chrome moly ??

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Is there an acceptable arc rod for chro-mo?  Can chro-mo be welded to mild steel? Been thinking of making A-arms for a quad would maybe use chro-mo, if not mild steel it is. I'm an old fart, not like I'm racing, just want to improve handleing, and want to say I did it and save a ton of cash. Thank you for you input. I need to get on here more, .
Reply:The nature of your questions make me think you're not qualified to be making suspension components. Saving money on suspension parts may lead to spending money on medical care.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:Pay the money to the guy that does this type of thing for a living!  Then you will live.AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:You can use ER70-2 tig wire and weld away. I have used E7018 on thicker 4130 to mild steel welding with good success. Have fun and good luck.A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:Truth is you wont save any cash going this route. You will most likley spend the same amount on materials as buying the pro made units ready to bolt on.......just my opinion.A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:Originally Posted by fortyonethirtyThe nature of your questions make me think you're not qualified to be making suspension components. Saving money on suspension parts may lead to spending money on medical care.
Reply:4130 was arc welded in production. The process usually used what we would now call 6013 electrodes followed by either and oven or local tempering (stress relief) and sometimes a longer oven bake to help eliminate hydrogen embrittlement. Welding the 4130 material to 1018 and 1020 steel was common, and this was all airframe work.
Reply:i remember when i was a kid , ther was one high-end race bicycle company that had an intermediate racing frame that had a 'mild steel' rear triangle welded to '4130 chromoly' front triangle.........i remember whenever we broke frames , we broke the chromoly sections , snapped them rite off.....these mild steel + chromoly frames would taco and bend and we would point it out to every kid that had one. We would laugh among ourselves , because either one of the left or right crank arm would be nearly touching the rear triangle , some crank arms would even be cutting a notch into the tube they wer bent so much...  The 100% chromoly frames were resilient or snap.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Originally Posted by AwelderiamTruth is you wont save any cash going this route. You will most likley spend the same amount on materials as buying the pro made units ready to bolt on.......just my opinion.
Reply:Originally Posted by springer 45I beg to differ on this just a little.  I am into quads myself, particularly drag racing.  I just built my own drag frame, stretched 9" out the front, custom two peice steering stem, and rearranged the rear shock mount to change geo.  To have this done by a builder, it would have cost $2500-$4000 roughly, depending on who you use.  I probably don't have more than $200 in mine and it rides nicer and has better steering geo than 90% of my buddies' drag frames.  I didn't use chromo except for the steering stem and bars, but if I did, you could figure about another $80-120 in tubing costs.  All in all, I am impressed and even more so because I can say "I built that."
Reply:Actually I didnt see anything in the OP's question that would make me think he could not layout some suspension parts for himself. Actually Im glad they asked about electrode types.
Reply:bla bla, whatever.  Ok, so I modified versus building from scratch.  I used about two feet of the original frame just so I wouldn't have to start from scratch with a rear motor mount and swing arm mount.  That is what I was referring to in what it would cost for another builder to do it.  I knew before I even posted that someone would jump in and talk about how nobody but a renowned professional should being doing anything of the sort.  I was just trying to give the guy some inspiration.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  As for the safety issue, as long as he understands he could hurt himself with a substandard finished product, and put nobody else at risk, that is his choice.  As long as you are subjective to your own work and don't have blind faith in it just because its "yours", have at it.  Who is anybody to say you can't.  As far as what the OP was actually asking about with arc rods and chromo to mild steel, I had no input; so my fault for side tracking the thread.
Reply:In a situation like this, personally I'd gather the needed materials and prep it to be welded. Then I'd take it to the local shop (where I'm at it's the hi performance atv, baja, fabricating type shop vs the local welder who only uses mig and I'm in a very rural area) and have them do the actual welding and listen to any advice they had to offer. My preference would be to either have it tig'd or OA welded.Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft AC-DC 230/140
Reply:Fair enough in accepting the risks. However when he decides it's time for a new quad and sells it, the buyer has just assumed all risk and may not be as gentle on it as the guy who made it since he knew it was inferieor materials/improper welding procedures used in the construction. Sounds like Tiny has a good approach if you really insist on going this route.
Reply:good point, def something to watch out for if selling.
Reply:Springer I have a dollar says you're on BHQ. A lot of builders start with "part" of a frame and strech it, using cro-mo welded to cheep jap steel.Well at least this got a little a little action. Atleast 380 views including posters. Most of you wouldn't be worth a $hit as teachers tho, all sounded as drumming business for themselves or any "Pro" welder. I'd have gotten a better answer at the LWS. As to weld ability I worked at a shop that sent my work out as being done by certified. 100% welded brackets on 4x4 columns and 80ft trusses for a church. I haven't heard of any buildings falling down in metro Detroit area, and it was done 25+ years ago.My last "big" project was adapting some forklift forks to use on a bucket tractor. Used nothing more than channel, ground off galv pipe, and some other scraps. Welded with 312-16 Easy All Stainless and 7018 and they held more than the tractor could lift.As to fab skills, my buddie and I built a sno-mo powered motorcycle, low 11s 125+. A arms in question are 450+. Guess I'll just get some mild steel and strech existing. BTW, I"ll be using over sleeve method with more than 200% of extension length.    BTW, I'm a carpenter and slightly more than a welding entusiest, but not a pro.
Reply:Wow, listen to some of you.First off; pro built stuff breaks all the time. Secondly; just because someone build 500 of something doesn't mean the 500th one is better than the first.Building suspension arms is pretty simple. just take it easy in the beginning and inspect them real well after the first few times you run them.Johnny5, I would stick to mild in your shoes. I'd probably want to get a CroMo arm heat treated after building it. be sure to keep an eye on what the added arm length does to the characteristics of the suspension. you might consider a small bracket to change the mounting positioned of the upper arm.Last edited by Groo; 12-25-2011 at 10:38 PM.
Reply:Something else to consider, might have already been mentioned but I didn't feel like reading through again; if you use chromo, it will snap/shear and break before it will bend.  Mild will bend to a certain extent and possibly still keep you on feet instead of snapping and faceplanting you.
Reply:What about welding 4130 to mild steel?IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:Originally Posted by BlueArcWhat about welding 4130 to mild steel?
Reply:Originally Posted by woi2ldi remember when i was a kid , ther was one high-end race bicycle company that had an intermediate racing frame that had a 'mild steel' rear triangle welded to '4130 chromoly' front triangle.........i remember whenever we broke frames , we broke the chromoly sections , snapped them rite off.....these mild steel + chromoly frames would taco and bend and we would point it out to every kid that had one. We would laugh among ourselves , because either one of the left or right crank arm would be nearly touching the rear triangle , some crank arms would even be cutting a notch into the tube they wer bent so much...  The 100% chromoly frames were resilient or snap.