Cat 657 with a big crack!!!

www.amazon.com/shop/onfirewel...

[@thornblackwell5749]

I was impressed with the cleanup and quality of the weld. I was a ship-fitter and 3.10 weld inspector at General Dynamics Electric Boat Div. for about a decade. After having seen a number of welders on KZbin it's nice to see someone who does quality work.

[@nathanchalecki4842]

Wow, electric boats. That's cool!

[@chrislabounty3046]

If those boats are anything like I've seen from GD they probably take on water and 8 times overpriced.

[@johnschmidt2964]

Agreed. Looked great.

[@thornblackwell5749]

@@nathanchalecki4842 GD Electric Boat Division builds Naval nuclear submarines. Yes, they are electric powered by a nuclear steam generation plant.

[@bigred06100]

Who makes the magnet for the umbrella

[@verlinswarey507]

That was so cool to watch that scraper pull away as soon as you were done. Makes you realize how important the work that you do is.

[@chainarmor448]

I’m a mobile diesel mechanic and I fix breakdowns often. Always fun seeing them drive away after a successful repair

[@yougoof]

The first repair worked and machine did fine for 2 days.

[@NIHILWR]

@@yougoof xd

[@tomtd]

Don’t let customers run your business, if it’s going to get a better job done tell them to do what you need and in this case separate the machine. Your quality will depend on you doing the very best job. Your skills should not be compromised by lazy customers.

[@pipthewarrior3738]

@@yougoof Did fine for two days but maybe on the third it would blow up and kill a small family of rodents like yours

[@khrisjackson5042]

I actually ran this exact scraper in Northern Nevada 2 years ago!! Crazy how small of a world it is!!

[@RallyanAndyco]

I currently run one !

[@seeharvester]

This one? How can you tell?

[@Jdl223]

​@seeharvester it's numbered a red 214

[@grifon1981]

Stupid question, but what does a scraper do? What is this machine for?

[@gagt5spd]

@@grifon1981 moves dirt, self loads through the belly then dumps somewhere else out the belly again.

[@keithjackson2151]

I’m a mechanic for the company that contracted those scrapers I actually saw you doing that the other day and had no idea who it was. Funny seeing this video haha

[@troubleis5271]

love seeing these "in the field" repairs in your content. Always great to see how a pro tackles something like this in less than optimal conditions and is still able to produce a quality result. Makes me realize i still got a lot of learning to do. .

[@hasteandfury2424]

Where else is he going to work on it? In a covered stadium?

[@dirtyfabrication401]

Yessir!!! Always keep an open mind and stay humble. I've been at it 27 years and keep learning new tips and tricks that make my work more effective and efficient. Never stop learning and you will go far

[@IvyMike.]

Hats off to who was doing their checks, easily missed until it's a much larger problem, rare in this day.

[@irishlad8797]

Very good point I have 2 sons in their mid 20s and they would just plough on until the scraper just stopped or broke n 2 Haha 😎

[@WorldsOkayestWelder]

That, and hats off to the mechanic that held that thing together for a couple of days.

[@kahlzun]

That is well spotted, just looked like mud at first

[@notorious647]

Checks? What checks?!

[@IvyMike.]

​@@notorious647 Umm.. the checks that, umm found the, umm cracks, yes, that's it, the checks that found the cracks, and any other defects, you know looking with your eyes. hope this helps.

[@BuildSomethingAuto]

That's an impressive plasma cutter! 1 to 1 1/2" thick material and it came out clean 😮

[@engjds]

Must be over 100A?

[@randyharris8669]

Thats a darn good repair. Its impressive how thick the material is and still manages to crack out, none the less thanks for sharing and nicely done.

[@joaocosta3374]

Exactly, imagine the tensions on the material.

[@davidbrennan5]

Sometimes it is better to have some flex. When you overbuild the structure, you need to add reinforcement sometimes to prevent cracking. We had similar issues with some of our mining trucks and had to add gussets to the areas prone to cracking. The miners are very hard on the equipment.

