Need a Crack welded

divcord2002

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L1500
Dec 8, 2017
8
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Russellville,AR
Can anyone tell me where I could get a cracked welded on my gear box that would not cost me an arm and leg lol I live in Russellville Ar
 

85Hokie

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Jul 13, 2013
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Can anyone tell me where I could get a cracked welded on my gear box that would not cost me an arm and leg lol I live in Russellville Ar
Can you upload a picture of the crack - reason I ask, depending on where it is, there may be an alternative route to fixing it, depending on where it is located.

On the flip side - having it welded should not be a big deal - UNLESS you have to have them come to YOU. ;)
 

dandeman

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BX2230, LA211 FEL, RCK60B Mower, GCK60BX Bagger; Ford 4000, bush hog, blade, etc
Aug 9, 2013
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Chapel Hill, NC
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Cast iron or machined aluminum material?

Cast iron can be tricky... shops that specialize in welding cast iron typically require signing a statement accepting the fact that the part may be destroyed in the process of welding, due to many different grades of cast iron material, some subject to further cracking from the heat of welding. Using preheat and post controlled cooling rate oven can reduce the risk.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/support/welding-how-to/Pages/welding-cast-iron-detail.aspx
 

kwanwon

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Kubota B26 TLB, 2 Yanmars, and a Husqvarna 2653
Mar 9, 2017
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Camas Wa
You might get lucky and the casting might be cast steel which is easy to weld. It's hard to tell the difference but one of my three point lift arms on my Yanmar broke and the welder discovered it was cast steel while repairing it, had I known I could have easily welded it myself.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 

JeffL

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B7200E, B4200DT
Jan 8, 2016
344
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North Central Ar.
Early in my career I spent several years working with weld repair of cast iron. What I found was 1 out of 100 shops that claimed to weld structural cast iron actually could. The rest only cover the crack soon to return after the repair. Your best hope is to find a good shop that specializes in repair of heavy duty diesel cylinder heads. I don't know of any in Arkansas but there were a couple in Greenville Mississippi. This is a major repair stop for barges operating on the Mississippi river.
The OK shops use a nickel welding rod for the repair. The best shops have rods custom cast to match the iron composition of the head. One reason why shops specialize in a particular brand like Cummins, Cat, or whatever.
Walk away from any shop that does not use a pre-heat and a post head to cool down because they are imposters. This can not be welded in place.
I would seriously recommend finding a replacement part or assembly. In the long run will most likely be cheaper.
 

Dave_eng

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There are alternatives to welding worth considering.

LOC-N-STITCH

Jay Leno, with his extensive collection of vehicles, uses and endorses this product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq0wfU4ZaKk
It was also used on the Capital Building Dome in Washington.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syZQ3XBspIo

When welding any crack, knowledgeable people drill holes at either end of the visible crack because they know the microscopic defects making the crack grow need to be cut out.

To visualize this:

Tear two short rips in a piece of paper. On one rip, i.e. crack, use a hole punch to round the end of the rip.

Now pull on the paper trying to get each rip to grow. You will find the rip with the round hole at the end will be much more resistant to progressing.

Do you know what caused the crack to form?

Dave
 

D2Cat

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Find the oldest welding shop in the area. Either take the tractor to them, or a good picture on your phone and ask for their advise. Those guys like to solve unsolvable problems. They might decide to braze it, who knows.

Start out the conversation like this. "You probably won't be able to fix this but I know you have a lot of experience and can give me some good ideas."
 

dandeman

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BX2230, LA211 FEL, RCK60B Mower, GCK60BX Bagger; Ford 4000, bush hog, blade, etc
Aug 9, 2013
166
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18
Chapel Hill, NC
www.dan-de-man.net
  • Your best hope is to find a good shop that specializes in repair of heavy duty diesel cylinder heads......
  • Walk away from any shop that does not use a pre-heat and a post head to cool down because they are imposters.
  • This can not be welded in place.
.
ditto on every point mentioned above....

Had a cast iron cylinder head with cracks under the valve seats repaired by a shop that specialized in heavy duty diesel cylinder heads...
 

JeffL

Member

Equipment
B7200E, B4200DT
Jan 8, 2016
344
6
18
North Central Ar.
"When welding any crack, knowledgeable people drill holes at either end of the visible crack because they know the microscopic defects making the crack grow need to be cut out." -Dave_Eng

Saying another way: once a crack starts in cast iron it will never stop propagating. Most repairs will only slow it down. To actually repair a crack it must be completely ground out, all the way through the wall. The void is then filled in with cast rod.

Stitching does work in certain situations. The end of crack is drilled out with a taper drill bit and a matching plug is driven in. Unfortunately, stitching is not as structural as a good weld repair.