What have you done to your Branson today?

[K5lwq]

I would think a universal receiver drier could be made to work.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Mine has been resting for a month... Sitting cozy in the barn until fall tillage requires her use more than likely

 

[LouNY]

I would think a universal receiver drier could be made to work.

Once the system is apart to get the correct threads it could be I'm hoping to keep the system "sealed" as much as possible it, it seems to hold 3-5 psi when it's through leaking down.

 

[LouNY]

Well got my AC system apart today. Was hoping it would be an inexpensive soldering job and be done and good.
Then I found out what caused the leak. Branson couldn't spend a nickle and space the AC condenser off the mounting frame or use a rubber cushion.
Because they couldn't mount it correctly I'll likely end up buying a $600+ condenser


The side with the small leak,

The other side, not leaking YET,

After removal,

 

[K5lwq]

Well got my AC system apart today. Was hoping it would be an inexpensive soldering job and be done and good.
Then I found out what caused the leak. Branson couldn't spend a nickle and space the AC condenser off the mounting frame or use a rubber cushion.
Because they couldn't mount it correctly I'll likely end up buying a $600+ condenser


The side with the small leak,
View attachment 808862

The other side, not leaking YET,
View attachment 808863

After removal,
View attachment 808864

There is a shop locally that has upgraded a few Bransons with a larger condenser to help the unit be more efficient. He said it really improved the cooling capacity and if I start having issues let him know and he will do mine. I am betting you could do yours for less than the replacement from Branson. I am not sure what size he was using or what models he has done.

It is a shame that they cut corners over pennies to cost us many dollars. But in fairness most manufacturers do the same thing. It is not like it use to be by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[ptsg]

Could it be filled with weld? Probably a tricky job to do considering how thin the tube is in that area.

 

[LouNY]

I picked up some Hobart Aluminum brazing rod tonight, hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow morning.
Be hard to do more damage then it already has.

 

[ptsg]

I picked up some Hobart Aluminum brazing rod tonight, hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow morning.
Be hard to do more damage then it already has.

Let us know how it goes. I bought some for a project a couple years ago. Never managed get it to work but I don't really have a good source of heat anyway.

 

[K5lwq]

Well I got the mounts redesigned to use the factory light mounts. Just added a some angle iron to the light bar mount and cut the ear off that was mounted to the roof bolt. It is solid and I managed to keep the light location the same. Sure would have been nice if they would have done that in the first place.

Still need to fix the cracks but this should help keep them from spreading while I come up with a good plan.

View attachment 802767

View attachment 802768

View attachment 802769

View attachment 802770

View attachment 802771

Okay so today, I welded the cracks up. It is hot enough I really did not need a heat source but I used a Harbor Freight kit.

I drilled holes at the ends of each crack in hopes to keep it from spreading. Then I tacked it up using the iron to melt itself back together. Then cut some screen strips from the screen provided in the kit and melted that into all the cracks. Then I used the filler strips to bond everything together. It seems strong so hopefully that is the end of that! It does not look to bad.

Here are a few pictures of the process.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I hope it holds for you.