Can this be straightened with a frame machine?

[Gary Fowler]

It looks like the only part that is bent is the angle between the attachment points. If you have the equipment and skills, I would just cut that angle off and replace it with a piece of heavy tubing and put a full penetration weld on it. It will be stronger than original and take less time than trying to straighten. Sometimes (most time) bent and twisted pieces like that are easier and cheaper to just replace than straighten.
I would cut it as close to the attachment uprights as possible. Weld a flat plate of 3/8" thick steel large enough to accomodate the size of the tubing you will be using to the angle with full pen weld on both sides. Attach it back to the loader arms and cut a replacement piece to fit and weld it in place as much as possible therefore assuring perfect alignment. Remove it and finish welding any area that you couldnt weld in place. This would save the effort of building a jig to hold it on position when welding.

 

[DK35vince]

It looks like the only part that is bent is the angle between the attachment points. If you have the equipment and skills, I would just cut that angle off and replace it with a piece of heavy tubing and put a full penetration weld on it. It will be stronger than original and take less time than trying to straighten. Sometimes (most time) bent and twisted pieces like that are easier and cheaper to just replace than straighten.

+1
Easier, faster, better to just cut it off and replace vs trying to straighten.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I hung a log in my FEL and bent the ATI Tach All aftermarket skid steer quick connect adapter. The main beam is about 3" angle iron that is bent and twisted. I can cut out the angle iron and replace it, but there are a lot of thick weld beads to grind and also would dictate having to fabricate other parts contained on the angle. My question is this. Before I start cutting out the bent beam, could a auto body shop with a hydraulic frame machine straighten this back out? Any hope of success?

I guess I am trying to avoid the many hours It will take me to dissect out the angle iron and replace it. This adapter cost about $800 so I need to repair it rather than buy a new one.

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Just put it back on the tractor and use the curl cyls and a bit of finesse to twist it back. Restrain 1 curl so it stays still and push or pull with the other.
larry

 

[tawilson]

Just put it back on the tractor and use the curl cyls and a bit of finesse to twist it back. Restrain 1 curl so it stays still and push or pull with the other.
larry

That is exactly how I fixed mine. A chain and a tree worked great.

 

[Dave M7040]

You can fix it in a couple of ways but remember a couple of metallurgical facts.

Bend a metal clothes hanger and then try to straighten it out where it is bent. Impossible. The bending "work hardens" the metal and makes it much stronger. The circus strong man trick where he would bend a metal rod and then challenge anyone in the crowd to straighten it is an demonstration of this phenomenon. You can bend it reasonable straight when it is cold but you are bending beside the original bend unless you resort to serious heating.

When the metal bends it stretches and becomes a little thinner so when you straighten the piece it may be longer when you are done thus distorting the position of the two ends a little.

Replacing the bent piece should be easy since you can attach the two ends to wherever they affix and then weld a new piece between them so you don't have to worry about getting things properly aligned by building jigs.

Just a couple of thoughts from an old engineer

Dave M7040

 

[sixdogs]

A good welding and fabrication shop should have that straight again with zero problems. You should see the stuff I bring into my shop in town here. I can bend 3/8" and 1/2" plate with the best of them and they keep un-bending it.

 

[jimmysisson]

Another vote for replacing the piece. I wonder if it really should be stronger? Might be good to have it as the weak link? All it's for is aligning the two clamps, right? Tho I bet you won't hang anything heavy on it again...
Jim