What have you done to your Wheel Horse today?

[19richie66 17,500]

 

[haydendavid380 759]

7 hours ago, Maxwell-8 said:

There ain't a ton of stuff going on, since goods go directly to the dealers. Rather want Toro in that building then some other company. 

 

What is the situation in South bend? what is the address so i can search it on google maps? 

 

Many thanks!

 

515 W. Ireland Rd

 

There's a unrelated company in the old factory now. 

[kpinnc 11,895]

Built my wife a new flower bed today. The trusty 310-8 was kind enough to help out.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by kpinnc

[Tuneup 1,433]

18 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

Built my wife a new flower bed today. The trusty 310-8 was kind enough to help out.

 

So, steak and potatoes tonight - excellent!

[Oldskool 6,640]

What have I done to my Wheel Horse today?? Well I made a trade with a guy today to get my little herd another friend to play with. Road trip at 330a.m. to pick up a 310-8.

[Tuneup 1,433]

And so, the welding training continues on the 48" deck. The effort was a spotty mess - top cracks - so I got the mike out and measured the deck and found it's 1/8. Gee, no more guessing! I had it set for thinner because it burned through last time and so the heat was a little low and the feed was very slow. No wonder it was all blotchy. No beads, no how. I got out a piece of 3/16 and adjusted it and made a nice bead. Hell of a machine for $199.

 

So, with a 500 watt lamp on it and sweating like a pig, I was able to actually make something nice - filled a crack on the rear mount. Remarkable what proper adjustment and movement will do. Slow drag. Sucks a lot less than two days ago...

 

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

[Tuneup 1,433]

2 minutes ago, Oldskool said:

What have I done to my Wheel Horse today?? Well I made a trade with a guy today to get my little herd another friend to play with. Road trip at 330a.m. to pick up a 310-8.

 

Nice save!

 

[ranger 1,746]

48 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

And so, the welding training continues on the 48" deck. The effort was a spotty mess - top cracks - so I got the mike out and measured the deck and found it's 1/8. Gee, no more guessing! I had it set for thinner because it burned through last time and so the heat was a little low and the feed was very slow. No wonder it was all blotchy. No beads, no how. I got out a piece of 3/16 and adjusted it and made a nice bead. Hell of a machine for $199.

 

So, with a 500 watt lamp on it and sweating like a pig, I was able to actually make something nice - filled a crack on the rear mount. Remarkable what proper adjustment and movement will do. Slow drag. Sucks a lot less than two days ago...

 

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

 

If you’re teaching yourself to weld, on something “Thinnish” gauge, instead of trying to lay a bead down, try “pulsing the trigger on and off. Many Mig welders have timers for stitch welding, you pull and hold the trigger, the welding set does the rest. You can use higher settings to get the penetration, without burning through. “Pull” the torch instead of “pushing”, a second or so on, release trigger, as colour/heat starts to go from weld pool, trigger on again. Literally a run of joined up “Spot” welds. A “Stack of Dimes”? This is sometimes the only way on thin rusty old metal, especially if you’re just starting to weld. Although, 1/8” thick, material, you should be ok laying a continuous bead. 

 

Doug.

P.S. Just submitted this post, then saw, Gregor had suggested the same method.

Edited May 8, 2021 by ranger

[Gregor 4,845]

34 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

 

You don't always have to run a bead. Sometimes, just linking several "spot" type welds together is more suitable. It usually allows you to run a bit hotter.

Also. The closr you hold your tip to the work, the cooler it will burn. The farther, hotter. Fine tune adjustment.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Gregor

[Oldskool 6,640]

28 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

 

Nice save!

 

Everything is there but the deck and air filter and cover.

[19richie66 17,500]

45 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

And so, the welding training continues on the 48" deck. The effort was a spotty mess - top cracks - so I got the mike out and measured the deck and found it's 1/8. Gee, no more guessing! I had it set for thinner because it burned through last time and so the heat was a little low and the feed was very slow. No wonder it was all blotchy. No beads, no how. I got out a piece of 3/16 and adjusted it and made a nice bead. Hell of a machine for $199.

 

So, with a 500 watt lamp on it and sweating like a pig, I was able to actually make something nice - filled a crack on the rear mount. Remarkable what proper adjustment and movement will do. Slow drag. Sucks a lot less than two days ago...

 

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53534&highlight=patch
 

one of the best metal repair threads I have ever read. Sheetmetal patches, panel working and finish work. Well worth the read. 

