Frame cracked?
 

My cousin stopped by to show me his 982 that he just picked up. After a quick once around I noticed that the frame was cracked at about the back edge of the flat plate thats under the engine( excuse the super technical terminology). Don't have a pic at this time. Anyway I was wondering if this is common and if there is a good method to repair the frame so it won't crack in the future. Any info would be appreciated. :Thanks: Cjet69

A good welder will be able to fix it.

I know Vince O had a cracked frame on a 2072 not very long ago that he welded but I can't find his post about what he did to fix it. :bigthink:

Well it dosnt take a good welder to fix it cause I fixed the 2072, and I AINT no welder.

The frame on the 2072 was cracked in the same place, all the way up thre the almost to the top by the power steering. Now I dont really know what caused it, may have been the loose eng broken trans, we wil never know.

What I did was wrong, so I wont even post how I did it, but its the oppsit of the corect way.

First cut you a pice of steel the same thickness as the frame. make it so it will go past the crack a few inches in each direction, set it to the side.

Next grind out the crack with a grinder or ziz wheel. And clean the areas to be welded.

Clamp the fish p[late to the frame and weld the crack up, be sure to make it hot enough to catch all 3 pices, let it cool for a while.

Now n the insde of the frame tack the fish plate in a few spots. Then run your welds.

When you have it all done, take a tourch and heat it all up nice and red, this will take the preasure out of the steel that is pulled in all directions from the welding.

Maybe Josh will post a pic of his old 982 that was repaired by a friend of his in Iowa. Hes the one that told me what I did wrong, and it kept breaking.

Also Earl, DaDuke, told me the same thing, if you put too much heat into the frame it will get brittle and break. Many of real welders have told me the same thing.

I used to have pics on this site of the repair, but they are gone. They are on another site, dont want to drive ya there, as ive been told I do, but if you search youll find them.

Remember one thing, welders and cubs arnt related. :Wave:

Oh and I used a stick welder, a mig would be better.

:Thanks: for the info, Vince_o. I was wondering if there was room on the inside of the frame for a reinforcement. Sounds like there is. I have mig, tig, arc, and oxy/acetylene welders so I think I'm covered there.

Oh man you could tig it in and be so much better off than I! Sounds like I dont need to post any pics cause you know what your doing, me Im just learning how to weld, or stick some steel togeather. I make many of mistakes, but if you dont make mistakes, youll never learn.

have the same Problem at my 123, that i purchased a few Weeks ago. After loosen the Screws of the Engine Oil Pan, the Front Axle falls down to the Ground, with the Bracket. Have a MIG/MAG Welder, but can't weld it, i have a Pacemaker, and i think it's to dangerous for me, i'm little angry. Tomorrow, a Friend will weld it for me, with my Welding Machine.

mfg Georg:Cub1::Cub3::Cub8:

:bigeyes:

I have never seen a frame cracked THAT bad before...

Vince,
I've looked all over the puter and can't find any pics of the 982 frame Dave fixed for me. :bash2: Dunno what happened to them.

I agree with Matt. That poor cub must have been through a demo derby. :bigeyes: Georg, you'd better check the oil pan over good. Lotta stress on those pan bolts.

I wonder what caused that to happen. Did the tractor have a loader on it at one time? Its nice to have friends to help out when you need it. Thats whats nice about websites like this one, the members who have "been there done that" can get us pointed in the right direction.

I learned a trick from a farmer (then I later learned why in a college class).

NEVER weld across a tractor frame, make ALL welds with the length of the frame.

It will take a little more thinking, and planning, but, the results will be worth it.

You can almost never stop a weld from cracking, if the bead is placed across the frame.

Weld beads that are positioned with the front to back length of the frame carry very little stress. Weld beads placed across the frame are almost always subjected to enough force to cause cracking.


So the fish plate is very important.

If you can not totally avoid the weld across the frame, design the fish plate to go at an angle, rather than go straight across, that is better, the stress is distributed.

The way the front axle carrier was designed into the wide frames was a design error, they welded right across the flange of the frame, almost a guarantee of a crack.

WOW what a frame or scrap.It may be better to get another frame and clean and paint that one and swap everything over.

Josh, I cant tell you how much Dave has tought me. Sometimes its way over my head when he talks about changing 3 phase welders into single, but sooner or later ill get it.

Don't feel too bad ole buddy. A lot of stuff Dave talks about is way over my head, too. :biggrin2: :beerchug:
He sure knows a ton of stuff though. Anytime I need help troubleshooting anything from a cub to a dog, I'll call Dave. Remember the show MacGyver? I think his first name was Dave. :Bowdown2: :biggrin2:

the 123 doesn't had a Loader, the Tractor only had a Mower Deck, but the Seller didn't want to sell it, he will need it for his other Cub Cadet (102).

Saturday, my Friend welded the Frame, he is a good Welder, the 123 is ready for Driving, but i have no Pics, i forgot my Cam at Home, :bash2:, sorry,

mfg Georg

Well finally going to fix my cousins 982, the frame is cracked on both sides. He also said the front PTO quit while mowing last fall and wanted to see why his side panels didn't fit. I already found why the PTO quit, it was unplugged. The side panels don't fit because the grille has been pushed back and bent the frame where the grille mounts, should be an easy fix. The frame needs to be cleaned up and then I will figure out what method of repair will work best. Here are a few pics.

I has a 982 like that here and my way to fix a show tractor is get another frame if its a worker then I would fish plate but don't put any metal inside the frame as when you want to remove the engine the engine plate will catch it they come hard so as it is

if i were to fix this frame, i would cut some 1/4'' plate to fit the inside of the frame. clean up the crack and bevel the edges. then jack up the tractor to relieve any downward stress that could be pulling the frame apart. weld the crack then heat to relieve the stress. now take your plate and place it on the inside of the frame and drill 4 holes into the plate only. 2 on each side of the crack. weld the plate to the frame including the 4 holes. then heat it all up again. might be over kill for these cubs but that how i like to do things.

:Thanks: for the input, guy's.

Got the frame welded up. Just rattle canning for now because he wants to paint it soon. Also straightened the top of the frame where the grille mounts and now the side panels fit.

that's a nice job did you put a plate on the inside

Great job on the frame repair!

Good job on the frame fix!:beerchug:

No I didn't put a plate on the inside. I ground a V in the frame and welded it up. I can see a bead on the inside so I know I got full penetration. If he has any more trouble with it then I may add a plate. The best time to do that is when he paints it and has the engine out.

Found a rattle can of Case IH 2150 and shot over the repair.

Looks great!:beer2:

That looks awesome!

I have a pace maker as well. Check with your mfg about the limits of welding.
You can not be life dependant on the pacemaker. IE it stops you die!:bigthink:
Mine lets me weld as long as i dont go over 130 amps. Wrap the ground around the positive lead a few times. Keep the weld point at 24 inch distance. Take frequent breaks.:ThumbsUp: