Metal advice needed

I need to make some replacement things for my tractor. They are pins with a tab on them, and then the pin holds a larger pin in its socket.

It is formed of a piece of 3/8x1 Flat Bar, with a piece of cold rolled

3/8 rod welded to that. The 3/8" rod will be about 2" long.

I can weld it with stick, flux core, or wirefeed with gas.

What would be the best way to weld it, what rod, and then afterward, should I heat it up and let it cool, heat it up, and quench, or hit it with a ball peen hammer at the weld?

It really does not take any stress during operation, just keeps the 1"+ pin in place.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB
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Are you replacing factory parts that failed?

When I designed my hydraulic loader attachment I first welded the retaining plates directly onto the end of the O-1 pivot pin, and soon they broke off from brittle failure in the heat-affected zone. The pins see a lot of torque as the joint moves.

Annealing the weld on the unbroken pivot pins cured the problem. I don't have the equipment to harden and temper them without losing the polished surface finish and the protruding tab makes them too dangerous to refinish in the lathe.

To salvage the broken pivot pins I cross-drilled the other ends for cotter-pin-shaped retainers forged from 3/16" gas welding rod, like what I think you are making. I had to close the eyes up snugly around the bolt that holds them to the frame to keep the bolts from working loose.

The 3/16" welding rod is great for making special tools, being hard enough to forge into a durable tack-puller chisel edge yet malleable enough for tight bends like the 1/4" ID round eyes.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

The parts hold a long pin in place that the bucket swivels on. Cause of failure was lack of greasing. When properly greased, the pin puts no (or very little) on the torquing pin. I have since bought an air lubricator, and put the fault on me not paying better attention to let a dry pinch point go for long. Very lucky no real damage, lesson learned.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Fill and lift the bucket, then try rotating the pivot pin to get an idea of the torque your home-made part must resist.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

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