CAT Loader Arm repair

[@kawasakiwhiptwo5821]

I've done a little welding in my time and have been a loader operator for 27 years. You repaired it as well as could be done for structural integrity. I'd trust it. Good job.

[@michaelschulz4317]

I really appreciate you showing the part of the plate not going as planned, IDK if I can speak for anyone else but seeing someone else go through the same struggles helps me at least take a little pleasure off myself knowing Im not the only one lol. I dont have the experience of you, and I dont work on equipment like this but once you figure out the best way I am typically about done with the job and dont see anything like that for a long time always something new I love it thank you.

[@ypaulbrown]

well said

[@light-if7lk]

As a mechanical engineer your CAD joke was top tier! Made my morning! Thank you.

[@ashtonjanke3860]

As someone who’s used cardboard assisted design I found it funny

[@sundwitzi9225]

Cardboard Assisted Design 🤣🤣🤣 With my Arcdroid-Plasma I actually have both. Cardboard to Computer. ☺

[@dirtfarmer7472]

About that 1/2 inch plate. As you know the customer is always right even if he’s wrong Thank you Sir for this video & chance to learn

[@buynsell365]

NICE JOB !!! The "Cardboard CAD" ..........was priceless ......... never heard that one before.

[@gregorholmes1837]

You’re kidding right? Every KZbinr has been saying that for the last 10 years. It’s so old

[@sackvilleweldingservices]

Top work young man, including admitting to a mistake. Honesty is the best policy. Well done.

[@RetroRhith]

2:32 totally sounded like up to me also! Great work guys.

[@Mac-i3m]

100%

[@JerroldKrenek]

me too, even went back and listened a few times.

[@a-fl-man640]

yep

[@ypaulbrown]

I went back and listened, with head phones, sure sounded like Stop.....

[@hyperluminalreality1]

@@ypaulbrown Dude did not have headphones on. He was on a running forklift in a shop. I also heard up until he emphasized STOP.

[@SuperRoutman]

As a carpenter, I love watching how quick and useful a tack weld is. Wish woodworking had an equivalent.

[@locomike102]

For sure! I've been a welder for over 25 years and when I want to feel like I suck at life, I do wood projects! It's a whole different skill set.

[@chrisstromberg6527]

@@locomike102 Took some welding classes at the local Tech School, just cause I always wanted to learn to weld. I have been doing woodworking since High School. Welding is way harder, in my book.

[@focusplaner3479]

I was a fabricator for 15 years before I got into carpentry and I was constantly wishing I could just throw a tack on wood joints lol

[@FlaminChicken231]

Superglue works well in some applications

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

Stapler ?

[@vicchiapetta4166]

Great job, Greg!! I sure like your approach, as always!! No one could have done a better job than you!! Thanks again, Vic!!

[@billcovert3473]

Forensic metal failure analysis. This is a basic study as to how things break. This exact failure can be seen in u-joints, leaf springs drive lines. I got my introduction into failure analysis when I worked for Cummins in the late1970's, they used to publish training manuals. So we would get a new booklet on various truck related issues, work would quit early, pizza would be served. They did things like drive line vibration, different topics. The one i remember was metal failure types and how to read them. This one as you say probably started in the unnecessary hole. I think the term that was used was "shelling" [as in sea shells] the pattern from where the crack originates leads directly to where the crack starts. The most interesting one I had was a harmonic vibration. The are ultra sonic vibrations that melt metal molecule. Those training sessions that companies used to do in the early days was great stuff!

[@bobbruin44]

Wouldn’t the place where the crack originates be the same as where the crack starts?

[@jeffreywhitmoyer860]

The failure type is often referred to as beach marks. Classic fatigue failure. 30+ years ago I worked with a Cat vendor who was producing a variety of components for Cat. As I recall a lot of their materials were low alloy steels, 8620 and 8630 in particular. They had a lot of unusual testing requirements and in some cases odd heat treatments to achieve the required strength levels. When I watch these videos I have to wonder if any of the components you repair are actually low/medium carbon steel or are alloy. It's something that could affect filler choice and 42:35 the longevity of the welds. The only way to know would be to get your hands on Cats Specs or cultivate a friend with a Porta Spec. Spark testing can also give a good indication of composition. Other than that, your welding and preparation methods are spot on. Don't mean to be a smart ass, just sharing some thoughts.

