Welding thin gauge garden tractor wheels together, what's the best process?

[N2 Welding]

I am trying to make some front garden tractor wheels skinny. I cut the wheels and they are about ready to be welded back together.

I am thinking tig would be the best process for a clean looking weld seam. Mig if done right could look good as well. I am not sure of the best way to weld these for either process. Should I use a thin gap like .024 so they get full penetration? I would prefer not having to do grind much after welding and will be painting them after they are welded up

The wheel in the picture below is a practice wheel. I have a couple i can practice on to perfect the technique. Here is a thread on a jd forum I started regarding it if any one is interested. https://www.wfmachines.com/forums/sh...=1#post1009996

[Weldalittle]

don't see the picture, didn't work?

[N2 Welding]

I see them on my phone and pc look again and let me know if you still can not see any pictures. Additionally you can click on the link above to see more pictures of how I cut the wheel.

[N2 Welding]

Over 100 views and no suggestions?

[ronsii]

Views of what...

[N2 Welding]

[Boostinjdm]

MIG on a positioner would resemble some factory wheels i've seen. Personally, I'd TIG it on the visible (outside) side, knock down any sharp spots on the inside, and run tubes.

I tigged the last set of atv wheels I did. They gradually lose air. Never have nailed down the leak. Could be my weld, the stems, the beads, or the tires themselves.

[N2 Welding]

Boost did you ever try to submerge the aired up tire/wheel combo in a tub of water to see if you could discover any pin holes or cracks in the weld seam?

I will probably use tubes when it's all said and done. I was thinking of using some soft smooth foam glued to the inside of the wheel to use as an insulation so the tube don't rupture on the weld seam.

I don't have a positioner atm :/ but that sure would make welding it a lot easier. Maybe I could use a cheap disco ball motor with different size contact wheels to control the wheel rotational speed. LOL... https://www.amazon.com/American-M-1R...tor+disco+ball

[Boostinjdm]

Never dunked them. They're bolted to a project I have yet to complete. So it just isn't high on my list yet.

[N2 Welding]

yeah I know all to well about a big list of projects with a lot of them not so high on the priority list. I was also thinking maybe some paintable Polyurethane Caulking could be used on the inside of the wheels after welding them up if they don't want to seal properly. Just a thought.

[scsmith42]

N2, back in my youth racing wheels were frequently bolted together. A bead of clear silicone RTV was placed on the inside of the seam for sealing. Worked fine. I would suggest it because it will seal well.

If I were welding them, my biggest concern from using MIG would be the potential for warp.

[cd19]

Whatever your comfortable with. I'd mig them myself. Don't bother with a gap, just weld it. Mig or 3/32 6011 rod

[BD1]

Mig would be my choice. Since you're cutting down , does this mean you can't find that size wheel ? Just curious since I always see a assortment for free or cheap .

[N2 Welding]

N2, back in my youth racing wheels were frequently bolted together. A bead of clear silicone RTV was placed on the inside of the seam for sealing. Worked fine. I would suggest it because it will seal well.

If I were welding them, my biggest concern from using MIG would be the potential for warp.

Warping had crossed my mind which was another reason I was thinking Tig. Possibly weld with no filler on a very low setting and see how that goes. I don’t have a lot of tig experience though and why I am asking how it could or should be done. I have seen a lot of pipe welding videos with tig where they leave a gap and fill in with choice of rod. I read a thread recently where Moto was talking about how T70S2 welds more like mud vs. S6 more like water. Does that mean S2 freezes faster or just does not flow as fluid and has less chance of dropping out or burning through?

[N2 Welding]

Mig would be my choice. Since you're cutting down , does this mean you can't find that size wheel ? Just curious since I always see a assortment for free or cheap .

The JD 4” wide front 1” axle wheels are kind of scarce and not as easy to obtain which means most people when they have them want a but load of money for them. I may make more than one set depending on how I do with the first set. I want them to use some skinny 4” tri-rib tires like in the picture of my 317 below.

[MISSING LINK]

Let the flame fest begin. 3/32 or next size smaller 6013 would work nice. But yes small wire or tig would work very nicely!

