Welding Tips and Tricks

Got them built up and ground down.

Ready for the roller....

Thanks,
~John

And done....
And yes, you gotta weld quick, the beads can rust between passes....

Sorry guys,
I never updated the thread with the finished project...

Tighten the bolts down, and done.
I hope that makes sense.
Video..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kV_Fo3wJ5E
~John

Interesting post. I didn't see it until now. I have read about removing excavator bushings by welding around them, but have never found any pictures. That's something I may need to do one day.

I recently had a similar project. I had to get the bearings out of the roller on a flail mower. I welded a piece of flat bar to the inside of the bearing and used a slide hammer to pull them out. That worked quite well.

450dualsport wrote:... I had to get the bearings out of the roller on a flail mower. I welded a piece of flat bar to the inside of the bearing and used a slide hammer to pull them out. That worked quite well.

We remove bearing races from semi-trailer hubs by welding a solid bead all the way around the face, and letting it cool and shrink. They can then be tapped out gently.

Conversely, we install the new races by pre-heating the hubs to 450*F, and soaking the races in liquid nitrogen at -320*F... The races then drop in to the bottom with a distinct "tink" sound. Five seconds later, they're fixed in place.

Steve S

I put the bearings in the freezer overnight. They didn't quite drop in, but I was able to push them in with my fingers. I would like to try liquid nitrogen sometime.

Im not sure where I would get liquid nitrogen, a close alternative that i plan on using on my car to install new bushings is dry ice and rubbing alcohol. Dry ice is around -100°f (can't remember exactly), but should be cold enough for what I'm doing.

Yep, Dry Ice is a great option. A good pre-heat on the hubs to expand them, and dry ice to shrink the races, and you should have, at worst, a gentle push or tap to set the races. Be sure to set them square, though... If one gets racked and sticks before it's seated, flip the hub and tap it back out quickly.

Steve S

BTW,

Liquid nitrogen can be purchased. You'll need a "Dewer Flask", and will have to pay for having it cooled on top of the "per gallon" cost. Any large industrial gas supplier can do this.

Frankly, it's not cost-efficient to buy nitrogen to do this, though. I get to do it because we have a 3000 gallon tank on site with nitrogen we actually get paid to use (long story).

Steve S

It's the Internet Steve. It's a timeless place where stories can go on forever without ever hearing the ending