Leaf Spring Question

[hp246]

I'm looking to make a scraper blade. In looking at the scrap pile, I see I have some old pickup truck leaf springs. Wondering if I heat them and de-arch them if they'll be usable for my purpose, or will they lose all strength?

 

[whistlepig]

They will lose their temper. The steel won't be as hard. They will still have the strength of steel but not the temper of a spring.

 

[hp246]

Thanks. I'm not looking for it to have a spring temper, I just want to be able to straighten it a bit and put an edge on for scraping. I've put a torch on coils before, and they just kinda collapse into a big mess. Didn't know what to expect with leafs.

 

[Taylortractornut]

We use large truck leaf springs all the time for building up loader teeth and excavator teeth in gravel pits. I built a 5 foot grader blade a few years ago to clean up a section of woods buy grubbing out sapplings and cut down some hard ground. I made thhe blade out of a half lf a 24 inch pipe wich gave me an agressive cutting action. But it wasnt grubbing right and I couldnt cut the clay. I cut off several leaf springs into 4 inch teeth and welded them to the cutting edge. I cut down several hills with it and the teeth showed very little wear over the year. I sold it to a customer of mine that has been clearing the woods around his house the last couple years with it and he finall wore 2 of te teeth off with the cutting edge.

 

[hp246]

We use large truck leaf springs all the time for building up loader teeth and excavator teeth in gravel pits. I built a 5 foot grader blade a few years ago to clean up a section of woods buy grubbing out sapplings and cut down some hard ground. I made thhe blade out of a half lf a 24 inch pipe wich gave me an agressive cutting action. But it wasnt grubbing right and I couldnt cut the clay. I cut off several leaf springs into 4 inch teeth and welded them to the cutting edge. I cut down several hills with it and the teeth showed very little wear over the year. I sold it to a customer of mine that has been clearing the woods around his house the last couple years with it and he finall wore 2 of te teeth off with the cutting edge.

Did you use the spring as is, or did you did you heat it first?

 

[pat32rf]

Watched an old guy in a spring shop straighten/re-arch them with a hammer mill. No heat to give problems. You could also do it on a hydraulic press a bit at a time....(preferably an electric press)

 

[hp246]

Watched an old guy in a spring shop straighten/re-arch them with a hammer mill. No heat to give problems. You could also do it on a hydraulic press a bit at a time....(preferably an electric press)

I don't have access to a press or mill. My options are to try to make work as is; heat; find something else to make the blade out of.

 

[MikeD74T]

Watched an old guy in a spring shop straighten/re-arch them with a hammer mill. No heat to give problems. You could also do it on a hydraulic press a bit at a time....(preferably an electric press)

Typically in a spring shop the metal is annealed before shaping then rehardened. Are you sure of what you saw.

hp246, Check with your highway dept or a grading contractor for a worn cutting edge from a plow or grader. MikeD74T

 

[Gary Fowler]

County road maintenance go thru a lot of grader blade that still have plenty of life left in them. You can likely get them for free if you ask. I was driving down a gravel road a few months back and every bridge and culvert had a grader blade or 2 sticking up on each end to mark the edge. It must have been a hundred grader blades on that 10 mile stretch.

 

[brucewj]

County road maintenance go thru a lot of grader blade that still have plenty of life left in them. You can likely get them for free if you ask.

That's what I use. They usually have stacks of the used blades and they let me have all that I want.

 

[Car Doc]

I'm looking to make a scraper blade. In looking at the scrap pile, I see I have some old pickup truck leaf springs. Wondering if I heat them and de-arch them if they'll be usable for my purpose, or will they lose all strength?

Around here the county road dept piles the road grader edges outside their shop and they will give them away if someone asks.

All you would have to do is torch it to length and they have bolt holes already in them so mounting would be easy.

 

[dex3361]

Watched an old guy in a spring shop straighten/re-arch them with a hammer mill. No heat to give problems. You could also do it on a hydraulic press a bit at a time....(preferably an electric press)

I have changed the arch in sets of leaf springs by hammering them out on an anvil. You have to disassemble the sets first them hammer them out and reassemble. Surprisingly it works great, as long as you don't mind swinging a hammer.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I just welded them on the blade with a 9018 and 7018 rod both times. The 7018 the first pass to preheat the spring for the 9018. If the metal wasnt prheated the 9018 weld will crack. I m sure a 7018 would do fine by itself. I cut them in short sections like 3 inches. On excavator teeth Ive gone 8 to 10 inches. I dont try to straighten thm.

 

[hp246]

Guys,
Great idea about the grader blades. I figured they'd probably sell them for scrap, at the price of scrap these days.

 

[pat32rf]

I have changed the arch in sets of leaf springs by hammering them out on an anvil. You have to disassemble the sets first them hammer them out and reassemble. Surprisingly it works great, as long as you don't mind swinging a hammer.

This old European fella was about 5' 2" and almost the same accross the shoulders. He would use a hammer and anvil to straighten any leaves that weren't straight when he went to re-assemble them.
His wife ran the office, he did the bull work and made it look easy. Specialized in truck work but had trouble keeping helpers working for him.
He was a joy to watch when he got involved with a job, no wasted movements. Both the town and township gave him all their work.....

 

[dex3361]

This old European fella was about 5' 2" and almost the same accross the shoulders. He would use a hammer and anvil to straighten any leaves that weren't straight when he went to re-assemble them.
His wife ran the office, he did the bull work and made it look easy. Specialized in truck work but had trouble keeping helpers working for him.
He was a joy to watch when he got involved with a job, no wasted movements. Both the town and township gave him all their work.....

When I was younger I had more muscle than money and I would change the arch on a set of springs to lift a jeep or truck. Worked pretty good but I wouldn't want to make a living arching leaf springs with a hammer.:thumbsup:

 

[hp246]

Great call on the grader blades. I'm going to pick up a couple tomorrow. They do sell them for scrap, but said if I just want a couple they'd give them to me. they said they've changed to carbide blades so in the future, they won't go through as many as they used to.