Need to repair a seal kote tank, pics

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Good evening,My buddy brought over his Seal Kote tank he uses to haul seal kote from the supplier to the parking lot job site. He owns a seal kote and striping business.I posted several pictures. The tank has two leaks. They are at the rear of the tank. If you were standing behind the tank, the two leaks are at the 4:30 and 7:30 positions; right where the tank sits on the longitudinal supports. Where the supports end, the tank has a 2.5" hairline crack. It appears to be welded previously.I included a picture of the inside of one side. You can see the weld repair.My question is.... how to repair this?I thought of 1) drilling the ends of the crack 2) grinding out a bevel and 3) welding it.Have any of you seen this type of stress failure before? How did you repair it?Let me know your thoughts.KRS Attached Images***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:i'm not sure how to weld it the "right way", but they method you described seems good enough for me... my main concern is how flamable any residual sealkote is? i know not everything is labled as "flamable", but not everything is exposed to a welding arc. from my understanding, that stuff is petrol-based, thus not a good combination with high heat. as far as WHY the cracks formed, it may be due to vibrations over a period of time, or maybe the previous owner just hit a BIG pothole? if it were me, i'd look at it as tho i now know where the weak points are. if i'm going in and fixing them anyway, i might as well take the time now and reinforce those points, rather than having to fix them again later.Just my two cents.Later,Andy
Reply:Grind out the fractures. Re-weld fractures inside and out, and box in the triangular opening with some 3/8" plate after you wire wheel all the old paint off. It might help to overlay some plating surrounding the area of the fracture. Its obviously under too much stress at those points. So some additional gusseting and overlay will help distribute the stress out over a greater area.
Reply:The seal kote is dry and he will finish scraping the inside out and washing thoroughly.The outside will be adrasive ground down too.Where do you mean " box in the triangular opening with some 3/8" plate".  What triangular area?I know I need to reinforce, but I'm looking for ideas on how to.Thanks, keep 'em coming, KRS***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:The void between the channel steel, the tank, and trailer frame. The long side of the triangle peice you make should have an arc to match the tank curvature. And where the new gusset (triangular piece) attaches to the tank is a good place to put some stiffener. Get a piece of 1/4" - 3/8" plate say 3" x 12" and form to the outside diameter of the tank, and weld all around before you make and weld the new gusset in place. You may have to notch the top of the channel to allow the curved stiffener to fit back inside. Wish I could draw you a picture, my cad skills are non existent.
Reply:You need to transfer the load to the tank's vertical end-wall. The tank shouldn't have been mounted to the channel iron skids with overhang. The tank should have been placed so that the channels extended beyond the tank end-wall. This would have distributed the load, over more of the tanks area.Extend the channels beyond the end-wall. Reinforce the end with a patch, or a horizontal brace, connecting the two channels. Whole.jpg seems to show surplus channel, that would make a matching extension, maybe rob a piece from there. To me, that nasty old thing would not be worth working inside. It can be repaired from the outside.Good LuckLast edited by denrep; 12-28-2007 at 12:32 AM.
Reply:grind it out, weld it up to get it goin for him, but as noted, the tank should be supported differntly to distribute the weight better, i wouldnt worry about goin inside, just grind it deep enough to make a root pass.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Yeah what Doug247 said! I wouldn't go inside that tank for it!Entering a Confined space, and welding inside a confined space are totally different things.Miller Thunderbolt 225Millermatic 130 XPLincoln HD 100 Forney C-5bt Arc welderPlasma Cutter Gianteach Cut40ACent Machinery Bandsaw Cent Machinery 16Speed Drill PressChicago Electric 130amp tig/90 ArcHobart 190 Mig spoolgun ready
Reply:Yeah you never know what kind of crap will be in the smoke when that seal coat burns upNothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:If I were you I would disregard all the previous posts.The proper way to repair that trailer is to first use a torch to remove the tongue from the front of the trailer. Then securely attach the tongue to a brand new trailer and return it to your friend. heheOk, I just reworked the old joke about removing the radiator cap and driving a new car under it......sorry. Couldn't resist.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:I could be wrong but that dang tank looks paper thin from where I'm sitting. I'm with Joker, it looks like he could use a new tank.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Santa's helpers are a little sarcastic this morning!Hehehe.I'll check out that channel and see if it's surplus.  It might be easier to move the tank forward 2".That's a bigger job than I was looking for..... I'm torchless.KRS***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:Moving the tank forward alone won't resolve the excessive stress at the point that has fractured. You will need to re-enforce the area where the end of the tank mounts to its base(channel). Caution should be made to ensure there is no flammble gas present. But don't be afraid to get dirty and climb in and back weld it. Some people just aren't willing to go the extra mile to ensure you make the repair only once.