[@Smachfest]

@@davidbrennan5 Re-enforcing one area can lead to failure on another part. The design should incorporate all of that. Then prototype and In-the-Field production. We beefed up 'tag links' of Articulate Off Highway Truck suspension brackets that were failing in new trucks. The trucks had been modified by the customer to carry more then their designed load. At first, the truck suspension would not lift the truck when loaded by the shovel. (Too much muck in the body.) The OEM sent us relief valve cartridges of a higher value. (2800PSI rather than the 2300PSI spec.) That meant the truck suspension operated correctly. But the extra loading meant the suspension mounts started breaking off. We fitted re-enforcement. Then the frames failed. The OEM sent much meatier brackets to spread the loading over a lager area of the frames and axles. That cured the problems. The OEM adjusted their design decisions after that to cater for greedy customers and keep their sales figure up.

[@ericdingman3050]

gotta remember there’s big d-11’s pushing against them alot of times and that’s the focal point is there and on the blade on the bottom of the bowl

[@murmenaattori6]

Metal fatigue is an issue. Steel can generally handle metal fatigue well, but cast steels less so.

[@codecircle423]

That was a smooth job sir. Bravo! You know that when a company is pulling off as soon as you're done, you know just how badly needed someone that knew what they were doing.

[@applesauce2085]

As a 17 year old who wants to work with my hands. I love these videos loads. I love learning something useful for me in school and seeing what i have actually done is so much more rewarding than just a piece of paper. Love the content!

[@alexguigui1877]

This being my dream job, 3 months ago, i decided to quit my steel carpentry job, and start doing some welding repairs. I’m repairing a lot of rotators tow trucks. And car carrying trailers. Repaired my first excavator today! A CAT 320. And god it pays pretty well !! I really love doing this kind of stuff.

[@mitchweber7868]

Steel carpentry whats that? did you do like steel staircases or something like that?

[@alexguigui1877]

@@mitchweber7868 i don’t really know how it’s called in English, but it consists of building heavy things in steel, like bridges, or frames of some buildings, staircases is what i would call a small job. I used to work with 3-6 inches thick steel plates. But when i was an apprentice, i learned how to build smaller stuff like stainless steel fences, tables, or divers things in steel, stainless, and aluminium

[@mitchweber7868]

@@alexguigui1877 That sounds awesome man 😎 that sounds like a fun job no doubt

[@brutusbarnabus8098]

@@alexguigui1877 you were a steel fitter, bro. some would call you an ironworker.

[@engjds]

How did you find the work?

[@kevinloza30]

The KZbin certified mechanic sticker on the back of the truck is amazing

[@sjfodor]

That was an impressive field repair. You must have been hustling to get that done in 5 hours. Quality work. Thanks for sharing.

[@crunchbbq7488]

Nice job on stitching it up. When I was building and repairing railroad cars back in the day, I used to use a air arc to cut all the welds out. I could chase a crack much more easily than a plasma cutter.

[@krisjones0926]

as an agricultural welder this is some good stuff! love to see some proper field repairs

[@davep6977]

I wanted to see more on how he did the backer plates. Beautiful work

[@aztharz5637]

I weld oil storage tanks at tank farms, and the steel is about an inch and a half thick. I've always wanted to get into heavy equipment repair. it looks like you did a good job. 👍

[@troythegardener]

Wow, amazing job. It's inspired me to take up a welding class in the evenings, start 2 weeks on Thursday!

[@fordshaw5833]

Field expedient repairs are just that - a way to keep equipment working and making money. The real permanent repair is the shop job I see . All in all I really enjoy the whole process of problem solving solving each repair takes.

[@peteacher52]

I was especially impressed by the Isaac-like accuracy of your freehand plasma cut and how you made a difficult task look routine. 😊🙂

[@zoidsfan77]

I wonder how many people will get your reference.

[@MegaLojay]

​@@zoidsfan77 here's one anyway

[@valoraboveall5793]

I am ignorant, but is this a circumcision reference? If not then my apologies.

[@MegaLojay]

@Valor Above All nah. It's a reference to another welding youtuber. I.c. weld. At least I think. Now you got me wondering.

[@zoidsfan77]

@@MegaLojay Engineer Isaac Clarke from the horror video game series Dead Space. One of his primary weapons is a handheld plasma cutter.

[@robinjchambers845]

That’s a lot of weld……..your good at that. Enjoy your vids

[@thomas4844]

You seriously do great work. The one thing you can’t hide after a weld then grind is porosity. After you blend it all together it’s clearly smooth and without any pinholes or imperfections. Damn it looks good Greg.

[@jeffallen6754]

I used to love getting out in the field and welding. I’ve pretty much been in shops for the last twenty years.

[@jasonb7878]

Thanks for taking the extra time to show us. Great welding!

[@SilverKnife0311]

I just started watching your vids. I am amazed with the work that you do. The was you opened up the crack and filled it in was AWESOME!

[@WorldsOkayestWelder]

Worked down on the grapevine for a little while. Beautiful country and amazing weather. Good repair work!

[@Smachfest]

We used to weld repair Cat 777 rear diff casings where they cracked between the bolt holes. And big shovel buckets etc. Cat normally provide Weld Repair instructions for those critical jobs. I remember they were very hot on Weld Inclusions. They recommended that 'grinding stones/wheels' were avoided in final surface prep prior to welding. The little bits of abrasive get lodged in the surface and then form pockets deep in the weld which can cause failure. Even as the weld cools the inclusions can create micro-cracking. If the cracks join up over time and loading, the repair can fail. I notice you use a carbide- burr to clean out after the plasma cut but then change to a wheel to chip slag between runs. We used a needle gun to chip slag as part of Cat instruction. The needle gun also peens the new material and helps unload surface stress due to shrinkage of the weld. I can imagine the mechanic's emotional state when he saw the crack. That repair looked absolutely lovely when finished. And the Cat Paint in the rattle can goes on great. We use a lot of it too. Our lazy ass welders never consider the aesthetics of their work though. The mechanic has to paint over the welders work. And that is just not cricket. 😀

[@ypaulbrown]

Greg, always great to be watching your adventures.....best wishes from Florida, Paul

[@fordshaw5833]

You’re welding skill is amazing. And, you video production skills are also top notch.

[@luc_xott]

Awesome work man, respect the craftsmanship.

[@ronpatterson5483]

Amazing watching all your work, amazing work fixing things outside🤘🤘🤘

[@gregweinfurtner7774]

Quite a fill in job. As usual, well done and thanks for taking us along for the ride!

[@GhostBranchFPV]

Not gonna lie, I kinda was expecting to see you fix it with chinese noodles and superglue. But this way also works. Kudos!

[@briangrossen7982]

Pretty interesting how you handled this one I’ve been a heavy equipment mechanic and I’ve always seen people cut big chunk of material out and put another piece of material in a weld it up but you can always see the patch I like how this was seamless looked great too

[@timgruver5932]

I loved doing repairs etc like this. Every day some new mess to figure out. Sometimes they became not only daunting but a huge challenge. The winter work added to whole process. I got where I would go to Georgia or Florida for 6 months lol and find work there. Quite a repair you did on this mess. 👍👍🔥👀👀

[@gordonagent7037]

Beautiful repair sir, love a man who goes the extra distance to make the finished job look aesthetically pleasing to. Well done

[@_DS83_]

Люблю такую работу, особенно когда ничего не мешает, когда хорошая погода. Вырезаешь, завариваешь, зачищаешь, отдаешь в работу. Сварка на релаксе :)

[@danielpullum1907]

I enjoyed seeing the area where the machines are working. It would good to tell us what the whole project is(mining, dam, etc.) You put an amazing amount of weld into that repair. You clearly have a lot of confidence in your welding skill. My experience (mainly from new machine building at CAT) welds fail from porosity and proper cleaning before, during, and after the welding. I've seen so many welds done on dirty metal. I appreciate your cleanup and painting to complete the job!!!!!!

[@taowroland8697]

Its solar or windmill nonsense. They're basically screwing the desert beyond belief with all that trash. Used to walk/hunt out there for miles and miles and not see a soul or a fence, and now theres a thousand graders absolutely raping the landscape and taking up all the space.

