Can this be straightened with a frame machine?

[HCJtractor]

I hung a log in my FEL and bent the ATI Tach All aftermarket skid steer quick connect adapter. The main beam is about 3" angle iron that is bent and twisted. I can cut out the angle iron and replace it, but there are a lot of thick weld beads to grind and also would dictate having to fabricate other parts contained on the angle. My question is this. Before I start cutting out the bent beam, could a auto body shop with a hydraulic frame machine straighten this back out? Any hope of success?

I guess I am trying to avoid the many hours It will take me to dissect out the angle iron and replace it. This adapter cost about $800 so I need to repair it rather than buy a new one.

 

[PhilY]

If you have a log splitter, you might give that a try. I had bent up the rear blade for my tractor when it caught something in the ground. So I put a couple 20 inch long or so logs on the splitter perpendicular to the face and set the blade in between them with a couple of strategically placed wedges. I know you might say I have been watching a little too much Red Green, but it bent it back into shape like it was butter. In your case, you may want to try something square like a treated fence post or something and make up a little jig.

 

[banjodunn]

G'day I would take it into a good engineering shop, a good bloke with a press should have that like new in under 1/2 hour then maybe just box the angle up to strengthen


Jon

 

[Baby Grand]

If it was my gear I'd cut & weld. Wouldn't hurt to use a tube section - square or round.
Idea banjodunn suggested about boxing it in is very good if you can get that angle straightened out.
I take pride in my ability to straighten twisted steel with heat, pry bars and a hammer, but that unit looks like a whole afternoon job.

 

[wdchyd]

Carefully cutting, dissecting it and replacing the same angle iron piece, welding and reinforcing may be the best repair....straightening may be difficult due to the streching of the angle iron, but it could be done

 

[Ed of all trades]

If you straighten it reinforce it some way, because things that bend tend to bend easier the 2nd time.

 

[Rickcintron]

That can be straightened real easy bring it to a fabrication shop I live to far away or I would straighten it out for you with one of my hydraulic precision electric presses would fix it for sure..

 

[ray66v]

A frame machine is not set up to be able to attach something loose like that to it, in such a way as you would need to be able to straighten it.

What you need is a press, and probably some heat.

Or, cut it off and replace it.

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks for the ideas! I agree that cutting and welding would be best, but I at least want to try straightening. Tolerances are not that tight, so if I can get it close, it should work. In studying this, here is what I am going to try. Tell me if I am delusional. The bottom holes on each side (right and left) are still perfect. That makes sense since the loader frame is massive, and it did not allow the bottom of the quick attach to bend. Also one of the top mounting pin brackets is also good as the good hydraulic cylinder held it in place. So really only one of the four corners is bent out of position, as one hydraulic cylinder bent, taking the bracket with it. So I am going to hook up both bottom sides with the standard pins. It should pin up easily back into the proper position. I am then going to disconnect the one good cylinder and replace it with a fixed piece of steel channel, or maybe even a chain. I will also plug the hydraulic ports on that side, disabling the cylinder flow. On the bad side, I will hook up a new cylinder to the bent, twisted corner, so it will be the only cylinder operating. Then I will slowly extend the cylinder and if this works, it will be pushed back into place. The other other three corners will be fixed in the original correct position, so the bent corner has to move. I think the loader frame is way too strong to bend or give, as the bent angle is much smaller and weaker. Of course, I may have to tweak it a little in other axis, but it's worth a shot. This gives me a way to hold it firmly while force is applied.

Another alternative I thought of was to use a bucket. I could lay it down on the ground, place the good side in the correct quick attach position and lock it down, and then try to push the bent side back into place towards the bucket, using hydraulics or some other force.

I will post my results later.

 

[Gator6x4]

Self repair may prove costly. I would locate a fabrication shop and have them remove and replace the cross piece. You from what is posted now have a couple of problems that are about to become very major problems and more damage.

 

[Gary Fowler]

It looks like the only part that is bent is the angle between the attachment points. If you have the equipment and skills, I would just cut that angle off and replace it with a piece of heavy tubing and put a full penetration weld on it. It will be stronger than original and take less time than trying to straighten. Sometimes (most time) bent and twisted pieces like that are easier and cheaper to just replace than straighten.
I would cut it as close to the attachment uprights as possible. Weld a flat plate of 3/8" thick steel large enough to accomodate the size of the tubing you will be using to the angle with full pen weld on both sides. Attach it back to the loader arms and cut a replacement piece to fit and weld it in place as much as possible therefore assuring perfect alignment. Remove it and finish welding any area that you couldnt weld in place. This would save the effort of building a jig to hold it on position when welding.

 

[DK35vince]

It looks like the only part that is bent is the angle between the attachment points. If you have the equipment and skills, I would just cut that angle off and replace it with a piece of heavy tubing and put a full penetration weld on it. It will be stronger than original and take less time than trying to straighten. Sometimes (most time) bent and twisted pieces like that are easier and cheaper to just replace than straighten.

+1
Easier, faster, better to just cut it off and replace vs trying to straighten.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I hung a log in my FEL and bent the ATI Tach All aftermarket skid steer quick connect adapter. The main beam is about 3" angle iron that is bent and twisted. I can cut out the angle iron and replace it, but there are a lot of thick weld beads to grind and also would dictate having to fabricate other parts contained on the angle. My question is this. Before I start cutting out the bent beam, could a auto body shop with a hydraulic frame machine straighten this back out? Any hope of success?

I guess I am trying to avoid the many hours It will take me to dissect out the angle iron and replace it. This adapter cost about $800 so I need to repair it rather than buy a new one.

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Just put it back on the tractor and use the curl cyls and a bit of finesse to twist it back. Restrain 1 curl so it stays still and push or pull with the other.
larry

 

[tawilson]

Just put it back on the tractor and use the curl cyls and a bit of finesse to twist it back. Restrain 1 curl so it stays still and push or pull with the other.
larry

That is exactly how I fixed mine. A chain and a tree worked great.

 

[Dave M7040]

You can fix it in a couple of ways but remember a couple of metallurgical facts.

Bend a metal clothes hanger and then try to straighten it out where it is bent. Impossible. The bending "work hardens" the metal and makes it much stronger. The circus strong man trick where he would bend a metal rod and then challenge anyone in the crowd to straighten it is an demonstration of this phenomenon. You can bend it reasonable straight when it is cold but you are bending beside the original bend unless you resort to serious heating.

When the metal bends it stretches and becomes a little thinner so when you straighten the piece it may be longer when you are done thus distorting the position of the two ends a little.

Replacing the bent piece should be easy since you can attach the two ends to wherever they affix and then weld a new piece between them so you don't have to worry about getting things properly aligned by building jigs.

Just a couple of thoughts from an old engineer

Dave M7040

 

[sixdogs]

A good welding and fabrication shop should have that straight again with zero problems. You should see the stuff I bring into my shop in town here. I can bend 3/8" and 1/2" plate with the best of them and they keep un-bending it.

 

[jimmysisson]

Another vote for replacing the piece. I wonder if it really should be stronger? Might be good to have it as the weak link? All it's for is aligning the two clamps, right? Tho I bet you won't hang anything heavy on it again...
Jim