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Is this bad? Front hub JD 310D

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
Had a front wheel that wouldn't stay tight and had lost some lug nuts when I noticed so I took it apart and looked at it. Cast iron lip is broken off a lot on the two holes in the picture and broken off a little on another hole.

My mechanic says I can't keep working on it like that. That I can crack the whole thing open.

So my question here is, can I get a piece of metal the same thickness and weld it in with nickel rod? Or 7018? Or stainless? What about brazing? I'm a good stick welder but don't know anything about brazing and torches and stuff.

Thanks!
 

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
Take the hub apart and replace it you don't need a wheel falling off and killing somebody. Was probably caused by loose bolts to start with.

That's a good logical answer but not the one I was looking for ha ha. Besides stuff being real expensive where I live, availability in the whole country is a huge problem that makes prices a moot point. Can't wait three months for a piece to come from the states at an ex$$$pen$Ive price.

I don't doubt it was caused by loose bolts but it's difficult to stay on top of everything. By the time I noticed the damage was probably done.

Anyone with experience welding "special" metal that can tell me if I can patch those thing up with nickel rod or something else? I welded a cast stabilizer foot on my case that broke in half, it's been holding for a couple months now.

Thanks!
 

AzIron

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Jun 14, 2016
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1,547
Location
Az
I wouldn't trust it especially on roads at speed or doing loader work if you were only wheeling around your property and never used the front t end I might roll the dice but to go to a paying job no way if that let's go on a slope it could dump the whole machine
 

.RC.

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Nov 27, 2012
Messages
757
Location
Qld, Australia
Do you have the old piece?

You should be able to weld it back in with proper as in very expensive cast iron rods, preheating before, not welding too much at once and peening the weld as you go.

I would would weld it back together with the hub bolted on and the broken piece clamped to the hub so it stays flat.
 

Willie B

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Jan 2, 2016
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4,061
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Mount Tabor VT
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Electrician
If it is cast iron, (I don't know if it is) it'll be dirty. Dirty cast is tough to weld, new metal doesn't want to bond. I've had some luck with AC TIG welding it, or TIG brazing it. If I were to try I'd begin with only the AC arc. Play it around to clean, if a puddle forms cleanly, add a bit of filler. Some recommend stainless filler, I can't remember what is best, but 312 sticks in my mind.
You'll only get a small surface at first, then keep working until you coat the entire broken surface. Lots of Stainless wire brush between tries.
If building up, use stainless to "butter" the cast, then use ER70S6 to build.
If joining two broken pieces, grind away enough cast to butter both surfaces, then fill a V shaped joint with open root.

I don't have a lot of confidence it'll hold. Even if it does, it'll be so distorted, you'll need machining to true it up.
Another thought is bronze, either aluminum bronze, or silicone bronze.
 

Willie B

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Jan 2, 2016
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Mount Tabor VT
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Electrician
FWIW !
If I used the correct part number.
It is available on ebay. It says $20.00 shipping to Cost Rica. Delivery by mid October.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1648649142...id=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

View attachment 245403
It isn't the planetary carrier that's broken. There is a plate behind the carrier, I'll presume it's the inner machined face with holes to carry the 3? planetary gears. It'll have some means to attach to the stub axle from steering knuckle. These axles turn backward, it's the planetary gears that make it turn forward.
It has holes exact size, ribbed studs press into. The outer only has loose fit holes the studs pass through.
It has been a while for me, memory is a bit foggy, but there is a whole lot of machining in this piece.
 

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
FWIW !
If I used the correct part number.
It is available on ebay. It says $20.00 shipping to Cost Rica. Delivery by mid October.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1648649142...id=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

View attachment 245403
Thanks! I really appreciate it, good looking out. But it's the piece behind it. Which may be connected to the front axle in some capacity I've never disassembled it before. Kinda know what to do cuz one time a trunion bearing broke and my whole front axle fell out, but all I did was put it back in with a new bearing.
 

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
Do you have the old piece?

You should be able to weld it back in with proper as in very expensive cast iron rods, preheating before, not welding too much at once and peening the weld as you go.

I would would weld it back together with the hub bolted on and the broken piece clamped to the hub so it stays flat.
RC, I don't have the old piece but was just planning on finding a piece of metal thick enough at the machine shop around the corner and grinding it into shape.

I really like your idea of bolting it to the outer hub cover to keep things straight(er) as it's welded.

The importance of preheating was made glaringly important to me the other day when I welded a cast stabilizer foot that had broken in half. That repair has been holding and was good practice for this occasion. I bought up all the nickel rods for that repair hopefully they'll have gotten more in.
 

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
Wil
If it is cast iron, (I don't know if it is) it'll be dirty. Dirty cast is tough to weld, new metal doesn't want to bond. I've had some luck with AC TIG welding it, or TIG brazing it. If I were to try I'd begin with only the AC arc. Play it around to clean, if a puddle forms cleanly, add a bit of filler. Some recommend stainless filler, I can't remember what is best, but 312 sticks in my mind.
You'll only get a small surface at first, then keep working until you coat the entire broken surface. Lots of Stainless wire brush between tries.
If building up, use stainless to "butter" the cast, then use ER70S6 to build.
If joining two broken pieces, grind away enough cast to butter both surfaces, then fill a V shaped joint with open root.

I don't have a lot of confidence it'll hold. Even if it does, it'll be so distorted, you'll need machining to true it up.
Another thought is bronze, either aluminum bronze, or silicone bronze.
Willie, thanks for the advice. I work with stick welders and nickel rods for cast, or 7018 when they run out. Stick is the only process I know or have access to. But I do it a lot.

I realllly want an oxy torch and to start learning about brazing etc. I could almost be convinced to go buy one for this repair but probably a bit silly to learn how to use the thing on something so important. Probably just figure out how to make the stick welder work and keep it moving.
 

kshansen

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Mar 11, 2012
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If you have a "machine shop around the corner", one idea might be to remove the part that is broken and find a piece of metal a little thicker that the broken flange. Weld it on with access from both sides and leave it a bit above the finished surface on both sides then have machine shop dress it of to the proper thickness.
 

Finca SDR

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Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
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Costa Rica
UPDATE: upon cleaning and closer inspection it's clear that this had broken before for a previous owner. Their solution was to simply weld the bolts to what was left of the broken holes and keep working. I just did a more spectacular job of breaking off more bigger chunks. But it had been working for over four years and who knows how much longer.

Talking with some of the old school operators around here that is the customary repair for this, to just weld the screw heads to the backing plate and keep partying. But I'm worried that enough metal is cracked off now that the next time could start getting into the inner workings of the hub. So I'll probably try to patch it up somehow so it has more metal to grab onto.
 

Finca SDR

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Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
If you have a "machine shop around the corner", one idea might be to remove the part that is broken and find a piece of metal a little thicker that the broken flange. Weld it on with access from both sides and leave it a bit above the finished surface on both sides then have machine shop dress it of to the proper thickness.

I very well may do that, thanks.
 

Willie B

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Mount Tabor VT
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Electrician
Send it to me, I'll try.
I don't think you will succeed with stick. Cast (if it is cast iron) is full of voids & crap. If it has been exposed to oil all bets are off. to weld it you have to "cook" the contaminants out. This means something hot without adding filler at first. In the old days, before I owned a TIG welder, I did it with oxy/acetylene torch. TIG uses shielding gas, so the hydrocarbons that contaminate cast iron don't burn.
 
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