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Post by mariner on Jan 28, 2008 13:39:55 GMT -5
Hi Guys,
In case you haven't seen it, I had a steering arm failure on my new 554 tractor. The left hand steering assembly top cover, broke where the power steering cylinder rod end bolts to the cover. The arm broke off, the other arm (two arms on LHS cover plate) for the tie rod appears to be fine. It is cast iron so it is possible that this might be a failure prone component. Hopefully though I will have just had a weak casting.
The parts book that came with the 554 tractor covers 40hp through 65hp units. So it seems that these tractors have a lot of parts in common. I ended up buying a new one and also am checking on another for the parts replacement warrnty program. I would be quite happy to have a spare sitting on the shelf in the workshop, gathering dust.
The part has just arrived while I am typing this. Had to walk down to the gate to get it - Fedex guy wouldn't come up the driveway as I had drifted snow and his van was just 2 wheel drive.
I have unpacked the box and the part is the right part, I think. I ordered it from the parts book and the parts number is correct. IT will be a few days before I get to install it as the outside temperature was -36C (-32F) this morning and will only go to -24C ( -12F) this afternoon. I will fire up the woodstove in the shop tomorrow and see how things go - too late today.
Anyway, Just thought I would mention the part failure so it has some coverage. Rob is not the only one with wonky steering at the present time!!!! :-( :-(
Cheers
mariner
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3RRL
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Post by 3RRL on Jan 28, 2008 16:35:27 GMT -5
Jim, Great news they got parts in stock like that. That's a testament against what everybody's fears are ... hard to get parts. I too found Chip, Ronald and Tommy always had the parts I needed in stock....no problems with that. I try to support those guys. Hope they will come over here to participate soon. Man, -36°C is friggin cold man! How do you do it? As I recall, the old timers used to spit and if it crackled when it hit the ground, it was below -30°. If it crackled before hitting the ground ... it was way too cold to be out! Get that new part on when it warms up to -30° Had to walk down to the gate to get it - FedEx guy wouldn't come up the driveway as I had drifted snow and his van was just 2 wheel drive.That's one thing I'll say about our local FedEx truck, it's a 4wd van in our area. He'll come up our drive if needed. I haven't had any shipments yet, but my neighbor says he comes to their door. Very cool. Share some of your pics if you can, please. Rob-
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GuglioLS
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Post by GuglioLS on Jan 28, 2008 21:12:24 GMT -5
Hey Jim,
I saw the pics of your busted steering arm you posted over on TBN. Sorry that had to happen at 30 hours. Probably just a bad casting so hopefully the new one will hold up till the end of time. Man it's cold at your place, good thing you got that nice work shop to put it back together in.
So your working on getting a warranty replacement? how does that program work?
Larry
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Post by 3RRL on Feb 6, 2008 22:56:56 GMT -5
Jim, I got my front drive repaired and will post on that later... Did you get that bushing you need to fix yours? Any news on that? Rob-
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GuglioLS
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Post by GuglioLS on Feb 6, 2008 23:16:47 GMT -5
Jim, Hey I was wondering if the extreme cold at your place had anything to do with that steering arm busting? I used to "work" with liquid nitrogen. We did all kinds of "experiments" with it ;)We would Freeze stuff, then drop it on the floor or hit it with a hammer to see what happened. Most of our results ended up in little pieces on the floor Larry
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Post by mariner on Feb 6, 2008 23:57:52 GMT -5
Hi Rob, Larry,
I am still waiting on the top kingpin bushing - I am hoping it will arrive before the weekend. I kick myself over that boo-boo!!!
It is hard to tell what has caused the failure. There doesn't seem to be any previous cracking (that is obvious) but the metal grains are quite coarse and look as if the are some gas bubbles present. Being cast it is a very real possibility. I don't think the ambient temperatures here would adversly effect a component like that. I don't go outside if it is colder than -15C or so, to do any snow clearing. Having said that - and we have another cold spell coming!!!
Spent almost six hours today clearing close to 12" of snow off the driveway. In total I have about 600yds or more to clear plus two or three turnaround/parking areas. I am sure grateful I still have the old MF-65 with the gas engine in it. It has worked well as long as I am careful - it is just 2WD , but with chains on the loaded rear wheels, does pretty good. Today the temperature was just around freezing - almost balmy for this time of the year. And, guess what, it is snowing again ( aw shit !!!) - psst, don't tell Joe that!
I will update you as soon as I get it up and running again.
Thanks guys,
Jim
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3RRL
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Post by 3RRL on Feb 7, 2008 0:29:34 GMT -5
Yeah, let us know when when you get it running again. Good thing you have your MF65 as back up tractor anyway. But I'll bet you miss that diesel power, torque and that 4wd on you 554. I drove Honeybee around and after I got my front drive repaired, I realized how much I missed driving my Kama. I guess I better get to posting my repair on the front drive then... Rob-
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Post by baknblack on Feb 7, 2008 6:22:03 GMT -5
I bet the old casting could be welded if it's not too bad. I broke a lift arm using the backhoe. A friend of mine here at work welded it for me. He beveled the broken edges, heated the whole piece to about 250, and after the weld cooled it in a sand bath. He used a nickel rod. It was a damn good weld. I broke it again later but, it didn't break where he welded it. I don't know jack about metals but, an old farmer guy/welder here at work said, The cast steel on these tractors welds a lot better than something like a cast iron manifold.
