Weld on a tractor with electronics?

[ray66v]

If you are at all concerned about it, disconnect the battery.

I have heard the stories, in second and third hand accounts of electric welders causing issues. I will tell you in my career spanning decades of auto body repair, I have never actually seen it happen first hand, or worked with anyone who has.

And, that covers thousands of vehicles, which I either repaired personally, or were repaired by others I was associated with.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive had 2 occasions to weld on my DK45 and both times i unplugged rhe computer module and unhooked the ground on battery. Better safe than financially sorry. Just yesterday i had to reweld the tow hook on the tractor. Kioti didnt place it originally on a very sturdy part of the frame. They welded it to part of the thin metal battery support pan. It tore free when pulling a car out of ditch last winter. I welded it to part of the main frame up front. Its not going anywhere now. The original tow hook was welded to the 16 ga battery pan and one slight tack weld to frame.


the new location is on the 3/8" thick frame.

 

[TractorGuy]

I might be flirting with disaster but I have been mig welding on my loader bucket without disconnecting anything. I am attaching my ground near the point of the welds.

 

[mwayne]

Thanks all for your expertise and experience! Good to know that welding like described has been done without any damages.

 

[aczlan]

I might be flirting with disaster but I have been mig welding on my loader bucket without disconnecting anything. I am attaching my ground near the point of the welds.

I rebuilt the bucket on our B7500 the same way...
The key is getting a good ground right near where you are welding.

Aaron Z

 

[dragoneggs]

I rebuilt the bucket on our B7500 the same way...
The key is getting a good ground right near where you are welding.

Aaron Z

Or install a QA :cool2:

 

[muddstopper]

As easy as it is to unplug the ecm or the battery, why even risk it. I am one of those few that has seen a welder destroy $10grand worth of computer circuits, twice, so I know its possible. Had the equipment down for days waiting on parts. The second time it happened, I warned the supervisor not to have the welder working but he ignored my warnings. One arc and the equipment shuts down in the middle of a scheduled project. Higher up where pizzed, but I warned them what could happen, rush rush rush , spend money and wait.

 

[mwayne]

At work a few days ago:

Had an outfit come out for a load bank test on this 250 KW genset. While looking around found the tag inside the machine. I thought I have seen those before but wasn't sure. Side note, the air being blown out of one of the load banks was 431 degrees F! Twenty more and we could have caught paper on fire.