[@billcovert3473]

@@jeffreywhitmoyer860 Yes beach marks. They tell a tale of the failures originating from the crack source. I am in trucking, this knowledge is important as whether the failure is operator abuse, or perhaps a shock load at a earlier date. I don't get into the equipment welding repairs, but I have learned good tips from Greg and I C Weld as I run a service truck doing road work [45 years]but every now and then do metal work. Smart, yes. Ass, no.

[@ItiscalledaMANDATE]

The "unnecessary hole", almost like it was done on purpose...

[@slother93]

I’m a structural engineer who came here to the comments to ask about that hole. Makes no sense to put that there, unless you want it to fail. Also, the thickness is suspiciously small.

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

It des not take a welding engineer to see why that member broke...That huge hole in the middle reduced 1/2 the strength of it IMHO. Super great repair job Greg.

[@nunyanina583]

Lift point, foolish but at the board meeting years ago was a young engineer who blew a lot of smoke up , well I think you get the picture. I watch CEE Channel out of Australia and I don't see many poor equipment design. Most is due to poor maintenance, pushing limits when a crack forms because of time constraints, not have the available down time. That's kinda what I think happened here. I think they saw the crack forming in my opinion. This guy could have welded the crack strait through and still put the plate on. Never seeing him work before, there is no doubt to his welds. But not replacing the Bushing and line bore to oem specs, it will end up back in the shop for just that real soon. I think anyway.

[@rbwoodwork1890]

I did a similar repair on a 966 back in the mid 70’s. I put a shaft in the lower pivots and in the broken one to square off of.

[@MrMitchellw16]

Kudos to the apprentice for keeping it cool in the eye of the storm

[@lerkzor]

Indeed. And in his defense, 'up' and 'stop' sound too much alike given the noisy environment. Should have either used pre-discussed hand signals, or used 'up' and 'whoa'. NOTE: this is just the opinion of some dude sitting comfortably in front of his computer watching other people do real work.

[@TronVila]

Whether any of my foreman throughout the years were right or comically wrong i eventually figured out the answer is always yes sir, ok sir, or understood. But you could see in his face their little spat wasn’t anything

[@ypaulbrown]

@@TronVila I agree....no sense arguing with he one who made the comment, I work for a ADHD dyslexic person who will say the opposite of what he wants and will deny it.....I try to have him write everything down due to this, but even that is fruitless so many times......

[@cardiacpa]

You are an artist. That is not going to break again. When you put the plate over the hole I said "uh oh, where is the sensor going to go?" But you figured it out. Very nice and your CAD was spot on

[@shawnjarman9860]

Like how you show, not everything goes as planned, and can admit errors happen, great vid

[@ypaulbrown]

agree with you on that....opps, we did not figure that in, adapt and over come

[@ThirdEchelon111]

Oh, man... That pivot arm juuuust made it, with the plate underneath it. Great video.

[@GPz84]

This guy is a maistro when it comes to welding. I see a huge repair, and he makes it look as simple as me making a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I don't know how much that repair costs, but it's worth every penney.

[@Imholze]

That CAD-joke was nice. Have to remember that. 👍🏻

[@bobbruin44]

Andrew Camarata uses CAD TECHNOLOGY too

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

Yep it was I have hever heard that even from Kurtis, CEE.

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

​@bobbruin44 yep too true your very right here, he does use it as does Mustie 1 as does Kurtis, CEE.

[@gregmarchegiani6656]

I love it when the pros make mistakes and admit it. It is refreshing to me, I constantly make huge errors, so these videos don’t hurt my self esteem too much

[@jackabubba]

If someone says they don’t make mistakes, they are either a complete liar or they don't do anything. I had an apprentice once, and he asked me how to stop making mistakes. I told him it isn’t the mistake you make; it is getting yourself out of it that matter.

[@sjohnson1776]

Beautiful work, and yes, the customer is always right. They want a plate, they get a plate.

[@daynaswan427]

My stepfather was a master welder. I watched him weld a few things. I have to say that you are my idea of someone who surpassed a master.

[@jmckittrick1]

Your CAD joke was great timing. I commented about your excellent CAD skills this morning on your excavator wing video

[@ypaulbrown]

Greg, time for a beer on a well done job......PB

[@COCORKIRL-ul4jd]

You're obviously very skilled. I would imagine jobs like that one are very difficult, and your honesty concerning what you termed a "mistake" did not go unnoticed. Skilled and honest--the best combination in any craft. Thank you!

[@jackabubba]

Chainblock on the fork will save friendships 🤣🤣🤣

[@MarcHasaraMarcHasara]

Your welds are pure artistry. The work you and others like you in your trade perform remind all of us why buying American used to mean something. Even when you screw up you make lemonade from lemons. That makes you an A-1 fabricator of the highest order.

[@johnw55018]

An engine hoist/cherry picker is really handy for hanging things like that. A little bit more finesse on adjustment so to speak, and it doesn't tie up the forklift. Your video reminded me i gotta get some more wire wheels and a new face shield 😂 And for the record i heard stop.

[@kevronkawasaki5701]

Fellow welder here, when you were looking at it real hard I was thinking the same thing same plasma cutter and everything. Great video job well done.

[@PrairieMechanic]

Too funny with the directions 😂 I have these moments with my apprentice all the time. Drives a guy crazy some days haha

[@dougobrien2840]

Love your work ,Always something different .Cheers from Australia.

[@williamthomas9463]

Bet that was exciting at the moment that broke! I appreciated the fact that you preheated it. It amazes me at how many customers have told me over the years that I was the first weldor they’ve ever seen do any preheating. Naturally, they assume, since they have never seen it or understand why, that I don’t know what I’m doing and it’s just a waste of time 🤦🏻‍♂️!

[@ypaulbrown]

everyone can tell you how to cook an egg, back up a trailer and weld........

[@tjallingdalheuvel126]

Can end deadly. As that submarine that had it's engine replaced and was not welded back together the right way. It got lost with it's crew.

[@danielpullum1907]

Way to go Gregg!!!!! It's good to be good and even better to be lucky!!!!! I know the customer isn't always right but he's still the customer and we give them as much of what they want as practical. Good to see you back.

[@maroonsr20]

Gotta love that CAD system! (Cardboard Aided Design)

[@johnw55018]

Now that i had time to finish watching the video, i had to comeback to say, my go-to on broke off bolts is to weld a washer to them, then a nut on top of washer. Then let it cool before turning the bolt out. May take a couple tries but It works almost every time. I spent way to much money on drillbits, extractors, and taps in the past.

[@MrRebar15]

*On Fire Welding* Bravo well done, thank-you sir for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless

[@MarcHasaraMarcHasara]

There is a serious engineered flaw by design in this holed yoke you repaired. I like that you brought it back to spec first then put your own "stank version" of repair on it. It is much much better than new now. The chance that your work breaks won't happen in a lifetime of 100 years. You did the customer a solid on this one.

[@MySynthDungeon]

Saturday with On Fire Welding! Alright! Coffee on! Cheers!;-)!

[@petermccuskey1832]

Excellent craftmanship.! Broken bolts are a pain but you adapted and overcome.

[@Bradleyscience]

Very nicely done, that was a lot of effort! Cheers

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

I am reminded of the Star Trek pilot episode The Menagerie the aliens tell Pike, when they were putting the girl back together they had never seen a human so they did not know how to do it. So she was all deformed. But I digress, a wonderful repair job not with standing the error, your right you never saw it together, so you cannot be expected to know. Life is here to try us, it can be fixed, I still think you did a lovely job in putting this back together. Well done matey well done.

[@wormkillerdan6486]

Great recovery Greg! LOL, I was thinking why doesn't he just put a football shaped plug in that hole.....that would have been a mess! I love metal work, wish I would have went into it in the 70's....went into the AF for 20 years instead. I have me a Harbor Freight welder, its their little MIG weights about 5 pounds but works great! Great video really enjoyed it! Be Safe, have fun!

[@Justvisiting498]

I imagine it took years to gain the skills to do this work, but Damn, you have a cool job.

