Greenlee 884 Bender problems

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I had the opportunity to buy an Greenlee 884 Hydraulic Bender with a hand pump at a reasonable price. This thing is in fairly good shape and I can tell that it has been in storage for a long time. All the oil was drained out of the hand pump but the seals were not dry. I added some Hydraulic fluid to the pump and followed the bleeding instructions. I needed to bend some 3" Rigid so I loaded the conduit and went to pumping.... and pumping... and pumping. (ok now I am thinking at least I didn't have to pay alot for it!)

The ram moved about 1/3 the way down for a 90 degree bend and stopped (the pump handle moved freely). so I opened the pump and found it empty, (There are no leaks) I refilled the pump and went to pumping again. go to 2/3 the way down and same thing.... refilled and finished pumping.

Got my 90 bend but in order to get the ram to move back up to zero I had to empty the hand pump.....:?
I bent another 3" conduit with the same results... as you can imagine this thing is now not a good deal.

I have looked all over the web for any troubleshooting help and have found none.
Greenlee has graciously offered to rebuild the ram for a fee and who knows how long!
I am using mid grade Hydraulic fluid from a farm store... that is the only thing that I can think of...
Any Ideas are greatly appreciated
Shane
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Your problem may be that the 884 needs a pump with a reservoir, and I doubt a hand pump has one.

This is like the set up I used. Look at the pump.

shopping
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
I had the opportunity to buy an Greenlee 884 Hydraulic Bender with a hand pump at a reasonable price. as you can imagine this thing is now not a good deal.


Shane


You do know that one of these with the pump costs close to 10 grand don't you?

A guy I know found one somewhere and bought it to bend pipe to make race car frames with. The pump leaked real bad, but worked. It just needed some TLC and some seals, new hose, fittings.......

He got the thing for less than 500 bucks. I was checking it out when he told me what he paid for it and asked me if I thought he got a deal.

Ya think???

If you can get over how heavy the 884's are and what a big mess they make when they get old, they are great benders. If you got yours for less than a grand, looking for an electric pump will still result in you getting a good deal.

It always helps if you know how to use an expensive piece of equipment before you go and buy it sans instructions.
 

GoldDigger

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Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
:thumbsup:
In some hydraulic applications you are pumping the fluid from one side of the piston to the other. Small or no reservoir required.
Or you are pumping from an internal reservoir on the equipment even if you cannot see it. No reservoir required on the pump.
But this bender requires you (via the pump) to supply the oil to fill the cylinder as the piston moves. And equally important to take back the fluid when you retract the ram.
 
I agree, you need a pump with enough capacity to fill the ram.

Sometimes it takes another perspective to help you see something that is right under your face!! Thanks for the help!
The manual does state that the hand pump is for Model 777, 880,882, 882CB they don't list the 884 or the 885 bender... totally:slaphead: missed that one.
looks like I am in the market for a pump.....
Thanks again!!
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Sometimes it takes another perspective to help you see something that is right under your face!! Thanks for the help!
The manual does state that the hand pump is for Model 777, 880,882, 882CB they don't list the 884 or the 885 bender... totally:slaphead: missed that one.
looks like I am in the market for a pump.....
Thanks again!!

Three grand for a brand new one, with a 6 quart reserve.

http://www.toolup.com/Greenlee-980-...k-pgykl1xCX6CZgBkOb6i9RiOAPrE4bxGUaAlk48P8HAQ

I see that the 884 package, with pump (416 lbs.) is over $11,000. Just in case you are queasy about spending 3K for a new pump.
 
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