wdchyd
Elite Member
Hey, for $189 I'd weld it too.......if it was on my truck towing a boat going down the interstate then I'd op for a new one, but if it was a tractor, what's the worse case......a walk back to the barn..??
Welding Up a Cracked Rim
- Thread starter MMH
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Mechanos
Veteran Member
nybirdman said:
What you're talking about is called pyrolysis. It's not just the air heating up... it's the rubber. Once it reaches a critical temperature it sets off an exothermic reaction in the rubber which continues to build even after the welding has stopped. Once this happens, the tire will exploded with devastating force.
Allot of good comments. Thanks to all that replied. Tire will definately be off of the rim, so no pyrolysis. Crack is across rim, approximately 1" long, and not in circumferential direction (not in direction that would promote splitting if weld failed). Will drill small hole at base of crack to stop further crack migration. Will weld w/ series of small tacks, so heating will be localized. Original rim construction was rolled steel & welded. Cannot believe that rim was heat treated after welding as this would increase strength (and brittleness) but not toughness. As rim in this area is already annealed, further welding will not reduce the strength in this area any more. Maximum tire pressure is 45 psi. If rim fails, I would expect localized failure of repaired area, not catastrophic split rim failure where where pressure created sufficient force to push apart the two sides of the rim. This failure mode should not be significantly different that a flat - a hole will appear & the air rush out.
Maybe I'm wrong on all of the above. Would still welcome comments/discussion.
Maybe I'm wrong on all of the above. Would still welcome comments/discussion.
LD1
Epic Contributor
Go for it. I was reading through everything and saw no-body mentioned drilling a hole. Until you last post that is. Good Idea:thumbsup:
And 45PSI you must be talking a front tire???? So it isnt a really large tire. It sounds like a good plan to me:thumbsup:
Ductape
Elite Member
Weld it, and take a few pics. :thumbsup:
crash325
Elite Member
I don't want to sound harsh or mean. But had you said that the crack was across the rim up front, it would have saved a lot of the time and worry.
A little note on Heat Treating. Chances are the rim was heat treated once all welding was done. Heat treating is used for more than hardening. Heat is used to anneal (Relax & soften) to hard and brittle and all things in-between.
I got some front rims for an old Ford tractor at $55 each. You might look around on the net and see what you can find.
burnieman
Gold Member
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- John Deere 955 With 70a Loader and 7 backhoe, John Deere 110 Backhoe
Just weld it dude before some of these guys kill each other. Weld everything. If it breaks after you weld it, weld it again. If that doesn't work buy a replacement. That's my life.
Could be. When I use the term "heat treatment" I use it in a very generic sence, meaning that it may involve heating, quenching, tempering (reheating, holding at a specific temperature for a specific time, and then controlling the cool down rate), etc. Note that depending on what is being welded, letting it air cool can be considered a quench process. If tight cooling control is necessary then heating blankets are requried.
I'm not an expert on wheels, but do know something about welding. I assumed (and I may very well be wrong) that the wheel was not heat treated because any additional steps cost money. I assumed that these were not high performance rims and that a low carbon steel & welding process would have been specified that did not require additional post-weld heat treat. Again, I am not an expert in this area and may be very wrong.
Soundguy
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- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
apparently you DID NOT read his post.
he said he was going to work from both sides.
unless he is going to shrink down and ooze thru the valve stem.. that means the tire is coming off. he also mentioned tubing it.. meaning the tire is broke down.
to the OP.
weld it. half my fleet of old tractors has welded up rims. it is a VERY common practice to section a rim. ie.. CUT AND WELD IN A PATCH FROM ANOTHER RIM. HAPPENS EVERY DAY.. DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
do a good weld.. inspect the rim for other cracks.. clean it up and prep good.. and melt some metal.
soundguy
Soundguy
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- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
yep.. an automotive rim I wouldn't weld.. a tractor rim... for sure... BTDT