[@crbrepairmotorcycles6608]

Thanks for the welcome back always give OFW a👍 up

[@tcgrizz59]

Beautiful work. The 3m Cubitron disks are amazing. I’m glad that you forgot about mounting the position sensor. Makes me feel better about my mistakes.

[@ypaulbrown]

they are actually Cubitron II [2] a new formulation....I have been using since 2017 and they are amazing.......I use the 7" and 4.5" and you will be totally amazed how fast they remove metal and also how smooth the surface will be...yes, they are more expensive, but the time saved is well worth it........PB

[@bobbruin44]

My friends wife used to call it the orbitron. Honey can you bring the orbitron home? Lol

[@magnum_dingus]

I'm a simple man. I see a fellow dude that fixes CATs, I hit sub.

[@citrusfarmer]

it is so nice to watch a professional work. Good job

[@brandonscarfe8803]

Great stuff as always! Thanks for sharing

[@mickbaker2483]

Hi Greg we all think we are helping out by engineering some Strath into something and find we have done to good a job to keep the costumer happy then have to go over the brilliant job we have done, I don't feel so bad now to see this can happen to a professional in his line of work I was more than surprised to see how you got that starched work back into place another fantastic job by the man who never seems fazed by the work he is given to do thank you for showing us how to get around a problem and thank's for another great and interesting video. p/s i just hope the customer is happy with the work you have done for them.

[@TheTorkerman]

I’ve never seen a repair like this were the welder cleans the weld after each run, great attention to detail 👍🏼

[@bobs-nq8wr]

he's running flux core and needs to knock the slag off before his next pass...pretty sure anyone running stick or flux core would need to do this before their second pass :)

[@jasoncousins1343]

That's what u need to be doing always even with hardwire

[@rudyrivera7426]

Wow! Cool! Repair! Thanks for sharing! Awesome job! 👌👍

[@douglasweller9709]

❤the Cad system Ha Ha 😝 we had a flame cutter table with an eye and we did just what you did and trace it on Mylar paper and burn it out. Takes me back to the 90’s

[@Comm0ut]

Those tables still sell for decent money and also work with plasma cutters including handheld if you fab an adapter. I keep getting outbid but I'm cheap and retired or I'd have one.

[@paulhammond7489]

Nice repair and that 3M disk is a grand tool... Those tapped holes for the sensor certainly appear to have contributed to the failure. Maybe the design would be strengthened if they used surface welded studs for the sensor plate mounting, rather than drilling so many holes into what must be a highly stressed part of the loader arm?

[@stevefortune4315]

Thank you for the great video. Looks awesome. I love when people cant tell i fix something and its better than new.

[@rusty6666]

That was a big welding job there lots of fun lining it up to weld but i must say thats nice work...

[@sparksmobilerepair4025]

those are always fun to repair. gotta wonder what it was like when it finally snapped off. never get to see the action just the aftermath.

[@theessexhunter1305]

Nice, how did you check the hole was square both ways to the other machined holes as it must have pulled when you burnt in the wire as they always do.

[@LA6NPA]

Pro tip: If you buy a set of reverse drill bits (cutting counter clockwise), every now and then when you're drilling out a broken bolt/stud, the drill bit will catch and extract it without the use of an extraction tool (instead of catching and running it in). Not that much of a timesaver on heavily rusted bolts (unlikely to make a difference) but for bolts that aren't that stuck, it works well.

[@OFW]

I have several sets of those and I believe I was using them in this video. Definitely wouldn’t have made a difference on these bolts.

[@jeremyhanna3852]

​@OFW i am surpised u didn't try welding a nut on the bolts thats usually my first move

[@Hamid-az]

I enjoyed your clear and undrestandablle and complete video . Thank you very much bro😊

[@Swimding]

its like watching cartoons on Saturday mornings! love it, enjoying your video while enjoying a coffee.

[@charleswelch249]

That's a good repair. It's no wonder why it broke there between the hole in the cast steel. And the drill holes in the weekest points. I understand that it's there to protect the sensor from damage. But also greatly weekends the structure of the casting. Great repair job in the end.

