Axle Repair

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I had to repair a axle today and thought some might like to see it. Now don't go looking at the rest of the shop. I know it's messy but time to do a really good cleaning never seems to drop by. :-)  Anyway the first two shots show the stub axle and axle machined for welding. The next shot shows the stub in place and the final shot is the finished product. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Impressive.  Is this yours or something that came in off I-40?Welding details?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:Sorry I was in a hurry when posting. It was looking like a storm was fixing to hit and I didn't want to get caught in the middle of the post.  Not mine a good customers. It's off a anhydrous ammonia trailer used for fertilizing. Another good customer of mine had a little problem last week when the second trailer of a pair came unhooked and took off down a hill and crossed I-40 then rolled. In his haste to try and stop it he accidentally broke this spindle off the one that was still hooked up. It's not really his fault. A quick look at the spindle showed that it had been all but broken off for a good while.   I welded it with the my MM252. I was using .035" wire and C-25 mix. I think I started the weld at about 21V and 375 wire speed but finished higher. I'm not super happy with the weld but I think it'll hold. I know there's at least a couple of inclusions in it though.  As you can see I used the lathe as a welding positioner after machining the end. I couple of years ago I added a VFD to that lathe which along with the two speed back gear allows me to really slow things down.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Thanks for the 'incident' and project details.  So in essence, it did come in off I-40.Now, would you believe me if I told you I knew you were going to say you had the lathe set up with a VFD and used it as a positioner?!  The welding blankets kinda gave it away even though I realize you could have had a helper turning it by hand.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:Great minds think alike. :-)Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:I "blued" a spindle a while back, and got nailed for it.  Others saw no problem with it.A fellow I know does a lot of shaft repair on bigger stuff, and has experienced failures in the metal adjacent to the weld, not the weld itself.As it was explained to me.....  A shaft, unlike let's say thick plate, doesn't dissipate heat very efficiently.  The heat has nowhere to go, not a large radiating surface.  Interpass temps can climb too high with continuous repeated passes.  And heat input to the adjacent parent metal can cause problems.  I was advised to go smoke a cig, or listen to the radio, or do something else while the weldment cooled before additional passes.Prior to this I had also "blued" plain old mild steel cold rolled round.  So I think it's not just a function of the type of steel.  It seems to be a function of heat input.I'm not climbing on your case  It's a good topic for discussion."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I'm not sure, this is just something I remember, and it might be way out there..........But the heat input changes the orientation of the crystals in the steel.  I forget just how it rearanges them when subjected to high heat."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I understand about the overheating which is why I stayed realitively low on power during most of the weld. However in this case I needed some post heat since these axles aren't mild steel. If it hadn't been blue when I finished I would of taken the torch and heated that way on purpose. I've welded several of these before and they've held up so far. Actually the front axle on the one that turned over has had both spindles replaced by me and they survived the wreck.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammI'm not sure, this is just something I remember, and it might be way out there..........But the heat input changes the orientation of the crystals in the steel.  I forget just how it rearanges them when subjected to high heat.
Reply:Originally Posted by grnxrymnkyif you ever look at the cross section of a knife blade thats been selectively treated/quenched, you'll easily notice the "tightness" of the grain in the quenched edge (cutting edge) and the "looseness" of the grain in the back of the blade. the tight grain gives hardness and the loose grain gives flexibility. of course this probably doesn't apply to over heated spindles or it might...IDK.
