Metal shaper

Thats Hot · Jun 1, 2014

I needed this to work on patch jobs on mower decks. 1 7/8" ball.

CNC Dan · Jun 1, 2014

How does it hold up? I'm not sure how hard a hitch ball is. I think that most metal working forms are hardened.

And most hitch balls I've seen have a flat on the top. Was it hard to find one without a flat?

Ed of all trades · Jun 1, 2014

A lot of blacksmiths rig them up in the hardy holes of their anvils for the same reason. A grinder with a flap wheel takes care of the line around the flat spot. I don't have one set up yet but they say it works well.

Thats Hot · Jun 1, 2014

This ball is old.... it was round from the start. It works great on thin metal, and with some heat it will work on 1/8" nice..

Thats Hot · Jun 1, 2014

Here are some flat balls, that I welded on my table for leveling.

chriswheeler · Jun 1, 2014

I just made one for the hardy hole on my old Hay Budden anvil. Find a large ball bearing, heat with a torch until a magnet will not stick anymore, ( a little hotter than red hot ) and let it air cool. Weld to the shank with 10018 for DC or 11018 with AC, preheat to about 500 degrees before welding so the weld won't crack, and again, let the welding job air cool. End result tough as nails, pound on it all day long. You can polish after cooling if you like, but not necessary. My first one was 1 1/2" ball, the next will be a 2 1/2", for me, that will be enough for my needs. Looks like in your case you are better off having a machinist just turn the size ball you need with the size shank you want, and go from there. Costly if you have to pay to have it done, easy job for the machinist though. I just step over to the lathe and do it if needed.
Chris

Arc weld · Jun 2, 2014

11118:confused3: Do you mean 11018? Why would AC require a higher tensile strength? XX and XXX18 aren't like 6011 is an AC version of 6010. When you get above 7018, there aren't special AC versions. There are some specialty rods with high tensile that work better on AC than XXX18 though.