Had the same problem with my wood splitter which I plan on converting to a press break like yours now that I don't split wood any more. Been using it to crush empty Freon bottles. this fix has been holding up well so far...

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]


I know a lot about a lot of things BUT I still have a lot to learn.
Life is what you make of it. So, why not make a working machine to make it easier.