An apparatus for bending components into exact desired shapes, particularly for straightening bent bolts, crank shafts and the like metal components or work pieces, has an upright frame carrying replaceable fixtures sized and shaped for securing one end of a work piece and tiltably suspending an elongated socket member for receiving the other end of the work piece. An upright straightening arm or lever is fulcrumed on the frame through a ball and socket joint and linked to the socket member for tilting the member in a direction controlled by the lever to thereby bend the work piece back into the desired alignment. A high mechanical advantage ratio is obtained through a long lever arm on one side of the fulcrum, a short lever arm on the opposite side of the fulcrum and the length of the suspended socket member propelled at one end by the short lever arm and receiving the work piece at the opposite end. In a preferred embodiment, the lever and elongated socket member are mounted upright on the frame, are connected by a sliding pivot linkage through spherical-type bearings and the lever has an operating handle on its top end. A power assist for driving the top end of the lever may include a hydraulic or pneumatic jack mounted transversely on top of the lever and urging a piston rod carried roller or bumper against a surrounding frame carried ring with guiding handles directing the roller or bumper in the ring to exert a tilting force to the lever in the desired direction.
An apparatus and method for straightening propeller drive shafts without the need for removing the shaft from the lower unit/drive assembly is disclosed. In an embodiment of the present invention, a mechanical linkage is provided that is configured to securely grip the propeller drive shaft and that is mechanically coupled to an extension module. The extension module may be a hydraulic ram that provides a linear force. The linkage is configured to receive the linear force from the extension module and transfer the linear force to the propeller drive shaft. Because the propeller drive shaft is securely fixed within the linkage and within the lower unit/drive assembly, the force applied to the propeller drive shaft is operative to bend the propeller drive shaft opposite of the existing bend in order to straighten it.
