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Bucket job for the 120

skyking1

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Nov 3, 2020
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washington
I got a quote the other day for a professional shop to overhaul the bucket, $2280.
This seemed a bit much, and I set about straightening it. I got started but the crack was snagging and I had to go do some work.
Fast forward and I need to do a big job with the 120. I did not want to take a cracked bucket, so I cut the crack so it would pass freely and heated and docked it out straight-ish.
PXL-20210202-180556932.jpg

PXL-20210202-183601049.jpg

Sorry, no weld pictures. I will get those later. The bucket gets a 3/8" by 2" armor wear plate right under that crack.
 

Bls repair

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When I see a crack in that area of a the bucket usually the outside edge worn out.
 

skyking1

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When I see a crack in that area of a the bucket usually the outside edge worn out.
It is worn out in the bottom there. The armor strip was worn off, that used to stick out 1/4" past the side. When I get it back in the shop I will touch up that weld, and then bend some AR400 around the bucket bottom.
That was 2280 for a repair.
 

Bls repair

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Gold isn’t good for bucket repair,to soft:D
 

skyking1

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Agreed! That was straightening the bottom, scarfing off and replacing 3 crossways wear plates and the two on the edges. I have already flipped the cutting edge around.
 

skyking1

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I put edges on it a while back. Lately I cut it two ways so the bottom was relieved, welded it to another bucket so the round bastige would hold still, and started heating and beating.
Thanks to @colson04 , I got an alternate fuel rosebud and it works OK.
PXL-20210709-201725213.jpg


PXL-20210709-175040370.jpg
 

skyking1

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washington
Update!
I thought I could just heat and beat, and eventually get it like I wanted it.
The bucket kicked my arse!
It would spring so much, that on one section it started to bend the other way .
I remembered what my friend Pete said, and torched a few holes for bolts and used some channel to bridge across the job on the bottom of the bucket and pull it into shape. Now I could heat and beat, and also run my rattle gun on the nuts and keep it moving.
I dialed this line in.
PXL_20210720_232327137.jpg

I had to grind for more clearance as I folded the metal together.
Once I had it like I wanted it, I placed backup strips behind the slits and then preheated the area, and welded it hot. Then I post heated for a while, hoping to prevent any cracking.
PXL_20210721_175807819.jpg
I did the same on the other side, then welded up the vertical. The upper slit was too big to bridge, so I stuffed a chunk of flat stock in there for filler and scarfed it off later.
PXL_20210721_213336848.jpg

I cut it off the 2' bucket, and now i will flip it and V-grind out the backsides of all those welds. They are not good stuff, molten metal with no gas shielding. I will pre and post heat there too, and stitch weld to keep the stresses lower.
The long weld seam will be under one of the 3/8" by 3" AR400 wear strips, and it will reinforce things when I weld it on.
I am leaving the 3 holes open so I plug weld that AR400 too.
The ends of the vertical seams also fall under wear strips.
 

colson04

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Delton, Michigan
That use of the channel and a heavy bolt is a great tip. I would beat myself silly swinging a maul and not gained anything.
 

Sberry

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Jul 31, 2010
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Brethren, Michigan
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You are really living large, real wear steel. Us po foke got to get by with old truck springs.
I know what you mean about pounding and sometimes it goes the other way. Sometimes there is no better way than to jack it all fussy like.
 
Last edited:

John C.

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Jun 11, 2007
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We used a lot of dogs and wedges for that kind of work. Rose budds allowed the metal to deform and the dogs and wedges held it down. Still got stuck using scrap that we had laying around or could cut off a derelict.
 

skyking1

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I learned a lot from that fix. If you want it really straight just have someone roll a new bucket bottom.
@Sberry , it was $130 for a big piece of AR400 that I have fixed two buckets with and have enough to fix the 18" mini bucket.
 
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