[@moshunit96]

Thanks for taking the time to show the process. Nice work.

[@PH-md8xp]

Wow, excellent repair. That scraper is good as new. Was fascinating to see your process of fixing it.

[@shaunolinger964]

Watching you do this job makes me eager to get back to work in my own shop. My father passed away last year and left me his entire stock of tools and equipment, including a plasma cutter and very nice welder, among a great many other useful items. Some of these tools I remember him using while I was still in my single digits, and I'm near 50 now. As for your "office"... you couldn't ask for a finer work site. I am a retired heavy construction carpenter... some of my most favorite job sites were outside, weather be damned. Nice job partner. I'm gonna stick around a bit... prowl around your page a while. I'll try not to be too obnoxious. 😅

[@user-me8bw4es4y]

Рыцарь стального шва и голубого огня! Отличная работа!

[@jessecooper2955]

Funny when you said til they break it again. They may Crack it in another spot but not where your repair is. Fantastic vertical and overall 10/10 for quality and workmanship! Great to see someone still taking pride in their work !

[@harveystephens6115]

Really enjoy watching you fix stuff!!!!!

[@jtg2737]

Excellent job! Hello from Texas!

[@quackula9190]

WOW! He's like a plastic surgeon for tractors.

[@davegavin7914]

Fascinating to watch a true professional at work 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍🏻👏👏👏

[@vicchiapetta4166]

Great job as always!! I sure love your videos!! Thanks again, Vic!!!

[@LaSouthernGemini]

You are an ARTIST! The way you built that metal so perfectly, line after line, until it was the same level as the original metal was admirable. Then you scraped it down to match the original metal for painting. I am looking forward to future videos.

[@JesusThineBeTheGlory]

I can imagine that was a bit difficult but you did such a good job of it. True professional welder

[@kentsmith2164]

Nice job! I did a pan. I believe it was a Michigan many years ago. Big one around here. Had the same break. I did it with a torch and 7018 up welds. That was before I had plasma's and a wire feeder! Lol! Great job! Kent

[@Tom-bo2wj]

Very impressive. Great finish work. Could even tell it was broken. Something about watching these types of videos is relaxing

[@RogueRestorationsLTD]

You sir are an absolute genius and true expert great channel for skills .!!

[@R.A.G81]

Отличная работа!👍. Я сам работаю сварщиком и занимаюсь примерно такой же работой в России. Примите мои комплименты за ваш профессионализм! Привет из России, из Сибири!

[@Odessa-2maya-2014]

Если оно там треснуло то сто пудов опять лопнет. Наварили бы полос для мощи.

[@58Rev]

A.G.R Держу пари, у вас есть несколько историй о сварке в холодную погоду!

[@R.A.G81]

@@58Rev есть) вы выиграли пари)))

[@danielmartin531]

какие машины вы там используете? какие-нибудь, в частности, выдерживают холод лучше, чем другие?

[@R.A.G81]

@@danielmartin531 в основном " caterpillar". И старые, произведенные ещё в советском союзе. Но сильных морозов не выдерживает ничего)))

[@byker4lyfe1]

Amazing... I'll bet you went through alot of wire on this one. Too bad you had to grind the weld down it looked totally awesome , anyway great job

[@jazko]

Yeah, I never understood why is it the standard to grind down the welds to blend them. I think a good weld is a beauty to see. Unless they will be selling this machine and wanna hide the fact that there was a repair done.

[@ricfair9919]

BEAUTIFUL WELDING! Great job.

[@TheUnseenWaffle]

The end result. Well done! Your pride shows in your work. Keep it up!

[@johnkoury1116]

I am really looking forward to seeing how you do this one. I repaired a hole in the case of a skid loader using muggy weld. I know it sounds silly but the sticks I get from them were perfect.

[@shawnmann9491]

Did you use the Muggy to fill the hole in a gearbox case or engine case? I’ve read good things about Muggy.

[@johnkoury1116]

@@shawnmann9491 I used a piece of aluminum but yes I used Muggy to weld the aluminum and it turned out beautifully. I recommend highly. I found muggy from Branden Luft's video about it.

