Flail mower skids worn, need repair

[flying m]

Hello,

I'm in need of some advise from you "pros". I have a Gearmore GRF flail mower that I bought used. It works great but, it looks like the previous owner adjusted the unit too low and wore the skids down to nothing. My question is, what do you folks recommend to weld onto the mower to beef up those skids and is there any special technique that you would recommend? I don't want to use metal that is too soft as in the type of terrain that I live and work in gets a little rough and rocky so the skids occasionally will make contact with the ground. I would use build up rod but the the very middle of the skids the metal is paper thin so I that's out. Thanks for the help.

 

[IslandTractor]

1) As you seem to know, skids really should not be touching the ground when the tractor is moving so wear should be zero to negligible if properly adjusted.
2) Mild steel should be fine. I'd just weld 1/8 or 3/16 plate to what remains of the existing skids. Not much welding required. "Tacking" it heavily should be fine.

 

[flying m]

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try. Yes, I do try to keep contact at a minimum but as you well know I'm sure, that some times is unavoidable. It looks like the previous owner used them like sled runners. To the point that on one side the metal is curling and almost like a knife. Thanks again.

 

[Arc weld]

If they're worn that much, get new ones and run a few beads of hardfacing lengthwise on them. Sometimes replacement is the only way to fix things unless you can make new ones yourself. Skid shoes shouldn't be too expensive.

 

[Sodo]

Welding skid material has got to be the easiest welding job known to man. You can hardly go wrong. No need for any special rods, or metal, just build it up with anything you have and when it wears down add some more. If its wearing too quickly then use hardfacing rod next time.