Log Splitter Wedge ripped off.

[duwem]

I havent seen it mentioned in here, but those wedges look like cast iron. Welding cast iron is not the same or as easy as steel.

Most of the wedges you see on manufactured welders are steel with a edge machined on them.

 

[Jasonc87]

I agree with the wedge being odd angled.. Even if the back side was tilted more away from the beam so at least as each piece slid through it wasn't trying to destruct itself from "squeeze" pressure... It would push the upper piece more skyward but it my experience air pressure is quite a bit less then beam to wedge squeeze. If that made sense..:confused2:

 

[yomax4]

The wedge looks like several manual splitting wedges welded together. Anyway, Weld it on with 7018, 8018, 312 SS, If it gets torn off, Weld it on again. And again.. You'll get it.

 

[merlynr]

The super should have gotten fired.

 

[chad22]

Speaking of bad welds! I was working down river of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. We had to build a work trestle the size of a football field. I was out in the river over seeing the rig up of the derrick. Another crew was on the beach splicing and driving 24-inch pipe pile for the approach to the trestle. One of the certified weldors was having trouble with his wire feeder. The other superintendent over seeing this operation radioed me and ask if I would come to beach and help this kid. When I walked up to the pipe I could see the kid had no idea how to set his welder. I dialed it in for him. I walked up to the other superintendent and ask how hard the pile was driving. He said it was going out of sight. I told him the weld should be cut out and done over, but he didn't want to take the time to do it right! I went back out to the derrick, when the land crane swung over to drive this very badly welded pipe I walked over to the side of the barge to watch. The hammer hit 2 or 3 times before the weld broke. **** hit the fan, guys ran every direction trying to get out of the way! I was shocked the boom of the crane didn't come down:shocked:! The pile driving hammer landed on the hood of my company pickup who someone had parked too close to the work. The hammer drove the engine of the pickup right into the mud!:laughing: The weldor got fired on the spot! Thank God no one got killed.

WOW.

Speaking of bad welds. My dad bought 2 of those home depot mesh floor trailers. On one of them he was driving his mower up the ramp and the ramp dropped to the ground.

The weld to the hinges broke off.

Looked at some other welds and they too were too cold and didn't penetrate.

While I was pulling one of them yesterday to go get some gas I got to the gas station which was a few blocks from my house and when I got out of the van I noticed the axle wasn't sitting straight. I looked underneath it and 2 of the leaf spring mounts had broken at the welds.

I clamped it back up until I could get it back home where I re welded it.

I ground out the old welds on the other side as well and made sure the welds had good penetration.

The welds on these trailers are very poor and the person that's welding is no pro at it. I'm no pro and I can make better welds.

Thank goodness the axle didn't come out going down the highway when my dad pulled it 500 miles from Kansas to Arkansas with his riding mower on it.

Chad

 

[Shield Arc]

The welds on these trailers are very poor and the person that's welding is no pro at it. I'm no pro and I can make better welds.

I'm no pro either. But I'll bet you a dollar to a donut your trailer was Mig welded?

 

[chad22]

I'm no pro either. But I'll bet you a dollar to a donut your trailer was Mig welded?

You're right the trailers are mig welded. I found a few wires still stuck to the welds of the trailer today.

I laid new welds with my lincoln arc welder and some 6011 rod and got a great weld. I doubt it'll come apart this time.

I've used a mig welder in shop class about 10 years ago and after a few tries my welds were a lot better than what was on my dad's trailers.

Whoever did these welds really needs some training in welding and they should've never let these trailers be sold with these bad welds.

I'll never buy one of those trailers as workmanship is really horrible and the trailer needs beefed up as it's very flimsy and will easily bend just sitting down on the edge of it at the front.


If I need another trailer I'm gonna build it myself out some channel iron and make it an A Frame for the hitch like my dad's 20 year old car trailer.

That old trailer's still going strong.

Though my dad sheared the hub off of the right side front axle of the tandem axle trailer coming to Cove Arkansas last month.

He got too far over and hit the guard rail of a bridge in Potter Arkansas. Luckily no one was hurt.

The wheel and hub went flying somewhere. And when the tire came off it bent the fender.

My home made excavator was on the trailer and my moms washing machine was behind it. The excavator slammed backwards into the washing machine denting it. But the washing machine was just fine other than a dent needing pulled out.

I helped him replace the axle and he made it back to Kansas safely.

I was here in Cove Arkansas when it happened and my mom called me. I thought the wreck was worse.

Chad

 

[Shield Arc]

Chad there is nothing in the world wrong with Mig welding. As long as you have the right equipment! The problem with Mig, is guys run down and buy a 120-volt Mig welder, practice for a couple hours then want to build a trailer, or trailer hitch!

