johnnydel29
Bronze Member
A lot of folks here have hooks welded on to thier loaders (I just did also). I figure, since we tend to like to drag things behind our tractors, why not get the most use out of our ballast box and weld hooks onto it.
The cool thing is that you can wrap a chain around the hooks, tight as you want, and raise the box to good clearance to be able to drag smoothly w/ out any hang ups. This is perfect for logs and downed trees.
I attached some pics of my little project that I did last night after the kids went to bed (the only time I have to do anything these days).
I am new to welding, and yes that is a 120 Volt Lincoln Pro mig 140 in the background that I did this project with. And please, do not turn this thread into a "those hooks will not hold because 120 Volt migs are not strong enough b/c.....)" If the hooks break off, then I guess I will need to weld them again
.
The pics are as follows:
I used a Bosch 4.5" angle grinder to clean the surface real good w/ an 80 grit flap disc. Then I placed the hook on the surface and held it in place w/ one of those really cool right angle magnets (not sure what they are called).
I then went ahead and welded using mig solid .30 diameter wire, AR/ CO2 sheilding gas, w/ wire speed set at 3 and power at 6. I went real slow, making sure I get good penetration and build up a nice bead in the beaveled base of the hook (they come this way, which is nice).
I think the weld looks ok. Like I mentioned, I am not an expert and still learning. After cooling off, I primed the hooks using Rustoleum car primer. As I waited for the primer to dry, please notice the nice ice cold Magic Hat beer, which is was freshly brew in beautiful Vermont , which I enjoyed while I waited.
I then painted using the JD Green spray paint that I got from my dealer, which I have to say, is pretty awesome stuff.
I surf this fourm quite a bit, and I really enjoy seeing other peoples projects and ideas. I now finally have some time to submit some of my own.
Also, for those of you who weld, these weld on hooks are great. You can be quite creative and add them to your implements. And for those of you who do not weld or thinking of purchaseing a welder, it is a great investment and quite fun!!
The cool thing is that you can wrap a chain around the hooks, tight as you want, and raise the box to good clearance to be able to drag smoothly w/ out any hang ups. This is perfect for logs and downed trees.
I attached some pics of my little project that I did last night after the kids went to bed (the only time I have to do anything these days).
I am new to welding, and yes that is a 120 Volt Lincoln Pro mig 140 in the background that I did this project with. And please, do not turn this thread into a "those hooks will not hold because 120 Volt migs are not strong enough b/c.....)" If the hooks break off, then I guess I will need to weld them again
. The pics are as follows:
I used a Bosch 4.5" angle grinder to clean the surface real good w/ an 80 grit flap disc. Then I placed the hook on the surface and held it in place w/ one of those really cool right angle magnets (not sure what they are called).
I then went ahead and welded using mig solid .30 diameter wire, AR/ CO2 sheilding gas, w/ wire speed set at 3 and power at 6. I went real slow, making sure I get good penetration and build up a nice bead in the beaveled base of the hook (they come this way, which is nice).
I think the weld looks ok. Like I mentioned, I am not an expert and still learning. After cooling off, I primed the hooks using Rustoleum car primer. As I waited for the primer to dry, please notice the nice ice cold Magic Hat beer, which is was freshly brew in beautiful Vermont , which I enjoyed while I waited.
I then painted using the JD Green spray paint that I got from my dealer, which I have to say, is pretty awesome stuff.
I surf this fourm quite a bit, and I really enjoy seeing other peoples projects and ideas. I now finally have some time to submit some of my own.
Also, for those of you who weld, these weld on hooks are great. You can be quite creative and add them to your implements. And for those of you who do not weld or thinking of purchaseing a welder, it is a great investment and quite fun!!
Attachments
Last edited:
