Oxidation on FEL

   / Oxidation on FEL #1  

Roy

Platinum Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
569
Location
Central Maryland
Tractor
Kubota BX 2200
Having been playing in the dirt for the last 6 months, I noticed that my loader is starting to rust. This is true where the abrasive materials remove the paint, in particular the cutting edge. (Is that the correct term? It is the lower edge of the bucket). Now, I noticed, when looking at used units, that some of the buckets really rust out big-time, and I would like to avoid that.

I was going to get a tooth bar (I assume that would help deter corrosion), but didn't, and don't foresee one in the immediate future.

I don't see removing the rust and repainting, since that puts me into an infinite loop.

So, my questions are: Should I even be concerned? If I should be concerned, is there a strategy to defer the corrosion outside of painting it each year?

Just so you have all the information, the FEL is stored outside and will probably continue to be exposed for the next few years.
 
   / Oxidation on FEL #2  
Roy, I think you'll find that most people just simply don't worry about it and don't do anything. Those buckets have some pretty hard steel on that cutting edge, and it'll be a long time before it rusts enough to be any problem. Of course, I suppose you could ****** the rust somewhat if you wanted to put a coating of oil on it after each use, but I don't know of anyone who does that.

Bird
 
   / Oxidation on FEL #3  
Most tractors that sit for awhile outside get rusty buckets. No big deal, but if your tractors IS going to sit its a good idea to coat the chrome rods with light grease or something, but wipe it off before use so you don't become a dust magnet. There may be a commercial product designed for this and/or I'm sure the list members can come up with something. The rust on the bucket goes away the second you use it, and the degradation of the edge from that type of rust can't compare to dragging the bucket across rocks leveling, jamming it into rocky dirt etc, which is what is designed for.

If it does have to reside outside I'd consider the purchase of a good tarp, not one of those biogradeable blue pieces of %%#%@% that dissolve in a year, a real tarp. It's amazing how the sun can rot the rubber parts, take the shine out of the plastic parts, eventually wrecking the plastic etc etc

Any buckets you've seen that have visible damaged I'd bet were from misuse or hard use. If you do manage to get a crack etc. its a good idea to nip it in the bud, weld it up, drill the ends and maybe put a plate on the backside.

And while we're on the loader subject, check the bolt tightness everywhere it mounts to the tractor, it's amazing how things can loosen up. And if you ever a "cracking" sound when using the backhoe or loader, it can be an "invisible" crack that moves when there is a certain direction force put to it. You have to have someone eyeball the whole thing and listen while you raise the tractor with the loader or hoe, curl the bucket against the ground.

I've seen loaders where they were cracked exactly along the edge of a weld so they looked "normal" until stress was applied then they visibly separated. My neighbor who works on equipment for a living fixed mine one time and told me of a big loader he worked on that had cracked, the guy had a load in the bucket and one side completely broke off and when the load fell the other side twisted into macaroni.

my 3 cents (inflation)
 
   / Oxidation on FEL
  • Thread Starter
#4  
That's was my gut feeling, Bird, to ignore. I am in concurrence that appling-oil is not a viable solution for me. Most of the time when I bring her in, it is late, and I am beat. Thanks.
 
   / Oxidation on FEL
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Problem with real-time, by the time you respond to one message, you find another got in during the typing window!

Del… I agree with those cheap tarps. Considered it, and dismissed it. As you basically stated, they tend to not do much good, and I found that they disintegrate quickly. I have a heavy duty tarp, and may cover it this winter. (I say 'may' because demands on my time and actual time don't seem to be equal!). I always store it with the bucket slightly tilted, to make sure all the rain water doesn't sit in it. (My apologies, Bird, for complaining about rain. I don't envy the summer you had).
 
   / Oxidation on FEL #6  
Ignoring the rust makes sense, logically, but I can see where a new owner (like I'm trying to be) would feel uncomfortable seeing his new baby displaying what appear to be age spots.

I am reminded of a time in my distant past where I spent regular time on a machinist's lathe. Since even the slightest amount of rust on the precision ground surfaces was bad news, it was part of the normal end-of-day routine to spray the weighs with WD-40 (a 5-second chore). Bought a gallon can of the stuff and transferred to a small spray can as needed. Even with 3 of us spraying our equipment every day, that gallon lasted for years.

I suspect I might pick up this habit again when I get my Kubota, but after that "new tractor" feeling fades away I will probably join Bird in the "ignore-it" group.

HarvSig2.gif
 
   / Oxidation on FEL
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Scruffy; Thanks for giving me an idea. It occurred to me that I just happen to have a neighbor who has been using a portable 2-bay structure for the last three years. He is in the process of building a detached 3-bay garage. So I may be able to buy it from him for a rock bottom price. That would give me a cheap solution until I find the time and money to build my own toy-storage / workshop structure (next year's project, I hope).

Harv; When your tractor arrives, you are correct in trying to keep it in top condition as long as possible. Just because something is inevitable, doesn't mean that we have to surrender to it. (Death being the prime example). Hopefully, you can use my little lesson-learned to delay the oxidation longer than I managed.
 
   / Oxidation on FEL #9  
Harv,
I'm surprised no ones mentioend Gemplers Rust Convertor yet. It paints on, is $9.95 a quart (goes a long way) and turns the rust into a hard balck coating that can be left alone or painted over with an oil based paint. I always have some around and plan on doing my mower decks after the last cutting. Is really pretty cheap, is pretty durable, and lasts longer than oil. Go to gemplers.com and check it out. It's a product that does what it says.
 
   / Oxidation on FEL #10  
Gerard -

Yes, by golly -- I've used that stuff! One of the most amazing products I've seen. It doesn't remove the rust, it actually reacts with it to form a very hard black surface. And it happens right before your eyes -- no waiting around to see if it's going to work. Similar products are available under various names -- probably the same active ingredients.

As far as rust on the bucket goes, I suspect Del is correct in saying it gets cleaned off the next time you use it. The same action that removed the paint in the first place will have the same effect on the rust.

So far it looks like you can prevent rust by spraying with WD-40 or applying some other light oil,
or you can treat rust with Gempler's
or you can ignore rust on the theory that it will wear off under normal use.

Overall, not one of your major maintenance problems. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

HarvSig2.gif
 
 
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