bucket repair....line boring

Hey folks.

I have a Ford 4500 with a 755 hoe mounted.

The bucket is in poor repair with the pin holes severely wallowed out. I am planning to replace the plate on the back? of the bucket and fabricate new mounts for the pin bushings.

My plan is to start with a piece of plate, probably 1.25in and cut the holes for the pin bushings, cut the shape I need for the whole piece and then weld this piece to the bucket.

My question is could I cut my parts, assemble the whole thing on the dipper arm and tack weld the pin plates to the back of the bucket, hopefully getting good alignment before the final welding? Or does it need to be line bored to have an acceptable job?

Thanks in advance,

Brad Buchanan

That is exactly how you want to do the job it just isnt going to be worth line boring

That's acceptable to me. Most likely, the worst that happens is you can't get the pin out, or back in if you do get it out.

Get tight pins to fit and have them in when you weld the ears on. Then when welding the ears on some temporary gussets tacked on are a good idea too. When welding be careful with your welding procedure so one side doesn't get too hot and pull the ear(s)/pin holes out of alignment.

There are 28 pages in the Lincoln Electric welding book about welding distortion; it's a topic that really needs to be addressed when you're welding.

When I welded up a thumb for my 5550, I managed to pull the holes the thumb pivots on, at least 3/8th inch out of line.

So I had to cut it loose and reweld; I would weld for a couple of minutes on opposite sides and then take a 15 minute break to let it cool.

That worked....

It's good to check the pins move freely while welding. If the ears pull too much or the pins get tight, a weld on the opposite side can often pull it back straight. I narrowed a hoe bucket once and there was a big hurry for it so it was taken to a shop with a big flux-core welder. They had to spread the ears a bit with a porta power and put a heavy plate between the ears to hold everything straight. That's why temporary bracing and gussets are a good idea prior and during welding. Put good welds on them and leave them on till everything is cooled off.

Thanks for all the great advice..... Now I need to get to work. Can post photos of the job if any interest.

Brad