Need help welding hooks

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Personally I wish you guys wouldn't beat on your hooks after welding!:thumbdown: Just load test them, and where no one could get hurt if the hook broke off.
I almost got killed years ago from a damaged padeye. It broke under load. I spent two weeks in the hospital, and missed 6-months work over it.

Totally agree - pound on test welds with a hammer, not the actual part.

 

[drizler]

I just welded a couple onto some 6"wide by 3" deep 1/4" . I have a lot of 1/8" 6011 kicking around in need of being burned before it falls apart so had at it with that. Not the most fun to get and keep going but it burned my 3/8" Chinese Tool Store hooks in really nice. Sort of ugly looking to be sure but then a couple licks with the grinder and no one will be able to tell anyways.
I have used 6011 for nearly all my homemade implements and never broken one yet so it must be pretty tough. 6013 sure is pretty but it just doesn't dig in enough for my liking where strength is important.

 

[gwdixon]

I just welded hooks on the top corners of my bucket a few days ago. I used 3/8 clevis hooks from Harbor Freight, cut the clevis off, and ground the plating off. Put one fat bead on each side with 1/8 7014 at 125 amps.

When I saw this thread I went out and gave each one a couple hard hits on the side with a 3 lb hammer. Solid as a rock like I knew they would be. You guys that hate 7014 really crack me up. The OP screwed up by using too small a rod at way too many amps.

Too late now, but welding hooks on the top corners of your bucket is not recommended. Lifting from the bucket's corner can tweak the FEL frame and/or roll the tractor in a worse case scenario.

The best place to weld hooks is in line with the boom arms of the FEL or inside of them. If you have a light-duty bucket with a folded edge rather than the heavy duty pipe-style top edge then welding a length of pipe under the folded edge to reinforce it is recommended (or welding a length of heavy angle iron on top).

 

[Arc weld]

ArcWeld - I'm not going to say 7018 isn't a great rod - it clearly is. May even be the best choice for the hooks as well.

I'm going to respectfully disagree that 7014 won't work for dynamic loading though and have attached two manufacturers intended uses for the rod - it would appear that some of those uses are dynamic.

View attachment 385333

View attachment 385332

Those are pretty generic applications and not very specific. Listing structural steel as an application for 7014 is just plain wrong. There is no structural steel procedure for 7014 or even short circuit MIG for that matter. A simple way to tell which rods are for dynamic loading is to see if low temperature impact strength is required in the AWS classification. Also consider that low hydrogen, xx16, xx17 and xx18 as well as xx10 are the only common rods that come in higher tensile versions. You'll never see an 8014. The only exception is 6011 which is basically a 6010 for an AC machine. Anyone requiring a higher tensile would most likely have a DC machine and use a higher tensile XX10 rod.

 

[bigdeano]

Too late now, but welding hooks on the top corners of your bucket is not recommended. Lifting from the bucket's corner can tweak the FEL frame and/or roll the tractor in a worse case scenario.

The best place to weld hooks is in line with the boom arms of the FEL or inside of them. If you have a light-duty bucket with a folded edge rather than the heavy duty pipe-style top edge then welding a length of pipe under the folded edge to reinforce it is recommended (or welding a length of heavy angle iron on top).

There's been a hook in the middle of the bucket for the past 35 years. A few times it would have been handy to have a hook by the side, like when I needed to lift a heavy electric motor in my shop. But yes, I'll be careful with them. Bucket is made from 1/4 high strength steel with heavy square tubing across top edge. Hasn't bent yet.