Welding work today

[CNC Dan]

Since this is a welding thread and I did not want to start another thread.... I have a question.
I have a grade 5, 5/8"bolt broken off in the frame of my JD 555 track loader. Normally I would try to weld something onto it to get it out but this one is going to be difficult to get to. The broken bolt is in the frame. There is a 3/4" thick plate on top of it so the broken bolt surface is 3/4" down in the hole. Also there is a 3/4" thick triangle gusset about 3" inches from where the head of the bolt should be. This gusset blocks straight on access to the hole. Failing any other plan, my plan was to drill a hole through the gusset and then drill out the broken bolt through that hole.
If there was some way to weld on to the broken bolt; like maybe clamping a 1/2" bolt in my welding rod holder and stabbing it onto the broken bolt. Would that weld the 1/2" bolt to the 5/8"? I would insulate the shaft of the 1/2"n bolt to keep it from arcing to the side of the hole.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you will need to remove the 3/4" plate to weld to the broken bolt.
If you must try to weld to it as it is, use a piece of pipe or tube. Put your welding rod through the pipe and weld it from the inside.

Also, how did the bolt fail?
Over torque?
Shear?
Fatigue?
Tension?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Gary- this guy is easy on his stuff compared to my normal lot!
The guy with the hoe is as tough as I've ever seen. His son and I have a running joke about stuff being "Phil tested". I have a small shop and mobile service. It's nothing fancy, dirt floor.

Dirt floor or not, you obviously do good work from your photos and customers keep returning to you. Keep up the good work and photos.

 

[crackerjack222]

Thanks, SA and CNC. The bolt broke in shear. There are three bolts in a triangle pattern that connect the under-carriage to the frame. To remove the 3/4" plate would mean removing the entire undercarriage on that side. I have had problems keeping these bolts tight and apparently they got loose enough for there to be some movement which sheared this bolt. The other two were distorted and I have already replaced them with grade 8's and new lockwashers. I plan to Locktite them after I get the broken bolt out.
I had considered the "easy out" but my experience with them is that they break and become "hard outs".
I have bought a 17/32 cobalt drill bit and a 5/8" plug tap to drill the gusset and drill out the broken bolt and to chase the threads. To take this approach means at least removing several track pads if not the whole track to get access to drill the gusset hole and to drill the bolt.

 

[Reyer Farms]

What about left handed drill bit? The old man I was referring to earlier was good at getting bolts out.

Thanks Gary.

 

[crackerjack222]

I have never tried a left handed drill bit but it certainly would be worth trying here, and I fit the "old man" profile.....

 

[Shield Arc]

The left handed drill bits work sometimes, but don't bet the farm it will work on something like you got.

 

[CNC Dan]

Thanks, SA and CNC. The bolt broke in shear.

That's good, means you got a good chance of backing it out.

I have had problems keeping these bolts tight and apparently they got loose enough for there to be some movement which sheared this bolt. The other two were distorted and I have already replaced them with grade 8's and new lockwashers. I plan to Locktite them after I get the broken bolt out.

That explaines how it happend, and you know what to do about it.

I had considered the "easy out" but my experience with them is that they break and become "hard outs".

Won't hurt to drill it. But I would try to back it out with something not so hard as an 'easy' out. Might try grinding an allen wrench square and sharp, so it will cut like a broach, and hammer it in. Chamfer the hole so it starts on center.

I have bought a 17/32 cobalt drill bit and a 5/8" plug tap to drill the gusset and drill out the broken bolt and to chase the threads.

If the hole in that 3/4" plate is a close fit, it should help keep your drill in the right place. You might even use a larger drill that will just fit in the hole to start with. Just enough to make a centered drill point. Then switch to the correct size drill either for the Allen wrench attempt or for taping the hole.
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[Reyer Farms]

Fire dogs I made 5 years ago. I'm surprised how well they look. These folks use fireplace as sole heat and they keep it rolling.



It's all 1", torch cut. 7018 welds.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Made a fire hydrant wrench today. Just scrap 1/4" Victor torch No grinding done Pentagons are more difficult to layout than I expected???

 

[CalG]

Opps!

Wish I had the picture, but.... no camera....

Welded a 5/8 nut on the end of a piece of 1 inch thick wall square tube, making an "adjuster".

'Thought I would do a better job keeping things in alignment if the male threaded part was deep down the hole. I even put a few rounds of masking tape on the threads to make a sort of "pilot shaft out of the deal.

Wouldn't you know it, I burned the puddle deep enough to weld to the thread on the INSIDE of the tube! ;-O

I had to get out the two foot long pipe wrench to budge things into moving at all.
Then once it broke free, I chucked the square shank in the four jaw and braced the male thread (a tooling bolt, hard as hades) against the carriage. Backed right out! But I was worried.

Slathered the thread with Never Seeze and it ran together just fine. Fortunately, the nut was run all the way up the male thread, and that part will nearly never be called for.

The nice part?. All the welds held just fine! ;-)