Rod size for euro hooks

[HybridVigor]

What’s the difference between a farmer and a welder? A welder doesn’t pretend he can farm.

I welded hooks onto my L3301 a little over 5 years ago and they’re holding up fine. Basically my welding experience was an ag mechanics class and YouTube. It’s been a while but I think I used a root pass of 6011 and capped with 7018. I put a nice bevel on the arms, preheated first, and alternated sides after each full pass. I just had a Lincoln 220V AC only tombstone at the time.

Run some practice passes to get a feel for amps. I found the hardest part was holding the arms just so for the initial tack welds. You want the hooks to be parallel to the centerline of the tractor/front of the draft arm before the bend, which is easier said than done once you have your bevels.

I didn’t do this, but I sort of think you could bias the hooks vertically with the tops out away from the centerline of the tractor a few degrees since they naturally point towards the center of the tractor as you raise the three point. I welded them in-line with the draft arms and haven’t had any clearance issues, but they do rub every now and then with cat 2/1 balls which are only as wide as the hook. I used cat 2 limited hooks from Agristore USA

 

[redmt]

If you don't care if they break off under load or if you're actually not going to use them then it doesn't matter how you weld them. If they are going to be used as designed then weld them correctly. A short description of the rods mentioned in no particular order. 6011 is a deep penetration rod with 60,000 tensile strength. 6013 shallow penetration good for sheet metal. 7014 is a shallow penetration filler rod that runs easily and makes it look like you know what you're doing. 7018 is a great all purpose rod that works well on various types of unknown steel.
My .04 worth is if you don't have access to a wire feed then 7018 is your safest bet. Keep your welds flat, keep you puddle concentrated on the thicker metal and whip in and out of the thinner piece.
Another option is to find a competent welder that can give you some basic tips while looking over your shoulder.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I'm pretty sure you can accomplish the task without an engine drive welder. that's the same kind of opinion as someone who will try to tell you you need a 3500 cummins and a gooseneck to safely haul a BX around. That said, I probably wouldn't attempt this kind of task if i only had access to 110 power and welder, but I'd be surprised to find any welder running on 220 that isn't more than capable of doing the job. don't let the welding snobs get any traction - it's bragging rights as much as anything else. do more with less when you need to. I'm a believer in the hold my beer while i try this school. Just find some scrap to get used to the welder, rod, and thick metal if you've never done anything like that before. keep turning it up until you get satisfactory results. Back in the day on my grandfather's farm, everything was done with an AC only welder and 1/8" 6011. to quote my granfather, with that combo, you could weld rusty farm equipment through 1/4" of cow @#$!

I have used 6013, 6011 with a fair degree of success, but for penetration and more holding power, prefer 7018, which is available for an AC machine. As the quoted post says, just about any machine running on 220 should do the job. I wouldn't try it with a 110 machine.

 

[coast40]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

 

[ruffdog]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

The OP is talking about euro 3pt hooks, not a bucket hook.

 

[redmt]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

The hook was more than likely undersized and welded too hot making the parent metal brittle.

 

[LouNY]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

Depending on the bucket it can be a good idea. On my Branson I welded a piece of 2" square tube the length of the top edge then installed the hooks.
I have two slip hooks over the loader arms and grab hooks on each end of the bucket.
(note I did not add a additional cutting edge to the bucket when I should have)

 

[MH8675309]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

Thats what I did on mine to spread the stress out. A hot root pass of 1/8" 6013 chip and brush and then several passes of 1/8" 7018 on top of that. Been holding up for years now and will pick up the back of the tractor

 

[650gSatoh]

What’s the difference between a farmer and a welder? A welder doesn’t pretend he can farm.

I welded hooks onto my L3301 a little over 5 years ago and they’re holding up fine. Basically my welding experience was an ag mechanics class and YouTube. It’s been a while but I think I used a root pass of 6011 and capped with 7018. I put a nice bevel on the arms, preheated first, and alternated sides after each full pass. I just had a Lincoln 220V AC only tombstone at the time.

Run some practice passes to get a feel for amps. I found the hardest part was holding the arms just so for the initial tack welds. You want the hooks to be parallel to the centerline of the tractor/front of the draft arm before the bend, which is easier said than done once you have your bevels.

I didn’t do this, but I sort of think you could bias the hooks vertically with the tops out away from the centerline of the tractor a few degrees since they naturally point towards the center of the tractor as you raise the three point. I welded them in-line with the draft arms and haven’t had any clearance issues, but they do rub every now and then with cat 2/1 balls which are only as wide as the hook. I used cat 2 limited hooks from Agristore USA

Thanks for the tips. I don't claim to be a farmer or a welder but these aren't the first items I have welded, just nothing so thick. It's always interesting when the experts chime in, on any subject...

I'm just going to have them run exactly as the stock ends are. Mine are the cat 1 hooks so guessing they are slightly smaller than yours.

I have a fixture table so it will be easier to hold them for the tack welds. I got some 6011 for the root weld and will pre heat.

 

[1 of U]

What does everyone think of welding a larger piece of plate onto the bucket first before welding the hook on, to try to spread the stress? My neighbor has a bucket that broke where the hook was welded on . Split it back about 8 inches . PS I'm not a welder.

 

[650gSatoh]

Well the euro hooks haven't snapped off yet my box blade with added weight is around 800lbs.

I wasn't loving the looks of the practice beads of the 6011 and 7018 with my small portable stick welder so I decided to upgrade my machine. Got myself a Primeweld Mig285 (multi process), my third machine from Primeweld. The machine maketh the man...

Inflation worked in my favor and I sold my Hobart mig for $70 less than I paid for it, the Mig285 was on sale and was out of pocket $300 for my new machine. I did need to spring for a bigger welding cabinet-HF Vulcan, really nice.

Really loving the euro hooks, total game changer. There was a slight learning curve but it didn't take long. I made 2 spacers out of some pvc pipe to go either side of the balls so that they do not move around when hooking up.

 

[Cycledude]

Nice to hear you bought a better welder and everything turned out well .
Pictures would be nice.

 

[650gSatoh]

Nice to hear you bought a better welder and everything turned out well .
Pictures would be nice.

Thanks. I will get a couple of shots.

 

[650gSatoh]

Taking those photos reminds me I need to cut those spacers in half and place them on either side so that there is some more movement.

 

[650gSatoh]

Good enough for this amateur.

 

[CalG]

Taking those photos reminds me I need to cut those spacers in half and place them on either side so that there is some more movement.

Nice looking welds!

 

[650gSatoh]

Nice looking welds!

Thanks mate.

 

[Cycledude]

Nice looking welds.
My 9 foot Bison blade supposed to weigh 1400+ pounds.
The spacers you installed is interesting idea but guess I kinda prefer having that extra space available when hooking up.

 

[650gSatoh]

Nice looking welds.
My 9 foot Bison blade supposed to weigh 1400 pounds.
The spacers you installed is interesting idea .

Thanks mate.

Without those spacers the balls just shot side to side as I tried to hook up. I was like "f@ck, I thought this was supposed to make it easier"

The sell some balls with little "wings" for want of a better explanation that I assume help with this but the wing is only on 1 side. The pvc was cheap and I had it on hand. It works for me, not sure how others deal with this as I hadn't seen it mentioned.

 

[ptsg]

Good enough for this amateur.

Well done! I would trust that weld job easily.

Regarding the Euro hooks, I think you'll be very very happy with those and wonder why you didn't get those sooner.

I have nothing but great things to say about these. No fussing around, it just works.