hardfacing

[brain55]

I'm looking at doing a job hardfacing the sides of an 8' trencher wheel. I will be doing it with my wirefeed and likely .045" flux core wire. I'm pretty sure I'm going to remove the individual sections and welding flat rather than trying to do it horizontal on the machine. I'm just not that confident in my out of position welding and think it will be faster in the long run.

Any experience or thoughts you have to share since I haven't done this before would be great.

 

[mjncad]

I thought you had to use a stick welder and a certain rod type to hard-face edges.

 

[mrmikey]

I thought you had to use a stick welder and a certain rod type to hard-face edges.

There is wire made for hardfacing but for a one shot deal stick is the answer. Running beads with regular wire will build up the worn areas but it's not abrasion resistant any more so than the origonal......Mike

 

[Shield Arc]

I've seen some real knock down drag out fights over hard facing equipment. Everybody has an opinion on which manufacture, type, and pattern to run. There are so many variables to this it's mind boggling! Type of soil, angle of blade / bucket, is it an impact application? Etc, etc, etc. One thing is for sure, you are going to spend some money, I've seen hard facing range from $9.00 a pound to $30.00 a pound.

I've never run hard facing wire, one time I was all set up, and ready to pull the trigger to hard face a clam shell bucket, (wasn't looking forward to it at all) but got pulled off to do something else, never went back.

Hardfacing Products | Lincoln Electric

 

[yomax4]

Hardfacing is all about alloy. Inexpensive wire is lower in alloy than expensive wire. Check out the Stoody website. They will offer the most info and can be very affordable. Or call 1 800 426-1888 option 2 then option 3 and you will get a tech who would ebjoy talking about the job at hand.

 

[brain55]

The hardfacing wire I'm going to use is $13/lb and I expect to use at least 10 lbs, and it only comes in 25 lb spools. According to my math there is over 100 ft. of bead. I realize hardfacing was done for a long time with stick, but I can't imagine doing that big of a job that way, especially since I have high quality wirefeed equipment. Buying a new liner and drive rollers is no big deal, and I'm sure if I have left over wire, and the experience of doing the job, I will find other customers that will need some hardfacing done too.

 

[brain55]

Oh, and fortunately my local welding shop has the history of what has been used on this machine before and what the local trencher dealer uses, so it does take the guess work out of the equation.

 

[Sublifer]

Like others, I had never heard of wirefed hardfacing. Let us know how it goes and take some pictures if you can!

 

[brain55]

We will see if I get the job. Their mechanic told me what they had been paying, so I adjusted my estimate to beat that. I'm still going to make a fair profit even considering the cost of the excess consumables. The experience is worth the reduction in price from what I would have charged normally.

 

[monckywrench]

Do share the details on which wire you use and the results!

 

[brain55]

I'm going to use Lincoln's Lincore 60-O wire, I will take pictures and let you guys know how it goes if I get to do it.

 

[Yellowhair42]

I've done lots of hardfacing with that exact same wire.Horizontal position and probably five or more 25# spools.Some were partially used.I used full leather gear.Lots of drips and splatter found any exposed holes.Most of them were the tounge of my shoes.Pretty much like running regular flux core but very sensitive to wire feed issues.Not too much roller pressure,new liner,keep cable straight and new contact tip.

 

[brain55]

Do you think it is worth the effort to remove the trencher shoes from the machine and do them flat? In my opinion it is worth the 2+ hours to R&R the shoes to not have to deal with the extra spatter of doing it up in the air horizontal.

 

[Yellowhair42]

I don't know,your call.Try on scrap first to see how it runs horizontal.Less time involved =more money.

 

[rhett]

Most definately run some practice coupons.
Seeing how Hard-facing is a buildup electrode, the puddle runs above the materials surface with minimal penetration. It actually feels-like there is no penetration.
Surface preparation is important.
A moderate preheat of thick material helps.
I found it fun to learn and do.

If the job does not land, maybe give Hard-facing Stick electrodes a try. Ground engaging equipment loves this stuff.

 

[weldermike]

Can you take a picture of the job before you start? That would help to give a little input if youve overlooked something.

 

[brain55]

I will try and swing by tomorrow and take some pics.

 

[orezok]

I purchased hardface wire from these people. They have it available in .035 and 10# rolls. It has worked well for me on the limited applications I've done on my equipment.

I have the HTP2400 welder and it works well with that machine.

.035 Flux Cored Hardfacing Welding Wire, 10 lbs., Metal Working, Welder Supplies, Welding Accessories | USAWeld.com

 

[crazyal]

Love to hear how it goes.

Years ago I was doing some subcontract work at a valve company. They had automatic wire fed welders hardfacing valve seats on 30" high pressure valves. The welder stood still and the body would spin. They used one of the overhead cranes to lift the spool of wire up to the machine. Of course they had lots of impressive toys.

 

[brain55]

I did that job today, that 60-O wire was awesome. I went ahead did it horizontally on the machine, I was surprised by how little it popped or spattered. It was 6 hours of welding like I expected it to be. I wish my camera was working so I could have taken pictures.