Millermatic 140 for bucket hooks

[Dano33]

Hello all,

I was wondering if my Millermatic 140 would be able to properly weld a 2x3 1/4" plate to my bucket followed by a grade 70 hook on top of it. According to the manual, I can do 1/4" plate, however I may need to make multiple passes.

Any suggestions?

 

[Arc weld]

Should be OK if you run it hot and do a couple passes on the hooks. This of course depends on your welding skill. Don't leave a crater at the back of the hook where a crack could form. You want your bucket to twist before the hooks rip off. I don't think I'd use grade 70 hooks, just standard forged hooks. Grade 70 might require a special technique for welding. JD had/has weld on hooks that also have loop but I don't know how expensive they are. They used them on the front loader bucket on their backhoes.

 

[Shield Arc]

Couple things that may help. Sand all the paint off the bucket in the weld zone. Tack everything in place. Take a grinder and feather the tacks. You want a little ramp on both sides of the tack. Depending how long the tacks are, I'll either run completely over the tack with the weld. Or stop right on top of the tack. Then pre-heat with a weed burner, before welding. Always feather the stop, and start of a weld, before making the next weld. Try to always leave the stop of the weld in the center of the object being welded, never on the end or edge. Sometimes this just doesn't work out though.
If you're running gas, 100% CO2 will be just a little hotter. Or run some self shielded flux core.

 

[farmer2009]

Sheild arc will you please explain feathering the start and stop. Some of us newbies might not understand. I always have a bump at start and then end just flows out. But also never had any formal training on welding just picked one up and quite when it held usually try to over do it on repairs and they normally hold.

 

[Shield Arc]

I like to take a die grinder, 3rd from the left in the first pictures, feather the start and stop of the weld, as in the second picture.

 

[farmer2009]

Ok. Shield Arc I see what you are doing to get your taper. I thought you was doing it with the welding rod during the welding process.

Nice assortment of grinders you have there. Never seen electric die grinders only air.

 

[Shield Arc]

All four of the grinders on the left are die grinders. Personally I don't like to use air tools around objects being welded. Sometimes they'll spit a little oil on the weld zone. Plus I don't run my compressor unless I have to. I've listened to enough noise in my life, so I like it quite as long as possible.

 

[troutsqueezer]

All four of the grinders on the left are die grinders. Personally I don't like to use air tools around objects being welded. Sometimes they'll spit a little oil on the weld zone. Plus I don't run my compressor unless I have to. I've listened to enough noise in my life, so I like it quite as long as possible.

That's why I encased my compressor in a sound-proof box.

 

[Shield Arc]

That's why I encased my compressor in a sound-proof box.

This is what I did most of my life. When you listen to bang, bang, bang all day long it gets old real fast. So now I like it as quite as possible.

 

[farmer2009]

This is what I did most of my life. When you listen to bang, bang, bang all day long it gets old real fast. So now I like it as quite as possible.

No wonder you like it quiet. You have heard more noise than most of us ever will. Never could stand the bang bang when they were built bridges near me.