Tractor implements made of stainless steel

[LD1]

As others mentioned, some SS can and will rust. It is just slower at it than mild steel. Are you 100% sure the grade of SS you see in the cut piles at those shops are 304L and 316L??? Because if they are indeed "L" series stainless they are considered a "non-magnetic" stainless. And around here, scrap price for that is about $1.20/lb, which is higher than you can buy mild steel and a bucket of paint for.

And if it is magnetic, probabally a 304/316, then it will rust if left out in the elements. Probabally would deteriorate faster than a mild steel with good paint.

[sandman2234]

I get your point but that sounds like the Walmart approach.

I guess I have been chastised?? Walmart approach, yikes!
My point was, why use an expensive metal to prevent it from rusting, when getting beat up with objects thrown from underneath, or just the typical wear and destruction of the gearbox will render the whole thing obsolete. I have parked several bush hogs that had good decks, but replacing the gearbox AND stump jumper and blades was more expensive than buying a new complete bush hog. Parts are always more expensive when replacing them compared to the original price as a unit. Galvanized steel seems to be the better approach, but if you build one out of stainless and post pictures, I will be there to "ooooh and ahhhh" your pictures.
David from jax

[farmall 55a case]

The tsc store by me sells s/s finishing mowers! Very nice looking!

[k0ua]

The tsc store by me sells s/s finishing mowers! Very nice looking!

King Kutter seems to make one:

http://www.kingkutter.com/store-product.aspx?id=3543

James K0UA

[Zeus1]

The reason most shops have s/s piled up, is because it is drops from previous jobs (left overs) and if they use just a single piece on another job, then the cost savings (or pure profit) is usually more than the whole pile would bring at the scrap yard. So... if you do get them to sell you some at scrap prices, consider yourself lucky!
David from jax (who has a pile of s/s around also)

A friend of mine was talking to another long time friend about how they made so much stuff out of s/s, only to have it outlast the stuff that it was bolted to. He said nowadays instead of making it out to s/s so that it will last a lifetime, they make it out of steel and it usually will still last the rest of their lifetime.
While having a s/s bush hog would be nice in a way, most bush hogs I know will either rust out, get bend up, or the gearbox will tear up. Since s/s only fixes one of those three, why should we waste valuable metals when a lessor one will work.
David from jax

How do you get around the MTR? To charge a premium for a little piece of stainless, it should have a MTR. Scraps usually dont have an heat number, so it kinda becoms worthless when you cant prove what grade of stainless it is.

[flusher]

Stainless steel can rust

Rusting by Stainless Steels

Especially via weld corrosion.

[Taylortractornut]

I have a friend that got into the busines of making cone spreaders one time. It made good spreaders but they were 3 times higher than a regular spreader that was maintained. I saw a nice home built stainless foot box blade at a farm ouction one time. The seller was the maintenance man at a Fertilizer factory.

[Zeus1]

Stainless steel can rust

Rusting by Stainless Steels

Especially via weld corrosion.

I have seen a lot of stainless steel. Other than a scar from a forklift fork, or contaimation from some other form, stainless sheets or plate will not rust on its own. If it is rusting it has been scratched by carbon steel. This being a good grade, 18-8 or better.

[foggy1111]

Fabricating stainless can be a real PITA. Cutting it and drilling holes takes better tools and more time. I'm not sure about welding...but I'm pretty sure it is a more complicated and costly process too (?). IMO....a little paint goes a long way and the savings can be applied to the next machine (and possibly the third machine). Of course....low-cost stainless is another story....but you still need to fabricate it and weld it.

[crazyal]

I'm in the middle of rebuilding a seeder that I'm going to use for sanding in the winter. I had thought it would be kind of nice to make the hopper out of stainless but at 5x the price I can make it out of 1/4" mild steel and it'll last a very long time.

At work we have stainless and inconel alloys that rusts all the time. Of course it's subjected to some pretty nasty toxic chemicals and plasma.