How far will it actually bend? The honest answer for the 1302BAS

The question BendPak says it gets asked more than any other about its pipe benders is how deep a bend they will make. It is the right question, because a bend that stops short is a section that will not fit, and no amount of cylinder force fixes an angle the tooling cannot reach.

Here is what this listing actually says, and what it does not. The standard tooling handles the ordinary run of exhaust and tube work. Where BendPak draws the line is explicit: if you need to bend more than 170°, ask about the 180° dies. That is a manufacturer instruction, not a maximum — this listing publishes no standard maximum bend angle at all, and we are not going to infer one from the sentence. If your work depends on a specific angle at the top end, get the figure confirmed in writing before you order.

What a 180° die is for

A true 180° bend is a U: the tube comes back on itself and runs parallel to where it started. Exhaust routing around an axle, a header collector loop, a handrail return — these are jobs where nothing short of the full turn will do, and where fabricating the same shape from two bends and a weld adds a joint, a heat-affected zone and a potential leak. The 180° die is an addition to the machine rather than a limitation of it, and it is quoted separately.

The radius is the other half of the answer

Angle is only half of what a bend is; the radius is the rest. This machine bends on a 5" (127 mm) radius at the widest and 3.3" (89 mm) at the tightest. The die design uses a relief cut that keeps the bend uniform through the whole cycle, which is aimed squarely at the two failures that ruin a section: crimping on the inside of the radius, and the tube sticking or hanging up in the die at the end of the stroke. A part that deforms is scrap, and a part that hangs up costs the operator time on every single cycle.

Control and force

Bending is commanded through a three-button semi-automatic panel — bend, retract, index — with a remote foot control so the operator can work from wherever the tube needs holding. The top cylinder develops 60,000 lbs. (27,216 kg), pushed through a welded steel tube frame in 6" x 6" section with 3/8" wall, with the bending heads ground to within .002" and chrome-moly cylinder shafts conforming to ANSI 92.2 — a shaft materials standard, not a machine safety listing. Maximum tube capacity is 3" (76 mm). Behind the machine, two end-finishing units, a clampless swager and an internal expander size the ends, with a drop-in collar to move between operations.

Perfect for

• Exhaust shops building complete systems, where routing dictates the angles rather than the other way round.
• Header and collector fabrication.
• Handrail, roll bar and frame work needing returns and loops.
• Repair operations replacing sections that have to match an original bend.
• Shops currently welding two bends together to make one.

In the package

• The 1302BAS bender with three-button semi-automatic control and remote foot control.
• Tooling with twist-lock mounting and quick-change bending dies.
• Side-loading swager and dual-function end-finishing unit for expansions and flares.
• Power-relief control valve, pressure gauges, NEMA-rated switch box with overload relays, casters and tool trays.

The 180° die is not part of the standard tooling. If you need it, have it quoted with the machine.

One inconsistency worth knowing about

The dimensions table on this listing labels one of its three rows wrongly — two rows carry the heading "Depth", one against 64" (1,626 mm) and one against 26" (660 mm). The figures are published as we received them, but we have not told you which axis the 26" belongs to, because the source does not say. Ask us before you lay out the floor space to the inch.

Power, delivery and siting

The specification table gives the motor as 5 HP at 208-230 VAC, 60 Hz, 1 PH. Confirm that against your shop supply before delivery rather than after — and note that a near-identical BendPak listing covers the same model on a three-phase supply, so if three-phase is what you have, ask us which listing you should be ordering.

This ships freight to the lower 48 states, free of charge. It weighs 1,362 lbs. crated at 70" x 32" x 47" (1,778 mm x 812 mm x 1,206 mm). The receiver unloads: a forklift rated for the crate, or terminal collection from the carrier, which is usually the simpler route. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, applied at checkout on selection. Leave working room behind the machine for the end-finishing units, not just in front of it.

Inspect before you sign. Crate damage, bent dies, cracked gauge glass, marked enclosures, oil. Note it on the bill of lading in front of the driver and photograph it, because a clean signature settles the question in the carrier's favour.

Warranty

BendPak publishes a written warranty covering this equipment; we hold the current document and will send it before you order if the terms bear on your decision. Standard hydraulic advice: claim first, dismantle never. Opening a cylinder, the pump or the control box ahead of a claim is usually read as modification and cover rarely survives. Photograph the fault, record the serial number, call us.