RIDGID 300 Lever Bender Instruction Manual

300 and 400 Lever Bender
Instruction Sheet

300 Lever Bender

WARNING
Read these instructions and the warnings and instructions for all equipment being used before using to reduce the risk of serious personal injury.

• Always use safety glasses to reduce the risk of eye injury.
• Do not use handle extensions (such as a piece of pipe). Han dle extensions can slip or come off and increase the risk of serious injury.

If you have any question concerning this RIDGID® product:

• Contact your local RIDGID distributor.
• Visit RIDGID.com or to find your local RIDGID contact point.
• Contact Ridge Tool Technical Service Department at ProTools TechService@Emerson.com, or in the U.S. and Canada call 844-789-8665.

NOTICE Selection of appropriate materials and installation, joining and forming methods is the responsibility of the system designer and/or installer. Selection of improper materials and methods could cause system failure.
Stainless steel and other corrosion resistant materials can be contaminated during installation, joining and forming. This contamination could cause corrosion and premature failure. Careful evaluation of materials and methods for the specific service conditions,
including chemical and temperature, should be completed before any installation is attempted.

Description

The RIDGID ® 300 and 400 Series Lever Benders are designed to easily bend metal tubes to a maximum of 180°. The benders have offset cushion grip handles and 90° start angle with specially designed shoe to minimize bending efforts. The 300 Series Plumbing benders are used to bend soft copper tubes. The 400 Series Instrument benders can be used to bend copper, steel and stainless steel tubes with a wall thickness up to 0.06″ (1,5 mm).
See RIDGID catalog for specifications for each bender.

Inspection/Maintenance

The bender should be inspected before each use for wear or damage that could affect safe use. Clean as needed to aid inspection and to prevent handles and controls from slipping from your grip during use.
Make sure the bender is complete and properly assembled. If any problems are found, do not use until the problems are corrected. Lubricate all moving parts/joints as needed with a light lubricating oil, and wipe any excess oil from the bender.

Operation

The benders can be used either hand held or mounted in a vise. See Figures 1 & 2 for area to be securely gripped in vise.
Spring Back
All tubing will spring back slightly after a bend is made. Amount of spring back depends on tube characteristics. You may need to slightly overbend the tube to compensate for spring back.

General Operation

1. Rotate the form handle and latch out of the way
2. Position tube in form groove and secure with the latch. At least 1/8 ” (3 mm) of tube should extend past the latch.
3. Rotate shoe insert into contact with tube. Rotate the shoe handle around the form until the “0” line on the shoe insert aligns with the desired degree of bend on the form.

For 90° and 45° Bends:
Mark the tube at the desired distance (X) from the feature (end of tube, bend, etc.). The center of the leg of the bend will be this distance from the feature for 90° bends. The center of the arc will be this distance from the feature for 45° bends.
Align the tube in the form.
a. For 90° Bends:
If the feature is to the LEFT of the mark, align the mark with the 90° line on the form.

If the feature is to the RIGHT of the mark, align the mark with the R line on the form.

b. For 45° Bends: Align the mark with the 45° line on the form.

Double 45° Offset Bend:

1. Mark the tube at the desired distance (X) for the first 45° bend.

2. Multiply the offset dimension (Y) by 1.414 to get the centerline dimension between the legs of the bend. Adjust the distance as per bend adjustment chart. Offset Leg Length = (1.414 * Y) – Bend AdjustmentA – Unbent Tube with MarkingsB – Bent Tube with Markings
   Figure 6 – Double 45° Offset Bend

3. Follow procedure for first 45° Bend.

4. Reposition the tube in bender for second 45° bend and make the second bend.

Adjustment (Gain) Calculations

When determining tube bend locations, adjustment factors must be considered to achieve proper layout. Adjustment (Gain) is the difference in the length of tubing used in a radiused bend compared to the length of tubing required in a sharp bend, when measured from one end to another.
The distance around a radiused bend is always less than a sharp bend. The adjustment factor is determined by the radius of the tube bender and the number of degrees of the bend. See the following chart for ad justment factors. Adjustment factors are subtracted from the center line distances (see the example).
Bend Adjustment Chart

• This product is dual purpose, being both inch and metric.
  NOTE! Bend Adjustment (Gain) factors are calculated theoretical values. Different types of tubing materials and wall thicknesses may require more or less adjustment.

Adjustment for 90° bend =1/4″ (x 1)
Adjustment for 45° bend =1/32″ (x 2)
(Values Found In Adjustment Chart)
ACTUAL TUBE| = Sum of Centerline Dimensions – Adjustments for Bends
LENGTH REQUIRED| = 2.00 + 3.00 + 1.50 + 1.00 – 1/4 ” (.25)-1/32 ” (.03)- 1/32 ” (.03)= = 7 3/16 ” (~7.2″)

A – Unbent Tube with Markings

B – Bent Tube with Markings
Figure 7 – Gain Value Calculation Example

Printed 11/22
ECN001818
©2021, 2022 Ridge Tool Company
RIDGID and the Emerson logo are registered trademarks of Emerson Electric Co.
or its subsidiaries in the US and other countries.
Any other trademarks belong to their respective holders.
890-011-232.09

References

• Rugged Jobsite Tools | RIDGID Tools

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