What type of steel?

[webebigdog]

Hello all!, new to tractors. Just purchased an A-C 5040 with 3cyl diesel engine. My question is, what type of steel do I use to repair loader bucket, I need to replace entire bottom and reinforce the back and sides. I just do not know what type of steel to purchase. I have dimensions and they will cut. I need to know what type. Will be used for snow removal, lite farm work and light digging. Any help would be great. Cant wait to go play on my tractor!!

 

[Danno1]

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AR400 is what you want.

ASTM A514 AR400 Abrasion Resistant Steel Plate | Buy Online | Cut to Size | No Minimum Order



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[Shield Arc]

Where are you going to replace on the bucket? A lot of times you can use mild steel, but use AR-400 for wear strips.

 

[CNC Dan]

Where are you going to replace on the bucket? A lot of times you can use mild steel, but use AR-400 for wear strips.

That's the way to go.

 

[Underdog57]

Where are you going to replace on the bucket? A lot of times you can use mild steel, but use AR-400 for wear strips.

Could you guys school us a little on basic steel types? I've already learned to use AR-400 for cutting edges. Is the mild steel A-36 ? And is that what you should use for general repairs & implement building & mods? Thanks

 

[notme]

mild is a-36 yes and it is whats used for all general fabrication and buildings.. almost all angle/channel/flat bar/plate u find around is a-36

 

[Arc weld]

Just standard mild steel plate. It would be a waste of a lot of money to make the whole bucket out of AR400 plate. It's not an industrial loader but it would be a good idea to put some wear strips on the front edges of the bucket sides, preferably with a bevel but they could just be mild steel flat bar as well about 3" wide. You can probably buy a weld on cutting edge for the bottom instead of having a piece of AR400 cut and beveled.

 

[farmer2009]

72" Weld on Cutting Edge with Holes

Most buckets I have seen on farm tractors seem to be build out of 10ga mild steel with cutting edges in front and up sides. Some even have blocks of the edges on the outside front corners to help with the corner wear especially if cleaning up buildings. Here is a link to some cutting edges they are not hard to find. It says you can order any size by calling them.

What welding rod would you guys use to weld the cutting edge to the bucket?

 

[Shield Arc]

What welding rod would you guys use to weld the cutting edge to the bucket?

Here is the book answer on how to weld AR-400.

AR400 is a quench and tempered steel and may be difficult to weld due its high strength and hardenability. The base steel around the weld rapidly heats and cools during welding, resulting in a heat affected zone (HAZ) with high hardness. Any hydrogen in the weld metal may diffuse into HAZ and may cause hydrogen embrittlement, resulting in delayed underbead or toe cracks outside of the weld. To minimize heat affected zone cracking:
1. Use a low hydrogen consumable with an -H4 or -H2 designation.
2. Preheat to slow the cooling rate. Note that excessive preheat may anneal the base material.
3. Slow cool. More time at elevated temperatures allows the dissolved hydrogen to escape.
4. Peen the weld beads to minimize residual weld stresses.
5. Use the lowest strength filler metal meeting design requirements. If making fillet welds, the weld can be oversized to give the specified strength
6. Minimize weld restraint.

 

[rsallen]

The peening of the weld.......
I understand the concept to equalize the forces but for max strength? ie. ductility? Seems to my amateur mind you're only creating or displacing more stress to different areas.
Do you slow down the cooling with say a torch while peening to help evening those stresses out?