"Digging out a brook".....as in big round rocks? I can invision the bucket not being able to get under them but rather sliding around them in the process. Net result.....huge amounts of lateral force being applied to the boom pivot pin.
Need help....is this fixable???
- Thread starter chevy292
- Start date
- Views: 7622
Gary Fowler
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2008
- Messages
- 11,917
- Location
- Bismarck Arkansas
- Tractor
- 2009 Kubota RTV 900, 2009 Kubota B26 TLB & 2010 model LS P7010
There are streams with nothing bigger than pea gravel and then like we have at my place boulders bigger than the tractor, but that is beside the point now that we look at the cause which is bad design and welding.
Chevy, if you can tack it up, why not weld it. If you are any good at all and can get the boom flat, you just need a flat fillet weld on all the spots. E 7018 will weld it very good and with the proper bevel will get plenty of penetration. Any penetration is better than when new. Tack it when aligned and then unpin it lay it on the side and work on it. Put a near full pen weld on the bushing and then as much weld on it as you can get and not interfere with the safety pin. Flip it over and do the other side and put it back together. You may want to put more weld on the top side of your boom section and check the dipper also. If it were mine, I would put additional weld metal on each and every bushing while I had it off as you can see from the cracked side how they are breaking from the inside out. If you have to dismantle it, may as well do the whole thing. Welding time is miniscule compared to the assembly and disassemble of the hoe.
Chevy, if you can tack it up, why not weld it. If you are any good at all and can get the boom flat, you just need a flat fillet weld on all the spots. E 7018 will weld it very good and with the proper bevel will get plenty of penetration. Any penetration is better than when new. Tack it when aligned and then unpin it lay it on the side and work on it. Put a near full pen weld on the bushing and then as much weld on it as you can get and not interfere with the safety pin. Flip it over and do the other side and put it back together. You may want to put more weld on the top side of your boom section and check the dipper also. If it were mine, I would put additional weld metal on each and every bushing while I had it off as you can see from the cracked side how they are breaking from the inside out. If you have to dismantle it, may as well do the whole thing. Welding time is miniscule compared to the assembly and disassemble of the hoe.
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
My rough guess is $300 to $600 depending on how you decide to do the repair. If you decide to cut off the old material and fab new it will cost more.
Shield Arc
Super Member
I think you'll be shocked!
I don't think this is as much a welding issue, as a engineering / design issue. You've already got some very good options posted here. Get busy! :laughing:
It's too bad you're not local to me. I'd love to accept the challenge, but I'm in central PA. I figure in a day it could be done. I would probably torch off the bottom eight to ten inches of that boom and use the old for a pattern to fabricate new. Weld on the new pieces, run a reinforcing fillet over the seams, and call it good. I gaurantee that it would be better than new. I would probably use heavy wall DOM tube for the new bushings. You could cut holes in the plate for the bushings, make sure they pass all the way through the plate, and weld both sides, grinding the innner friction area smooth. Add some grease fittings and start digging.
I'd throw out a SWAG of $500.00 in material and labor.
I am about 30mins north of Boston.
I started grinding the old weld material out while I have the extra room to do it. What a pain in the neck. The only grinder I have small enough to fit in there is slow going. Oh well, one step at a time. I'll post a couple more pics when I get it cleaned up and tacked in place.
I started grinding the old weld material out while I have the extra room to do it. What a pain in the neck. The only grinder I have small enough to fit in there is slow going. Oh well, one step at a time. I'll post a couple more pics when I get it cleaned up and tacked in place.
Gary Fowler
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2008
- Messages
- 11,917
- Location
- Bismarck Arkansas
- Tractor
- 2009 Kubota RTV 900, 2009 Kubota B26 TLB & 2010 model LS P7010
That is the problem with trying to fix it in place, but without JIGS to hold the dimensions exact, you just about have to have it on the tractor. Even after you get it ground and tacked off, check the pins after each welding pass to see if the are still loose. You can draw the metal back into alignment by welding on the side that needs to go in that direction. You would need to put some dogs on it to hold it, maybe some big C clamps to keep the boom ears from spreading ( I think they will spread due to all the welding on the outside edge). Weld a bit and let it cool then check for distortion. You can minimize the distortion by preheating the back side prior to welding.
In estimating weld repair time, make your guess and minimum triple it and depending on the cramped conditions maybe multiply by 10 and you may get close. When making repairs to pipe welds that were rejected by xray, we always triple the manhours that it took to make it the first time and even then it may go over.
In estimating weld repair time, make your guess and minimum triple it and depending on the cramped conditions maybe multiply by 10 and you may get close. When making repairs to pipe welds that were rejected by xray, we always triple the manhours that it took to make it the first time and even then it may go over.
I got a lot done last couple nights. I was able to get the bend out of the ear thats still attached. I ground all the old broken weld off of the other side. Tack welded it back together.
Now I have to start taking everything apart.......fun!
Now I have to start taking everything apart.......fun!
