What materials/alloys are used for excavator booms and sticks?

[terex herder]

The 80K wire on 50K steel isn't as much as a mismatch as it appears. The 80K rating on the wire is ultimate tensile strength, or when it breaks. The 50K on the steel is elastic limit, or where stress loads cause permanent distortion.

 

[1693TA]

I go 300 - 400 degrees on a preheat via crayon also and like the Lincoln 211 "innershield" wire myself if outside repairing something. Still use 7018, and 8018 also on truck frames when called for and the repair is small.

Although the suitcase feeder is handy, it's still cumbersome to drag out the leads, feeder, install wire and mig gun, and set up for a small job so stick is still used as everything is together and on running gear. Been many years since welded on booms and such besides repairing dipper and crowd arms on TLB's which was done a lot. Also installed a lot of thumbs in years gone by. Many times I'd repair someone's installation and would groove or arc out the old and cracked welds and triple pass with any of the aforementioned fillers. Nothing has come back for failure I'm aware of.

 

[Tugger2]

We used to run a lot of gasless wire doing blade skins,bucket cutting edges.
Lincoln NS3M 3/32".Hard to even find big wire like that now,its all 1/16" or 5/64" It was good outdoors as the wind wouldnt affect it. But it was nasty for smoke,white smoke .If the sun was shining into the shop you could see little strings floating in the smoke.
I used to take the torch off the track cutter and clamp a wire feed gun to it ,worked awsome for buildup on shovel pads and long welds with 3/32" + Co2 wire.
Id do the same thing with a welding positioner for doing Idlers and shovel track rollers .Just rigging a clamp for the gun with a cross feed screw to step the passes over. An old Lincoln handbook of welding led me to these ideas,we just never had access to the fancy Lincoln equipment . Sub Arc was a set up we never did try .

 

[1693TA]

I've done the same thing with my track torch only for plasma cutting long straight, or curved lines via pattern. Don't do it enough to justify a table but a section of plywood laid out, or a small tube formed into the shape you need works very well for the tractor wheels to bear/slide against.

 

[Tugger2]

I bought a 5'X10' table years ago.Its 2 torches follows hand drawn patterns ,black ink on white background drawn full scale. Its a very handy tool around the shop when your inventing things. If i need big chunks or multiple peices i get my steel supplier to burn for me ,but they are always 2 weeks out .Special stuff i can do on my own when i need it .

 

[John C.]

We would preheat at least enough to drive the moisture out of the steel. On big stuff like plating stacker booms we would preheat and then throw a blanket on top and sit down on it for cold mornings.

For ripper shanks we only used rod and preheat was a minimum 300 degrees. We kept inter-pass temps around 500 degrees one inch to the sides of where the cover passes would sit. We would post heat keeping temps above 300 for a couple of hours after the last pass and then cover the welded sections in blankets to cool at least overnight. I did that based on what the old timers who taught in the welding schools told us when I was there. There was never a procedure given for any of the noses and quarter shanks that we purchased.

Bucket tooth shanks were different in that all that was ever done was preheat till the water was gone and start pouring the wire in. When all was finished we slapped on the teeth and put it to work.

Broken booms, sticks and heel racks happened all the time on the loggers. Air out the cracks, grind everything smooth and pour the rod back in. Never removed a boom or stick for those repairs. The guys at the Komatsu dealer I worked at used the dual shield on all those and I admired their work. When they were done, it looked good. The Cat dealership guys were locked to whatever Cat said to do. It was always done nice but all the hoops that Cat engineering put down meant the repairs took far longer and were far more expensive than anyone else would have charged. Booms removed and cut apart at the cracks. New backing strips welded inside, extensive grinding done on inside and outside and all the welds done flat. There were many 308 and larger booms that were just scrapped and new booms provided.

In the end user machines, there are a lot of cracked booms and sticks that were just arced out in place, welded up, ground smooth and fish plated to solve the problem.

 

[Welder Dave]

I go 300 - 400 degrees on a preheat via crayon also and like the Lincoln 211 "innershield" wire myself if outside repairing something. Still use 7018, and 8018 also on truck frames when called for and the repair is small.

