Terrible looking but functional tiedown bracket

[dan_m]

Welding is super easy. Producing a strong clean weld ... well that's a bit more difficult

Mine was stronger than its original purpose and was strong enough for what I did with it.

Dan

 

[dan_m]

The last time I got creative like that was with my old Husqvarna. I was getting stuck all the time and decided to add a removable winch. So, I used two carriage bolts standing proud on the bottom of the winch and they would drop through the round holes on the bracket I made and as I pulled, the bolts would go into the square portion of the hole to be retained. The welding was not a big deal, finding the drill bit to drill those holes was the hard part.

The BX is taking care of my "getting stuck" problems now.

View attachment 82138 View attachment 82139 View attachment 82140 View attachment 82141

That's a cool project. Can't say I've ever seen a mower with a winch before

Well done!

Dan

 

[bird dogger]

Dan, another source for some good beginners tricks and lessons is youtube videos. There's also some good online welding forums.

Nothing wrong with your first welds if they're structurally sound but wouldn't win a blue ribbon. An easy way to fix that before you paint: Mix up a little "JB Weld", clean your weld, and with your finger smear the mixture down the weld joint (just like caulking), let it harden, then paint. And no one will know that those aren't the best looking welds they've seen!

 

[xrocketengineer]

That's a cool project. Can't say I've ever seen a mower with a winch before

Well done!

Dan

That was not my idea. It seems that it is pretty common (local Craigslist and YouTube) to have an ATV winch on a lawn tractor. However I wanted it to be removable and not permanent. It came also handy when cutting down trees but I had to anchor the Husqvarna to the ground in order to pull. I have a similar setup on my BX but it was purchased that uses a standard 2x2 hitch receiver and the winch is pinned there. With the BX, no anchoring is needed. I was once cutting a 10 - 12 foot palm tree and pulling with the 3000lbs winch and I thought I had cut it but the winch had just pulled the thing out of the ground and the BX did not even move.

 

[Freeheeler]

Mine was stronger than its original purpose and was strong enough for what I did with it.

Dan

Dan, I was more referring to my personal experience than your welds. I've done stuff and thought "that was easy" until it breaks again and I find out my weld looked good but didn't penetrate like I had thought. The guys that are good at it make it look easy but it takes time and practice to do it "right". The practice is fun but materials get expensive. Enjoy the expensive hobby but don't get too good at it or else all your friends will expect you to fix everything.

 

[B737]

Here is my second weld project

Did you forget to turn the gas on??

 

[mcmxi]

Did you forget to turn the gas on??

I think the OP mentioned FCAW so no gas needed. Dual shield runs flux plus gas, MIG just gas. FCAW is great for welding dirty steel with some amount of oil, scale or rust. I use it when fixing stuff that is hard or annoying to clean. It's not as easy to make pretty welds with FCAW or the equivalent MMA process using 6011. The puddle freezes quickly, and the flux can make seeing the puddle difficult.

Good welding is all about puddle control whether overhead, vertical or flat. Seeing the puddle is a key part of it.

I'm in MT but would happily give welding lessons to anyone that stopped by. I've been welding for many years, 14 years professionally both above and below the water. You never lose the basics, but the more challenging welds require lots of regular practice. Running 7018 vertical up is about the most challenging welding their is, if you don't include welding with mirrors on submarines and such.

 

[B737]

ah flux core. I'm still learning my welds too but always weld with gas. I'm just happy to paint over all of them to hide the evidence

 

[woodman55]

I'm a new welder, teaching myself fcaw. Here is my second weld project, 1/2" D style tie down point for when hauling my BX2380. Had a tree (sweetgum) on far side of small creek fallover in recent heavy rain. Used the homemade mount point with chain to drag the trunk up the creekbank. I had to bump it a few times to get the trunk up the bank where I am now more able to cut it into firewood. The mount point was welded using multiple passes. The weld looks terrible but amazingly enough held up to the task of an anchor point on the chain.