Reply:Am I seeing some angle run lineally down the side of the tank right where they set it inside those channels??They've made a thin wall tank part of a flexible structure. It's gonna crack somewhere eventually, and rigid welds are where it usually happens. 1st question that needs answered is 'what does the owner expect' ?  You have to have a meeting of the minds on these things. The original work lasted X years before it cracked, the welded up crack lasted X years before it cracked again. What does he want this time??  Tel him you can't put it back like it was without it failing again with about the same service time. Meeting expectations and exceeding them by a comfortable margin are what makes for happy customer and you can feel good at the same time.
Reply:Good point Sandy.The angle iron sits on top of the channel, the angle supports the tank longitudinally.KRS***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:Work is underway !I tried to flap disk the crud off.... it melts and turns pasty.I tried to wire wheel the crud off.... it melts and turns pasty.I broke out the siphon feed $12 Campxxxx Hausfxxx sandblaster.... everything comes off!  I'm using a bag of play sand, so I'm wearing a mask.It's my buddy's tank, so he'll be doing the blasting.... I left him a little message (see pics).I'm cutting off misc bolts and wires that don't hold anything anymore (I think),  welding up a broken fender,  and then I found a broken spring perch (see pics).I need to repair the spring perch, what's ya'lls opinions on the method, rod, amps, prep, etc.... (a/c buzzbox, and I already have 6011 and 6013 rods).KRS Attached Images***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyAm I seeing some angle run lineally down the side of the tank right where they set it inside those channels??They've made a thin wall tank part of a flexible structure. It's gonna crack somewhere eventually, and rigid welds are where it usually happens. 1st question that needs answered is 'what does the owner expect' ?  You have to have a meeting of the minds on these things. The original work lasted X years before it cracked, the welded up crack lasted X years before it cracked again. What does he want this time??  Tel him you can't put it back like it was without it failing again with about the same service time. Meeting expectations and exceeding them by a comfortable margin are what makes for happy customer and you can feel good at the same time.
Reply:I agree with Sandy and Dave. Plus, don't take this the wrong way, if you're going to fix it, at least fix it so it's correct. If that tank is loaded, which I'm sure it is during the busy summer months, all that weight from the material will load the sides and crack that menial material AGAIN. As Zap says, you touched it last, so you're it. If it fails on a highway or major intersection - guess who it comes back to. YOU. You could be held liable for cleanup (fluid spills all over), damage (tank breaks off crushing a car, person or child) or any other accident related to failure of that tank.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZone....snip........As Zap says, you touched it last, so you're it. If it fails on a highway or major intersection - guess who it comes back to. YOU. You could be held liable for cleanup (fluid spills all over), damage (tank breaks off crushing a car, person or child) or any other accident related to failure of that tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by KRSWork is underway !I tried to flap disk the crud off.... it melts and turns pasty.I tried to wire wheel the crud off.... it melts and turns pasty.I broke out the siphon feed $12 Campxxxx Hausfxxx sandblaster.... everything comes off!  I'm using a bag of play sand, so I'm wearing a mask.It's my buddy's tank, so he'll be doing the blasting.... I left him a little message (see pics).I'm cutting off misc bolts and wires that don't hold anything anymore (I think),  welding up a broken fender,  and then I found a broken spring perch (see pics).I need to repair the spring perch, what's ya'lls opinions on the method, rod, amps, prep, etc.... (a/c buzzbox, and I already have 6011 and 6013 rods).KRS