finished cycle ramp

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I uploaded the first stages a couple of weeks ago, and after moving my welder into my fathers old shop, was finally able to weld the aluminum without tripping my dryer circuit!! - Things I learned. - 1)Aluminum is picky. I learned a lot of new curse words.2)You had better be able to eat off of it before you weld it.3)Aluminum gets hot...real hot4)If you start to hear popping, better clean some more, grind the tungsten, reclean, and use more curse words.5)Fillet welds on aluminum act a lot different than mild steel6)Not being careful at the end of the weld can leave a crack7)Better use the post flow8)I want a water cooled torch!9)Once the bead is running, it is smooth sailing if you followed step 210)When you think the pool is ready, it is not. It needs to turn a distinct shiny color before it is hot enough to run with.11)If you are running a little cold, the filler balls up and moves backward, so you feel like an idiot, trying to slide the filler in the pool, while it laughs at you and moves the opposite direction.12)The PT 185 is a great little machine!13)Last but not least, the new machines actually make welding aluminum a joy. Once I learned all the above, I was actually satisfied with my progress. Yeah, the beads are not the prettiest, but for my first real aluminum project, I am pretty happy with my results. Some of the rungs might be a tad bit on the cold side, but the fillet turned out great as far as penetration.Images are attached below. - The ramp folds for easy transport and also slides a long a piece of stainless for loading two dirt bikes. The brackets are 1/8 inch scrap, the stainless tube is schedule 40 (1 inch ID), and the aluminum ramp is 1.25 inch tubing 1/8 inch wall. Attached ImagesLast edited by kshellrazor; 03-21-2006 at 09:55 PM.
Reply:Looks good and it's very functional too. Didn't add a bunch of weight either.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyLooks good and it's very functional too. Didn't add a bunch of weight either.
Reply:Yeah, I was going to go the safe route and make the ramp out of mild steel, but I guess you don't learn much by playing it safe all the time! - Plus, not having to paint it and the weight savings are huge plusses!