Tractor castings, cast iron or steel

[Arky217]

This may sound like a dumb question, but on the premise that there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers, here goes:

Are the castings on some tractors cast iron and on others steel ?

By cast iron, I mean the type of metal that could be busted up with a hammer. I understand it's also very hard to weld successfully.

Saw a tractor the other day that someone brought to a dealer that had a 3 pt. hitch backhoe ( I know, that's a no no) and the rear housing was cracked where the top bar attached.

I've also read posts on TBN where castings have also cracked from loader use. And on some of the pictures, I was surprised to see how thin the castings were.

So, I was wondering if the castings on all tractors are cast iron, and if so, could some of them be a tougher grade and/or thicker than others and could some be more/less brittle than others ?

And are any tractor castings actually steel ?

Thanks,
Arky

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Some companies do use cast Aluminum on some smaller models. But most everything is cast iron, and there is some differences in the grade and quality of the castings... that said, I don't think anyone who is not an equipment engineer can sit down and tell you whats a quality casting, and what is not.. and any conversation about brands in this reguard will degress into name calling pretty quick.

 

[ChuckinNH]

A lot of damage to tractor castings is started by bolts that loosen up. In my experience, bolts that don't stay tight are caused by A: lots of vibration, or B: holes, and thread tolerances that are on the loose side. My guess, and only a guess is that is more of the problem on some brands of tractors than the quality of their castings. I don't want to get into any name calling here at all since all brands have had some loose bolts, and all have experienced casting failure at one point, or another. One hears a less about this from owners of Kubota, and JD smaller tractors because they are built on frames, and the loaders. etc. are mounted to those frames, and not directly to the castings. In the case of the one the OP saw, perhaps the owner hadn't installed the HD top mount that is available for backhoe use.

 

[Soundguy]

I'd think it's safe to say that most are cast iron.. with cast steel and cast aluminum being less common.

soundguy

This may sound like a dumb question, but on the premise that there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers, here goes:

Are the castings on some tractors cast iron and on others steel ?

By cast iron, I mean the type of metal that could be busted up with a hammer. I understand it's also very hard to weld successfully.

Saw a tractor the other day that someone brought to a dealer that had a 3 pt. hitch backhoe ( I know, that's a no no) and the rear housing was cracked where the top bar attached.

I've also read posts on TBN where castings have also cracked from loader use. And on some of the pictures, I was surprised to see how thin the castings were.

So, I was wondering if the castings on all tractors are cast iron, and if so, could some of them be a tougher grade and/or thicker than others and could some be more/less brittle than others ?

And are any tractor castings actually steel ?

Thanks,
Arky

 

[sal64]

they are steel forgings.

 

[boxygen]

When I drilled out the threads on the transmission/axle housing of my Mahindra 2415 to the next bolt size, it sure seemed like aluminum, how easy it drilled. Also the fact that I stripped the threads out tightening it with a breaker bar made me think it was aluminum also, even though I admittedly was being a bull. it was an M14 bolt.

 

[Soundguy]

easy to test with a magnet...

btw.. cast steel and cast iron drill -very- easilly.

soundguy

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Had this discussion with my brother (Mechanical Engineer)...

Long story short...A PROPERLY Designed Aluminum Casting is just as strong as a cast iron piece...and like Messick says...theres also alot of quality variation in casting iron as well...

Bonus to Aluminum....if you break something off it can be easily welded & repaired. Welding up cast iron isnt as easy.

Bonus to Cast Iron...Alot of "Free Ballast" with the added weight of the aluminum.

Even if you built a tractor out of a single block of forged super steel, some people out there could do things to it which it wasnt designed for and break it in two. If a MFG REALLY had a major problem with a casting regardless of materials, we'd certiainly see & hear plenty about it here on TBN.

 

[Soundguy]

if you can tig.. either should be easy to repair.

And as for either properly designed casting being equal.. that doesn't take into acount weight or size.. if you start bringing those variables into play.. you will likely hit a point where aluminum may not be strong enough compaired to a similar part of other cast material..e tc.

soundguy