Spring tension tester

[j2mariashop]

As part of my restoration of old motorcycles I often need to test the tension of valve, clutch and drive shock absorber springs. I made a spring tension tester out of a 1/2 ton Central Machinery arbor press (#3551 on sale at Harbor Freight as of March 2016 for $40) by welding a 3/8" socket to the ram drive. I then velcroed a small ruler next to the ram to measure the distance the ram moves. To measure the tension of a spring, I place the spring under the ram and using a beam torque wrench inserted into the socket, compress the spring a specific distance as measured off the ruler and read the load off the torque beam scale. Spring tension = (Final load - Initial load ) / Distance compressed.

[Jon]

Great first post j2mariashop! Welcome to HomemadeTools.net

[kbalch]

Hi j2mariashop,

Welcome!

Lots of bike guys here, including yours truly. Do you concentrate on a particular sort of vintage bikes?

What are you working on at the moment?

Ken

[DIYer]

Thanks j2mariashop! We've added your Spring Tension Tester to our Measuring and Marking category, as well as to your builder page: j2mariashop's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Spring Tension Tester by j2mariashop

tags: wrench, arbor press, spring, torque, tester, scale

[j2mariashop]

Hi Ken

No, I don't concentrate on a specific model. Bikes I have restored include a Moto Guzzi Super Alce, a Moto-Morini 350 V Twin, a Moto-Guzzi Le Mans and I am currently working on a Ner-A-Car. It has to be technically interesting for me. I also ride and am in the middle of servicing my Kawasaki 300 Ninja - coolant change, top end work, etc.

[kbalch]

Some neat projects there. I'd love to see pics of the Ner-A-Car restoration underway. I did a '69 Triumph T120R a few years ago, but that doesn't remotely compare to the complexities of your current project. Were you able to find any references and/or parts stores (NOS is probably a dream) for the Ner-A-Car or are you fabricating everything necessary from scratch?

Ken