Welding on a new car bumper

I agree and if you can take the connector off the plate and weld the plate on. Then remount the connector. That is a safety belt as a just in case.

Mart> "SteveB" wrote: (clip) When is it (is it) appropriate to disconnect?

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My SIL is a good guy and treats my daughter good. He can't back a trailer for crap, though. He put two nice dings in my truck so far, and I've had to repair two trailers.

He comes to me with his Yukon Denali. It has a small 4" x 4" plate where the plug plugs in that has somehow (?) been ripped off the bumper right along the original MIG welds.

No problem, sez I. Sez he, "Aren't you going to disconnect the battery so it doesn't foul up the computer?" I really don't think it's going to put any electricity into the system, and it's not welding near any computer type component, so I sez no. But, I tell him I'll check with the pros.

I've heard to disconnect the battery, and not to disconnect. When is it (is it) appropriate to disconnect?

Steve

OTOH, if a meteor should hit the battery while you're welding on the rear bumper, your SIL will blame you for the damage.

Yup, If anything goes wrong with the vehicle in the future it'll be because "you touched it last."

Yup, If anything goes wrong with the vehicle in the future it'll be because "you touched it last."

That would be rich coming from someone who put a kink in the TOP LIP of the tailgate of a truck. Now how does one do that when backing a trailer? I guess with the tailgate down so one can see what they're doing. But it seems if he did that, he would have stopped before the tailgate got kinked. It's a mystery, and both times, I was the one to find the damage, then he said, "Oh, yeah ............."

Steve

"SteveB" wrote: That would be rich coming from someone who put a kink in the TOP LIP of the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The risk of doing damage by welding the bumper is infinitely lower than the risk of having him back a trailer again.

I suggest that part of the deal be to teach him to back a trailer. And I have a suggestion for this. The usual instruction, to turn the wheel opposite to the way you want the trailer to turn is confusing to many people. Here is a simpler rule, that is easy: If the trailer starts to deviate, FOLLOW IT. It will straighten out.

Yeah, that's sounds like a good one.

A trick I was taught long ago was to place my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and then move my hand in the direction I needed the trailer to go. So if the trailer needs to go to the right, you move your hand towards the right. That works well for me. It seems to automatically invert the instincts we learn by backing a car without a trailer so our confusion works for us, instead of against us.

I think that what his SIL really needs is a lesson that unfamiliar things (like backing up trailers) should be done slowly.

Sounds like he had the tailgate down, then jack-knifed the trailer. The jack on the tongue dented the tailgate. If you don't have a jack on the tongue, it's magic!

"Ignoramus22807" wrote: I think that what his SIL really needs is a lesson that unfamiliar

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ And, along with that: If what you are doing isn't working, don't keep doing it.

I think of the back axle of the truck as the front wheels of a car, and do what I have to do to make the trailer go the right way.

But I have a crappy recall for rote rules like where to turn, and good visualization skills. You can't count on that from your average trailer-backing trainee.

If there were any rule that _I'd_ impart it would be to go slow, stay cool, and don't be embarrassed if you have to pull forward and try again.

And if you are hearing the sound of crumpled metal, stop what you are doing

"Ignoramus22807" wrote: And if you are hearing the sound of crumpled metal, stop what you are doing. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'll bet that's exactly what he did. How many times have you said to yourself, "Oh, if I could just live those last few seconds over again"?

Thats the trick I was taught, use, and teach others.

Gunner

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality", John F. Kennedy.

LOL. I did a bit of traveling for a job I had a long time ago, and we had to spot trailers within inches of line, and stop corner once a week. We didn't let the drivers spot the trailers at all. They backed them in, but we would turn the mirrors so they couldn't see anything but me standing in front of the truck. Then they had to take all their driving direcction from the spotter on the ground. It worked great. For non-commercial purposes this doesn't work of course. For one thing you can not order somebody to do it your way if they don't work for you, but it worked really well on the road with proffessional drivers.

Bob La Londe

Manys the time I said to myself " Im damned glad I survived those last few seconds"

Gunner

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality", John F. Kennedy.

"Tim Wescott" wrote

I learned to back a trailer by hanging over the back of the seat and looking out the rear window. When I do that, it goes fine. Now that I can't turn as far, it has become more difficult. So, I do a combination of both, and have almost learned how to do it by looking at the mirrors and doing it slowly.

Going to an empty parking lot on a Sunday and practicing with some orange cones works, too.

Steve