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3RRL
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Post by 3RRL on Feb 7, 2008 10:29:35 GMT -5
I think you're right Dwayne, I welded my broken upper lift arm too and it's held up. I even welded the broken tie rod swivel joint before, but broke it again in the same place. Rob-
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Post by baknblack on Feb 7, 2008 10:34:47 GMT -5
I think you're right Dwayne, I welded my broken upper lift arm too and it's held up. What rod did you use and was it AC or DC, polarity? I ask because I'm new to welding and still learning.
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3RRL
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Post by 3RRL on Feb 7, 2008 11:05:04 GMT -5
After cleaning vigorously, I heated the arm first and created huge chamfers. I used 6011AC rod for maximum penetration since that arm takes a Hell of a load. Then I ground down the bulging weld to nearly flat with the parent material. The weld is probably stronger than the parent material. Welds are stronger when brought back down close to the parent material like that. Maybe Brad, our resident genius can explain it better. I'm no metallurgist ... I just know how to weld. Rob-
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Post by baknblack on Feb 7, 2008 11:47:41 GMT -5
I can't seem to weld worth a crap using AC. I get too much splatter and my beads look like crap. Everything just goes so much smoother for me with DC. The guy used a nickel rod for my arm and it looked really strong but, my farmer buddy said a 7018 would of done just fine.
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Post by mariner on Feb 7, 2008 14:15:11 GMT -5
Hi,
I haven't even tried to weld the broken part as the trctor is on9was then) a couple of months old. It should be covererd with the warranty replacement progrm. If I need to send in the old part for replacement, I would rather send it the way it is.
Welding this particular piece - I don't know. It has lrge grais at the fractore. IT is not a straight flat pice but rather three dimensional. Even preheating would not guarantee a good job. I would be very hesitant to chance the integrity of that piece - it is all that connects the power steering cylinder rod end to the wheels - nothing else. So when it goes, you have nothing.
I usually use 7018 rods for mild steel as they are multi position, high penetrating and usually leave a good weld finish. The material must b rust free and cleen of course, just like any other weld preperation should be. 6011 doesn't give the same penetration and I only use it for first attachment if needed, then fill in with 7018. There are a variety of rods to use and each has it's particuar application though some can be used for a wide variety or work.
All that being said, main reason I haven't touched it is for warranty replacement. Probably a better arrangement would be to make a bracket to fit over the existsing bolt holes, providing the geometry can be replicated, out of mild steel. Just use extra long bolts to hold it in place on the old cover.
Still waiting on the post - gggrrrrr!
mariner
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3RRL
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Post by 3RRL on Feb 7, 2008 15:44:57 GMT -5
Jim, Hold on to that broken part, you should not have to exchange it? Then you can weld it and keep it as a spare.
As far as welding rod goes, I think you are thinking of 6013 rod Jim, not 6011? 7018AC is 70,000 tensile strength and 6011 is 60,000 tensile strength, but 6011 has deeper penetration characteristics. That's what the 70XX or 60XX means in the numbers. They are both OP (out of position) rod, but I find 6011 is the best to use for OP welding. That's what the XXX1 in the number means. XXX1 is All position, XXX2 is for flat and horizontal and XXX3 is for flat welding. The best way to use them is to run your root bead with 6011 and finish with 7018. You will have an outstandingly strong and good looking weld that way. 7018 is a low hydrogen rod and can produce x-ray quality welds if used correctly. It must be kept dry to work well.
With 6011 rod, you don't need to prep your weld area as much as you do with 7018AC. But it is a good idea to do so anyway. It is extremely important to prep and clean the welding area when using 7018. Run it hot too and the welds will come out nice. I used to be a certified TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder for the mold making industry. I still have my old Miller 330A/BP that I use at home. I can TIG weld with it but also arc weld in either AC or DC with it.
It might be a little easier for begginers to weld in DC because of the current flow characteristic offered by DC welding (in one direction). It also offers lower welding amperages. However, at my property I only have a Lincoln 220AC welder that runs off a generator. I also have an really old Forney FS235 AC welder and use that at home too. So I have lots of welders. (Also gas torches, of course). I just bought an AC/DC Diesel welder/generator from China but have not taken it out of the box yet. I will try it out at the property for when I want to weld in DC.
Just thought I'd share some of that stuff in case it might help somebody. Even though I've burned a few rods in my day, I am no expert by any means. So stick with what works best for you... what you are comfortable with and gets you the best results. You can do a web search and get a lot of information on welding rods and how to weld. Rob-
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Post by bradblazer on Feb 8, 2008 0:11:39 GMT -5
Then I ground down the bulging weld to nearly flat with the parent material. The weld is probably stronger than the parent material. Welds are stronger when brought back down close to the parent material like that. Maybe Brad, our resident genius can explain it better. I'm no metallurgist ... I just know how to weld. Rob- Thanks Rob. If the welded area is thicker it will be more stiff than the rest of the part and a STRESS CONCENTRATION will occur at the edge of the weld. If the edge of the weld forms a notch it can cause crack propogation. The resistance to cracling in a notch is proportional to the radous at the bottom of the notch. I picked up the HF 80 amp inverter stick welder at Overstock last week for $50. Works pretty nice with rods to 3/32 except for 6010 (which I have 150 lb of. ) It doesn't send power to a shorted rod and with 6010 it acts like the rod is shorted all the time. 7014 in 3/32 welds like a dream. www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91110Its the size of a 2-slice toaster. Welds stainless real nice with 3/32 308-16 rod DCEP. I'll have to get some pics. Brad
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