I've got my neighbor's Earthquake Vector tiller sitting in front of my shop , he broke it ... What broke is the aluminum casting for the left side of the transmission assembly . The halves have an "ear" at the rear that bolts to the frame , I could cobble a plate to the back side and get it running again BUT . That would leave it with only one half of the trans assembly to take the full load and stresses . Half as strong and he already broke it once . So I think I'm going to disassemble the unit and weld the "ear" back on the left side cast piece . This is probably a356 casting alloy , the area isn't greasy or otherwise contaminated . It should clean up nicely and weld OK , but I'm not sure which alloy to weld it with . I have 4043 and 5356 on hand , which is the better match for a cast alloy repair ? I will be adding some more webbing to reinforce the part where it broke .
I just ordered 2 lbs of 4047 ... damn good use of some of that stim money if'n ya ask me . Will that change your recommendation ? There have been a couple of times that 4047 would have been my first choice if I had any .
4047 is more fluid than 4043 and is less prone to cracking. It is also slightly stronger, but just barely. 4047 is less ductile than 4043 though. Does the casting you are welding need ductility in the area being welded? Maybe it flexes a little? 4047, being more fluid, is good for welding thin material. And, also because flows better, is less likely to leak when welding on thin walled tanks and pipes and so forth. So there. Eric
I don't think this casting needs to flex in the area that broke . The part that broke is part of the mount for the lower unit to the tiller frame . And the increased fluidity I think will be an asset for this one . I'll wait for it to arrive before I do the welding . I still need to get the transmission disassembled and the repair area cleaned up and prepped . Besides , I have plenty to keep me busy right now . I have got to get caught up on building bee hive equipment . The early warming has induced them to increase population faster than I expected and I have some hives that need top covers . And more hive bodies , they're runnin' out of space to store all that sweetness .
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