Rear Blade King Pin replace

JakesDad1 · Jan 20, 2011

mjncad said:
Were you literally using a Dremel to cut those welds? If so, get a 4-1/2" angle grinder for future chores like that.

I have a Dremel, and it's a great tool; but not for that kind of work.

I thought so too, so I started with a 4 1/2" grinder. The problem was that I couldn't get into the weld with that big a cut-off wheel. I switched to a 1-1/2" dremel cut-off wheel and was able to get into the weld without cutting the end of the implement off. :mur:

Soundguy · Jan 20, 2011

sounds like smoke wrench time!

soundguy

JakesDad1 · Jan 23, 2011

Fixed at last, just in time for the next snow storm!

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

rankrank1 · Jan 23, 2011

Glad you got it together - it should be good for many years to come. Thanks for posting follow-up pics. We like to hear (and especially see in pics) how a poster made out on their repair project.

I do have one question: I can see where the nut (and cross drill for cotter pin) is, but I can not see where the bolt head is. Would it have been possible to sorta re-design this kingpin system such that a longer bolt could have been used and then maybe double nut it on the bottom - double nutting would allow you to adjust for wear if ever needed? Also, if the bolt ever breaks again, then cutting it all apart and rewelding would not be necessary. Simply use a drift punch to knock the broken bolt out and and install another long bolt.

JakesDad1 · Jan 23, 2011

I had originally considered your suggestion rankrank1, but we were constrained by the material we had available. I measured the original bolt (3 times) and came up with a lenght of 7". I don't have a local source for 1-1/2" bolts and so had to order (internet). I did not consider that the new nuts would be 1-1/4" deep. You will notice that there is a 1" gap between the lifting member and the fixed rotating plate. The king pin failure occured in that space. We needed to beaf-up the connection of the lifting member and that plate but keep the 1" gap. So we trimmed the head of the bolt so it would be nearly flush with the top of the lifting member. That gave us extra bolt length. Then we welded the piss out of it, and added some extra stiffeners to the site. It will never be replaced again. If it breakes now, its time for a new grader.

Soundguy · Jan 23, 2011

good luck with it!

soundguy

rankrank1 · Jan 23, 2011

JakesDad1 said:
...but we were constrained by the material we had available...So we trimmed the head of the bolt so it would be nearly flush with the top of the lifting member. That gave us extra bolt length. Then we welded the piss out of it, and added some extra stiffeners to the site. It will never be replaced again. If it breakes now, its time for a new grader.

Thanks for the answer as I was simply curious. Sounds like you took the material you had available and made it work - certainly nothing wrong with that.

Having access to a capable welder is such a great thing almost anything can be repaired/rebuilt with a welder. Matter of fact I am confident you could repair/rebuild this blade again in 40 years or so if it needs it again.

I spent way too many years without a welder. Trying to fix some things without a welder is nearly impossible. Now that I have a 115V Lincoln MIG and and AC-225 Lincoln buzzbox arc welder for the bigger stuff, I can usually cobble almost anything back together even though my welding skills are lacking.

I would recommend that you start scanning Craigslist for a deal on a Lincoln AC-225 tombstone buzzbox for somewhere around $75 or so as they can be found all the time for $75 to $100 and last forever.The older ones with copper windings are a little better than the newer ones with aluminum windings, but either will actually work okay. A Lincoln AC 225/DC 125 would be even better, but will cost more $150-$200 used but you do gain DC welding ability but with limited DC amps. Hobart Stickmates or Miller Thunderbolts are okay too, but the Lincolns are a little more durable in my opinion as you just can not kill them. Having a $75 Lincoln around would be cheap insurance for the next time that you need to weld some thick iron like this.

JakesDad1 · Jan 24, 2011

I had a blast trying to figure out how to stick weld. My buddy was pretty good with it. I would love to try my hand, but have no real need. This is the first heavy steel repair/build I've had to do in about 20 years. I'm currently working on a motorcycle modification and my wire feed is doing the job. Thanks for your recommendations though.