r/Hydraulics • u/Dear-Pea-9740 • 1d ago
Underpowered 50 ton forging press
Hey. I bought this “50 ton” press for forging and it functions at a high rate of speed like I need, but it’s underpowered. It’s a 5 hp 3450rpm @230v motor. At maximum force the gauge reads 650 psi. I’ve got a 50 amp breaker. 36” ram with 4.25” bore. I’ve tried googling this and I get a wide range of answers on motor size. Looking for suggestions from the experts here. 10 hp motor? Larger? 1700/3400 rpm? Do I need a larger pump?
I can install a larger breaker if need be. The hoses are all new. For now it’s working well enough for bending and straightening, but I primarily bought it for punching and drifting holes in hot metal and it just doesn’t do that well. I appreciate your insight.