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Had this machine come in today at 1:00.  Need it by 7:00 Monday morning, ofcourse...    I even got the "We already had one welder fix it", but it's starting to crack again explanation.  I told him I did not know if I could fix it properly by monday but I will get him back running... How do ya like the line up before the welding? Its not welded 100% thru, and didn't even try to get to the back side.   It needs to be torn down, and a whole new carrier made with new bosses, and pins.  I am not really sure which way to attack this for the time being.  He wants me to go ahead and build a new piece, but can't have the down time so I guess I will cut all this crap loose so I can line it back up, and weld it and plate it to get him by until I can fabricate the new pieces.  I get some pics of the work as I go tommorrow. ~JacksonLast edited by MicroZone; 05-05-2007 at 11:56 PM.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Wow ! You've got your hands full! I think my 5 year old son could have done better...under my tutelage...of course.  Jackson - I fixed your pics, so they are viewable from the post. Easier viewing for the members.  We like seeing this big equipment, thanks for sharing the pics.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:that repair looks to me like (you owne a wleder than you must be a welder huh? yup i can do that)when i worked for Vermmer i seen repairs like that all the time and the story was allways the same the guy has a welder or his buddy dose and thay now how to weldChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Its hard to believe that their are people that will do work like this. I find in my experience and opinion that their are only two types of welders. Ones that will do the proper fit and finish work and are capable fabricators and then their are the ones that don't. As Chopper pointed out, their are some people with welders and think they are a welder and are not even close. I hope this didn't offend anyone and should say that most of the people on this site are trying to do a proper job. Grapples take allot of abuse and cause big loses when down. I work for a large sawmill where grapples are always in need of repair. I just fixed one up the other day. I didn't take any pics of the job but have the ones given to me on the work order. Most of the cracks are carbon arced out or torched and grinder work depending on the material thickness then welded up. here are the pics from the work order.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:We do grapples all the time.... We just did one where the ring gear bolts pulled out of the top of grapple. There are 22, 5/8-11 bolts that secure the ring.... the factroy claims with proper torque the bolting with hold 200,000 lbs. Yup grapples get pretty beat up._________________Chris
Reply:Well I went and got it patched up until I can build a whole new bracket.  The whole unit is warped up, and worn out.  I am gonna start on the new bracket tomorrow.  I'm going to have to turn the bushings, and pins first and when i get all my parts I post the pics of building the new one.  Anyway here is the patch up I did today.  If anyone would have approached this repair differently  I'd like to hear it.  I am always interested in different views on how to go about doing a repair.  Started out by gouging out the crack and excess weld.Last edited by MicroZone; 05-06-2007 at 06:07 PM.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Then I wound up having to jack it back in place with a hydraulic jack.  Then started welding up the joint.Last edited by MicroZone; 05-06-2007 at 06:10 PM.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Well I then cut my plate and welded it in place.  I ran out of room on my camera So I did not get a pic after brushing it down, and cleaning it up.    I also back gouged the crack and welded it from the backside as well.Last edited by MicroZone; 05-06-2007 at 06:12 PM.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:very nice hammack
Reply:Looks great Hammack, 100 times better than the last guy!John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:The added support looks like a permanant repair.Nice jobDavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:looks like a winner..........._________________Chris
Reply:Good fix Jackson. You better double check that the guy still wants you to R + R the thing. After seeing your temporary fix he may just call it good. And don't be too hard on the first guy. Most of us have been under the gun at sometime and maybe he just didnt have the time or the tools to do it any different.Been there....done that...
Reply:TEK, ordinarily I don;t comment on others work around here, but this is one of the new guys who thinks he can undercut the established guys and get our business.  Yea my repair cost over twice what his did, but He isn;t going to have to call another welder to fix it again either.  So he still comes out cheaper.  The break is not why we are really building a new unit.  The piece is worn to the point  that all pins, bushing, and bosses will have to be replaced.  Just cheaper when you consider downtime to just build a new unit take it out and bolt it on in an hour or two than take three days tearing it down, cutting it apart, and replacing all the parts.  Loggers around here get payed off production.  If they can't get the loads out then they aren't getting paid.  Time is a BIG factor when considering repair cost on the equipment.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Thats one of those deals that you have to cringe when you look at the work and know what it takes to fix right.  Kudos to you for taking all the steps and making a permanent fix.Lots of toys.
Reply:Good Field fix.. ...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:Nice repair.Did you bend that torch tip or is it a purchased tip for gouging? If yes, how?
Reply:Tap, it's a #3 Gouging tip.  My bobcat's don't like to arc gouge so I always keep two cutting heads in my two mobile rigs.  One with a cutting tip, the other with a gouging tip.  My primary work is repair on logging or agricultural equipment.  1/2" to 2" thick material is not at all uncommon, and the gouging tip is a nice alternative when you have a smaller machine that doesn't like carbon arc gouging.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Good fix Jackson. You better double check that the guy still wants you to R + R the thing. After seeing your temporary fix he may just call it good.
Reply:Hey, someone else who uses a Smith torch.
Reply:Yep, I have one just like that as well. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Yea, That's a smith, but I hate to tell ya it's only as a back up, hehe   I prefer my old air products torches , but sent the one on this truck in to be worked on.  I have nothing against the smith, its a fine torch, It's just the way I hold a torch I have a problem hitting the OXY knob (with it being in front)  and knocking it out of adjustment while cutting.  Thanks for the comments as well.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I have seen scarfing tips but never a gouging tip. I need to find one and tinker now.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:Looking at that job reminds me of a world wide situation - We build it - operators destroy it - don't complain about operators, without them we would all be unemployed, so we fix it and smile.Clive
Reply:Now wait a minute.. How come that torch nozzle is bent?  Did you do that?By the way, I can see what you mean about it being worn out..  Shame to put all that work into a patch, but it looks to me that it was done well.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.Doolittle, that tip is what's called a gouging tip.  It was made like that.  The curve allows you to lay the tip down on its side and cut out a groove as you go along rather than cutting through the material.  I have a job tommorrow where i will need it, and  I'll try to get my helper to snap some pics of it while I am gouging out a crack.  Tip has preheat holes just like a regular tip, but the oxy hole is widened out to broaden the flow of oxy so that is cuts a wide swath.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:i have a rivet tip its like the gouge but its flattened out its used to cut off rivet headsChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Hammack - How thick was the cracked plate you repaired? Did you preheat? Preheating very thick material helps to reduce the chance of cracking in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The additional support plate will help too.Nice job on the repair.The tip you used I've always called a scarfing tip. Great to use if you don't have a carbon arc gouge setup and sparks don't fly all over the place.
Reply:nice fix hammack  i'm a big fan of the gouging tip myself Creative metal Creative metal Facebook
Reply:mlmonte, the place was only 5/8"  thick, Preheating was not an option on this piece due to the collector and hoses that are in the grapple.  If you were to preheat you run the risk of ruining the seals or burning the hoses off.  Rosebuds and hydraulics don;t go well together.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by David RThe added support looks like a permanant repair.Nice jobDavid