Help wanted - Welding experts

[rtvman]

Hello experts,

I started looking for welding insight for my problem in the wrong forum. I think I am in the right place now. Anyway, I broke my BH last weekend trying to yank out a stubborn tree stump. I am really bummed about this because I know better. So now I am faced with the need to find someone who can repair this damage correctly. Is there a right way to fix such a break in the dipper joint? I need to make sure the guy I have fix this does it the right way. Any wisdom from you welders out there would be much appreciated.

 

[rtvman]

Another view

 

[rtvman]

Another view 3

 

[RICHARDG]

Even though you gave some pretty good pictures,,I still can't tell what is what other than its broke,,if I had a hoe to look at,,it of course would make better sense,looks like there is some bending as well as the break.
In any case you will have to take it apart and clean it before any thing is done,after doing that,,maybe post some more pictures...
You,[or whoever welds it],,IF,it can be fixed,,will have to be able to weld and grind on both sides of break,and any thing that can be damaged by heat,or sparks,will be damaged if not removed from area,so first step,is to clean it up,take it apart,and act like you might weld it up,its got to fit right,like before break,before welding it up,,,,,as far as welding it,if you can get it back to original shape and get stuff that will be damaged off,,than it looks like its probably just plain old mild steel,which any decent welder could weld up,,,,,,but there is alot of ifs before that,,in other words,welding the two pieces back together will probably be the easy part,, thingy

 

[rtvman]

Thanks so much for the info. I will post better pictures soon.

 

[Dargo]

You have a fairly simple break to fix. Since it broke at that point, I'll have to assume that that particular spot is the weak point in your hoe. The first question; do you want that spot to remain the weak point? This is not a joke. If you fix that spot where it is stronger than it was to begin with, you will have a different place that will be the "weak spot". It could be a place you don't want to break.

Assuming that you do want to strengthen that spot, here is how I would make the repair: first remove the cylinder from the area and thoroughly clean the area. That would include not only all grease, but any paint on the area to be welded. Sure you can burn through paint, but that does not make for nice welds or strong welds. Second, from the limited view I see of it, I would plate both sides with some flat stock, such as 1/4" flat stock. This addition would have to be added after you straighten the area, getting the broken edges as close together as possible. I'd then weld the break from the inside; clean off a 2" x 4" area on the outside and then weld my piece of flat stock to the outside of each side (both broken and unbroken).
However you make the repair, make sure you have anything with a seal removed from the general area or you will melt the seal. If you want this particular spot to remain the "weak link" on the hoe (which may be the case), I'd then just remove all grease, paint and straighten the piece until it is lined up. Then weld it on both sides and repaint. Again, make sure you remove anything that can be harmed by heat from the general area.
Any decent welder can make this repair either way for you without much problem. I'd guess that the material that broke is mild steel and can be welded with plenty of strength with a 1/8" 6013 rod with enough amps to get a good bite but not blow through. You shouldn't have any problem. If done right, you'll never know it was broken. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RichNJKubota]

I broke a joint on my FEL similiar to your part. One side was not accesible. My welding skills are pathetic - and that's being generous. I cleaned everything up and ground a deep V groove on the one side with an angle grinder. The V groove went thru to the other side - just a little. Then I made several passes with my neighbors AC arc welder. I think at about 90-100 amps. That was 2 years ago and it has not broke again.
Got out the kubota orange paint and now it looks and works fine.

Rich

 

[mahlers]

From what I think I see in the second picture, it looks like you had a crack in the system around the joint (look at the area of the metal that doesn't look shiny and freshly broken). It may just be the camera doing tricks. If it indeed did have a long-standing crack, then it should be 'better than new' after you fix it.

 

[Inspector507]

Kevin,
You may or may not have the room to reinforce each side with a plate. If you have a good ½" to spare in there, by all means you could add 2 ¼" plates on each side after the bent metal is straightened. Of course you know what caused it to fail there.....side load on the bucket
<font color="blue"> I was trying to leverage it out on one side of the bucket which put a lot of unbalanced force on the left side </font>

Remember to NEVER do that again /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Since this is a serious stress break, you should also very carefuly go over the rest of the BH and it's connection points to the tractor looking for any other hairline fractures. Sometimes in these situations, the other part handles the stress just fine, but the sudden change in stress when the one part breaks may cause dammage to other parts that you don't notice until after you fix the broken part.

I realize that was a bit convoluted, but I think you'll get my drift.

Cliff