How To Choose The Best Pipe Threader For You
Whether you’re fixing a drainage line or needs to replace equipment over the course of a well or facilities life, threading pipe is the most recommended type of connection to be used in these applications.
Pipe threaders are one of the essential tools that has the ability and precision to cut threads on the ends of a pipes to both the female and male attachment. It can be used in various applications in different industries including mining, plumbing, and even in heavy industrial applications and many others.
If you need a pipe threader for your project, you need to choose the right one that will get the job done smoothly. It has various kinds and ranges from heavy-duty, industrial-grade machines that can thread pipes of up to 6 inches in diameter or more to small, hand-cranked threaders for thinner pipes. Most of pipe threaders are cost-effective and are designed to give maximum productivity under a harsh condition. Thus, before you purchase one, you need to take into consideration some of its critical features such as size, thread type, quality, warranty and among others. Apart from that, you must also know what you intend to do with it.
Below are the different RIDGID pipe threading tools and machines that you can include on your job site to get your work done much quicker.
Manual Ratcheting Threaders
This is relatively inexpensive but is efficient and ideal for less demanding jobs such as hot-water tanks or gas furnace replacements that only need a few threads. This is a good option if you want something that’s lightweight, easy to carry and can deal with a capacity of up to 2 inches pipe. It is also designed to thread pipe or conduit using individual die heads for each size of pipe and a manually operated ratchet. It requires significant physical effort as the size of the thread increases accordingly. Unlike with other threading tools, it needs to be equipped with accessories such as pipe cutter, reamer, vise, drop head, oiler and bucket, and threading oil. Nonetheless, it ensures high quality threads for a secured and lasting connection.
Hand-Held Power Drives
For plant maintenance and low-volume applications in service projects, a hand-held power drive is the right pipe threader to consider. Although it uses the same drop head die as the manual ratcheting threaders, it is faster and requires lesser physical effort, with the difference being the power drive turns the die head around the pipe. This is also designed to thread pipes and conduits although it is a less portable option than the manual threader. It also produces a significant amount of torque wherein users can counteract it by utilizing a reaction arm that is perfect for applications above 1-inch pipe. Some accessories that compliment this power drive includes pipe cutter, reamer, vise, oiler and bucket, drop head die heads, reaction arm, and threading oil.