Precautions while welding on tractor

[harlow89]

I would go with the miller 211 or 212 they are nice because they are both capable of 110v and 220v.

 

[CrosbyFamilyFarm]

Thanks everybody. Drilling the holes makes plenty of sense now that you've explained it. My experience is mostly in woodworking, so metal is a bit new to me. Thank you for your suggestions, I'll give it a go and show you my work when I've finished.

 

[yomax4]

General rule of thumb for preheating. Turn on acet. smoke the area to be heated with black soot. Turn on oxy and sweep heat the area. When the black soot is gone, That is 500 degrees. Plenty hot and actually difficult to weld on. Hot..

 

[Arc weld]

I think you would be better off in the long run to have a more experienced welder who's worked on heavy equipment weld it for you. I think stick with 7018 would be much better than MIG but then you would need to buy another welder (not a bad thing) and more importantly you'd have to learn how to burn 7018 proficiently in a V groove to make a quality repair (not a bad thing but takes a lot of practice).The bucket's been welded before and the metal will be fatigued just from the multiple attempts at welding it. Hiring an experienced welder for an hour or 2 might be the most cost effective way to have a lasting repair. If you do attempt it yourself you can get a Tempil stick temperature crayon at the welding supply. 350-400 deg's would be fine. Why guess? Don't have any weld craters at the ends of the cracks. Weld both ends of the cracks towards the middle of the crack so you don't get a new crack starting at the crater. There's a few other tricks an experienced welder might use when he saw the job. Not trying to discourage you, it just might not be the best project for someone with limited experience.

 

[Jorville]

Interesting that a temp of 400*F was mentioned for preheat. I like to use a propane weed burner and always try to get around 800*F when I preheat. Not sure why, probably because I read somewhere 600*F-800*F for preheating, But I might have dreamed that too. One of you pros want to say whats a proper preheat temp?

One of you pros want to say whats a proper preheat temp? Kinda looks like one already has (smile).

 

[muddstopper]

One of you pros want to say whats a proper preheat temp? Kinda looks like one already has (smile).

Do we have a pat yourself on the back smiley :stirthepot: :rotfl:

 

[Sprinklerman]

Hire a welder to do it and have him give you some lessons while he is there .

 

[Hiptfarms]

Back to your original question about protecting the tractor: even though there aren't fancy electronics on the tractor, I'd still unhook the battery cables. Just my two cents.

 

[polkwrangler]

why not do all the prep work and then take it to a welding shop

 

[HenryIV]

I am also a novice and suggest that this might be a job for a old timer that gets in there and can make a good root pass with the right rod and settings using a DC welder, and then go back over with a high strength rod. The size and orientation of the welds might make it even harder. Some old guy will know what to do, what to use, and will know his rig. All of those are important.

I don't think it will cost too much if you take the work to him and maybe he can teach you something too. I just don't think a small AC rig will penetrate into the mother metal the way you need it to. Save your welding ambition for implements and stuff you can mess up without any penalty, and get some practice and coaching. FELs are an expensive place to practice.