Plastic repair on Kubota BX

[santacruzer]

I decided to run a test to determine which was the toughest between the plastic fender on the Kubota BX and a particular tree in my yard.

It would seem that the tree wins hands down as I have two seperate pieces of broken plastic fender. Each piece is about 6"x8" or so that used to be right next to the tail light... the tail light took a hit as well but can easily be replaced.

My question is how should I go about a repair? The two pieces of plastic fit perfectly in the hole so I would assume some sort of repair job would be possible.

Any ideas (other than not doing the tree vs plastic fender test again) would be appreciated. Also I don't mind taking a little heat for this as I would be one of the first to jump on this wide open band wagon.

Thanks a lot. Paul

 

[bota7800]

Just yesterday I saw a Thule ski box (a plastic shell) with a very long meandering tear. It had been repaired like an aircraft mechanic would repair an aluminum skin (not surprising as I am near a Boeing plant) It was a very nice looking repair.

What he or she had done was form a backing plate and riveted the plate to the shell, reinforcing and closing the break.

The repair was done with proper rivets but you could use pop rivets and washers as well.

 

[aggiehortguy91]

You might check with a plastics shop and see if they can weld it. I have had a HDPE kayak repaired by welding.

 

[wawajake]

I also have had success using rivets and backing metal on the plastic cab of my Arctic Cat Snowmachine.

Form fit the thickest metal you can easily bend to the shape you need underneath , (stove pipe , or any other sheetmetal) then drill and rivet in place (ideally aluminum rivets so no rust.) The more rivets the better !

Show me one proffessional boxer that doesn't look tougher due to the scar stiches on his face ! So then when you stand back and view your stitch rivetted tractor, think of it as looking tougher through battle !

jake

 

[santacruzer]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the ideas and the replys. I'm really good at breaking stuff...fixing is another matter!!

Paul

 

[banjodunn]

G'day Paul there is stuff avail over here called " Q BOND " dont know if it avail over there but it is excellent . It consist of super glue and powder if you can get the rest of the fender off and flip over stick the bits back in then roughen along join put filler powder along join and dribble glue on it 10 sec later hard plastic. I have used it on motorbike fairings with huge success. Best of luck



Jon

 

[AndyMA]

G'day Paul there is stuff avail over here called " Q BOND " dont know if it avail over there but it is excellent . It consist of super glue and powder if you can get the rest of the fender off and flip over stick the bits back in then roughen along join put filler powder along join and dribble glue on it 10 sec later hard plastic. I have used it on motorbike fairings with huge success. Best of luck



Jon

Try here Q-Bond Adhesives

Andy

 

[BXpanded]

I think the fenders are made of ABS.

Heckler (mother co. of Loctite) has a plastic bonder selector on their website. I haven't searched, but their Loctite 3030 may be just what you need.

Acetone is often used to join ABS. It softens the material and allows it to fuse together. If done properly, can make a nearly invisible bond with the strength of the original part. Clamp the parts in position then apply the acetone from the back side so it can penetrate. Use just enough to go into the joint.

You can reinforce from the back side with another layer of ABS or plexiglass (acrylic). The face side can be sanded with very fine sand paper and polished with plastic polish.

I'd suggest trying a very small point that could be broken back apart to verify the adhesive works before applying to the whole joint line.

 

[d1king]

I have a craqck in the rear fender of a B2400. Asked Kubota what to use to bond, appeared to be a low stress area that someone leaned into with too much weight. Got the following.

Dear Sir,
The fenders are a resin based composite blend, and most epoxy resins will
bond to it, however the best fix is replacement of the fender assembly.

Plan to try this, with a backing patch underneith it. Not wanting to buy a fender since I am currently waiting on a $240.00 alternator. Good luck. Don

 

[ray66v]

I think the fenders are made of ABS.

If they are rigid, non flexible, and black inside, they could be abs. Abs is pretty brittle, and would not work well for this application.

If they are somewhat flexible, they are likely polyethylene.

If they are rigid, light gray color inside, they could be SMC.

There are also others.

The correct repair process for plastic parts is different depending on what type of plastic they are made from.