I've wanted a nice little portable shock spring compressor for some time now. I have fittings made up for my hydraulic press but, well, that's not portable. Dennis Kirk has a nice portable unit but the price is ridiculous at $140+. I mean, it's nothing more than a couple pieces of square tube basically .....
I knew I could build one for much less, and improve it probably as well. So I did, cost me about $10 .....
The DK unit is made to be clamped in a big bench vice for use. Many of the guys I go over and help have zilch for tools so a bench vice is pretty much out of the question, lol. I built the base on a strip of 1/4" plate, hanging it out each end a few inches so the tool could be clamped to a bench or table top.
If the handle pivot area looks familiar, it should. It's the top motor mount bracket from a scrap 650 frame. 3/8" hitch pins fit perfectly through the holes .....
I plan on making a few more angle fittings, a thinner one for springs with tight wound coils and one with half moon plates for covered shocks, similar to this one I use on my press .....
Three spring angle mount holes and two handle mount holes give it a range of from about 9" to a good 16" eye to eye shock length.