[@charlietanner6211]

you get the messes do it wright you are a true craftsman

[@bofilen-ii4fs]

There is a serious amount of work, preperation and messuring before even start welding... I would very much like that job....

[@snifitall]

Nice work, thank you for sharing with us. When I heard that extractor pop it hurt my feelings way over here to. Funny thing is broken taps and extractors sound about the same when they give up. As we say in the shop if your not breaking anything your not doing anything.

[@BobWolford-q2b]

Damn- what a cool repair- thank you very much for the video and explanation. Excellent work, looks great.

[@duggandh]

Happy to see moisture in your yard. Very dry at my home NW Alta.

[@Comm0ut]

The hole location for the angle sensor is wetoddid. The mistake was easy to make but the designers letting such silliness leave the factory was goofy vs. welding a shield to protect the electrics rather than burying it which no doubt someone was proud of because it looked cooler. BTW the squirt bottle trick is classic and works a treat with water-based machining coolants too.

[@donyboy73]

You do nice work, I am learning a lot from you!

[@GICK117]

Great job young man. Obviously it's a stress point and more is better. Up and stop should brought out the comments.

[@woodartist2021]

You really gave that plasma unit a workout, Greg. I like the idea of beveling the joint that way. I appreciate you sharing the repair with us! Does hardwire fill a gap better than dual shield? Just wanted to know your thinking on it. Your repair is obviously high quality!

[@OFW]

It’s better in an open root situation Like using 6010 before 7018. Not better at deposition or weld strength.

[@jamesward5721]

Had to lay on 35 feet of weld, pretty much into the same gap you are welding here ^, last week, repairing a massive machine. I honestly thought I would go insane from the sheer, utter drudge of pouring in that much metal inch by inch & also pretty much figured the welder would melt from the workload. It didn't & I didn't - but it was a close run thing. Right as I finished, was clearing up the tools, shocked I had survived the ordeal - amazing how tools migrate like antelope across to jobs that are being done, from where they are meant to live - the tiny inverter I had perched up high that I was using to put in the base-run using rods (dunno how that didn't melt either) , fell down (having stayed put all week) & landed on my hand, breaking one of the bones God designed using CAD to hold thumbs on. How sore was that? All the sore. Being male & a welder, that went onto the "Stuff we're going to ignore" List - you know the one. Nice repair btw. :-)

[@jamesward5721]

Herself noticed my hand had turned an odd shade of black & yellow - that's how you know bones inside are really in a huff - she goes "J, Your hands a dreadful colour! WTF like?"... Yeah, we're not paying that any heed, Honey.. It'll either heal or fall off - one of those.. Yesterday I wasn't paying attention & stood up from welding down low on a chassis - whereby the hugely stout outrigger above buried itself into the side of my head in the manner of Mike Tyson doing his best work. That took my mind right off the throbbing hand & gave me something else to think about. The joys of self-employed welding.

[@DavidGrassSr]

Love to watch you work on big stuff, sometines you got to think outside the box. i know you know, you just was in a hurry. one are two pictures. Heavy iron be safe See Ya. S E Texas

[@Thedudeabides803]

Excellent job man. Impressive fix.

[@dcasteaux9181]

I don’t even own a welder yet find your videos very interesting. I would’ve used lots of JB Weld 🤣

[@JonDingle]

Some repair that young man! Have got a similar T shirt for mistakes when welding, but I had to cut off and start again. Great work and video.

[@Tenright77]

It was only broken the middle part....Amazing repair...Thx OFW...

[@theswissvaper]

A good friend is a welder since almost 30 years.. he would complain about everything... " wrong weld here... angle not enough... no holes to weld on the support part.. yadda yadda yada.... " Completely going nuts 😂😂😂 I would not be able to weld even close to your stuff. Way to go.. GREETINGS from Switzerland...

[@ypaulbrown]

Hey Greg, great to be back, hope you have a wonderful weekend, Paul in Orlando, Florida......

[@gregj7916]

interesting, never ceases to amaze what breaks on earthmovers...

[@davemaccarter64]

nice work. Like all pros, you make it look easy.

[@markhill2489]

Cool vids ! I enjoy watching the craftsmanship. .

