anyone have a 50 ton porta power, huge chain

J

John@Outfront

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my mini excavator has a back fill blade "arm assembly" that is coming apart.  some of the plate is 3/8 steel and just tore open  looking to rent huge bending power stuff.  maybe a 50 ton porta power and some massive chain?  anyone?  it would be for a good day or so

 
If it helps.... I have access to a porta power from a body shop.... You would have to get chain thou.... I am in encinitas

 
I wish you were closer. I can get you whatever size you need. We have them up to 500 ton. But I think even a 50t would be cost prohibitive to ship down to you and back. But if you don't find anything, let me know and I'll check in to shipping one. Do you just need the head or a pump too?

 
Thanks guys. I tried a 20 ton I had around the house and it laughed at me. Didn’t even move

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I think my plan is to take off the whole part and take it to a local fab shop. They have a 120ton press. They can bend back and tack it. Then I’ll put it back into the tractor to make sure the arms didn’t move or twist. Then weld up the whole thing installed

 
Thanks for your offers. 500ton sounds cool. What is that for?

 
John@Outfront said:
I think my plan is to take off the whole part and take it to a local fab shop. They have a 120ton press. They can bend back and tack it. Then I’ll put it back into the tractor to make sure the arms didn’t move or twist. Then weld up the whole thing installed
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This sounds like your best option. 

 
What caused this is it appeared they had 1/4” plate at the bottom of this part tying the parts together. and it simply got thinner over the years until it was only paper thin. With that tear it ripped some internal 3/8” plate on the back side. I have to guess that’s not going to want to move very easily 

 
John@Outfront said:
I think my plan is to take off the whole part and take it to a local fab shop. They have a 120ton press. They can bend back and tack it. Then I’ll put it back into the tractor to make sure the arms didn’t move or twist. Then weld up the whole thing installed
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Looks like the way to fix that rather than try to push it back together would be just to finish removing it (cut the whole thing off), refit it and weld back together and replace or add material at the bottom where it wore thin

 
If I remember right you also have a pc 200? Can you back the mini ex to the side of track frame on the bigger ex and use bucket on bigger machine over the top and push it back in.  I could draw a picture. 

 
Readster said:
If I remember right you also have a pc 200? Can you back the mini ex to the side of track frame on the bigger ex and use bucket on bigger machine over the top and push it back in.  I could draw a picture. 
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Yes I have a js220 and thought about doing that. Thought about picking the whole mini x up by the backfill blade and let it hang there while welding. Haha. But as strong as that is it would be no match compared to 120 tons in a press

 
The part can come off in 30 min. The main arms are 4” square 1/4” thick. I think I’m going to weld a brace of 3” square 1/4” between the two arms near the pivots so they won’t go Katty wompass when pressing the other end together

 
i have a snap on 50 ton king pin press with a removable ram but im to far away.   i would just put a bunch of relief cuts in it then  use the bucket to bend it back or weld a ratchet  binder to to close the gap and plate over everything and weld it up

 
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If you have any kind of electronic dash or ecm be sure and disconnect batteries and unplug ecm before welding on the machine

I think removal and repair is your best option for a permanent fix and your brace between arms is a great idea 

 
John@Outfront said:
Thanks for your offers. 500ton sounds cool. What is that for?
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I’m in the ship repair business. Everything is huge and heavy. Example: Takes a crane to lift the wrench that unscrews the propeller nut. We do really heavy steel and fab, like steel that is sometimes inches thick. 
 

If you can take it off in 30 mins and take to a shop that’s your best bet. You’re never going to pull it with the purchase angle on that chain. Not to mention that’s a dangerous way of doing it. Hate to see someone get hurt. If you do it yourself you need to fab up a saddle out of scrap steel and weld it over that and push it back with a porta power head until it’s close enough for you and weld it. 

 
Dockmaster said:
I’m in the ship repair business. Everything is huge and heavy. Example: Takes a crane to lift the wrench that unscrews the propeller nut. We do really heavy steel and fab, like steel that is sometimes inches thick. 
 

If you can take it off in 30 mins and take to a shop that’s your best bet. You’re never going to pull it with the purchase angle on that chain. Not to mention that’s a dangerous way of doing it. Hate to see someone get hurt. If you do it yourself you need to fab up a saddle out of scrap steel and weld it over that and push it back with a porta power head until it’s close enough for you and weld it. 
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believe me i stood back when i tried it  LOL  i went until it would pump anymore and nothing.  its already on the trailer for a ride into work with me!

 
If you add a little heat to the area you need to bend, it will pull back with much less force usually 500 to 600 degrees will reduce the force needed to bend but as long as you don't go past a dull red very hard to see in daylight or 1000 degrees you will not hurt the strength of the steel.

You can also use a technique called flame straightening were you heat up an area to a dull red and quench the area to shrink it back into shape.

I have used both of these methods to bend steel.

the jack and chain you are using is not pulling as hard as you may think it is, looks like a 3/8 chain and 12 ton jack i think if you were putting 24,000 pounds of force on a single link of 3/8 chain that is rated at 7,000 lb working load i think you would see the chain deform or kink.

 
:popcorn:

Not sure how this thing fits in a giant press, make sure you take some more good pics when you do your next maneuver.

i wouldn’t be keen at all on tweaking it when it’s off the mini-x . I’m afraid it won’t mate back up, then you will have a bigger problem on your hands. Like your idea to weld in a beefy crossbar before you crank on it.

For me I’d just go drive it into one of those giant boulders you’ve got around there and tweak that blade a tiny bit back straighter towards where it should be, weld some monster gussets on and call it good enough.  Nice size crack growing at the base of your hydraulic ram tabs too, maybe that gets some gusseting too.

Fun problem, thanks for sharing.

 
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