Ford 1210 put a hole in rear axle housing. Pics. Fix ideas?

[5030]

I TIG weld in the shop almost every day so I can say with prejudice that getting a successful weld on aluminum that has been exposed and sat in oil is basically an impossibility as the oil is impregnated in the pores of the aluminum and impossible to remove.

Don't really care as it's not my tractor. Just stating the facts. I'd just replace the part and call it good but the OP can do whatever he wats to do. It is his money (not mine) after all.

I've attempted it before and it has always resulted in either weld inclusions or just outright failure.

 

[pclose]

Thanks again everyone. For the record, yes, the busted housing is made of magnet-checked aluminum. I'm leaning toward just getting the used housing and new gaskets and worrying less about the repair over time. I might experiment with some of the suggestions in this thread to cut some aluminum sheet and franken-patch it while I line up parts. I'll definitely be adding a little anti-seize to the brake drum shaft!...and returning the unopened, unused, aluminum brazing rods I bought

 

[edmoor]

Is that a crack that runs vertically up from the top of the hole or just a deep scratch?
You'd never get it hot enough with a Mapp torch.
I have and not had any luck with them, being a welder by trade I prefer TIG for something like that but in your case I would say it'll have to come off to do it properly. The oil will be next to impossible to get off the area as I swear it soaks into the aluminum.
Second choice would be mig and do it in place, you'd still have to clean it up properly, no paint or oil residue. You'd be best heating it up to attempt to burn off most of the oil, brush it, heat it again and brush it again and then give it a good wash with a non-chlorinated degreaser. making sure there's none laying in the hollows.
Third choice would be JB, still have to be clean and roughed up. Few small threaded bolts thru the patch to physically hold the patch into the casting if there's no interference.
As you said it doesn't appear to be a structural area, and not having any welding gear I would go with JB.......Mike

Cheap casting..bad mistake...buy new..or have it welded up..good luck. Live n learn!

 

[edmoor]

Thanks again everyone. For the record, yes, the busted housing is made of magnet-checked aluminum. I'm leaning toward just getting the used housing and new gaskets and worrying less about the repair over time. I might experiment with some of the suggestions in this thread to cut some aluminum sheet and franken-patch it while I line up parts. I'll definitely be adding a little anti-seize to the brake drum shaft!...and returning the unopened, unused, aluminum brazing rods I bought

You can heat up that magnesium casting..the oil will come out of the porosity..then bevel the edges for the patch..weld it up...it will hold. Just gotta boil out the oil in the porosity.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Tractor is made to pull things. If you push, these things happen. Even front pins on lift arms are for pull, not push. Pushing breaks them out of the housing. Or lift arms shove through things.

 

[beenthere]

I feel your pain, as this almost just happened to me. One of the lower three point pins just broke off. Fortunately I saw the mounting pin on the ground, just before I was going to backup with the box scraper, and could get the draw arm roped off from creating any damage. I have become so concerned about the lynch pins, that I zip tie them now as I have had the same issue of roots and saplings, releasing the loops and pulling the pins out. I wish you good fortune, finding a replacement housing. My Ford Shop Manual, I&T, FO-46, oddly, makes no mention of the 1210, so I can't give you any direction on how to get the housing off. There is another I&T manual, FO-44 that does include the 1210, but the I&T website is gone.

I replace the lynch pins with 1/4" bolts and a lock nut. That was after having a near-miss when a pin was plucked out and the arm came loose.
Sorry to see the damage to the Ford rear end and wish you the best of luck getting a good fix. Hope a weld job will do it.

 

[airbiscuit]

It looks like there is a little room behind the hole. I would make a flat piece that would slip up inside the hole with a some nuts welded on, and then make a larger mating piece for the outside with a piece rubber in the middle of that "sandwich" to seal it up.

In other words smaller flat plate inside the hole. Larger flat plate outside the hole. Some kind of gasket goo or rubber to act as sealant between the two. Tighten fasteners running between the two to cinch things tight. (kind of like putting a toggle bolt in drywall)

 

[pclose]

I found a used housing and bought it. It should get here in a week or so and I'll swap it in. I'll take the busted one of and see about the seals and gaskets and order them too. Once I have a spare housing though, I will see which of these fix-it suggestions would have been most likely to work at all, or last longest. Judging from the pics of the used one, there are some mold features in the casting on the inside of the part that might make some of the suggestions difficult. I'll share a progress report and final outcome for thread closure. Have a great weekend! Keep your lift arms pinned! lol!

 

[sandman2234]

I was wondering how the replacement housing worked out, and did you ever try to repair the old housing?
I wanted to mention that although most thought this cracked housing was not a structural item, I believe it is. The weight of the tractor is supported by the axles and the down pressure on the center of that weight is transferred out to the tires via the axles. The length of the axle is supported by that housing to reduce the amount of mechanical advantage caused by the added length of the axle. The area where it cracked is in the area where a lot of tension is transferred to the differential.
Glad you found a replacement part for it! I know where exactly one of these tractors is at in a junk yard, and I have already scrounged parts from it a couple of times, but was willing to give up it's whereabouts if you hadn't found one and the repair didn't work!
David from jax

 

[oldestgoat]

I once fixed a hole in a vw gti transmission once, about the same size with JBweld. Cleaning both sides and roughening very well. it was in a corner so I used aluminum duct tape to hold the resin. Worked like a charm and never had a problem. On This one I'd put a roughened piece of aluminum with a bolt through it sticking outwards and fish it to the inside, then dope up with putty, then bolt another piece fitted to the outside as the outer support patch. The biggest challenge is keeping the resin from seeping out with gravity before it sets. Obviously, I would just get a good condition replacement part if I already took the time to remove it.