[@thebanjoman1963]

The OCD in me would still be cleaning....

[@glenngosline1710]

Beautiful job as always. A true professional.

[@middleway1885]

Golf clap~! Keep doing what you enjoy! Can't get enough of these quality work)

[@mortjoer]

1:20 seeing those scrapers thundering towards eachother had me going for a second hahaha 😊 Edit: Just finished watching, nicely done sir!

[@handlevanmijnaccount]

Very nice repair. Truck tour soon?

[@horstszibulski19]

Wow, that seems to haven taken a whole spool of wire, if not more... Great job, thx for showing! 👍👍👍

[@kam2142]

This video is so natural, I never been to the US and I have never seeen snow in my life. I apperciate very single detail my man

[@baxtergk1]

I'm a beginning welder so there's lots I don't know: That's a pretty massive cast assembly but I wonder about the amount of heat you had to put into it. Did you have to pause along the way to let it cool at all? Did you use a temp gun to measure the temp or just experience?

[@OFW]

I did use a temp gun to watch the heat. I had to stop for 30 minutes one time.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

@@OFW what heat did you stop at? What would have happened if you kept welding?

[@OFW]

@@dans_Learning_Curve I like to keep the material at 600 degrees or less. It can crystallize if it gets too hot which causes a list of issues.

[@grahamzazzara2340]

Also think about using an air needler after each pass. It helps with destressing the weld

[@jaymarshall7632]

Thank you for your videos. Please keep them coming!!

[@frankrodriguez5202]

I'm a mobile diesel mechanic and damnnnn.....great work. Loved the video

[@firstgenerationfarmer9991]

Awesome!!

[@LanceMcGrew]

Just like patching drywall :)

[@InCountry6970]

Super job and excellent welding. Even your camera work is top shelf, just great. Thanks

[@brandonb6164]

Beautiful work Greg. I really like these videos.

[@gutsngorrrr]

Great job as ever. Out of curiosity, why don't you do a dye penetrate test, to check for cracks?

[@OFW]

I did think about it. The main reason is I forgot the die at the shop as I was in a rush.

[@rhiekel]

Nice job. Probably should have preheated it a bit for a stronger repair . Also get a needle gun for chipping out that slag. It does a perfect job. ( Former certified welder)

[@OFW]

I did pre heat a little. I almost got out the needle gun but I didn’t want to keep the compressor running for a few hours just for that.

[@rhiekel]

Haha ok, did not mean to nitpick. I used to work in a shop doing large structural pieces, and we never ever welded anything that was not preheated, and tested with a heat stick. The parts were for a nuclear power plant, and every weld was x-rayed. So you learned pretty quickly how to do perfect welds, or you no longer worked there... 😃

[@johnnybird7593]

Preheat depends very much on plate thickness and carbon content in material. 1 inch doesn't usually need much unless working in cold conditions. I do welding repairs on oil platforms in the North Sea.

[@MarkSmith-rk3iv]

Good Job ,,, I used to assemble the back end of the 657's before I retired a few years ago ... Definitely built strong :)

[@aldo-228]

Just amazing work sir! I'm truly impressed.

[@cab8188]

Do you know what they are constructing there ?? Great video's Thank you !

[@OFW]

They are digging a hole for a land fill I believe.

[@NICK-uy3nl]

That is a gross structural failure. Cat is not using the right alloys with high tensile strength, or could be a bad casting, or both. I am sure your weld is 10 times stronger than the base metal.

[@crazy_mind-ox8if]

Everything has a service life. While yes, it is possible to design parts strong enough so it won't fatigue and crack, if you tried to do that on bigger trucks and machinery, it would get so big and heavy it would either collapse under its own weight, or be so expensive nobody could buy it. CAT predicts exactly how many service hours things should last, and I'm pretty sure if you ask them they'll tell you. It always tends to break on welds because the root of the weld is a huge stress concentration point. And without re-heat treating after a weld, that will forever more be a weak spot. So I'm not sure CATs guidance on this repair, I'm sure its fine, I can almost guarantee you, the weld probably isn't stronger than the part originally was. Maybe close, but it will fail again. Probably sooner. There are some newer patents from CAT which should move the root of the weld out of the load path on structure critical future parts. But you didn't hear that from me. Either way, not a gross design failure. It failed as intend, probably when predicted. Otherwise CAT would recall the part and fix their design like they've done on some many other parts.

