Water Truck Tank Repair............

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A friend of mine bought a used water truck.... you know... those trucks that spray water........He spent $2500.... problem was... the bottom was rusted out really bad..........So it turns out he knows a guy who knows how to do this kind of thing.... and this guy happens to know my welding instructor really well...... and this guy wants me to come along to learn about real world work...... not just doing joints and pipe positions in a booth........Last Saturday I show up to his place in Elgin....... nice place.... and this guy proves immediately to me he knows what he is doing and also that he knows how to teach...... the kind of guy who would give his shirt off his back if it would make you learn something......12 hour day in 105 degrees.... I am torching with a scarfing tip for 9 of those hours..........Take the tank bed off the truck....... then take the tank of the bed...... then flip it over to get the "cancer" out...........By 8pm we had 2 sheets of new steel wrapped with 1 to go..... I captured only a few pics since I was too busy to take many......NOTE: I drank 3 gallons of water.... pissed 1 time in 12 hours....... It was HOT....A few pics.......The water truck on the Goose neck......9 hours later the tank is off the truck and off the bed........My friend who bought the unit is a ferrier and has Bricks for hands......We flipped it over with the Kubota.... I cut the Cancer out... and Curtis cleaned up the sides for welding later on.....Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Good to see you getting practical experience. That's usually never a bad thing..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:That's a lot of work. Why didn't he just replace with another one? Good experience, but stillHome hobbiest:Build all sorts of BBQ pits & smokers (trailer & non)Lincoln 225 Cracker box (antique)O/P torchRedneck tools out the a$$.They get me by!
Reply:Curtis brought the tank home with all the 10 guage formed and tacked in........It was our job to weld it out before taking it back to Tony's to put it back on the bed and back on the truck.....This past Saturday I show up to find 2 borrowed Bobcats alongside the tank......6 hours of welding..... using 3/32" 7018......PICS.....These are all the Pics I managed to take and want to make a couple comments on this 20 hour experience.......Some NOTES..........Going into this project I felt confident in my ability...... I know how to cut.... scarf..... and weld............. at school... and some at home........This knowledge is different than what I learned in the field.......Within minutes of washing off welds I learned that what I knew so far meant nothing...... since I have never washed off welds for over 5 hours over my head while kneeling on dirt.......... then when cutting off Cancer I learned that what I knew was not efficient.... Tony showed me how to shave seconds off each foot of cut..........On the weld out (pictured above)..... I was not happy with all 30 feet of weld I laid down..... I was so frustrated that I had dreams of quitting my welding endeavor altogether......I didn't know how to operate a Bobcat machine....... nor did i know what to do when the fit up became less than perfect........ other than create bird poop welds......I have more burns on my left arm today than ever before........I got nauseous from the heat........ had to take my hood and gloves off and walk it off......... nearly puked in my hood once.......All of this after 3 years of making stellar welds at school and advancing nicely through the course.....Tim... my instructor.... who knows Tony..... chuckled at my story....... He said "that's the difference between in here.... and out there...."I always knew this to be true.... that a perfect environment in school teaches the basics... but in real life... with heat... exhaustion..... foreign machines....... all bets are off.....Dang I have a long way to go.......Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Ah grasshopper.... .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by Fexal that a perfect environment in school teaches the basics... but in real life... with heat... exhaustion..... foreign machines....... all bets are off.....Dang I have a long way to go.......
Reply:Originally Posted by JSmitty74That's a lot of work. Why didn't he just replace with another one? Good experience, but still
Reply:Originally Posted by dcoffmanjrI've got a ton of respect for you right now. I've worked beside too many guys that went to welding school and have a God complex because of it. Your experience in the field humbled you a bit I'd say, and your attitude towards it now is awesome. Keep plugging at school, and jump on every opportunity to get dirty in the real world like this. And if you ever get tired of working in the heat, come work with me some weekend. Work inside a good processing plant. Most plants are 30° or less, and all TIG, all stainless
Reply:Hey bud, I applaud your effort for sure, and it continued your welding education Home hobbiest:Build all sorts of BBQ pits & smokers (trailer & non)Lincoln 225 Cracker box (antique)O/P torchRedneck tools out the a$$.They get me by!
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalThanks!I love to TIG stainless..... I might be cut out for that kind of work....... and the Temps are right up my alley!
Reply:Fexal, it's good to go out and get a taste of the "real" welding world. Working in heat like that will help you decide if you really want to pursue it as a regular job. The coldest shift I ever spent was air arcing a crack all the way to the bottom in a 2" thick 24" wide manganese rock crusher part and then filling the crack w/ nicromang 1/4" rod and peening every pass w/ an air chipping hammer. The peening was necessary because if you don't the manganese will crack again right next to the welded up vee. All this was done at night at +15F and a slight breeze blowing. I had so many clothes on I looked like the Michelin man,LOL, but was still chilled to the bone. So the temp extremes can go either way when welding in the field.                                                      MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:That's a lot of work! How thick was the metal you guys used? So anyway to leak test that thing or just flip it and fill it and cross your fingers?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:dcoffmanjr : my son worded at americold , in the freezers  he wore insulated boots ,bibs, jacket, hat, and gloves ,52 weeks a year. When they had spent a lot of time in the subfreezer  they would come out to the loading dock where it was above O to warm up. That aint fun.gxbxc
Reply:Fun... Ain't it?...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Good looking repair. It was nice that you're instructor thought of you of everyone in your class, that to me speaks to how he thinks of you. It was good to get some real world experience as well, it's sometimes not all it's cracked up to be.