Reply:I wish we had a metalurgist on the board.  I'm not absolutely sure eitherI do know that heat will work harden a machined piece as you machine it.As far as post heating, It helps to prevent cracking in the weld due to uneven cooling stresses between parent metal and weld.I suppose what we're really talking about here is interpass temps, and the effect on the metal"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Actually it's more complicated than that although you've got some of it down. The interpass temp can be critical on some metals for sure. I believe from my experience that to high a interpass temp can cause very large grain growth which is definitely detrimental. I was fairly careful to keep the interpass temp reasonable. You definitely don't want the joint glowing bright red the whole time. However with higher carbon steel like I was welding you also don't want quick cooling since that makes for a very hard but brittle zone near the weld. Thus I was actually aiming for around a blue temp on the piece and allow to cool slowly from that.   This subject gets so complicated so quickly that's it's really very hard to explain. I'm far from a expert at it but I've learned a lot over the years. I could show you real qMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Actually it's more complicated than that although you've got some of it down. The interpass temp can be critical on some metals for sure. I believe from my experience that to high a interpass temp can cause very large grain growth which is definitely detrimental. I was fairly careful to keep the interpass temp reasonable. You definitely don't want the joint glowing bright red the whole time. However with higher carbon steel like I was welding you also don't want quick cooling since that makes for a very hard but brittle zone near the weld. Thus I was actually aiming for around a blue temp on the piece and allow to cool slowly from that.   This subject gets so complicated so quickly that's it's really very hard to explain. I'm far from a expert at it but I've learned a lot over the years. I could show you real quick what I'm talking about with a bandsaw blade weld but trying to explain it in words is tougher.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:You got me thumbing thru the Bible  That's a good thingFrom what I was able to come up with since the last post is intresting.  I'm not sure whether it applies here to this situation, but in general there seems to be indication that the piece should be kept very close to the preheat temp during successive passes.  And the bulk of the preheat temps seem to be around 400 or so for different steels.I don't know where the color of the metal changes.  But it seems that the blue doesn't occur at 400ish.These are two excerpts from the Bible.  They may not be relevant, but do seem to show limitations on heat input between passes, or at least the requirement to keep heat input within certain limits Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:And, before I forget it.  I wonder if residual machine oil on spindles and other machined parts contributes to the color change when it oxidizes at high heat"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Interesting reading there. I can't tell you about the 400 deg reccomendation there (though I did see 400-700 degree recommended for higher carbon content in one place on that page). The color change really doesn't start till around the 500 deg range though as you guessed oil definitely does change that a little.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammAnd, before I forget it.  I wonder if residual machine oil on spindles and other machined parts contributes to the color change when it oxidizes at high heat
Reply:Can you re-phrase your question Samm, 'cause I'm not sure I understand?  I can whip a little techno-babble at you, but I want to make sure its the right BS, and not just the first thing that comes to mind. Originally Posted by farmersammI wish we had a metalurgist on the board.  I'm not absolutely sure eitherI do know that heat will work harden a machined piece as you machine it.As far as post heating, It helps to prevent cracking in the weld due to uneven cooling stresses between parent metal and weld.I suppose what we're really talking about here is interpass temps, and the effect on the metal
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitInteresting reading there. I can't tell you about the 400 deg reccomendation there (though I did see 400-700 degree recommended for higher carbon content in one place on that page). The color change really doesn't start till around the 500 deg range though as you guessed oil definitely does change that a little.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammI'm not sure, this is just something I remember, and it might be way out there..........But the heat input changes the orientation of the crystals in the steel.  I forget just how it rearanges them when subjected to high heat.
Reply:Originally Posted by A_DAB_will_doCan you re-phrase your question Samm, 'cause I'm not sure I understand?  I can whip a little techno-babble at you, but I want to make sure its the right BS, and not just the first thing that comes to mind.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammOk   Something even the cows can understandCan you slap bead on top of bead, without some cooldown time, without putting too much heat into the thingy your welding?To make it clear, some pics of a past deal.(snip)
Reply:I am finding this thread extremely interesting.   How do you actually measure interpass temps?   I would have never thought it possible to repair a busted axle.
Reply:Me too,to what Billdacat saidMaxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:Temps can be measured with temperature crayons.  Pyrometers (anybody old enough to remember pyrometers being used on the old diesels?), and thermocouples.And a good indicator, believe it or not, is plain old SPIT.  Preheat is sorta there when you can spit on it and it sizzles and evaporates  Probably not a good idea in mixed companyHere's a pretty comprehensive chart for anybody interested.It has been a good thread.  The Socratic method at it's finest Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/Originally Posted by Matt_Maguireirish fixit, you're repeating yourself above...Is that an American Machine Tool lathe?On the repair post, a wider V would have been nice but maybe you got what you got.I would also advise you to get a dead center for your lathe.Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireShort answer is yes farmersamm, but it usually dulls the effect. The blue happens and stays blue from about 550-750 above that it goes from a blue/black to grey.I would imagine the spindle is most likely .26 to .3 carbon and may be alloyed with boron so the CE would not be above .5.Many repair weldors would work similar to your advice above, probably welding with lo-hy SMAW, burn a bit then lightly peen a bit all the while trying to keep the temps above 250 degrees and trying to keep below 500 within an inch or two from the weld. It least when done in this manner the weldor has given resonable care to the weld itself.It takes a little time for a heat treated steel to draw when it is over the original tempering temperature so when welding you can go over any number of times without drawing back the original properties. 15 minutes straight overtemp will start to get it done.Grain growth is another animal, where there is mixture with filler and parent and in the HAZ, grain size will grow and some of it can never be refined or reversed. So high strength welded joints are designed with a large surface area to mass ratio.Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitI'm not sure what the axle is made of on these. I'm not real sure the exact composition of the spindle either but I think it's probably 4140 annealled based on the way it machined.
