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OK steel workers, lets fix some steel on this excavator!

huleo

Hot Rolled
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Location
UT
Bought this rig and prev owner apparently was on a mission to see what he could hit. The doors and such are being replaced but I am trying to figure out a plan on the main house frame. That is formed single wall steel that is .200" thick. the main issue is there really is nothing to safely push against inside the doors for a porta power. they are also stitch welded along the bottom and no way to remove from machine.

I am trying not to over thinking this. I was thinking about a piece of Ibeam over the outside so I could try a clamping technique, but not if if we will need heat or not? The very back of the machine is a cast iron counterweight so it is safe to push on for days.

I thought about welding studs on to pull on but then I have to fix all that. We will eventually paint the machine in which I can get a little mud in these areas. Obviously it is a work machine so I need to align my head with that, but I can't stand beat up equipment. I want it to at least look better.
 

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torch it out and then have a fab shop make another.
Save a slice for the fab shop to use for a template and just tell them how long to make it.

If you can chisel the welds to take it off a local blacksmith can hammer it back to good enough.

You might find a run of sold bar stock at the steel mill and mill away all but that part.

Might abrasive cut off wheel cut it off just inside of the welds and make a fitting new part.
 
Use it. Total waste of time.

You're going to feel real stupid when the pump shits the bed and you put 50 hours into making it look pretty.

Every time I catch something and rip a piece of the cab off my little 6 ton machine I look at it as increased visibility.

With the shit you can get into with a little excavator there's no wonder they get banged up.
 
Use as is. Unless you are a very seasoned hoe hand, you will add your own in short order. Until you get some seat time, you don't comprehend how many things that fat ass hanging out back there wants to hit. If that bothers you, sell it and get a RTS. You need pretty, buy new.
 
Appreciate the OCD responses guys but it looks worse in person. Every single person that looks at it asks "jesus christ, is there anything straight on it?".... I am not going through years of that. If I showed the rest, you might get it, but I do understand people in logging states could care less. If it moves, it is "a good machine"....
 
@gbent

Appreciate it but I have hundreds of hours of seat time. No, I refuse to damage equipment to meet a budget.

Yes, and I am well familiar with zero swing machines. They have their place.
 
can't stand beat up equipment.

That's not beat up, that is the Day1 ding most new owners put on their equipment with a #10 sledge so to never worry about the ones that will inevitably come next.

Seriously man, focus on the hydraulics, pivot pins, bushings and grease fittings.
 
That's not beat up, that is the Day1 ding most new owners put on their equipment with a #10 sledge so to never worry about the ones that will inevitably come next.

Seriously man, focus on the hydraulics, pivot pins, bushings and grease fittings.

I know excavators and if it just needed cylinder rebuilds, pins, etc, I would not be here. Actually now questioning why I am here because there is little productive. Some things will never change on this site.

I know the mechanics of these VERY well and I have already fixed several things that the dealer gave up on. There is a reason I bought it.
 
Huleo, don't take the criticism to hard. I'm like you, I like shit to look good and work well. The later being primary though. They bought a brand new 299 Cat skid steer, stereo, A/C, all the bells and whistles. It was maybe 2 months old tops when it came back to the yard from a job. I got in it to move something and saw the last operator spit sunflower seeds on the floor and left empty water bottles behind. WTF they buy NEW and this is how you treat it? The condition of a man's tools reflects the kinda job he's going to do. Did you see if any one sells patch panels? I'll talk to our mechanic and see if knows where you might be able to get parts. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
 
If you just want it to look pretty cut the panel off wherever you can make a clean continuous cut and either straighten it out and weld back on or form a new section that overlaps and weld it on. I would rather make new than straighten the old myself.

I think you're getting pushback because your question implies a lack of experience.

I don't directly fix other people's equipment, but I continually do machinework for individuals and shops that do. The guys that I know that repair, rebuild and modify ag machines can fab anything in their sleep.

