Welding Bucket Hooks!

[tractorboys2]

Not to throw a wet blanket on this whole thread:
I really would like to warn everyone about using welding equipment inside a wooden building within the proximity of exposed wood or other flammable material. I know a lot of people do it. But, no matter how many time its done, it is still not a good idea.
This has been a public service announcement.

I agree. the more welding outside the better. the smoke just blows away and the less you breeth the healthier for you. Even grinding your welds starts little fires easily ive found out.

 

[jimmer2880]

.... Even grinding your welds starts little fires easily ive found out.

I can't tell you how many overalls I have ruined with a 4" angle grinder

 

[cubowner]

I love this web site. I have learned so much great info. Now to the question. I am welding bucket hooks on my fel and am wondering if it is to angle the hooks inward a little?

 

[patrick_g]

I love this web site. I have learned so much great info. Now to the question. I am welding bucket hooks on my fel and am wondering if it is to angle the hooks inward a little?

Just put them on straight or nearly so and you will do fine. Even if you thought you knew what you would pickup, you'd end up also picking up something else and the angle would be wrong, a little.

Even if the angle is off by 30 degrees it really will make little difference and since you can't know what they will be used for, straight ahead is a good guess. If you really worry about the angle, install more hooks so you'll have some close to where you want/need them.

Oh, and a general note... I invite safety comments and critiques in general or related to specific activities I might mention. I can just ignore anything if I wish but might be offered a "nugget" that will save my bacon.

What an alien concept, caring if someone besides #1 is injured or suffers a loss. No, I take it back. I want everyone on the site to kowtow to my personal whim and only offer safety suggestions on Thursdays that are odd numbered!

Pat

 

[Sully2]

In keeping with my newly established general policy in my threads...

Safety Patrol is not allowed!!!

That is not to say that Members of the Safety Patrol are not allowed to post or contribute... but you must take off your hat, badge and boots and leave them at the door before you come in. Being a normal everyday person is prerequisite.

(but I'm NOT kidding.)

We are all adults here, and we don't need a bunch of preaching by a bunch of phobic busybodies...

Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm just getting dang tired of it around here...

AMEN! Or is that he wrong thing to say?.....

 

[patrick_g]

AMEN! Or is that he wrong thing to say?.....

When safety is ignored and a funeral results, amen will surely have a place at the ceremony.

Pat

 

[Sully2]

When safety is ignored and a funeral results, amen will surely have a place at the ceremony.

Pat

If it should come to that...then certainly But there is no reason to AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME that doing welding inside a wood framed building is going to cause another Chernoble event. If some dude wants to use his cutting torch right above his 5 gallon can full of gasoline...I'll pin the Darwin award medal on him before I head for the trees.

I'll PRESUME here that we are all ADULTS..and should be able to exhibit and exercsize some amount of COMMON SENSE. If not..then its natures way of "culling the herd"...

Fire extinguishers and fire blankets are too cheap to not have some laying around for usage. I HAVE TO work in the winter inside a VERY SMALL wooden outbuilding ( did I meantion its VERY SMALL??) but I only have small projects to work on and attempting to work outside when its 15 degrees just dont "get it".

 

[patrick_g]

Fire extinguishers amd fire blankets are too cheap to not have some laying around for usage. I HAVE TO work in the winter inside a VERY SMALL wooden outbuilding ( did I meantion its VERY SMALL??) but I only have small projects to work on and attempting to work outside when its 15 degrees just dont "get it".

Sodium silicate, AKA water glass, is an excellent fire proofing treatment for cloth and wood. You can burn wood treated with it but it will not burn on its own. For example you can put a torch to it and char it but when you remove the torch it will go out and not continue to burn.

Water glass used to be used (still is in some venues) to coat eggs to extend their unrefrigerated storage time. It is useful for fire proofing cloth and wood.

It comes in liquid form and can be brushed on or rolled, sprayed if you have the right equipment. Don't get it on windows as it will mess with the surface. It isn't too expensive and could save a wooden structure from fire. It will prevent sparks, slag, and such from starting a fire on wood. You may make little dots where sparks hit but there will be no fire started.

I bought some for my exposed OSB walls in what is to become my metal working shop.

pat

 

[wedge40]

I have a general question. What size hooks do most people weld on?
I guess it would depend on the chain most often use.. I believe I have mainly 3/8" chain, so 3/8" hooks would allow me the most versatility.

Wedge

 

[Sully2]

I have a general question. What size hooks do most people weld on?
I guess it would depend on the chain most often use.. I believe I have mainly 3/8" chain, so 3/8" hooks would allow me the most versatility.

Wedge

I went with the 5/16th size. I didnt have any really decent chain...so thats the size chain Ive bought also. Even 5/16ths will take more to break it that I can lift up. Id say most guys would use 3/8ths though

 

[cubowner]

Well I have done it. I finally did my first weld job today. I welded my fel hooks on. And they are surely strong. I was able to pick up items hat I could not even beleive. Also added some rops lighting. Will post some pics soon But have to watch the super bowl....

 

[Bill Barrett]

This thread sure has some legs! LOL

 

[patrick_g]

I went with the 5/16th size. I didnt have any really decent chain...so thats the size chain Ive bought also. Even 5/16ths will take more to break it that I can lift up. Id say most guys would use 3/8ths though

Hooks will often work with more than one size chain. Maybe you could size your hooks to fit the 2-3 most likely sizes to encounter. There is no penalty for putting on a couple sizes of hooks if you want.