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireThat would be pretty unusual, I've etched a number of spindles for the folks down the block and never found chrome or moly. They usually have the "brown" look common with steel in the .2 to .3 carbon range found in 1020 to 1030 or 11XX material.1030 can get plenty difficult to machine (pretty tough, hard to finish machine) and the 11XX resupherized steels don't weld well at all (usually crack upon cooling).The only time Lee Bros. do this is when there is no plan "B" or it is a really large spindle on a grain wagon or such (very expensive, or can't get it).4140 in the annealed state 26-28 rockwell "C" scale has no real cost benefit compared to other materials of similar strenth. Sometimes job shops keep some around in ranges from 30-34RC range for the higher mechanical properties, but there are real issues with welding hardened and tempered 4140.Get your hands on some 2-5% nitrile solution and use it on stuff you know and pretty soon you will be able to spot steels with Voo-Doo in them.Matt
Reply:If you ask me this repair was done all wrong...You should have bored into the axle itself after you cut off the spindle at least 2"deep..Make the bore 1.495..Do the same to the axle spindle...Then heat the axle and shrink fit a piece of 1.500 steel into it..After cooling do the same with the spindle THEN weld it.It WILL NOT go anywhere after that.Marrying the pieces together with a piece of stock between the pieces is 1000 times safer that just a "V'D" out weld joint.I do this stuff all day every day....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:Originally Posted by zapsterI do this stuff all day every day....zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by makoman1860Yes, and many others do as well. Welded multi piece shafts are nothing new. When making prototype drive shafts here out of 17-4PH, we do the vee-and -weld on a special jig. Keep in mind these shafts are less than an inch in diameter, and run in excess of 350 hp. We actually found the multi section press-and-weld shafts to have a lower fatigue life due to fretting betweeen the surfaces. Welding changed the mechanical fit.
Reply:I think he used the right method to replace the spindle.If you notice, the axle is an ag axle, not a typical straight axle, and definitely not a tubular axle by the looks of it.Ag axles on grain carts etc. are generally solid thick stock.  I imagine the main reason is that they have to be bent (as the axle in question), and are almost always unsprung.  They take a huge amount of abuse.Automotive type (trailer) axles are generally tubular, and supported very close to the spindle by the spring.  They are mostly a press fit between spindle and tube axle.By boring out the solid gooseneck axle, and even if it were a straight axle as designed, you've effectively cut all of the meat of the axle.  You made into a tube.  Only the shoulders of the bore would support the load.See pic..........you've damaged the solid axle by boring it.  Even though the spindle is press/shrink fit, you've cut the support.  Only thing supporting the load is the thin wall of the bore. Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:In other words, you no longer have a unitized mass."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:This is the front spindle off of an old Allis 190The spindle is solid, machined from a casting, the vertical piece is then pressed into the spindle assembly.You can see the center for the lathe on the backside of the broken spindle.No shear load was ever taken by anything but a solid spindle. Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Thanks for the support Sam. I agree with you in this instance. Especially since the axle starts bending not far from where I was welding. I see the point they're making but I've also had to fix pieces that have been repaired with that method as well.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:That looks familiar. I had to take one those out of the front axle about 3 weeks ago.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:This is great stuff, it covers a lot of things, and should be talked about.I know it helps me understand what I'm doing in a better way"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitWe made the spindle from steel we had laying around. It came from my former employer originally and was probably a drop that came from Cabot before that. My former employer really liked tough steel like 4140 for making shafts and thus had a lot of it when they closed down. I bought a lot of the steel after they had the auction but proving exact composition of some of the pieces can be tough. Knowing that it was probably a steel like 4140 is why I wanted it in the 500-700 range temp for the welding. While I'm no expert on it past experience has shown that welds done in that temp range seem to hold.
