[bjcsc]

I think the majority of the problem was caused by only having one of the three passes you need there. On logsplitters I make, I weld the cylinder brackets (1" thick) and the foot (2" plate) to a 6" 25# beam with three passes. The first like yours, the second from the beam across ~2/3 of the first, and the last from the bracket/foot to the beginning of the second. Crude drawing attached...