I don't know how you repair ag stuff, but don't fab. Those go hand in hand.
 
Well the first mistake would be thinking I can't get it fixed, but I was hoping someone has already walked this rope. Because I realize this "could happen again", I am not in the "cut out and replace" camp. More in the "push/pull to minimize the drama" and roll down the road.

Typically with steel this thickness, you don't figure it out until it cracks on ya.
 
Well the first mistake would be thinking I can't get it fixed, but I was hoping someone has already walked this rope. Because I realize this "could happen again", I am not in the "cut out and replace" camp. More in the "push/pull to minimize the drama" and roll down the road.

Typically with steel this thickness, you don't figure it out until it cracks on ya.

You already said you can't get behind it. Done deal.

You could cut access holes to get a jack in there or cut just the bent stuff out and weld new/repaired sections in or you can cut the entire panel off and make a new section to weld on.

Even if you can get a porta power in there I wouldn't expect perfection.

Why would the steel crack???
 
I think you're getting pushback because your question implies a lack of experience.


Speaking for myself only, my primary pushback is due to 3 pictures of a used excavator having a dent on it's side.
Do not know the area of where the OP is living at, but those dents could have been made by any one of the 30+ Volkswagen size boulders blasted out during my house's sitework.
My shop is surrounded by monoliths the size that excavator prolly couldn't even move, let alone lift. They were stacked by the construction crew back in '78 to form a natural
retaining wall.

Anyone expecting equipment spending most of their life in that environment to be scratch and dent free is likely ... well, let's just say lacking experience?
Coupling it with the apparent thin skin .... :scratchchin:
 
Why is it beat up? Previous owner did not care? Maybe did not care about maintaining it too? But a good looking machine is very important for the image of a business. VERY important. Both in your head as well as clients. Upper sheet metal looks easy enough to replace. A few 5 gal buckets of bondo for the lower stuff? Make it nice enough looking for as cheap as you can. The machine MUST pay its own way AND provide a profit for you as well. Maybe even form something to tac weld over the area on each side to hide it? Do clients really know what it is supposed to look like? Do it as very low cost as you can, do it justice offseason if it deserves it.
 
Lets say I don't have boulders in my area, won't be beating on it with rock, and just want it tuned up. This has become more about what I should accept than the actual question.

Yes, I have been around heavy equipment for 30yrs and seen lots of damage but fortunately I worked around good companies that would not accept destroying machines as "part of the job". If you think running into my new Makino with a forklift is "part of the job", you will find out quickly where the paycheck ends. Spit in my cnc machine or excavator, and you will get the slip.

I have seen it too many times where the trees are 10ft apart but the machine is 12ft wide. "It will fit". That is usually someone who didn't buy the machine saying that.

I am just looking for thoughts on moving metal, that is all!
 
Make yourself a big slide hammer weld nuts on in strategic places, get a huge rosebud going, heat it red, yank it out. Get it pulled out the best you can. Cut the nuts off Get the bondo, level it out. Paint it, job done
 
What is at the opposite end?

Can you get a plug inside it?

We have a stair lift bought used that someone dropped something heavy on the track and made big dent.

Track is extruded aluminum and is round where dent is.

Turned a plug that just fit, threaded end to allow all thread then tapered other end.

Pounded in with pipe to allow all thread to be in place.

Nut and washer allow extraction.

Not perfect but no dent.

Cannot duplicate the coating finish but does not matter.

Your steel does not look that thick so a plug could be pushed in and external big hammer application could bend it back closer where it sticks out.

Other option is a chunk of steel that can be slid into place then via holes drilled outside of the dented area bolted to skin.

That applies force from back and hammer works it.

Last option but do first...contact manufacturer and get a full parts diagram and list.

It may be available as a replaceable part, some cutting and welding may be needed.

Just body and fender work...

Once all is below and no high spots bondo.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 








 
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