Dan

There's an old saying " a grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't", or in other words, a bit of time with a grinder to clean up your welds and they would look as good as any. Well done on trying something new, and not just waiting for someone else to do it for you.

 

[fried1765]

Fried1765, check with the local high school or junior college. They often offer classes taught by teachers who know how to teach and how to weld ( which makes a good combination) at a very low cost. You start with very basics like safety and proceed at your own pace. No intimidation, just learn how and why and what. You'd love it at any age!

I have a 50/50 life.
50% one state, 50% another.
There is a nearby VoTech at my North location.
That could work for me in Sept. and Oct.
I will check to see if anything will be available.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[bird dogger]

I'm in MT but would happily give welding lessons to anyone that stopped by. I've been welding for many years, 14 years professionally both above and below the water. You never lose the basics, but the more challenging welds require lots of regular practice. Running 7018 vertical up is about the most challenging welding their is, if you don't include welding with mirrors on submarines and such.

Would that be inside the hatch or outside when the sub is submerged? Either way, that would take some concentration and mental exercise!!

A couple of us, who are divers, did some underwater electrical repairs on cabling and a spillway dam gate and controls at the power plant. Silty bottom lake, absolutely zero visibility, and current from the river running through it. Our supervisor at the time thought he could compare it to his younger days when he'd dive for marbles in his town's swimming pool. LOL!

I have a nice inverter based tig welder and would love some instructions on that!! Maybe sometime passing through Montana on the way to Boise I'll have to give you a heads up and see if that would be possible. You'd have to state your preference of beer and cut of steak beforehand!!

David

 

[D2Cat]

Haven't checked high Schools, local colleges don't offer any part-time classes (one is really more like full time Mon-thur 5-10p). Haven't found any yet that offer weekend classes. There are a few weld fab shops around, maybe I'll just call a few and inquire.

Dan

I took a welding class at the local HS taught by the shop teacher. Was a couple hours a night once a week for several weeks, like 12. It was moons ago and there were 7 in the class. One of the guys was a young professional welder. Kind of intimidating hearing that at the introduction, but not afterwards. I still have the book and the oxy/act cart I built towards the end of the class.

 

[mcmxi]

Would that be inside the hatch or outside when the sub is submerged? Either way, that would take some concentration and mental exercise!!

I have a nice inverter based tig welder and would love some instructions on that!! Maybe sometime passing through Montana on the way to Boise I'll have to give you a heads up and see if that would be possible. You'd have to state your preference of beer and cut of steak beforehand!!

I never had to weld using mirrors but I worked with some welders at Hawaiian Electric and Pearl Harbor who did that sort of thing regularly. All of that piping with very limited access to the back side meant that mirrors were essential.

I attended welding school on a government program and was welding 8 hours a day for a couple of years, eventually taking the ASME 5G pipe test with a 1/8" root gap and no backing plate and 7018 rods. I failed the root bend test on my first attempt but passed on my second. I have enjoyed welding most of my life. I had a good career working as a welder that culminated in building a big set for the movie Waterworld staring Kevin Costner. After that job which involved 12 hour days, seven days a week for six months I'd had enough of the life.

You'd be more than welcome in MT. I have a Millermatic 185 MIG welder and a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200 that's capable of DC stick, DC TIG and AC TIG.

 

[dlsmith]

It's something I've been interested in for a long time, but never really started. I owned the welder for well over a decade before I really started using it. I have projects, so I picked it back up again. My "hobbies" are all expensive.

Dan

I have been around welding and fabricating from a very young age. I still remember my father taking something to a local welding shop, and contrary to his warnings not to look at the arc, I did and got burned corneas and a couple of days of misery.
But when I got to work in the shop at the faminly construction company, one of the mechanics spent a little time teaching me the basics of stick welding and using a torch. After that did a little welding on a couple of cars I had, and eventually when I went to work there did some welding on heavy equipment and trucks.
I am no where near a "good" welder, primarily because I do it so infrequently. Usually if I have a project that requires a fair amount of welding, by the time it's finished I'm back to the "fair" skill level.
So, don't beat yourself up or let anyone's comments deter you from doing more welding, as in all skills, proficiency comes with practice.
FYI, I made some tie downs virtually identical to yours for my BX.