[@antonioj.santos9388]

Excelente profissional!! Limpeza, bizel, alinhamento, soldagem com equilíbrio térmico com o propósito de se evitar uma fissura na soldagem, em fim, Excelente!!

[@johnscott2849]

When something breaks and you really didn't abuse it, I think it's a good idea to reinforce it. It really shouldn't lift anything heavier than it is rated for. Doesn't look like a good way to do that sensor. I thought it looked like a factory lifting point was the reason for the hole.

[@x...CrankyOldMan...x]

Funny how thats exactly what i was thinking.. I didnt get the long screw hole, where the break happened. Why so long if it was just to secure the sensor...

[@fastst1]

I didn't see a lot of heat distortion when welding one side vs the other, does dual shield distort things less than stick? Really hate snapped off bolts/studs, usually drill the middle and use a #1 gas tip and just heat that stud piece to cherry if possible, sometimes get lucky and it'll shrink a fraction when it cools. Depends on the customers schedule though.

[@OFW]

I would say the distortion is about the same. The deposition rate is the biggest difference. I really wanted to fix the bolts correctly, but didn’t have the time.

[@fastst1]

@@OFW I feel ya, I just spent 20 mins drilling and retapping a couple holes on a brake drum that I know will never be used again, just couldn't let it leave with someone elses mess.

[@Mr20theprophet]

Need that OFW merch! Love to rock one of your hoodies around the jobsite! Ironworker here out of local 207 Youngstown! Keep up the great vids!

[@OFW]

Merch is coming. I’m working on getting top quality American made merchandise.

[@jimanderson4495]

AMAZING WELDING JOB! Thanks

[@petermccuskey1832]

Really great workmanship!

[@redpost2380]

For your children's and your sake consider a $1500 3M respirator. Even with the fan, the residual fumes are not mountain air... You are an exceptional welder

[@mikenixon9164]

Sounded like you said up to me too.

[@copeland694]

I'm a carpenter and I just love your videos. Thank you so much for explaining the details and showing the different steps. It's soooo interesting!!!!

[@Cancun771]

Doesn't the bore axis need to be parallel to those of the other bores on the arm?

[@OFW]

Yes, it should be.

[@tiamat9149]

I know nothing about welding and such, but it's fascinating to watch. Couple questions, what is the first machine you used that cut out diagonal pieces? Also, why did you have to pre-heat the metal before welding? Just asking.

[@OFW]

Plasma cutter, and pre heat is important on thicker material. It helps with fusion and stress relief.

[@redpost2380]

Fast problem solving in motion. quenching the broken bolt after heating it might have hardened it. Might want to reheat it to cherry red and attempt its removal when the metal is hot. It may still not come out. A solution would be to drill a 1/4" hole and get a 1/4" threaded rod to insert in the hole after countersinking it an 1/8" or so. Then weld the threaded rod in place. Beats having to use a tap and die set. Love your videos

[@abackimages5351]

I like the plate upgrade design definitely better than before

[@terrminatoragain461]

Cad 😂😂😂 Cardboard assisted design 😂😂😂 Excellent job Greg Filling in those large gaps,sure sets an experienced welder apart

[@lemoneleven2179]

you did in fact say up, not stop lmao

[@jacobmcnaught3137]

thats what im saying

[@falcon8553]

Always a pleasure to see your work. 👏👏

[@bajagilgm8116]

how did you know the exact center location for the hole on the lug? What did you use for a datum? is there a drawing locating the center of the hole? eyeballing it probably changed the entire geometry affecting the cylinder that attaches to it.

[@OFW]

It fit up pretty good. Tack it in place then keep checking the measurements as you weld it.

[@peterantonic6923]

Awesome job there buddy, great to watch a real tradesman on the job.

[@TheGrimSmile]

Man, seeing solid steel just melt away with that torch will never stop bein crazy to me

[@PrairieMechanic]

Curious to know how come you added the plates to strengthen on this job since you mentioned you normally would stop after the weld process? Thanks! Nice work as usual.

[@OFW]

As I said in the video. It’s what the customer wanted.

[@PrairieMechanic]

@@OFWwell, shows how well I listen. Haha Thanks for telling me twice