3 pt housing broke, can it be welded or should be replaced?

[srx700pilot]

I called Deere yesterday. The part is $490 plus all the seals and miscellaneous parts. Labor is $800. So roughly $1500 repair. The dealer did say its made out of Cast Iron and would be able to be repaired by a weld shop.

 

[cowski]

get a good welder to weld it on the tractor.

 

[srx700pilot]

would the heat not damage the internal seals by welding it on the tractor? Is there possibility of fire or possibly even explosion from welding it on the tractor? The filler for the hydraulics is right there. Thanks

 

[RoyJackson]

get a good welder to weld it on the tractor.

Probably not a good idea...

 

[dfkrug]

I agree, Roy. There are a lot of hydraulic parts to cook inside the
cover. I would also want to weld up the back side of the crack. Of
course, the oil contamination in the crack has to be cleaned out first.
I would dip it in acetone or lacquer thinner to get most of the oil out of
there.

Here's the backside of the cover. The rockshaft itself is close to the
inside back of the cover and has rubber 0-rings and teflon-coated
bushings. Thie inside of the cover seems to be painted.

 

[evan price]

Attempting to weld cast iron cold is a very bad idea. It makes the iron crystallize and get brittle and it will crack again. The only way to properly repair it is to remove the cover and strip it bare then it has to be heated in an oven to cherry red and then puddle welded. It's not cheap and it is a lot of work.

You may want to look into a company called Lock N Stitch. They have a procedure to repair cracks in cast iron engine blocks, valves, compressors, etc. and are used heavily in the petroleum/gas industry.

Metal Stitching

I was going to use stitch pins to repair a Yanmar engine block but wound up deciding against it because the tractor had too much other stuff wrong with it and it got parted.

Good thing is you can do the repairs with not much more than a drill and a grinder. Time consuming but not that bad.

 

[cowski]

get a good welder and weld it on the tractor .

 

[Don87]

get a good welder and weld it on the tractor .

Where that crack is............I agree with cowski.

Find a good welder, and let him go at it.

Or if your uncomfortable with that idea, there is a way to drill and use brass screws(I saw a guy do this on a diesel engine block). But I don't think that would hold as well as a weld.

 

[yomax4]

Drill a hole at each end of the crack. Vee it out slightly and find some one to Spray powder it. Low temp no worry about the integrity of the cast after weld.

 

[LD1]

DO NOT WELD IT ON THE TRACTOR.

I agree with the others here that say take it off. And the reasons are many and have already been covered.

1. Cast needs to be pre-heated and slow-cooled or it will crack again. No waay to do that on the tractor.

2. You dont know what else you may cook in the process.

3. You will want/need the back side welded as well. Again, impossible with it still on the tractor.

4. Welding on the tractor will leave burnt oil particles like carbon and other debris on the back side mixing in with your oil. Not good either.

5. The crack may also be larger or propogate farther into the casting on the other side.

And Yes, I believe the SS is what broke it. By lifting the entire rear of the tractor with the 3PH, you were putting all the weight/stresses in the exact opposite direction they were designed to.

Now all that said, personally, I would pony up the $490 and buy a new one. Having it welded isnt going to save you that much money, and the end result wont be as strong. IMO, a weakened 3PH is a HUGE safty issue. I know we arent supposed to get under raised implements, but a lot of us do, even for just a second. And just think about the damage that may happen to your tractor (and road) if you are moving in road gear with the BB on and shanks down and all of the sudden it drops. 6 or 7 ripper shanks digging into asphalt will grind you to a halt in the blink of an eye if something doesnt break.