Any way to weld the thin metal on tractors and attachments?

[5030]

All depends on the depth of your wallet. A quality inverter TIG machine will set you back a couple grand, whereas a cheap MIG machine is under a grand.

 

[4570Man]

Welding tractor fenders isn’t that hard with a mig and something a little bit thicker like seat frames or latches isn’t hard at all.

 

[fishdrivel]

I have to constantly be fixing parts on the tractor such as the latches, seat, fenders, hood or attachments such as posthole diggers or rotary cutters, etc.. My buddy told me any welds would not hold on such thin metal for the like, but there has to be a way to do it rather than pay for a new part

I can weld any thin steel with an oxy acetylene torch of the correct size tip. The problem being you have to be highly skilled to torch weld and thinner metal requires more skill.
I can gas weld steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, etc.
I have welded chrome or cadmium plated and have the lungs to prove it. Most professional welders learned early how to gas weld and then quit using it!
You may find you can have this thin metal TIG welded but replacing the little parts may be cheaper!

 

[WranglerX]

Auto body shop at times use a MIG welder to tack about ever inch or so along seam/crack.....When they reach end they start over and tack next to existing one... Repeat process till seam is completely welded, grind, auto body filler, sand, paint.... The tack weld concept reduces weld burn through and the heat distortion of materials... The luxury of TIG many of us have not, but there are MIG processes for the rest of us that will get us through... With the latest advances in MIG welding machines they are rapidly capturing the middle ground of welding....

And then there are times where that silly little bracket or catch is just not going to weld no matter how good your skills are.... Hello, Parts Department?

 

[GeneV]

Body panels are way thin, but I did weld some fairly thin metal with a stick before. 7014 5/64" rod, I think I was like at 30 amps or something...just the lowest setting I was able to strike an arc at. I didn't run straight beads, but just stacked spot welds. I got the idea from a dude on Youtube, an Indonesian dude who welds in sandals lol.

 

[etpm]

Your friend is wrong about welding thin metal, especially steel. Welding thin steel is where 120 volt MIG machines shine. Many auto body shops use them because they work so well and are fast.
Cheap MIG welders may not be able to weld thin steel because they cannot be set low enough. But a good machine can.
MIG welders are wire feed machines. They can be loaded with flux core wire, which requires no shielding gas, or with plain wire, which does require gas. The gas used is usually a mix called C25. This mix is 75% argon and 25% CO2.
Welding with flux core wire uses one polarity while plain wire uses the opposite polarity. Flux core wire will put too much heat into the weld and will burn through on thin steel. So plain wire, more commonly called solid wire, needs to be used for thin steel. To weld the thin stuff the machine polarity should be set to the same polarity as for flux core wire and the voltage must be turned way down.
Many of the older cheap machines did not have enough adjustment range to go low enough to weld thin steel. But high quality machines did. And because of their high quality machines that are 20 years old still perform as well today as they did when new. For example, I bought a Lincoln SP125 Plus welder used about 20 years ago. The previous owner used it in an auto body shop and the inside was full of Bondo dust. I took the cover off and blew out all the dust before I used it. That welder still works great and still gets lots of use. My Lincoln has infinite voltage and wire speed controls. This is a huge advantage when welding thin stuff.
These days there are many inexpensive MIG welders that are way better than the old cheap machines. If your machine is one of the old and cheap ones it may not be suitable for welding thin steel.
If you do decide to use a wire feed welder, also known colloquially as a MIG welder, then try you machine first on some thin scrap steel. If your welder is not up to the task then shop around for a used high quality machine or a new machine that has infinite voltage and wire speed controls. Used machine brands that I know are good are Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart. There are others for sure but I don't have any personal experience with them.
Once again, your friend is wrong. Thin steel is welded successfully by hobbyists every day world wide. You can too. You will need to practice. And there are tons of videos on YouTube that show good techniques for your needs. Welding Tips and Tricks is one place you should look.
I first learned to weld using gas. Then I learned stick, then TIG, then MIG. I still use all 4 types of welding.
Eric

 

[Sberry]

I agree with you 100%. I can do without a tig. Anyone tells a first time tractor hobby guy to get anything but a 210 class mig is doing him a disservice. There is a place for the 140,,, my neighbor just took his back,,, ha but while I can do without tig my deal is 030 solid and a little machine sitting there on my extra bottle with 023 if I really gonna fuss with thin sheet. Its really nice for some exhaust work. You can turn it down near foil thickness f you gotta.
If a guy can live with changing wire out my real workhorse,,, and I do have a 250 but the real chore pony is the 180 . Today it would be a 210 but its a machine I already own and would not hesitate to buy from a box store on super sale.

 

[metalbender]

You can weld small with a more powerful machine, not so welding big with a small machine. Hood time practicing before the actual job.

 

[etpm]

The OP already has a machine of some sort. I was talking about a small machine for several reasons, they are less money, they are good for thin steel, high quality good used ones can be had for much less money than high quality new ones. But the main reason I first started thinking about small machines is because most folks who buy one of these machines start off with the small ones. And I assumed he had one of these small machines. EVEN THOUGH HE NEVER SAID WHAT SIZE HIS MACHINE WAS. OOPS! I have no idea what size or quality machine the OP has. That was careless of me. Sorry.
Eric

 

[jwmorris]

Thin metal can be welded but most folks don’t spend the time to learn how.

Those are the people that say it can’t be done.

Kind of like a baby thinks you have disappeared when it covers it’s eyes, it doesn’t understand you are still there and it just kept itself from seeing you. It takes time to develop that understanding.

This wasn’t done with a small 120 volt machine rather a very large one turned way down.