I typically do not have chains for the loader and chains for X and chains for Y. Instead, I have a collection of various sized, length, and rating of chains. I have some 5/16 and 3/8 and 7/16 chains, some in grade 70 (gold) and some not. I tend to use the "good stuff" (DOT grade 70) for securing loads such as a tractor. Any of my chains in a single "ply" will easily safely hold more than my FEL can lift. Why do I buy some quite oversized HD chains? The price was right that day at Harbor Freight and it gives a good upper body workout to use them.

Pat

 

[Sully2]

Hooks will often work with more than one size chain. Maybe you could size your hooks to fit the 2-3 most likely sizes to encounter. There is no penalty for putting on a couple sizes of hooks if you want.

I typically do not have chains for the loader and chains for X and chains for Y. Instead, I have a collection of various sized, length, and rating of chains. I have some 5/16 and 3/8 and 7/16 chains, some in grade 70 (gold) and some not. I tend to use the "good stuff" (DOT grade 70) for securing loads such as a tractor. Any of my chains in a single "ply" will easily safely hold more than my FEL can lift. Why do I buy some quite oversized HD chains? The price was right that day at Harbor Freight and it gives a good upper body workout to use them.

Pat

I didnt have but one chain AT ALL here. Bought back in the late 70's. I didnt NEED the capacity of any 3/8ths actually ( I use this one for a tow chain)...so since I didnt need anything larger than 5/16...thats how I sat mine up.

 

[gemini5362]

I didnt have but one chain AT ALL here. Bought back in the late 70's. I didnt NEED the capacity of any 3/8ths actually ( I use this one for a tow chain)...so since I didnt need anything larger than 5/16...thats how I sat mine up.

I believe that if you use 3/8 hooks that you can use them with 5/16 chain. That is what I did and it works fine. The difference in price is almost nothing. I just bought a bunch of hooks to get one time shipping and then welded them on my FEL and on my trailer. I got the grade 70 3/8 and I am good for pretty much anything I need to do.

 

[gemini5362]

I am not trying to be safety police here but I am going to tell about my exciting day yesterday. I was grinding some welds off of my welding project making an adapter for the front forks I bought for my FEL. I had the forks sitting on the pad outside of my new 4 car garage where my welder is residing. I was grinding and had to go inside the house to do something for my wife. When I came back out i noticed smoke and there was a small grass fire going around the welding project. I stomped it out i thought. I was checking for more flames. I had my string trimmer out earlier and had not put it away yet, the grass had burned over to it and was still burning under it. I moved it but the plastic on the string trimmer caught fire and it started burning pretty well. ( by the way did i mention the reason it was still out was that I had filled it with gas and guess where the gas can was sitting. I went in the house and got a bucket of wire and got the string trimmer fire out finally after a few buckets and finally moving it around to where I could use the hose on it. I am amazed that a spark could start the grass fire. It snowed here thurs and friday I figured the grass and ground was soaked enough not to be an issue. Needless to say the wife was not a really happy camper, something about gasoline and fire and our new garage did not really make a good mix for her.

The good news is that she went back into the house muttering something about we have to build you a shop away from the house. I am not saying this is a recommended way to get the wife to agree you need a workshop. Just be careful when grinding and welding where the sparks go.

 

[wushaw]

"The good news is that she went back into the house muttering something about we have to build you a shop away from the house. I am not saying this is a recommended way to get the wife to agree you need a workshop. Just be careful when grinding and welding where the sparks go."


If a small grass fire is all it takes to get a bigger shop out of ear shot of the wife then what is the problem

 

[patrick_g]

Thomas, If you are clever enough to, as you said in your words, "I went in the house and got a bucket of wire and got the string trimmer fire out finally after a few buckets " then I assert anyone who can put out a fire with a few buckets of W-I-R-E is clever enough to stage a phony emergency to plant a seed and support the concept of a shop. Having SWMBO think of it first on her own is a good ploy. Never fear, I'd never even hint to her that you could be so devious, probably. Besides, when would I even have a chance?

Now there you have it, independent confirmation of the one hook fits a couple chains idea.

Probably the most realistic reason I have different sizes of chains is that I see a bargain and don't really remember what size I got before so I figure, what the heck. Then when I go to use a load binder (boomer) what the heck, the hooks on the boomer fit more than one size. Now I have two sizes of boomers, probably for the same memory reason as above. There can be a little difficulty if the weld on the chain sticks up significantly as it will tend to jam on the smaller size hook but if yo turn the chain the right way it is OK. At any rate, if you give it a tap it will release even if tightly bound up on the "wrong side."

Pat

 

[dirt ditch]

WOW! I reached the end . Great welding info. I bought 10,000lb tow hooks to bolt onto my bucket but now I may weld them on .

 

[Sully2]

I believe that if you use 3/8 hooks that you can use them with 5/16 chain. That is what I did and it works fine. The difference in price is almost nothing. I just bought a bunch of hooks to get one time shipping and then welded them on my FEL and on my trailer. I got the grade 70 3/8 and I am good for pretty much anything I need to do.

Might be able to do that..??..dont know for sure. But Im positive the chain locks in tight with the same size hooks. If it ever becomes any sort of problem for me I'll just grind the throat out enough to handle something larger..even though I dont need the capacity of any chain larger in size.

I also have screw pin clevises that I can shove into the FEL hooks..and i KNOW they are large enough to handle any size hooks on the end of chains