Any Pro welders out there?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Found these today,,
I will be getting them fixed professionally but was after advise on strengthening the areas,,
The external shot is where the front bin attaches so I think the frame itself is not cracked,, the other two are the same part of the frame on each side.

[Chucaro]

Where are you now Pedro?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Hi Arthur:D
We are at Tooradin again,, the local boat builder is coming to take a look and is sure he can fix it. I'm not exactly sure whats holding it to the car at the moment,,,:angel:

[Chucaro]

Oh. you are not longer in the apple island!
Make sure that there are not other cracks due to stress in another parts of the chassis.
it will be good idea to reinforce the weak points and find ou why the weld failed. have you put to much load on it?

[robbotd5]

Pedro.
That's no good at all mate. Especially when away touring.
It's going to difficult to repair properly as you won't be able to access the top of the welded joint without separating it from the floor of the van. Best option here is to weld up the crack best as possable then gusset the join with some flatbar (say 3mm) on 3 sides. That should keep you out of trouble until a more permanent repair can be done.
Regards
Robbo

[p38arover]

Jeez, Pedro. Not looking good for the lap of Oz!

Is that dappled surface the van floor? If so, it looks like the frame has bent and cracked. Maybe the weld under the floor hasn't yet cracked.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Morning Ron:D
yea, my first thoughts were unprintable,, then the next thought was:eek:
hey, no one said it would be easy---;)

but as the song says,
Time is on our side:D

[Pedro_The_Swift]

You still there Robbo?
any problems welding with the storage batts connected?

[Chucaro]

I would disconnect all the earth terminals to the body.

[p38arover]

What Arthur said.

[bob10]

PM sent Bob

[MR LR]

I am by no means a pro welder, but part of my job is getting paid to stick steel together, so I am not completely naive on the subject... Haha.

Are all the photos of the drawbar of the trailer, or is it some kind of cantilever mount? With the close-ups I have no real context...

I would do what Robbo has said, however I'd step the repair material up to 5mm or more, and drill speed holes in it, so you can puddle (rosette) weld, and pick up lots of material with your fish plates.

In the first picture it appears to be a corner between the drawbar and front crossmember, if that's correct, then I would be using a jack to close the weld up, and re-welding with a few runs to pick up a good amount of material, plating this would be difficult as you can't get to the top side, so I don't know if I would bother on that joint... but I am not there to see it.

I'd say your boat builder would do it somewhat similarly to how has been suggested.

Keep us posted, and hopefully the trip goes smoothly from now on!

Cheers
Will

[Pedro_The_Swift]

The first pic is where the a frame goes through the front bin on the van

[winaje]

If you need to come up into "town" for repairs, I'm sure there will be a place to stay. Hope it all gets sorted out quickly.

[VladTepes]

Given that the best / most likely method of repair would be arc welding, and this uses electrodes, then yes disconnect batteries and solar panels / chargers.

[Chucaro]

Looking at the last photo that van looks like a Golf which are excellent.
It is very rare to happens on them specially because they have an excellent suspension.

[V8Ian]

Pedro, what wall thickness is the RHS? Is it gal?
I would grind the existing weld smooth and clean, re-align and reweld. Then grind the vertical welds flat and strap them with flat bar the same thickness as the parent material, but 10-20 mm smaller than the vertical dimension of the RHS (see attachment).

I'm a bit concerned about the corrosion at the site and internally, unseen. I'd be considering drilling a small hole and pouring Fisholine into it.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

end results are excellent in my totally ignorant opinion:angel:
every bit that was accessable was attended too,,:cool:

[incisor]

here is hoping thats the end of your woes for a while!

[Chucaro]

Good news Pedro! have a safe trip :)

[bob10]

I hope you understand that my input was a genuine effort to help, and if you managed to get home , my mate would have done the job for the cost of materials only. Or given advice over the phone on the best way to fix it. Bob

[robbotd5]

That looks like a good quality, strong repair Pedro. Good quality welds by the look of them. Best of luck for the rest of your trip and stay safe;)
Ps: what about some brag pics of the trip?:D
Regards
Robbo

[TerryO]

I can't remember whether your using a WDH or not Pedro? If so then might be an idea to back it off a bit, providing that doesn't unsettle how the D2 handles to much.

[LandyAndy]

here is hoping thats the end of your woes for a while!

His woes are about to begin,wait to us WA folk get hold of him;)
;);););););)
Andrew

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Wheres the fun in that Inc?[tonguewink]
Its all good Bob;):cool:
D2's don need no stinkin whd Big Tezza:p
I like them too Robbo:D lots of pics on FB:angel:
Bring it on WA!!!!:banana:

[bob10]

Wheres the fun in that Inc?[tonguewink]
Its all good Bob;):cool:




Keep Paddy's details, well worth it . Have a great trip, half your luck, Bob

[TerryO]

Yes I know D2's don't need WDH's Pedro, but you are a Queenslander and as we all know Queenslanders do very strange things ... like drink XXXX. ... :p

[bob10]

Yes I know D2's don't need WDH's Pedro, but you are a Queenslanders and as we all know Queenslanders do very strange things ... like drink XXXX. ... :p


Pedro, do your best to spread common sense amongst the slightly deranged southerners, but come back refreshed. Bob