DannyTesarJr

So I recently looked at a 25lb little giant hammer, overall seems to be in decent shape no cracks or repairs to the head or anything. However I did notice that the ram has some slop that you can move it back and forth maybe an 1/8"-3/16". Also the dies are not completely lined up, probably a 1/4" out of alignment, are these deal breakers or easily fixed I am wondering?? Thanks!

21 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

One thing to look for is shims under the bearing caps. If there are shims the bearings are probably good. If the shims are missing the bearings are worn and probably need re-pouring. Check to see if there is up & down play when shaking the main shaft up & down. Kinda hard to describe that. This thread explains what to look for better than I can. One thing be prepared to get very dirty while inspecting it, take along some shop rags.

 

Thank you for the helpful info!!

22 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

Without seeing the machine it will be hard to set fair market value. In my area a 25 lb LG in good running condition would run around $5000 U.S. What to look for the main thing I would check is the condition of the main shaft Babbitt bearings & clutch. The good thing about a LG is they are still in business so parts are available. If you google little giant hammer, it should bring up their web site. We can't add links to commercial sites per TOS.

When I bought my 30 pound Star hammer, I had to pour all the bearings. There is a thread a couple of lines down about rebuilding a 25 lb LG. might help to take a look at it.

And how would you know if the babbit bearings are in good shape? Would a guy be able to physically see play in the shaft??

11 hours ago, Branding Iron said:

I would highly recommend buying the Little Giant rebuilding video if you’re thinking about buying one.  This will give you a really nice in depth visual training on what to look for.  This videos would have saved me a few hundred dollars on my first purchase had I done this route myself.  
 

Just because it will operate doesn’t mean the bearings have much life, the toggle arms aren’t wallowed out on the holes, the pitman isn’t cracked, the dies will need replacement, or the motor is just simply a poor match for the machine…. Not to mention there are different styles worth knowing about.  Luckily many of the parts are still available, and this is a very popular machine which equates to a lot of knowledge out there if you do run into problems.  

Price is highly variable.  Here in the Midwest, U.S. I’ve seen project hammers for about $1,000 to fully rebuilt for $5,000 within the last year, that brand/size.  

I will look into that, seems worthwhile

Definitely not out of business! Maybe they changed their phone? You can get it most anywhere

Thank you everybody for the replies, the post was most helpful and I do believe it is a peter wright vise now.

On 3/5/2023 at 8:29 PM, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

I did a search like The Read This First advised for Post vise site:iforgeiron.com (without the under line) and it brought up a ton of threads. The closest that matches yours in the pictures is for a Peter Wright vise. May be a possibility. The chamfer on the legs is a clue. This post has good pictures.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/51786-peter-wright-leg-vise/

Thank you good sir!

Alright in a few weeks I'm going to a buddy of mine that has a little giant 25lb hammer that he says is operational and from the photos looks like its in good shape. I'm wondering what to look for as far as condition. I've never been around a power hammer. And also wondering what fair market value might be thanks.

Picked up a new vise today, missing the spring and mounting plate. I'm wondering what type of vise it is. It's jaws are probably 4 3/4" wide and on each jaw just underneath the screw there are 4 center punch marks in a line. I cannot find any other markings. Any help would be greatly appreciated!