Reply:You could always move up here, where you only sweat your bag off for two months of the year, and freeze it off for four.  The other 6 are perfect!   Nice work!
Reply:Awesome man. Do that for 24 years and then try to be a gentleman on a forum with strangers that wanna argue with you lol. Good work bro! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Great job! You may not have been paid on this job but the experience is priceless. Years ago I installed wear plate on a walking floor, it took 48 hours to fit up and weld. It was hot and long days. The next walking floor only took 20 hours... because I'd learned all the tricks from the previous one. I still remember how I felt on the first one but the second not at all. I imagine you'll get stronger and smarter about how you work. For me I don't mind the days in the sun... it's the rain and mud. You know I don't leave the shop unless it's really important. Sure it was a big job but now you know it can be done. Your mentor didn't turn the job away... he just dove in and got it done. Maybe you should get a shade umbrella?
Reply:I remember a similar patching job in a 3k gallon tank, tried to stay focused, it was tough like you describe but a great learning experience in patience!Eventually I got it done and done right by looking at it as a small series of tasks, not a huge one! Yes, Welding in the heat sucks but welding in the cold does too!why do we do it?Because we Love the work and the challenges each job represents!Either way, Nice Job on the Tank and Congratulations on Getting it done!
Reply:fexal; getting thrown into the deep end of the pool can be quite a shock. don't give up though. it might be discouraging to realize you're not the welding booth god you thought you were but you learned a real world lesson. keep at it.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Awesome job and glad to hear you took care of yourself in the heat.  Your instructor obviously has a ton of confidence in your abilities that will turn into the skills he feels you're capable of. I love the shots of you standing on the Hobart to weld with the Bobcat. Last edited by duaneb55; 09-10-2014 at 11:05 AM.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Pressure it up to 5psi, grab a spray bottle with soapy water, and see how it turned out.  Don't go crazy with the air pressure though.In reality, welding sorta sucks.  It's the planning that's fun.  The work itself is just a plain old backbreaker, and it gets worse the older you get."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:It ain't fun is it fex ...Looks like your doing a large amount of work replacing all that sheet You need to get it clean then coat it inside with something to keep that from rusting out again soonHave fun with itBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:I spent a week in the July sun building a trailer years ago, so I know how you felt.  How many pounds of rods did it take?
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammPressure it up to 5psi, grab a spray bottle with soapy water, and see how it turned out.  Don't go crazy with the air pressure though.Just fill it up with water, that'll be the true leak test. If it's gonna leak, all the water pressure will show you a leakHome hobbiest:Build all sorts of BBQ pits & smokers (trailer & non)Lincoln 225 Cracker box (antique)O/P torchRedneck tools out the a$$.They get me by!
Reply:The best thing I've found for leak testing is Windex, not cheap stuff but the real thing. It finds leaks better than soapy water and doesn't interface with welding after. If you can get in the tank just go inside with a blow gun and blow on the seams while someone squirts them. If you can't get inside a couple pounds of pressure will do the trick.Yeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Not sure I'd go as much as 5psi with that much surface area Samm.  They just might find themselves doing the job all over again once the dust settled. I'd use an open top 55gal drum filled with water and a hose (garden will do) connected to the tank and submerged to the bottom in the drum.  SLOWLY apply pressure to the tank and when air bubbles start to come out of the hose in the bottom of the drum, you'll have ~1.5psi of pressure in the tank which is sufficient for leak checking with the soapy water.
Reply:Be about like some of the tractor tires.  Most of mine only carry about 19psi"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Yup.  Amazing what pressure X surface area can do.  I did a guestimate on half the tank's surface area and came up with ~50,000# of force at 5psi that if it didn't cause a seam failure I would think would definitely try to make a sphere out of it.I used to do heavy truck recovery and several 4'x4' air bags could easily lift a loaded 48-54' semi with just a few psi from a HVLP compressor.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:When I built oil trucks we tested them At 3psi. We actually used to push the heads out when they collapse with 15-20 psi but that was all water pressure, and when they popped for the first time you better have a clean pair of pants
Reply:Test with water. Even at a psi or two you'll find the leak quick enough. Remember they build concrete domes with inflated balloons at a few psi. OT: I've always wondered what would happen if the rebar popped the balloon. A while back I built a small tank and tested it with the garden hose. Found a crack from a tack weld very quickly.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...01#post3474201