Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a project in mind for my tractor.

I want to weld on hooks to my bucket like these http://www.boltonhooks.com/weld-on.html and I was wondering

if it calls for an initial root pass and then a cover pass? I will be welding them to 1/4" hot rolled using my HH210MVP, .035 wire and co2 for shielding gas. Or could I expect good results with a single pass.

With that machine you should be entirely capable of welding that in a single pass. If you get a close up look at those hooks you will notice in the picture for the website you posted if he actually welded them to a slightly larger plate. this will help spread out the stress and keep you from ripping out the base metal if you end up side loading them.

I did mine which was a 3/8" hook with the same machine and wire, and I did do a cover pass on mine. The fillet on the 3/8" hook was just too large to fill with a single pass. Worked great, and I use them all the time for picking stuff.

It's not your machine that is the governing factor, but the hook design. The square eye one will be fine with a single pass as long as its of specified size. The two with the hook have a weld prep on them that will require a first run to fill up this prep and a second pass to cover. If you attempt to weld (any) joints like this you will end up with a weld that is too big, has undercut and lacks the necessary throat thickness.

I hope this helps to illustrate what im talking about.

weldin mike 27 wrote:I hope this helps to illustrate what im talking about.

Thanks, thats what had me concerned was the bevel on the base of the hooks.

Sweet as. Good luck with it.