Opinions on repair to 3pt blower chute

[canoetrpr]

I'm far from being a handy guy so I appreciate any input here before embarking on this repair.

The top portion of my brand new blower chute got a bit damaged. I got my tractor stuck with the blower attached in mud. A friend helped me get out. We first detached the blower and he lifted it out with his backhoe loader. In the process, the backhoe did a bit of damage that needs some repair.

I thought I would just be able to hammer out the metal that has bent but no luck. Lots of hammering - it won't move!

I figure I have a couple options:

1. Just cut the bent portions out. Trying to figure out if/how much this will impact the function of the chute.

2. Cut the bent portions out and fabricate something using some angle iron with some extra cuts and bends and weld it to achieve the original shape of the chute exit.

I'm rather low on both skill and time so I was hoping to get away with 1.

Any thoughts or other ideas? I'd appreciate them very much.

 

[mjncad]

If you intend to keep the existing chute without modification; it's going to take an O/A torch to get the metal hot enough to bend back into position. After the metal is cherry red, I'd use C-clamps or something along that line to push it back into place.

You need controlled continuous force to straighten out the metal instead of the momentary impact force a hammer provides; especially since you can't beat on it with a heavy anvil behind it. Even if you could beat it back into place with a hammer, the metal needs to be heated.

 

[rScotty]

I'm far from being a handy guy so I appreciate any input here before embarking on this repair.
Any thoughts or other ideas? I'd appreciate them very much.

No, you can't beat it straight without some sort of backing like an anvil to squeeze it against. It'll just flex instead of bending and you might end up breaking something else.

Heating metal to red hot to straighten it is great for the experienced metalworker with tools that will do that. Probably not your first choice though.

I'm a metal working guy. What I'd try first is to take off that upper section so that you have room to work and then get out the biggest crescent wrench you have - something twelve to 20 inches long hopefully. Every tractor guy ought to have a big crescent wrench. Open the jaws just enough to slip over the bent metal and using that leverage you can easily bend the metal back into shape.

The downside is that bending metal does work-harden it. Meaning that with each new bend it gets more brittle so if you toy with it back and forth and keep bending it too long trying to get it perfect it will eventually begin to crack along the bend line - just like a tin can lid. But I'm betting that section will stand up to being bent the few times it needs to straighten it out again enough to work. After all, it didn't have any problem getting bent in the first place.
give a go, rScotty

 

[JerryK]

The side that in bent inwards is really the only side you have to really deal with. You could just cut most of the 'flap' off with a cutting wheel, then grind the stub flat. That transition of the two metal pieces that are welded together to make the chute looks to be in the curved area of the chute. The majority of the snow colume that is being throw at that point, is sliding along the back curved area and not where your most damage is located. If it was my blower, I would just put a couple big 'C' clamps on it and bend it back as much as possible... then beat it flat and put a good coat of paint on it. Probably do both sides and call it a day.

 

[chopped]

Another method would be to bend it with a pipe wrench and a long piece of pipe(cheater).Of cource heating it with a torch first would help ,But ive done stuff like this cold and brute force

 

[Zork]

The torch is the best idea since the little area of curved metal in the chute does serve some purpose, I'm sure; but I don't think you are going to miss it. Either you can go with the large adjustable wrench idea and grind off what you cant straighten or just grind it all off. If you notice scattered snow spray you can always fill weld the area or weld the curved pieces on later.

 

[rScotty]

Another method would be to bend it with a pipe wrench and a long piece of pipe(cheater).Of cource heating it with a torch first would help ,But ive done stuff like this cold and brute force

Yeah, I think all "canoetrpr" needs is the confidence that comes with the knowledge that the trick to cold shaping steel is to bend it in small bites using "local leverage" until it is nearly flat again. By "local-leverage" I mean just about tool with rigid jaws and a long handle. The jaws of the tool shouldn't need to grab onto the metal as pliers would do, but they do need to be rigid, able to be adjusted, and be attached to a long enough handle.

I like a big crescent wrench myself because of the smoother jaws, but can see where a pipe wrench in the right hands would work just as well. A fellow ought to have both, as it depends on which one gets in there to grab it just right. Those two types of wrenches do have their rigid jaws at 90 degrees to one another so both have a place.

After bending as straight as is easily done, the finish flattening can be done between a hammer and a hand-held block of metal used as an anvil.

This is all so easy once he does it the first time. It makes you wish you could just stop by and show how. Doubt if it would take five minutes and be near indistinguishable from new.

Of course we are helped because that part looks superfluous anyway. As someone said - and I agree - it doesn't look like it would make the slightest difference if you just cut off the offending flap and pitched it.
enjoy, rScotty

 

[Mike476]

Heat it and bend it, looks like the side bent away from the inside of the chute should be straightened as the bend extends further towards the corner of the chute. Hard to tell by the photo but if the upper chute's hinge allows it to be rotated back out of the way all the better.

 

[J_J]

Just cut out the damage section and bolt in some cut to shape tire pieces to replace the cut off metal if needed.

 

[DJ54]

I agree with the cold bending method. Remove upper portion, then use a large crescent, pipe, or monkey (about like a pipe wrench, but with smooth jaws) to get it bent back to roughly where you want it.

Finish with like a 4 lb. sledge, with an 8 lb'er or so for an anvil, or to buck up against as we call it.