I got a good start today replacing steel on the manure spreader that supports the load on the hitch, but now tomorrow I've got a wedding I can't get out of. I should need less than 1 day of welding yet and I think we can flip it back over, but I can't keep thinking about it.
I finished welding up the hitch today at work, brought it home and cut out some steel on the front of the box that was rotted out, and then cut a good chunk out of the old hitch to splice in. That was 2 channels welded together to make a box, so I took a slitting disk and slit the welds, and cut out some 18" peices. I then cut out on the frame at a 45* angle where they were rotted and fitted the new peices in, matching the angles and tacking in place with our small wire welder. Put 45's on the front corners so I could put in the new peice for across the front I had made at work, and tacked those in as well. Then I welded everything together with 6011 rods and I have the structural part of the spreader just about fixed. Gotta grind off some of my welds and see what we've got to use for a fish plate at the joints. If I've got any undercut on those welds I'll probably fill them in with the wire machine just to prevent any cracks from developing. The penetration should be there to hold it already from the 6011 rods, and the wire should be fine for filling in where needed.
No pictures for now, but I have the camera set on the table so I can try to remember it on Sunday when I go back to finish it up. Gotta say I think my vertical up welds turned out pretty decent. Never had much practice with those before, but get the chance once in a great while.
I'll be happy once it's done, and I'll cry if something else breaks on it.
Donovan from Wisconsin
I finished welding up the hitch today at work, brought it home and cut out some steel on the front of the box that was rotted out, and then cut a good chunk out of the old hitch to splice in. That was 2 channels welded together to make a box, so I took a slitting disk and slit the welds, and cut out some 18" peices. I then cut out on the frame at a 45* angle where they were rotted and fitted the new peices in, matching the angles and tacking in place with our small wire welder. Put 45's on the front corners so I could put in the new peice for across the front I had made at work, and tacked those in as well. Then I welded everything together with 6011 rods and I have the structural part of the spreader just about fixed. Gotta grind off some of my welds and see what we've got to use for a fish plate at the joints. If I've got any undercut on those welds I'll probably fill them in with the wire machine just to prevent any cracks from developing. The penetration should be there to hold it already from the 6011 rods, and the wire should be fine for filling in where needed.
No pictures for now, but I have the camera set on the table so I can try to remember it on Sunday when I go back to finish it up. Gotta say I think my vertical up welds turned out pretty decent. Never had much practice with those before, but get the chance once in a great while.
I'll be happy once it's done, and I'll cry if something else breaks on it.
Donovan from Wisconsin