 

[dan_m]

Did you forget to turn the gas on??

no gas, as pointed out, fcaw and weld outside. one reason it looks so bad is cheap welder and multiple passes as welder isn't rated for 1/4".

Dan

 

[dan_m]

I have been around welding and fabricating from a very young age. I still remember my father taking something to a local welding shop, and contrary to his warnings not to look at the arc, I did and got burned corneas and a couple of days of misery.
But when I got to work in the shop at the faminly construction company, one of the mechanics spent a little time teaching me the basics of stick welding and using a torch. After that did a little welding on a couple of cars I had, and eventually when I went to work there did some welding on heavy equipment and trucks.
I am no where near a "good" welder, primarily because I do it so infrequently. Usually if I have a project that requires a fair amount of welding, by the time it's finished I'm back to the "fair" skill level.
So, don't beat yourself up or let anyone's comments deter you from doing more welding, as in all skills, proficiency comes with practice.
FYI, I made some tie downs virtually identical to yours for my BX.

View attachment 82157

Those look nice, well done! I like the round design instead of D shape I did. I cut out the inside of D with jigsaw, haven't cut steel like this before so was a first for me. I did a lot of grinding with dremel to clean up the wobbly lines.

Dan

 

[dan_m]

Dan, I was more referring to my personal experience than your welds. I've done stuff and thought "that was easy" until it breaks again and I find out my weld looked good but didn't penetrate like I had thought. The guys that are good at it make it look easy but it takes time and practice to do it "right". The practice is fun but materials get expensive. Enjoy the expensive hobby but don't get too good at it or else all your friends will expect you to fix everything.

Yeah, I was concerned about penetration, another reason why I wanted to "stress test" it pulling the logs.
And yes, friends have heard of my welding and have already indicated they could use my help.

A friend who welds is like a friend with a truck, always a request for help

Dan

 

[dan_m]

Dan, another source for some good beginners tricks and lessons is youtube videos. There's also some good online welding forums.

Nothing wrong with your first welds if they're structurally sound but wouldn't win a blue ribbon. An easy way to fix that before you paint: Mix up a little "JB Weld", clean your weld, and with your finger smear the mixture down the weld joint (just like caulking), let it harden, then paint. And no one will know that those aren't the best looking welds they've seen!

I've been watch many youtube videos, Tim Welds, weld.com, am fab and a few others. I learned about a few from responses here that I've been watching.

I am finding welding is like bowling, anyone can do it, but not everyone bowls a 300.

Dan

 

[skeets]

If you think those are bed welds, son you aint never seem any of my try's. Mine have been called a bunch of grapes to other things I dont want to put on here,, I think ya done good, just keep at it

 

[Crash277]

I think the OP mentioned FCAW so no gas needed. Dual shield runs flux plus gas, MIG just gas. FCAW is great for welding dirty steel with some amount of oil, scale or rust. I use it when fixing stuff that is hard or annoying to clean. It's not as easy to make pretty welds with FCAW or the equivalent MMA process using 6011. The puddle freezes quickly, and the flux can make seeing the puddle difficult.

Good welding is all about puddle control whether overhead, vertical or flat. Seeing the puddle is a key part of it.

I'm in MT but would happily give welding lessons to anyone that stopped by. I've been welding for many years, 14 years professionally both above and below the water. You never lose the basics, but the more challenging welds require lots of regular practice. Running 7018 vertical up is about the most challenging welding their is, if you don't include welding with mirrors on submarines and such.

My biggest issue is not enough light in my garage. i sometimes end up welding while holding a trouble light. kind of like when using a pistol and a flashlight in your support hand at the same time lol. hopefully i can get my garage renovations done before winter. once i run out of fluxcore, i will be getting some argon. when i got my lincoln mig pack, i got the one that came with everthing to run flux core and mig.