>I posted the plans to the Tiico Group thinking id just buy a $65 HarborFr8
>pipe bender and MIG away  >until i had an exact copy of the
>BullBars......turns out i need a hydrolic Mandrel bender, im still waiting
>for >Harbor Freight to make one of those for $200...LOL:)....not holding my
>breath.

Bending tube isn't cheaply done.  Especially large diameter thin wall tubing
like what we want for vanagon bumpers.  You definitely need a mandrel bender
which costs tens of thousands of dollars.  And no, muffler tube benders do
not work.  You need a mandrel inside the tube to keep the walls from
collasping.  The bends need to be a tight radius and the wall thickness
needs to be thin to keep the weight reasonable.

The Harbor Freight/Princess Auto benders are for heavy wall schedule pipe
only, gas pipe.  I wonder how many people buy them thinking they can make
exhaust systems and roll bars.  You can't even make handrails with them.  I
don't know what people use them for.  Further, the dies are sized for pipe,
not tubing.

Gary Lee