Dipper Stick snapped in half

[Amelia Farms]

While you've got it at the welding ship, couldn't hurt to put some new teeth on that bucket.

 

[blueriver]

My Dad suggested that I tack it together, strap it together and drive the backhoe to Lew's and have them do it there. I like that better then taking it apart. I will go there Monday morning and see what they think of that idea, or if they have somebody that they can recommend to come out here and do it.

Eddie

Eddie ... how about a good solid wooden fence post under it and some straps around the post and the beam to hold her together and then drive it to the shop.

 

[JB4310]

Yeah, I would try and get it back together where it is on the machine. you will have better leverage doing it that way than if it was off the machine. being on the machine you should be able to manipulate back in place with the hydraulics.

Plenty of space to fish plate it, once it's repaired he wont be able to break it again in that spot

Be thankful for that little bit that is still attached, good thing it didn't completely fall off, cause the cylinder damage would be more than the cost of welding the dipper.

As bad as it looks it could of been worse, still being attached gives you more options than if was in 2 pieces.

Good luck,
JB.

 

[LD1]

My Dad suggested that I tack it together, strap it together and drive the backhoe to Lew's and have them do it there. I like that better then taking it apart. I will go there Monday morning and see what they think of that idea, or if they have somebody that they can recommend to come out here and do it.

Eddie

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

How far of a drive is it for you?

Tacking and strapping should suffice for just transporting it.

But if you are going to attempt to straighten it back out and tack it, get it as CLOSE as possible, This way the shop wont have to grind out your tacks and try to get it close themselves.

There are two ways to straighted it, you can use the hoes own hydraulics, or for a more controlled method, wrap a come-a-long around the bucket and back to the main boom.:thumbsup:

If you lived closer to me, I'd tell you just to bring it over and we'd weld it up in no-time. Probabally even have some plate for reinforcement in the scrap pile.

 

[Short Game]

It's a broken arm that will heal up stronger than it was in the first place. If it were mine, I would not worry too much. I'd just throw some scrap steel and welding rod at it. The only thing I would miss is the time I need for a dozen other projects.

If you lived closer to me, I'd tell you just to bring it over and we'd weld it up in no-time. Probabally even have some plate for reinforcement in the scrap pile.

Yeah, like that.

Between the backhoe's hydraulics, some good clamps, and maybe a small grind here and there, we'd get that thing lined up fine. I wouldn't worry about pretty, but strong wouldn't be difficult.

 

[dynasim]

Eddie,

That is completely fixable. Note that the break initiated at the existing gusset, and extending that gusset will likely make it as good as new. Your plan of tacking it(and using some temporary gusseting) was what I would have suggested.

The hard part is going to be ensuring that you are aligned properly. The alignment is going to be more critical than the actual welding, as a small error in alignment will cause twisting, making a repeat failure more likely. In my opinion, the vertical alignment is most important.

Good luck

Chris

 

[dynasim]

Eddie,

Another thing, if you are worried, is to sand blast to check other places for initiated cracks. You will probably want to repaint anyway. I would look carefully at the borders of gusseted joints.

Chris

 

[Short Game]

After zooming in on the remaining hinge, it would probably be good to shield the cylinder and apply some heat to the bent part as you pull it back toward the original alignment. Part of what is bent looks like a reinforced area. That part won't want to bend back easily, especially cold. If it comes down to taking it apart, the welding and fitting become much easier. It's certainly doable, and there are more ways than one to skin this cat. If it winds up weighing thirty pounds more in the end, it shouldn't matter much. Alignment can be done by clamping it between the right structural splints, like channel, etc.

Looking at the break, you can see where it started by the color of the steel. I'll bet it was right on that curved weld at the tip of the gusset. This didn't happen overnight.

 

[brin]

About your 80 yr.old Dad...Eddie, I would trade all my tractors and much more to have my Dad back with me just for a day....Your repair will work fine...

 

[sandman2234]

I know this is "against the flow" of what everybody else is saying, but I would disasemble it by removing the bucket and the cylinder. (bucket is just for ease of handling). My reasons are because the cylinder might do the job but if you push the cylinder, it probably isn't going to close the gap. It might, but for some reason I have my doubts. Pulling with the cylinder only makes things worse. So, remove all excess weight, lay the durn thing on a bench and use straight edges to line it up. Get out the grinder and some spare wheels and start fitting it back into place. When you have it right, tack it and then throw it in the truck and haul it to the shop. If you take it in the condition it is in, it will cost you a lot more for repairs, and this isn't rocket science.
A comalong underneath might pull it back together, wouldn't hurt before disasembly. be carefull and work slow, but you already knew that....
I would imagine this didn't "just happen" but started showing cracks a while back. Probably doesn't hurt to look them over close every now and then at the stress points.
David from jax