Any welders out there? need advice to fix BH

ronjhall · Oct 15, 2004

Kevin
I'm not an expert with definitions either. I happened to be going by a Kubota dealer today. Looked at L48 BH. Your picture looks like top end of the Dipper Assembly (information form my BH manual).
Others have given you some good information on getting it repaired.

rtvman · Oct 15, 2004

Jimr,

This makes a lot of sense. This joint sees the most force (the largest hydro. cylinder is attached to it). The really bad thing about this is that there is not a lot of room to weld reinforcement plates. The other thing that may cause some grief is the fact that the other side is bent so badly. I am almost thinking that it would be better to replace both plates completely to do it right. I know BIG $$$ to that! Thanks for your input.

P.s.
The stump won this battle. It's still in place and solid as ever. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

rtvman · Oct 15, 2004

Hello Ron,

Thanks for that info. "Dipper" I guess I have heard of that term before. I will use that to describe the location of the break from now on. Thanks for all your help.

Rick_Morrell · Oct 15, 2004

Kevin:

I've circled what appears to be some rust in a crack which initiated at the heat-affected zone at the edge of the weld. Is this the case? If so, and if this weld quality is typical of these booms, then Kubota has probably seen it before and may have a service letter addressing the weld repair.

Rick

jim_wilson · Oct 15, 2004

I noticed that also - from your picture the break appears to have been pretty clean right around the edges of the welding but the metal on either side is jagged. If it was me I would try going to a good welding shop and see what their opinion is of the break. If there are any race car shops in your area that might anothe avenue to try - a good one that welds rollcages might have good experience in diagnosing a break like that. If you can get somebody to say it looks like a bad weld then you could try approaching Kubota about getting new pieces instead of welding up the old ones. The amount of hours on your tractor might factor into this - if the tractor has 100 hours on it you will stand a better chance - 2000 hours would definitely lower your chances.

JimR · Oct 16, 2004

( Jimr,

This makes a lot of sense. This joint sees the most force (the largest hydro. cylinder is attached to it). The really bad thing about this is that there is not a lot of room to weld reinforcement plates. The other thing that may cause some grief is the fact that the other side is bent so badly. I am almost thinking that it would be better to replace both plates completely to do it right. I know BIG $$$ to that! Thanks for your input.

P.s.
The stump won this battle. It's still in place and solid as ever. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif )

Looking at the pictures there should be more than enough room to add a 1/4" plate to the outside of your backhoe after repairing the crack. The bent side can be straightened out using a cutting torch and heating the bend up. The first thing to do is straigthen the bend. Then weld the break. You can then add the plates for more strength. I would add the plates to the outside if it were mine. I would also pre-drill a few holes in the plates to spot weld them in place.

rtvman · Oct 18, 2004

Hello Rick,

I can see how you might think that this is a burn mark. It's actually a grease smear. Thanks for your time in reviewing this. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

rtvman · Oct 18, 2004

Thanks to all. I have taken it to a professional and his recommendations were in-line with everyone here. It's great to come to a place like this and have access to so much real world experience. I really appreciate all the comments and advice. Thank you everyone!

I will post follow-up pictures when I get my baby back.