By Sock Woodruff: In order to offer acomplete gutter system?and do it all ?in-house??you need some additionalequipment to supplement your seamless gutter machine. With appropriateequipment you can make both downspout pipe and elbows.
PortableDownspout Machine :If youwant a portable downspout machine that you can take to the job site, you arerather limited in your choice: Liberty Seamless is the only U.S. companywhich makes such a machine. Their portable downspout machine iscomparable in size to a seamless gutter machine. It can produce 2x3 or3x4 downspouts from aluminum, steel, or copper stock. For 4x5 or rounddownspouts no ?portable? machines are produced in the U.S. If you want to makethose kinds of downspouts you will have to buy an industrial-grade machinedesigned to work in your shop, rather than at the job site.
Industrial Downspout Machines: Several U.S. companies produceindustrial-grade machines for roll forming downspouts. These machines arelarger, heavier, and more expensive than portable roll forming machines. They are also capable of significantly higher production rates.
Artos produces standard pipe machines which can produce round pipe in sizesfrom 2-inch to 6-inch diameters, corrugated round pipe in 3-inch or 4-inchsizes, square corrugated pipe in 3-, 4-, or 5-inch sizes and 2x3 or 3x4 plainsquare pipe. They can handle mild steel, aluminum, or copper material andproduce pipe at speeds up to 165 feet per minute. (Your seamless guttermachine probably produces about 30 feet per minute.)Jobsite's CTMe Seriesmachines can produce 2x3, 3x3, 3x4, or 4x5 profile downspouts, andelbows. They can produce downspout at about 115 feet per minute. Production rates are up to 600 10-foot sections per hour. Changeover frompipe mode to elbow mode takes only a few minutes. Production rates forelbows are 837 per hour. Jobsite also produces the RTMe Series machines,which can produce round downspouts and elbows in 3- or 4-inch sizes. Production rates are comparable to the CTMe Series rates. Liberty Seamlessmanufactures two different kinds of pipe machines that have a more modestproduction capability. Their Stationary machine can produce round pipe in3- or 4-inch sizes. This machine uses a 1hp motor configured for 110 or220 volts. It can run aluminum, steel, or copper. Production ratesare about 30 feet per minute. The Industrial machine is available toproduce round or industrial round pipe in 3- or 4-inch sizes, or 2x3, 3x4, or4x5 downspouts. The unit has a 4hp main motor plus a 7.5hp motor forhydraulics. It produces downspout at 25 to 33 feet per minute. Thisis definitely not a portable unit.
Elbow Machines: There are also few U.S. manufacturers producing elbowmachines. Available U.S.manufacturers include Jobsite, Knudson, and Liberty. Jobsite's two industrial machinemodels, which were discussed above, include elbow-forming functions: the CTMeSeries for rectangular pipe and the RTMe Series for round pipe. Jobsitealso produces a portable elbow-forming machine, the ELF, which can produce 2x3or 3x4 elbows. It is powered by a 1-1/2hp, 110V motor. The unitweighs 575 pounds. Knudson markets the EL-2002, a manually operated elbowmachine. It can produce 2x3 or 3x4 standard elbows, 3x4 small, 2.625?square, 3? square and custom elbows. Production rate is 1 elbow perminute or better. Tool changeover takes about 10 minutes. The unitfits inside a 27? cube and weighs 90 pounds including 4 sets of tools.
Liberty makes several different models of roundelbow machines. The EL series comes in 3 inch, 4 inch, or ?combo?models. The unit is relatively small, standing only 24 inches high andweighing 575 pounds. It is powered by a 1.5hp, 110V motor. The ELIseries is a larger, heavier machine. It stands 5? 6? high, weighs 1,000pounds, and is powered by a 3hp motor. There are also foreign manufacturersthat produce equipment of these types. As with any item produced outsidethe U.S.,there are the issues of accessibility to service, parts, and support. Areliable, experienced U.S.dealer can do much to assure timely support for equipment from foreign sources.In planning your business you must consider the options of buying material froma supplier vs. making items with your own equipment. In the area ofdownspouts and elbows, you need to scope the volume of the business you aredoing and evaluate the payback you might get from investing in your ownequipment rather than buying your parts from a supplier. In particular,the investment required for an industrial-grade downspout machine issubstantial and needs to be carefully evaluated. Sock Woodruff is founderand partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading manufacturer and distributor of , , and related tools andequipment.