. Friends wanted to joined in the fun with their own twist on the design which turned into a few different models. In 2003 BadlandBuggy.com was registered.

          

Badland Buggy is an online retailer of Do-It-Yourself off road vehicle blueprints. Using the latest in 3D CAD software (AutoDesk Inventor) and a wealth of fabrication experience. Their plans give you a step by step approach to building a complete buggy. From how to mark, cut & bend raw tubular steel to make exact shapes for the chassis. They also provide detailed drawings and DXF files for the the suspension parts.

Bruce proto-typed all his designs using the Pro-Tools Pro Model 105 tube bender as well as the Pro-Tools HSN-501i hole saw notcher. With the knowledge of his mechanical engineering degree, the right tools, and the designs keep flowing. The plans show you how to use the Pro Model 105 bender to get the correct results for a happy project.

Badland Buggy’s newest design is called the MEGALODON. Bruce was kind enough to share the plans with me. Being an mechanical engineer myself, I can really apprieciate his attention to detail. He has mapped out each and every part down to the last nut and bolt.

Badland Buggy offers 7 different DIY plans for buggies available for purchase and immediate download at www.badlandbuggy.com. All Badland Buggy customers receive a 10% discount on die sets from Pro-Tools. Click here to contact Badland Buggy for more information or visit their Facebook page.

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