[Tuneup 1,433]

33 minutes ago, ranger said:

If you’re teaching yourself to weld, on something “Thinnish” gauge, instead of trying to lay a bead down, try “pulsing the trigger on and off. Many Mig welders have timers for stitch welding, you pull and hold the trigger, the welding set does the rest. You can use higher settings to get the penetration, without burning through. “Pull” the torch instead of “pushing”, a second or so on, release trigger, as colour/heat starts to go from weld pool, trigger on again. Literally a run of joined up “Spot” welds. A “Stack of Dimes”? This is sometimes the only way on thin rusty old metal, especially if you’re just starting to weld. Although, 1/8” thick, material, you should be ok laying a continuous bead. 

 

Doug.

P.S. Just submitted this post, then saw, Gregor had suggested the same method.

 

Another member suggested just that. I used that method to fill a small burn-through from a couple of days ago. Thanks!

[Tuneup 1,433]

34 minutes ago, Gregor said:

You don't always have to run a bead. Sometimes, just linking several "spot" type welds together is more suitable. It usually allows you to run a bit hotter.

Also. The closr you hold your tip to the work, the cooler it will burn. The farther, hotter. Fine tune adjustment.

 

That would have been a single bead if I could clearly see the crack I was attempting to follow but I had to stop 3 times to get my bearings so, as it is, it became 4 separate short beads.

[Tuneup 1,433]

31 minutes ago, 19richie66 said:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53534&highlight=patch
 

one of the best metal repair threads I have ever read. Sheetmetal patches, panel working and finish work. Well worth the read. 

 

Reading - thanks!

[kpinnc 11,895]

1 hour ago, Tuneup said:

 

So, steak and potatoes tonight - excellent!

We shall see. My wife went and ate with her mom at the mexican restaurant. I'm thinking cold burritos are more likely!

[Snoopy11 5,714]

 

3 hours ago, Tuneup said:

And so, the welding training continues on the 48" deck. The effort was a spotty mess - top cracks - so I got the mike out and measured the deck and found it's 1/8. Gee, no more guessing! I had it set for thinner because it burned through last time and so the heat was a little low and the feed was very slow. No wonder it was all blotchy. No beads, no how. I got out a piece of 3/16 and adjusted it and made a nice bead. Hell of a machine for $199.

 

So, with a 500 watt lamp on it and sweating like a pig, I was able to actually make something nice - filled a crack on the rear mount. Remarkable what proper adjustment and movement will do. Slow drag. Sucks a lot less than two days ago...

 

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

Another suggestion. I probably should have mentioned this a while ago. It would have made you feel a lot better. Your welds do not have to look perfect for the project to turn out looking nice. What I would do is buy some flap discs for a grinder, such as these... and grind the welds down to make them flat. I actually did this on my hood of my L-157... and after primer and paint, you can't tell where the weld was!

 

I don't know if you planned to do this... but it would be my suggestion. Actually, if you plan to paint the deck, I would go over the whole thing with flap discs... a lot easier than sanding and the project will look good as new!

 

Obviously, you are going to want to coat those welds with paint or something anyway... so might as well grind them down before painting.

 

This way... even if some of your welds are bubbly... etc... it won't matter in the end.

 

Just my suggestion from my experience!

 

Don

 

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Snoopy11
Nonsense sentence...

[Snoopy11 5,714]

2 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

 

Another suggestion. I probably should have mentioned this a while ago. It would have made you feel a lot better. Your welds do not have to look perfect for the project to turn out looking nice. What I would do is buy some flap discs for a grinder, such as these... and grind the welds down to make them flat. I actually did this on my hood of my L-157... and after primer and paint, you can't tell where the weld was!

 

I don't know if you planned to do this... but it would be my suggestion. Actually, if you plan to paint the deck, I would go over the whole thing with flap discs... a lot easier than sanding and the project will look good as new!

 

Obviously, you are going to want to coat those welds with paint or something anyway... so might as well grind them down before painting.

 

This way... even if some of your welds are bubbly... etc... it won't matter in the end.

 

Just my suggestion from my experience!

 

Don

 

 

Finishing my own thought here... uh... when you use flap discs to grind welds, the welds themselves actually spread out from the heat of the grinder, allowing for a flat surface, even if some of your welds have dips in them. The flap discs do remove some material from the welds, but they also help to spread the welds as you grind them down.

 

Best way I can explain it. In the end, if you do it right, using enough pressure with the grinder and flap discs, you will have a nice flat surface that only you will know was welded.

 

I saw a tractor for sale that had welds on the boom. Tractor auctioneer told me that if those welds would have been ground-down, the tractor would have been worth almost double.

 

I guess some people might call this a 'cover-up.' I personally call it, excellent restoration, especially since you have the ability to make it appear as if nothing was ever done to it...

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

2 hours ago, Tuneup said:

 

Another member suggested just that. I used that method to fill a small burn-through from a couple of days ago. Thanks!

