What precautions should be taken when welding on a tractor

[muddstopper]

This question has been brougth up many times, and I always give the same answer. Unhook the battery before welding. Its safer, doesnt take long and the best part is you dont endup replaceing a bunch of expensive electronics. Lots of folks will tell you they havent ever unhooked the battery and have never had any problems. I can say I have seen first hand, twice, where a welder has blown out electronic parts. Both times the replacement parts cost over $10,000 and lots of down time. This wasnt a tractor, but it was computerized construction equipment. Parts for a tractor might not cost as much as some of the electronics on the equipment I was working on, but even blowing a fuse is a un-necessary expense.

 

[Rock knocker]

Put your ground clamp as close as you can to where your welding.

Shield Arc and ShieldArc. Maybe ShieldArc needs a new name?

 

[Gary Fowler]

All good advice so far and I suppose an ounce of prevention is great. I have welded on trucks, tractors and even motorcycles and never unhooked the batteries without an issue. I always ground as near as possible to the area to be welded and let it go at that.

Some folks say they have seen electronic failure from welding even with the battery unhooked and I wont say that is not possible, but if the welder accidently touches a bare wire or connector even if the battery is unhooked, you will have some damage.

Be careful where you pass the electrode, ground as close a possible to the work, make sure your ground is good by grinding off paint and rust and unhook the ground side of the battery and you should always be good.

By the way, I have heard about arcing bearing all my life and have never, never seen it happen. I worked over 40 years in heavy construction where welding was done all around pumps and turbines and never seen a bearing arced. Good construction practice of grounding to your work piece is followed and not one problem. A good bearing will be floating in grease and have no metal to metal contact so electric current finds the least path of resistance which is never thru the bearings. A worn out bearing with no grease on it might ground thru the bearings though, but then it would need replacing anyway. About the only way to arc a bearing would be to ground on the outer bearing hub and then try to weld on the inner bearing hub.

 

[muddstopper]

I too have welded on many a piece of equipment without disconnecting the battery. Just this past week I welded the lift arm on my Ventrac without unhooking the battery. An old 8n dont have the sensitive electrionics of a new JD with all kinds of ECMs telling the motor how to run. At work, it became standard procedure to disconnect the engine ECM as well as the battery. On another note, Most of our equipment had steel wheels contacting steel rails, I dont know if that makes a difference or not, but steel wheels on steel rail laying on the dirt, might provide a alternate pathway to ground, maybe not. I dont know, but I do know strikeing a arc with a welder would blow out the control boards on the computers almost every time if the battery wasnt disconnected.

 

[Oldpath05]

I would think if the key is off, extra current cant go beyond battery, when key is turned on current first flows to starter, then to all other circuits and computer boards, then back to battery.

 

[yomax4]

I always double ground when dealing with electronics or batteries or computers. One from the welder to the work, 1 from the work to earth or similar. Never had an issue/.

 

[muddstopper]

I would think if the key is off, extra current cant go beyond battery, when key is turned on current first flows to starter, then to all other circuits and computer boards, then back to battery.

I dont know if that is true in this day and age. Every thing is different, I can remove the battery cable and it will reset any codes on my car computer. Turning the switch on and off wont reset it. My old 87 dodge truck had a 9v transistor battery hidden behind the glove box, I found that out when the check engine light came on and I couldnt get it to go back out. Seems the electronics where designed so that when the 9v battery went dead, the light would come on to force you to go to the dealer to get it reset. They replace the battery, charge you $50 and send you on your way, until the battery goes dead again. At any rate, it seems the ecm's need some residual power in order to keep logs on what the engine has been doing and simply turning off the switch might kill power to the instrument cluster and acc, but it doesnt kill the power to the control modules that control engine functions.

 

[Big Barn]

I always double ground when dealing with electronics or batteries or computers. One from the welder to the work, 1 from the work to earth or similar. Never had an issue/.

I will have to remember to do that.

Terry

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Make sure that you are not welding through or on your engine block or something like your transmission. Power passing through your bearings can arc and weld them or at least scar them and cause damage. That is a risk for sure. But you may do it 1000 times before you have an issue, but the one time will cost you. Simply put, it is unpredictable.

 

[midwesternhayfarmer]

Thanks for all the suggestions. My thinking is, I may be able to mount up the pieces on the skid loader quick attach, tack them and remove them for the final heavy high amperage beads. I'll get a good clean ground and disconnect the battery for safety. Thanks again.