Although the suitcase feeder is handy, it's still cumbersome to drag out the leads, feeder, install wire and mig gun, and set up for a small job so stick is still used as everything is together and on running gear. Been many years since welded on booms and such besides repairing dipper and crowd arms on TLB's which was done a lot. Also installed a lot of thumbs in years gone by. Many times I'd repair someone's installation and would groove or arc out the old and cracked welds and triple pass with any of the aforementioned fillers. Nothing has come back for failure I'm aware of.

NR211 MP Innershield is about the worst wire to use for high stress applications. It is a basic general purpose wire and not designed for dynamic loading. NR232 or 233 would be much better choices for Innershield. NR211 isn't even recommended for over 3/4" steel and that's with the largest wire size. Years ago when it was just NR211 it required something like 22 passes on 3/4" test plates to meet the required specs. If you can block the wind or work inside dual-shield flux-core is the best option if there's a significant amount of weld required. Smaller jobs stick is usually the easiest process.

 

[1693TA]

I never had any problems with it, (NR211) myself but really wasn't putting things such as boxed sections back together that were snapped off; only welding back together after vee grooving out the cracks to ensure full penetration. Don't think I've ever welded anything broken near 3/4" in thickness.

 

[Welder Dave]

The problem is the wire isn't designed for twisting and loads under a lot of stress.

 

[1693TA]

The problem is the wire isn't designed for twisting and loads under a lot of stress.

I would agree. I did not do a lot of welding jobs offered as I've not been certified or really had any formal training of the craft. Just happened to know how to weld, (for the most part as self taught). I always look at "liability exposure" before engaging in most any activity where something or somebody could get hurt, or worse. Most everything I've worked with has been repair type affairs with the occasional add on or modification.

 

[Welder Dave]

I would agree. I did not do a lot of welding jobs offered as I've not been certified or really had any formal training of the craft. Just happened to know how to weld, (for the most part as self taught). I always look at "liability exposure" before engaging in most any activity where something or somebody could get hurt, or worse. Most everything I've worked with has been repair type affairs with the occasional add on or modification.

Welding is a great skill to have. Sometimes all someone needs to do is ask for some assistance in how to best tackle a repair and the best filler metal to use. I've seen a few self taught welders that I could have helped with 5 minutes of instruction but they were too stubborn to ask. It can be as simple as the right rod angle.

 

[1693TA]

It's been a great skill to have and be able to work with. Guy across the street from us in the early 70's was an excellent welder out of his garage in the back yard and had a nice mobile setup for the times on his one ton Chevrolet truck. He actually gave me my first Hobart Bros. G-213 engine drive machine. I learned a lot by watching, keeping my eyes open, and mouth shut except for when I had a question. The question(s) was/were then answered in terms I could understand. In hindsight it wasn't too bad being 12-14 years old at the time. I still remember like it was yesterday the booming voice: "Get me a beer boy, I'm gonna learn you sumthun".

Agent Orange was blamed for the cancer that took him away in 78. Few people in this life I've actually looked up to and he certainly was one.

I still have the 68 Plymouth Barracuda given me he purchased new as a reward for surviving the time across the pond courtesy of Uncle Sam. Swore I'd never sell it and that word has been kept since 4/26/76 which is the day I got a driver's license.

 

[Welder Dave]

Let's see some pics. of the car.

 

[1693TA]

Rather poor images taken almost five years ago.









I have the fully rebuilt original 340 engine and four speed transmission in the shop but not reinstalled. The car had almost 341,000 miles on it when I quite driving it almost daily in March, 1996 when my new Dodge truck came in which I still drive daily. Up till that time, only a water pump, alternator, master cylinder, and routine maintenance had been performed for it's operational life.

I have NOS OEM fenders, doors, and DMD reproduction 1/4 panels which are stamped from the original OEM dies to replace the originals some day.

Was dating my wife when the car was given to me and still have both. She is "Affair 1" and wouldn't let me have that number for the plate so had to settle for number two. The shop was called "Auto Affair" so where the name originated. Once kids educations were funded, the shop was closed yet retained.

 

[Welder Dave]

That would be excellent to restore.

 

[7379df]

Dayum thats one heck of a car for sure ! Im just finishing up a big truck, class 8 Bison with cummins big cam.... restored from frame up. I try and post some pics soon. thanks for sharing... you need to get the ole Barracuda restored.