Yeah, the more you weld... the more you begin to get a feel for how long to wait in between bursts. Honestly, as long as the metal is still glowing, you can continue a bead... as the red hot metal is close to molten. Continuing to zap off an on with red hot metal is fine, but once it cools in a few seconds, you will be left with what appears to be a bubbly mess. SO... bottom line, work quickly if you stop and go, if you want it to look remotely like a continuous bead.

 

Whether it needs to look like a master welder was at work... is a matter of opinion. Me... if it was mine... I would try to do my best, but not necessarily worry if they turn out bad... as grinding them down is a very good method to use. If you make a really nice weld somewhere with a row of dimes... that would be great as a show piece on the tractor, (your contribution to the project). Me... I can ...eh... write my name on a piece of steel... (IN CURSIVE)... so... yeah... 

 

I thought about welding the words "Wheel Horse" on my hood or body panel of my L-157... I just never had the time to actually do it...

 

Don

[Tuneup 1,433]

9 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

Finishing my own thought here... uh... when you use flap discs to grind welds, the welds themselves actually spread out from the heat of the grinder, allowing for a flat surface, even if some of your welds have dips in them. The flap discs do remove some material from the welds, but they also help to spread the welds as you grind them down.

 

Best way I can explain it. In the end, if you do it right, using enough pressure with the grinder and flap discs, you will have a nice flat surface that only you will know was welded.

 

I saw a tractor for sale that had welds on the boom. Tractor auctioneer told me that if those welds would have been ground-down, the tractor would have been worth almost double.

 

I guess some people might call this a 'cover-up.' I personally call it, excellent restoration, especially since you have the ability to make it appear as if nothing was ever done to it...

 

Don

 

Big thanks, Don. The old HF 41/2 grinder is pretty aggressive. I do have a few flap disks - 60 / 120. Will definitely take them to that deck! I'll likely weld a plate on the bottom to reinforce those areas. Yes, working to smooth and a perfect deck.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

3 hours ago, Tuneup said:

And so, the welding training continues on the 48" deck. The effort was a spotty mess - top cracks - so I got the mike out and measured the deck and found it's 1/8. Gee, no more guessing! I had it set for thinner because it burned through last time and so the heat was a little low and the feed was very slow. No wonder it was all blotchy. No beads, no how. I got out a piece of 3/16 and adjusted it and made a nice bead. Hell of a machine for $199.

 

So, with a 500 watt lamp on it and sweating like a pig, I was able to actually make something nice - filled a crack on the rear mount. Remarkable what proper adjustment and movement will do. Slow drag. Sucks a lot less than two days ago...

 

All the tips from you welding fiends greatly appreciated! Loving the new toy.

 

Eh... by the way... I uh... have a 300 watt light, and I sweat enough to need a beach towel... so I feel you there...

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

2 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

 

Big thanks, Don. The old HF 41/2 grinder is pretty aggressive. I do have a few flap disks - 60 / 120. Will definitely take them to that deck! I'll likely weld a plate on the bottom to reinforce those areas. Yes, working to smooth and a perfect deck.

I have several... one being a craftsman, one being an industrial version (brand I am not sure of)... that is bigger than any other grinder I have ever seen before.

 

That booger will grind anything I put it on...

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

Just now, Snoopy11 said:

I have several... one being a craftsman, one being an industrial version (brand I am not sure of)... that is bigger than any other grinder I have ever seen before.

 

That booger will grind anything I put it on...

 

Don

I will say... you might want to look into more flap discs... you will go through quite a few in the welding process... (talking... dozen or more)...

 

AND you will know when one needs to be changed for sure...

 

Don

[Tuneup 1,433]

2 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

I will say... you might want to look into more flap discs... you will go through quite a few in the welding process... (talking... dozen or more)...

 

AND you will know when one needs to be changed for sure...

 

Don

 

I'll tell the wife we have to stop by at HF for some welding supplies on the way to see the kids tomorrow. I know it'll go over well . Yup - they're on the list.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

9 minutes ago, Tuneup said:

 

Big thanks, Don. The old HF 41/2 grinder is pretty aggressive. I do have a few flap disks - 60 / 120. Will definitely take them to that deck! I'll likely weld a plate on the bottom to reinforce those areas. Yes, working to smooth and a perfect deck.

BTW 60 is a very good disc for this... sometimes you may need 40... but 60 generally does the job...

 

Welding a plate on the bottom sounds very proactive!

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, Tuneup said:

 

I'll tell the wife we have to stop by at HF for some welding supplies on the way to see the kids tomorrow. I know it'll go over well . Yup - they're on the list.

Yeah... if I were you, I would buy a box... or 2...

 

I am laughing... every little thing helps...

 

Don