How do I fix this - Rounded out holes

[woodlandfarms]

So, was wondering why I had slop in my steering. Saw the cylinder moving more than normal. Not a usual wear point on my machine so not often inspected except when changing hoses. Clearly someing must have been looser / more worn...

Well here I am now... Thoughts are to weld the hole up a bit and drill.. Ugh... This is a very difficult area to drill, let alone weld. I could cut the tabs off but the metal this is all attached to is the oil tank.

Was wondering, I saw something on the interweb that copper does not get effected by Stick or mig welding. Could I put a proper sized pipe in the hole and weld around it?

Any and all suggestions taken...

 

[murphy1244]

So, was wondering why I had slop in my steering. Saw the cylinder moving more than normal. Not a usual wear point on my machine so not often inspected except when changing hoses. Clearly someing must have been looser / more worn...

Well here I am now... Thoughts are to weld the hole up a bit and drill.. Ugh... This is a very difficult area to drill, let alone weld. I could cut the tabs off but the metal this is all attached to is the oil tank.

Was wondering, I saw something on the interweb that copper does not get effected by Stick or mig welding. Could I put a proper sized pipe in the hole and weld around it?

Any and all suggestions taken...

There is a thread on here now talking about this. A poster bought a Kubota TLB from a auction and the BH jib beam holes were catty wompus.

Edit, My bad just found it. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/welding/356384-hitch-pin-hole-repair.html

 

[Rustyiron]

I have seen round carbon plugs for building up a worn hole.

 

[Creamer]

I would find a bushing that has the proper OD and then weld up the slop as well as you can and bore it to the OD size of the bushing - preferably with a light press fit. Then push the bushing into place and stake it into position. Doing it this way would not require a perfect weld job in a difficult place and would give you a good wear surface when you are done. Plus you can line bore the top and bottom to to have them properly aligned for a good fit. I would not try to drill it - I would plunge an end mill through it in short steps. this means you do not have to weld the hole completely shut - in fact it would be preferred not to - just enough to have the bushing OD surface in good contact.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I would cut it off and weld on a new piece. It will be so much easier than trying to fill in the one you have. Ask me how I know. Ed

 

[ponytug]

While I'm generally with Ed of all trades on the idea of cutting it all off and starting over, given that this is on your hydraulic tank, I wouldn't in this case.

I would second the thought of welding in a pair of bushings. (I'm assuming that the bottom and top are both worn.) I would add to it that you put a jog (e.g. a bolt) to align the top and bottom bushings when you do your initial tack welds. What I don't know is how you are going to bore this out. Can you use your plasma cutter to open up the hole large enough to accept the bushing?

If you want to go whole hog, you could add a small bore for a grease fitting.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would just weld on another tab end. You wont have to cut off the existing weld, just move out a bit from the tank, just a bit before the bolt hole (normal position without wear), make a new piece with correct size hole and weld it in place. Ideally it would be a double V but I don't know how well you overhead welding skills are. It will be hard to weld it from one side without it drawing upward during the weld. You might start with the tap piece angled slightly down to account for the upward drawing during welding.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I wonder if this would work.

Make a replacement top plate a bit smaller than the existing top tab, with the correct size hole drilled in it. Weld this (from above) to the top of the existing tab.

Then make a replacement bottom plate a bit larger than the existing bottom tab. Weld that to the bottom tab (also welding from above). This would then require a longer pin which could also be used while welding to hold things in alignment.

 

[Egon]

Cut of the tabs, weld on new tabs with bushing. ( bushing in a bushing so it's easy to replace.

 

[5030]

The question is, can the OP generate a workable weld? Thats not a buzz box job by a long shot.

 

[bigdeano]

You may have to remove the oil tank so you can work on it. Looks near impossible where it is. Can't really tell from the pictures. If you take the tank out I would cut part of the tabs off and weld on new pieces with the hole in them.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Hey guys, yeah I can post better pix I guess...

The oil tank is what the tabs are welded to. Its thick metal, and I can drain the tank (although someone told me not to as it is more likely to catdh fire empty with residue than full with oil).

I am mulling over a tab welded on the top and bottom with holes cut in it (overlay) than removing the existing tabs.

My neighbor is a heavy machine repairman, sent him pix today and he loves a good struggle so we will see what he says.

Those welding rods, can't find a source (the inserts that do cannot be welded to).

On top of all this misery, it turns out the bolts are custom. Go figure my bad luck.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I can remember my dad fixing a wallowed out hole in the steering linkage of a water truck. He just got a longer pin and welded it into the wallowed out hole. Only took a few minutes and lasted forever after. In this case you might want to make sure the cylinder is in good condition first.

 

[SpringHollow]

Could you use a plasma torch or carbon arc rods to gouge out the hole for a bushing instead of drilling?

Ken

 

[OkieDave]

On top of all this misery, it turns out the bolts are custom. Go figure my bad luck.

Can you get the next larger (standard) size tap and cut new (standard) size threads? Seems like it'd fix two problems.

 

[ThomasH]

That is a difficult spot to drill and keep the center of the drill in the center of the old hole, so you could put in a bushing. If it were an option, I have done dozens if not hundred of those kind of repairs using a drill bushing of the correct inside diameter, and those have always turned out to be permanent repairs. I put a bit of weld on opposite sides of the bushing and it's done.

That said, yours looks like it would be difficult to reach with a drill that was fixtured, such as in a mag drill or a similar thing. And without that it would be difficult to keep the bit from drifting way off center. So the other thing I have done, is to get a carbon rod the correct size (made for welding/brazing fill in of holes) and build it up with weld. I have done the build up with 7018 stick and ER70S2 MIG and both have worked fine.

 

[MossRoad]

Order new tabs from PT.
Make a cardboard template of the originals.
Cut off the originals about 1/2" out from the tank with a sawzall.
Use the template to adjust the new tabs' length allowing for the cut off material.
Weld on the newly adjusted tabs.
You won't be welding directly against the tank and you might not light up the unit on fire.

 

[MossRoad]

If you want to go the bushing route, you'll still have to weld the missing areas back up to fill it in and then drill out the hole to the proper size. If you're going to be welding the hole shut, you might as well weld on new tabs. :confused3:

 

[ericher69]

Here is a repair I made on a 3pt blade.

You could use this method for a permanent fix

Shared post from 'TractorByNet.com' by ericher69 from thread 'Fixing a 3pt blade':

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

 

[SpringHollow]

If you want to go the bushing route, you'll still have to weld the missing areas back up to fill it in and then drill out the hole to the proper size. If you're going to be welding the hole shut, you might as well weld on new tabs. :confused3:

Hi Moss, I was saying to make the hole big enough for the bushing with a plasma cutter and then weld the bushing in place filling in where necessary. I would trust that more than welding the new tab on. My welds have never failed but I am always worrying about them.

Ken