Any welders out there?

[shibbershabber]

Let me start by saying that I am completely ignorant of all things welding.

I used a stick welder like 10yrs ago to weld a bracket to a piece of sheet metal... it looked like hell, but it worked.

And thats pretty much it.

Now I am looking at taking on another small project.

I have a travel trailer that I need to install a lift kit (spring over axle) on and it *suggests* that the new perches be tack welded to the axle... Seems cheesy to me despite the positive reviews the kit gets...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OADK9G/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Anyhow, I am thinking that I will install this and weld the entire length of the bracket just to be safe.

I just happened to have a Lincoln gasless wirefeed welder which uses .030 wire

is this going to be adequate for the job? I believe that the brackets are 1/4" thick.

I went out and made some practice runs... here is a piece of 3/8" AR500 and the bolt is 9/16" zinc plated
I welded both sides along the whole length, about 8", and it held... slammed it around on the concrete a few times and it held
This is without any prep work at all, just clamped the bolt down and went at it.

Again, not sure what Im doing with this... can you critique me on this or give a couple of pointers?

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[308]

More heat...slow down and let it flow with smooth, consistent overlapping motions. Probably shouldn't let your buddies see those welds...just sayin

 

[shibbershabber]

More heat...slow down and let it flow with smooth, consistent overlapping motions. Probably shouldn't let your buddies see those welds...just sayin

Ha! Its better than any of them can do

More heat? Should I hit it with a propane torch before I weld?

 

[Heyjoe]

Don't know much but it looks like under penetration on the plate.

Too fast?

 

[308]

Ha! Its better than any of them can do

More heat? Should I hit it with a propane torch before I weld?

No, crank up the current on the welder

 

[shibbershabber]

Here is what Im working with:



Ive got range 1 or 2 and a high/low setting....

so, range 2 and set to high? Proper surface prep, go slow.... about as good as its going to get.

Also, Im sure that the steel in the bracket and certainly the steel on the axle are softer than the AR500 plate I practiced on.... will that make a difference?

For a kit that only recommends tack welding, I *should* be able to pull it off

 

[peternov01]

slow the wire speed and like 308 said increase the voltage.

 

[Bigbaddude]

You need more heat. If your welder is cranked all the way up then you will need to pre heat with a torch.
I wouldn't trust that weld in the picture but that's me.

 

[DirectDrive]

You need more heat. If your welder is cranked all the way up then you will need to pre heat with a torch.
I wouldn't trust that weld in the picture but that's me.

This ^^^
Your material might be too thick for that welder
Pre-heating might make a difference.

OP, you are at "Bird Schitt" level, you want "Row of Dimes" level

 

[peternov01]

looks like you don't have heat and wire speed setting on that machine. I would grind off the zinc plating before trying to weld it is getting in the way of your bond.

 

[jbett98]

I would hook this 120 volt machine up to one leg of a 30 amp 220v outlet. Use the ground for your neutral white wire.
It will then have all the amps it needs to work properly.

 

[USMC1911]

Yup need better penetration on that weld. Its sticking now but it way less then ideal and not a trustworthy weld imo. Less wire speed and more heat like others have said. Make sure you have the correct wire first. Good wire makes a difference imo when flux core is needed. You could downsize the wire size so you can get more heat into it. Clean product is super helpful especially if the welder is small for the job. Push the weld dont pull it so it gets more heat. Get some more test peices that are close to same thickness as the ones your wanting to weld and try to get it closer to acceptable.

 

[jbett98]

Don't leave the roll of flux coated wire in the machine. Remove it and store it in a zip lock bag where it's warm and dry.

 

[CoastRange57]

You may beat it around all you want to and it holds, but I guarantee you get going down the road and you will throw all kinds of vibrations and harmonics on it and it will break in a heart beat.

I used to test prototype turf equipment for a major company. I would be using it and break something, and do my report and photos on it, and the engineers at the factory would say.." but we have not been able to replicate that problem at the test facility." No sh*t boys, that is why you do field testing.

Lots of great advice in this thread, clean metal, more heat.

 

[Velzey]

80amps won't cut it. Unless u do what Jbett98 mentions.
You need penetration.

 

[Mikej]

80amps won't cut it. Unless u do what Jbett98 mentions.
You need penetration.

That's what SHE said.....

 

[deadeye]

Like others have said clean the pieces, slow down and wider weld to actually penetrate and not just fill the gap on the surface. It may be beneficial to make it a three pass overlap weld also with the unit you have but be sure to clean weld of flux between. I noticed you have an idiot light for duty cycle limit as well which is handy if it works correctly. Be sure to allow it to sit with fan on to cool down before welding again. This may be a 20% duty which means (if you don't know) weld 2 min and let cool 8 min or there abouts, read the book. It is important you don't over do it or it will not weld well and be even weaker and damage the internals.

 

[powermad]

That's basically a spot welding machine.
I've used those on 1/4" steel but it takes some work to get a good weld and it takes forever to finish larger projects due to the duty cycle.

Going slower with a cursive e works best but you will will have to stop and start a bunch to let it cool down as it works the crap out of the machine.

FWIW I've seen welds far worse than that on peoples 4x4 contraptions that seem to hold up for a little while.

There's two kinds of welders.
One is good with a welder.
The other is really good with a grinder.

 

[kmk1012]

Something as important as what you are needing welded should be done by someone with a bit of experience. Think of the liability this day in age and ask if it was worth it to save a few $$$.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

That welder has a 70 amp max output. That's not enough to do your job. Find someone who knows what they are doing and has the right equipment. You don't want that axle coming off the trailer going down the road at 60 mph.