[@NICK-uy3nl]

@@crazy_mind-ox8if - The heart of good design is knowing the high stress points and doubling up on structural integrity of the weak point. It does not mean making the entire machine heavier but recognizing weak points (either by computer analysis or field reports) and improving it. It is a process that should be ironed out during product testing phase before the machine is put into production. I don't see such gross structural failures on reputable brands, like Komatsu or Liebherr, because they put their products through rigorous testing before selling them to customers.

[@crazy_mind-ox8if]

@@NICK-uy3nl I'm telling you, I've talked to the design engineers on an almost weekly basis for a while now. Every other sentence is "but that would increase weight". I don't know where the push comes from, but I can almost guarantee you the crack was predicted in FEA, and is part of the regular service advisory for that machine. I work at a foundry that makes most of these parts, and I've seen what happens when parts fail sooner than expected. It takes a while to make a new design, so it might be 2 or 3 years, but when something actually fails when it shouldn't, customers get upset and they 911 a new part through the process. Currently doing that on some frame components for some of their dump trucks. Oh also, CAT does have a proving ground, and they test it for months if not years before anything gets put in production. Its not just komatsu and liebherr

[@NICK-uy3nl]

@@crazy_mind-ox8if - Seems to me Cat safety margins are way below industry standards. That can come from either arrogance or ignorance. Maybe they need smarter engineers with modern tools for design and failure analysis to keep up with the competition.

[@xyz-bz1fc]

I don't even weld (maybe solder stuff here and there). This was amazing. That looked really good! Very impressive!

[@ronaldbrosius7488]

Wow!! Excellent job!! Well done, you nailed it.

[@slash.9882]

Very interesting video depicting the expertise needed to repair this correctly. Subscribed

[@MrPWH12345]

This was great. I'm not a metalwork of anykind just an engineer that appreciates craftsmen at work!

[@nedudki]

Kudos doing this type of repairs on the field!

[@petermccuskey1832]

Really nice work especially the plasma. Spot on sir. Back in the day before I had my suitcase I used stick and would gusset the exterior along the X axis towards the rear of the knuckle towards the pan for about 8 inches and it would stop it from occurring again. It could be because I was using stick that I had to gusset it. Again you do very nice work

[@markhubanks3715]

Wow, You have some kind of talent, Nice job! Thank You for the video.

[@KPutubing]

Howdy from Sacramento! I appreciate you sharing your work.

[@johnblecker4206]

That was one deep crack from the start which you turned in to a perfectly smooth and neat repair job.

[@0dbm]

The Blend Master, excellent work Beautiful work

[@codyprice5662]

You can definitely go home and be proud of that one. Nice work👌

[@mleite2006]

Field job well done. Congrats!

[@stanb5685]

Very nice work excellent welding job. I ran 637 for years retired now with a bad back!!! You know what I mean.

[@EricWakefield-ls9ph]

very satisfying to watch ☺️ excellent work by the way! the intense heat needed to cut that steel is easy work for that plasma cutter!!! phenomenal!

[@stevelutzke9600]

Awesome video, cool equipment and stories!

[@philp1072]

Total badass man! I can only hope to ever weld like you

[@aufklarungfahnestock3584]

Wow great job very nice repair and nice service truck.

[@alanschwier4045]

Greg, just like these other comments…. most interesting and very informative. We really enjoy your videos…. Take care my friend…

[@dustysherrmann4427]

A very good job under these difficult conditions 👍

[@jshelledy1]

Excellent work. Thanks for the post.

[@fernandoscrenci4874]

Amazing Work there !!! You Filled that Gap up big time!!

[@Bill-yy3ck]

I love watching an artist at work. New job description, "Field Artist".