Reply:Sorry for the long delay in answering.  I was out of town for a couple days and am just now catching up...The short answer is, yes, it is possible to overheat a weld by slapping on bead after bead, one on top of the other.  The effects of doing so will vary based on the chemistry of the steel and the filler metal.  With SMAW, overheating the base metal can interfer with some of the chemical reactions that take place in the slag coating that forms.  Since the slag also contributes alloying ingredients to the weld bead, anything that interferes with the chemical reactions that are going on as the weld cools, will also disturb the chemistry of the finished weld.  Welding on base metal that's overheated can produce porosity(which can be visible or hidden) and can also screw up the weld metal chemistry; which usually results in welds with lower strength and/or toughness.  This is even more likely with FCAW-S or FCAW-G welds, where there's a lot more chemistry occurring with the flux/slag coatings.  Self shielded fluxcore wires for high strength/high impact toughness applications need to be closely monitored with Tempil stiks or the like if getting the best properties is a must.Generally speaking the lower the alloy content, the less sensitive the base steel, will be to overheating.  The thicker/larger the base metal around the weld, the more forgiving the weld will be to heat input.  I've seen welds on 2" thick steel plates where the plate had to be re-heated between passes in order to keep it from getting too cold. These were FCAW-S welds running at 250-300 amps....So it all depends on the situation.Overheating the base metal can affect things like the carbon content of the steel.  For medium and high carbon steels you can burn the carbon right out of the base metal in and around the HAZ if you get them too hot while welding.  There's lots of other negative effects on the base metal chemistry, but carbon is possibly the most important alloying ingredient when it comes to strengthening steel.  Anything that lowers(or raises) the carbon content of the steel has a massive effect on the strength of the material.Preheating thick base metal does a couple of beneficial things.  It drives off moisture that is adsorbed on the surface.  Water breaks down in an electric arc and this can introduce hydrogen into the weld pool.  Hydrogen will cause cracking; but again this is usually only an issue with higher strength, alloyed steels.  You can crack A36 by welding it while wet, but generally speaking it's more forgiving than say a high strength steel like 4130 or structural steel like A514.Preheating also slows the rate of cooling in the weld joint.  If the surrounding base metal is warm, the heat in the weld joint is not conducted away as quickly.  The right cooling rate produces a weld with the ideal grain structure; not too big and not too small.  In alloy steels slow cooling helps prevent brittle microscopic structures from forming in the steel.  Or more accurately, it allows them to form, and then because they're not stable, they 'fall apart' or dissolve and re-form into tougher structures.  The right cooling rate gives you the optimal balance between strength and ductility or toughness.If you're welding a steel part and the surrounding base metal is shows color change due to oxidation, or the weld beads 'blue' as soon as you chip the slag, that's a good time to take a break and let things cool off a bit.  Does it automaticly mean you've made a bad weld?  NO.  But it means you're skating on thin ice...The exact requirement for pre-heat and interpass temps are determined by the weld geometry, base metal dimensions, filler metal used, process, and weld parameters.  If you need to pre-heat...Generally speaking, a preheat to 212°F-250°F is good because you know this is going to get rid of any moisture on the surface.  The Lincoln Bible does a good job of explaining what interpass temps are good for obtaining the best mechanical properties from a given weld and base metal chemistry.For most welds on low alloy steels or plain carbon steels(A36 or 1018 etc), an interpass temp of 300° will prevent too rapid a cooling of the weld joint.  But you need to check references if you're welding on particularly thick steel or steel with high strength/alloy content.  There's too many variables for these materials to state a rule of thumb for pre-heat and interpass.Once you're dealing with stainless steels, exotic alloys, or hardfacing, everything gets complicated and it's best to talk with your filler metal manufacturer to get the right advice.Alright, that's a rambling speech on heat affects, and probably more than most people want to know.  The short answer is if you're welding anything, it's a good idea to check your reference and see if any pre-heat and/or interpass temp control is recommended.  Otherwise, you're risking less than perfect results.  And we're all aiming at perfection with every weld, right? Originally Posted by farmersammOk   Something even the cows can understandCan you slap bead on top of bead, without some cooldown time, without putting too much heat into the thingy your welding?To make it clear, some pics of a past deal.I almost lost my classified double secret handshake membership to a certain organization (which must stay un-named for fear of my life) due to the procedure I followed.  A procedure I'd never given thought to previously.I welded this dealy up pass on top of pass with no time out.  Weld, flip, weld, flip, weldIn plain simple terms.............THIS SUCKER GOT HOTI've never done this since.  I was roundly kicked, punched,, and dope slapped.  Lesson learnedI thought it might be a good topic for discussion, again.Now...........I don't know joules from the Crown Jewels, and the only formula I know has milk stuff in it for babies, but the charts seemed to indicate something along the lines I'm talking about.Lincoln's website, put it pretty simple too.  Interpass temps should equal preheat temps.  I'm no good at links, so folks should take the time to look it up.  I did.
Reply:Not rambling atallStraightforward, to the point, with a dash of eloquence befitting a gentleman"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by A_DAB_will_do(snip)Alright, that's a rambling speech on heat affects, and probably more than most people want to know. (snip)  And we're all aiming at perfection with every weld, right?