[Hobbytime]

Boost did you ever try to submerge the aired up tire/wheel combo in a tub of water to see if you could discover any pin holes or cracks in the weld seam?

I will probably use tubes when it's all said and done. I was thinking of using some soft smooth foam glued to the inside of the wheel to use as an insulation so the tube don't rupture on the weld seam.

I don't have a positioner atm :/ but that sure would make welding it a lot easier. Maybe I could use a cheap disco ball motor with different size contact wheels to control the wheel rotational speed. LOL... https://www.amazon.com/American-M-1R...tor+disco+ball

best thing to use are some strips of old inner tube wrapped around the inside of the rim to protect the new inner tube, any foam or material like that will hold moisture and rot the rim and will squish down to nothing once air pressure is put in tube..thats what I use in any rims I use tubes in on off road vehicles or trailers so there are no balancing issues at low rpm on the tires..

[N2 Welding]

Let the flame fest begin. 3/32 or next size smaller 6013 would work nice. But yes small wire or tig would work very nicely!

Stick is my least favorite for this due to the bb's and slag left behind after welding. Well and my lack of practice welding around the clock while keeping a steady stickout. I know my limits and stick is out of the question.

[N2 Welding]

If I tig should I but the seam up or use some .024 wire to create a very small gap? Same question for mig. Hoping I can weld it out in one pass and get full pennetration with little to no post weld clean up.

[MinnesotaDave]

In my opinion, grab some material that is the same thickness (did you list thickness?).

Tack it together with several tacks, bend it around something, make test runs on it.

I test weld everything that I'm unsure of because reworking an item takes forever compared to testing methods.

I saw your remark on low heat tig. Low heat will make you travel slow and can increase overall heat input.

As far as method, I'd use mig and back-step if needed.

I like tig, but don't see the need for it here.

[xryan]

BEST practice is MIG on a turntable, even spun by hand on a $5 lazy susan bearing. I had a project building this a long time ago. The pneumatic tired wheels were custom size and so we made the wheels with a simple lazy susan turntable. Had one leaker if I remember correctly. At the time there was just my Journeyman and me the apprentice. They needed them done ASAP so we each took a pile of 10 wheels and let the sparks fly...never marked who did which pile so never knew who made the leaker... Just a quick grind and TIG up the spot. Really cool project. You drove it just like a regular cabover with a steering wheel.

[sapperb]

MIG has my vote...Only because I need to get better at TIG...

[N2 Welding]

Dave I did not mention thickness yet. It looks to be about 14 gauge, the esab thickness gauge I have won't fit where there is paint and slides right over the edge in the places where I wire wheeled the paint off so I'm guessing about 14g. I am practicing on some lawn tractor wheels before I do the JD garden tractor wheels this is for. I have a few of these I can practice on. I can also use the cut out sections to piece back together to get an idea of machine settings.

Ryan that thing looks like fun. Did you leave a gap, bevel or do any thing special to weld the wheels or just but them up and go at it? Do you remember the wheel thickness for comparison?

[N2 Welding]

I saw your remark on low heat tig. Low heat will make you travel slow and can increase overall heat input.

As far as method, I'd use mig and back-step if needed.

I like tig, but don't see the need for it here.

I don't have a lot of out of position welding practice either so I like flat welding. If tig welded would the puddle droop or sag more in horizontal vs flat? I think I will probably end up cutting up several wheels before I discover the best method for my skill level. flat or horizontal, gap or no gap, bevel no bevel, mig or tig.

If welded horizontally I can use a 1" spindle clamped in a vise but that makes resting my hands more difficult and puts me about 10" off the table. If welded horizontal I can use the Lazy Suzan Ryan mentioned and be a lot closer to the table. So many options

[BD1]

Got it Tony. IF you can get a setup to rotate mig is ideal. You got that girlfriend ,right ???
Get it tacked and slide round through hub. Set up a stand to rest your arm / hand in. Then have girlfriend rotate.
I've done this hundreds of time with pipe using stick which is a little different since you have to adjust for burning rod.
The first one is always the hardest. If you start say 1 o'clock or so and move towards you might be the easiest, downhill. Or try at 8 o'clock and go uphill. See which the girlfriend prefer. She's probably great in any position. Welding that is.


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