Loader Bucket welds broken - LS won't warranty

[aarolar]

I agree with you on the crack that you can see daylight through. The other two cracks are right through the center of the weld.

Looks like two back to back welds to me and the failure is in the valley between them hard to tell though with all the rust

 

[k0ua]

I don't know that you little Lincoln is big enough maybe it is, maybe it isn't.. I prefer 7018 and a DC stick welder. In a couple of those welds, it doesn't look like a heck of a lot of weld bead was laid down to begin with. I had the same trouble on the cutting edge of a Kubota bucket. Not properly welded by a MIG at the factory. The other side was a much nicer bead and it didn't break.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...oken.html?highlight=oh+no+my+bucket+is+broken

 

[LEOpilot]

Looks like two back to back welds to me and the failure is in the valley between them hard to tell though with all the rust

You are likely correct. Any suggestions on where to place reinforcements to reduce/divide pressure on these joints? It seems like all the pressure from the tractor pushing or pulling with the bucket cutting angle anywhere other than parallel to the ground is transferred through these ribs.

 

[LEOpilot]

I don't know that you little Lincoln is big enough maybe it is, maybe it isn't.. I prefer 7018 and a DC stick welder. In a couple of those welds, it doesn't look like a heck of a lot of weld bead was laid down to begin with. I had the same trouble on the cutting edge of a Kubota bucket. Not properly welded by a MIG at the factory. The other side was a much nicer bead and it didn't break.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...oken.html?highlight=oh+no+my+bucket+is+broken

Specs say it can handle up to 5/16''. The base metal of the bucket is much less. I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, it'd be around 3/16''.

 

[k0ua]

Specs say it can handle up to 5/16''. The base metal of the bucket is much less. I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, it'd be around 3/16''.

Well, maybe. But I have seen so many poor MIG welds, because the MIG was not run hot enough to do the job. And so many of these poor MIG welds were done in factory's.

 

[LEOpilot]

Well, maybe. But I have seen so many poor MIG welds, because the MIG was not run hot enough to do the job. And so many of these poor MIG welds were done in factory's.

I don't disagree. But it's all I have to work with. My solution will be to try to divide the pressure over more area rather than try to strictly repair the existing welds.

 

[k0ua]

I don't disagree. But it's all I have to work with. My solution will be to try to divide the pressure over more area rather than try to strictly repair the existing welds.

Be sure to grind out the welds good. The prep will take a lot longer than the welding. Look at my thread I posted a link to, and you will see the rust and rot and corruption that was hiding under that little crack that I first noticed. It took many 1/8 inch rods to build it back.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Regardless of whether or not your mistreated the FEL, those cracks are from overstressing the metal and weld. The only way to prevent that is to get a heavy duty bucket or substantially reinforce that one. I have really put pressure on my FEL and never had an issue with it.

 

[aarolar]

Well, maybe. But I have seen so many poor MIG welds, because the MIG was not run hot enough to do the job. And so many of these poor MIG welds were done in factory's.

Problems with mig work the exact opposite way too, too hot and too fast causes just as many failures.

 

[ovrszd]

Sorry you are having this problem. I'd educate myself on how to do the repairs and complete a fix. I would not continue to use it in that condition. Also wouldn't worry much about warranty denial. Any of us can do serious damage to our buckets in a few minutes.