Hoop Bender

[mcsee]

Would anyone have used a hoophouse hoop bender to bend a 9ft or 10ft wide hoop in one piece, who can tell me how easy it was for them.

[Worth1]

What type of bender would you use, a roll bender or what?
With these type benders it is real easy.
Once you get the radius set you can replicate the hoop all day long.
Some you have a big wheel you turn anx slowly crank down on the center roller.
Others are self feeding and yet others you push and pull the pipe through.
They have different sizes of rollers for different sizes of pipe.
One was a big hydrolic critter I could go up to four inch sch 80 pipe with.
I used it to put pipe a foam system on one of those huge 100 foot wide floating roof petro tanks.

Hard yes a little but a hell of a lot of fun.

Once you get one you will find all kinds of use for it.
Think bowers and arbors and such.
Big wheels even.

Worth

[Worth1]

Sorry can't get link to show.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

Mine makes a 20-ft wide hoop out of three sections of 1 3/8" chain link top rail. It does take a small amount of muscle to bend the hoops, but not much.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Mine makes a 20-ft wide hoop out of three sections of 1 3/8" chain link top rail. It does take a small amount of muscle to bend the hoops, but not much.

Ok so that is the single radius mandrel bender.
I was thinking more on the lines of adjustable radius benders.
That would be the only one I would have any use for as I would have many uses for it.

The one you have would be very handy for whatever sized hoop house you inteded to have.

Many options for many folks.

Worth

[mcsee]

Thanks Cole and Worth. Yes, the type Cole posted the photo of is what I was hoping to use, I have seen videos of them in use. I'm still trying to track one down here in Oz, but so far no luck. I'm half tempted to make something if I can't get the bender here.

Thanks again.

[Cole_Robbie]

Mine came from lostcreek.net It was made in Texas I spent more money building the table to mount it on than I paid for the bender.

If you make your own, you'll need a cheater bar, which mine came with. It's a 3' section of pipe that slides into (or onto) the end of the pipe you're bending, for the last bit of the hoop as it slides through the bender, so you have the leverage to bend it.

[FarmerShawn]

I made mine from a four foot length of 2X12. I sawed the radius I wanted, then routed a groove in the curved edge. A strap on one end holds the end of the pipe, and I just clamp the thing to my picnic table when I need to make more hoops. I use it for 1/2" electric conduit, for low tunnel quick hoops, but if I wanted something bigger, I'd still do the same thing. It's cheap, and it works!


There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[mcsee]

Food for thought FarmerShawn. I suppose for the amount of hoops needed it may be worth a try making it from timber as it still should give the same effect at the end of the day. Using a Router for a groove will just add to it's stability as it gets bent.

Thanks everyone for your input, I'll post the end result when I get it done.

[Pappi]

You may try asking around to see if there is one you can use. Here our extension/master gardener program has hoop benders for free use. If you need larger then a local farm has high tunnel benders and will help you bend and build. I would reccomend calling the local ag office if you have them in Australia, local garden clubs, and smaller farms and the like. Chances are someone will be able to allow usage of a bender and guidance in using it.

[Curly]

I bought a bender, worked pretty good. I had bigger issues trying to sort out how to attach poly to frame.
I used 0.083 22' galv fence top rail, first bent 30deg for peak and then bent each side using a flat deck trailer to keep hoops straight as possible. It was very easy
I used a 30deg peak to help shed snow

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