When you have some time here are some threads I started on break testing 6013, 6011, and Mig. I was floored at how well the Mig weld did. But! I failed two welding tests in my life. First one was a 1-inch V-butt vertical up with Mig. Reason I failed, I ran it too cold! I promised my self that would never happen again! Second test I failed was a 6-G pipe test.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/welding/211678-6013-break-test.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/welding/211903-6011-break-test.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/welding/212146-mig-break-test.html

 

[Willie B]

My thirty five year old homemade splitter has a two way wedge made of mild steel. I used 1/2" thick triangle 12" long 5" wide, torch cut at a 25 degree angle. As my I beam is topped with 1/2" plate, I laid it down small side down, and welded with a multi pass fillet using an ac machine and 6011 rod. Standing on edge each side of this a 1/4" plate 10" tall. One plate extended past the line of the desired cutting edge. Welding this inside and out with a heavy multi pass fillet, the weld along the cutting edge done inside and out. Each two inches of height is reinforced with a pie shaped 1/4" horizontal. It is capped top and back. After grinding it looks like a single piece of steel. It is very fast as 12" of ram travel opens a block of wood 6-1/2" on one end usually meaning the cutting edge only touches wood for the first inch of travel.
If I were to do it again I would tilt the wedge a little closer to the ram at the top, and set it 2" away from the ram at full stroke. This would allow a four way drop on. As a block of wood passes under the horizontal wedge it has a pronounced lifting effect on the wedge. Something will have to give>

 

[chad22]

Chad there is nothing in the world wrong with Mig welding. As long as you have the right equipment! The problem with Mig, is guys run down and buy a 120-volt Mig welder, practice for a couple hours then want to build a trailer, or trailer hitch!
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That's scary.

I agree there's nothing wrong with mig welding. The problem was with the people doing these welds on these trailers.

I do believe they were running it to cold. I sat down on the edge of the trailer and the weld at the front corner just broke and I'm only 120lbs.

Building something that requires good welds like a trailer should be left to the pros if you don't have enough skill or the correct equipment.

I was at walmart a few months ago and a guy pulled in and his hitch broke off his car trailer.

He had tried to weld the new hitch on himself to save some money. But he only had one of those little 110 Volt arc welders and it wasn't enough to penetrate the steel.

He had to call a mobile weld service to get it welded back on.

Scary to think I was behind that trailer going down the highway at 55 MPH.

Thankfully the safety chains were there to catch it.

Even when I come up behind one of those home depot trailers. I pray that nothing happens and they have a safe trip with it.

If I did decide to buy a trailer vs building one I'd go to the place where my dad bought his axle for his trailer. Now those trailers are quality built trailers and welds are not going to break.

They got trailers like the home depot mesh trailers too, but the ones at the trailer place are built strong and they don't bend like the home depot trailers.

Chad

 

[bwstout]

Welding is a process. I was teaching my grandson 17 how to weld. His thought is how pretty a bead looks. Running a bead is not welding it is one small part of the proces.

1st what is the proprities of the metal that i am welding mild still high carbon cass or alloy.

2 what is the grade of metal now i understand many home shop may not have all of the information. So most of the stuff we use will be cold roll mild steel. 6011 is good all purpose rod for around the shop good for root pass on pipe. but when it comse to strenght then i would move away from it. Not saying that i know more than anyone that is posted on this thread. I am not a pipe welder spent most of my 40 years welding high pressure tankers big stuff. We used LH rods before migs became the thing mostly 11018 due to the tensile strength this is what the first numbers of your rods will tell you 60,000 or 70,000 or 110,000 ect of what tensile strenght the rod is. So if i am going to weld something what will i do with it will decided on what i use this will help me dediced on what type rod to use. Now for the last 10 years using just migs.

3. now that i have made a choice do i have the right machine for the job. Most home shops will have a standard craker box AC machine hard to use LH on one of these but now they do make AC LH rods that you can make a good looking weld with.
but the machine of choce for LH would be a DC machine set in R/P now you have something that will make a LH purr. In my shop no longer use the craker boxes but have move to the modren world of migs 180 miller. This machine is good up to 3/16 maybe 5/16 with 035 wire now anything after that you can still use but preheating would be requried. This is the issue with a lot of home welders not knowing thier machine abilty and what rods to use. Wire not so hard most and easy to find is 70 sires wire, now here is where the break down happens not all wire is created equal. Most will just go to thier local hardware store or depto and by wire, now it may cost a bit more but try your local welding shop supplier you will find that mig not bad your machine will run good not hard to set.

4 All said know the process and you too can make some welds that you would not be afraid to trust with your life.