Reply:Thanks Samm.  Matt,  the fact that most welds function adequately, despite the lack of good procedures, is a testament to one of two things1 - Welders, given the choice, almost always make welds larger than they need to be.  This will tend to offset weaknesses in welder technique, or filler metal quality..."It just needs a 1" tack weld, but there's no weld symbol on the print.  So I welded it out completely...because I could, and it felt good doing it."2 - Engineers/designers rarely build anything to operate at nine tenths of its' capacity.  So a marginal weld is likely still two or more times stronger than in strictly needs to be..."Hmm calculations say 1" of weld will suffice, there's room for 3" or 4" of weld bead, so that's what I'll put on the drawing" (if I remember)We should all be grateful for both of these facts....The worst catastrophes only happen when bad welds are coupled with poor design. Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI thing some folks expressed interest on the first page. Concerning the the original post and with farmersamm's posts it's kinda like looking through the "back door" of the shop.Then as the topic goes on you get to hear the boys in the shop talk about it, and that is the priceless part.Forever there are folks that will take a torch and coat hanger and end up with a "HowDiddyDoDat!". It's not just that these things are done so much as how often it works well.As with many things some will "work outside the box" or "run past redline", as long as the rules are known then the player is OK with poor results.I moved last year and have only found 2 of the ASM manuals and none of the heat-treat stuff I'm looking for and then I've got to figure out what I can chart/post so there is no copyright issues. Then I can post up what the more common constructional direct hardening AISI steels do at different tempers and then a weldor can draw conclusions from there.Anyway all input from those with info is great, and I don't think your post was rambling.Matt
Reply:One additional benefit of larger welds (wider) is the ability to resist cracking, although these wider welds increase distortion.(this fact makes me feel better because I have a tendancy to use too much filler)  But I'm getting better and better every day Nurse Cratchet"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by A_DAB_will_doThanks Samm.  Matt,  the fact that most welds function adequately, despite the lack of good procedures, is a testament to one of two things1 - Welders, given the choice, almost always make welds larger than they need to be.  This will tend to offset weaknesses in welder technique, or filler metal quality..."It just needs a 1" tack weld, but there's no weld symbol on the print.  So I welded it out completely...because I could, and it felt good doing it."2 - Engineers/designers rarely build anything to operate at nine tenths of its' capacity.
Reply:Disclaimer on the above post, these charts are NOT taken from ASM, ASTM, AISI, SAE or AWS materials but I'm crossing things from such and digging data from sales materials. In this Case USS and Earle M Jorganson.Matt
Reply:Interesting. I didn't know about the dip between 500 and 800.   Normally on a critical weld in high carbon I'll take the piece up to 400-500 before welding. Do my welding keeping it from staying above 1000 for to long and then post heat to 900-1000. I've had success welding the springs on that same type axle together with that method. I usually prefer to error on the side of too soft than too hard in those cases.  It's kind of a seat of your pants method I worked out. Much of my real world experience in that type weld is welding bandsaw blades. I can tell a lot about the way the metal is reacting when doing those.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammI think he used the right method to replace the spindle.If you notice, the axle is an ag axle, not a typical straight axle, and definitely not a tubular axle by the looks of it.Ag axles on grain carts etc. are generally solid thick stock.  I imagine the main reason is that they have to be bent (as the axle in question), and are almost always unsprung.  They take a huge amount of abuse.Automotive type (trailer) axles are generally tubular, and supported very close to the spindle by the spring.  They are mostly a press fit between spindle and tube axle.By boring out the solid gooseneck axle, and even if it were a straight axle as designed, you've effectively cut all of the meat of the axle.  You made into a tube.  Only the shoulders of the bore would support the load.See pic..........you've damaged the solid axle by boring it.  Even though the spindle is press/shrink fit, you've cut the support.  Only thing supporting the load is the thin wall of the bore.
Reply:Came in for a sandwich and a peek.There's nothing wrong with your fix zapster it's done a lot. The beauty of this thread is it concerns repair stuff where the choice is try to fix, get a replacement or both.In time almost everything under the sun is done, excepting critical applications (like high pressure pipe, where there is a stack of bodies for reference).I quit talking a long time ago when someone was working in the comfort zone, it gets in the way of the watching and trying to understand "why is this working?".Matt
Reply:Hi Irish,Do my welding keeping it from staying above 1000 for to long and then post heat to 900-1000. I've had success welding the springs on that same type axle together with that method. I usually prefer to error on the side of too soft than too hard in those cases.