Track frame pitting

General help and support for your Lindeman through 2010 John Deere crawler
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jdcollector
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Track frame pitting

Post by jdcollector » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:12 pm

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on what to do about track frame pitting? The 420C that I have has considerable pitting on the track frame and I think it would not look good to do a full restoration on the crawler and then have the track frames looking like crap due to the heavy pitting.... Any suggestions??
Patrick Thomson
440 ICD w/ 831 Loader
420C w/ 62 Blade

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NNAATZ
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Post by NNAATZ » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:32 pm

sandblast them, and fill with body filler, lots of sanding but will look nice

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jdcollector
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Post by jdcollector » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:16 pm

What kind of body filler do you recomend?? I have tried "bondo" but not had very much luck with it. Any recomendations are greatly appreciated.
Patrick Thomson
440 ICD w/ 831 Loader
420C w/ 62 Blade

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NNAATZ
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Post by NNAATZ » Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:35 pm

"bondo" brand is not my chioce of filler. i use Evercoat, there are many grades of it, get like Z-Grip. it sands and spreads real nice with out pin holeing. i use Rage Gold which is premium grade filer and is more expensive. any autobody supply store should have or get it easy.

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Tigerhaze
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Post by Tigerhaze » Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:37 pm

Patrick-

Besides NNAATZ's recommendations, the way you apply body filler can also affect results.

First suface prep is somewhat critical. Obviously on pitted metal you will not get all pits and rust removed, but you need to get the significant rust off or it will cause the filler to "pop out" later.

Try to spread the filler in thin layers, then dry and sand rather than one thicker layer. Thick layers tend to not dry evenly and can cause softeness in the resulting surface.

Also, results are much better if the hardner is thoroughly and evenly mixed with the filler, which is again hard to do with larger batches.
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Lavoy
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Post by Lavoy » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:10 am

The one problem I can see with body filler is if the crawler is going to be used, there will be little impact resistance. If this is a concern, then I would cut out the plate and weld in a new one.
Lavoy

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wwattson
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Post by wwattson » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:19 pm

I've used the technique of either sand blasting or wire brushing and then using my MIG welder to fill in the pits. Grind to original contour. Time consuming but puts metal back where metal belongs.

Does go a long way toward explaining how I'm 3 years into a 1010CA restoration and it's still not done.

Bill
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jdcollector
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Post by jdcollector » Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:10 am

Thank you for all the information. I'm not sure which way I will do it yet. I intend on using the crawler a little for some fun in the dirt but I'm not sure if I will go ahead and cut the plate out and weld a new one in or use the body filler. If I was to cut the plate out what size plate would you recomend putting back in? Thanks again for the info. :D
Patrick Thomson
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Post by Lavoy » Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:14 am

I think it is 1/4", not sure, you can look at where the front idler goes and measure for sure. One other product I can think of it Lab Metal. It is a powdered aluminum that can be thinned down enough to spread, or more so it will basically flow. It is a JB Weld type product, but comes pre-mixed. I have fixed a couple impossible to fix items with it in the past. If you sandblast the frames, you could thin it down and putty knife it in place just like bondo. The difference would be it will never crack or come out, and is as hard as hell, so will not dent or scratch as easy.
Lavoy

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jdcollector
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Post by jdcollector » Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:32 am

That sounds like the way to go. The track frame has already been sandblasted and primed. I guess that I will need to resandblast the pitted part to remove the paint so the product will be able to bond to the metal? Where can you find this product?? Automotive store? Thanks again for the help
Patrick Thomson
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JD440ICD2006
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Post by JD440ICD2006 » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:05 am

Here is the web site for Lab Metal. Tells all about it. They can likely tell you your nearest outlet.
http://www.lab-metal.com/

Thanks Lavoy, I can think of some good uses for that product.
1959 JD 440ICD w/64 Power Angle Tilt Blade
1959 JD 440ICD w/63 Manual Angle Blade
1959 JD 440IC w/602 Manual Angle Blade
1959 JD 730D W SE (many options)
1950 JD M S w/M-20 Mower
1952 JD M W
1955 FORD 640 (burns the most fuel)

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Lavoy
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Post by Lavoy » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:13 am

Where I used it was on a 1930's Onan W2C generator that friend was restoring for me. Discoverd the radiator was shot, and not repairable, no parts to be had. The bottom of the core must have been frozen and had numerous small leaks. We thinned Lab Metal down so far it would pour. Then duct taped one side of the radiator, tilted it at an angle and poured the Lab Metal in the other side. We filled in the bottom 3 rows of fins solid, and it has never leaked again. Not a fix I would recommend. but I always say you can't break a broken part, so no loss. It went from a 400lb piece of scrap iron, to a nicely restored 3KW gen set.
I don't use it real often, but where I need a repair that is more solid than something like JBWeld, I will use it. I have no proof of it, but my personal opinion is the finished product is stronger than JBWeld in terms of breakage. Where I use JBWeld as a Loctite type fix, then I would say the JBWeld is better.
Lavoy

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jdcollector
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Post by jdcollector » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:17 am

THANKS!! I will look up and see where the nearest dealer is and let you know how it all works out. Thanks everyone for the help!!!
Patrick Thomson
440 ICD w/ 831 Loader
420C w/ 62 Blade

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jdcollector
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Post by jdcollector » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:21 am

Well, I just looked at Lab-Metal's home page and they are located in the UK. They do not list any dealers and only ship their product currently in the main land UK. So, any other ideas on how I can find this stuff??
Patrick Thomson
440 ICD w/ 831 Loader
420C w/ 62 Blade

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JD440ICD2006
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Post by JD440ICD2006 » Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:10 am

I have never ordered it but intend to do so at some point.
Look at "Other Links" on their web page, I think they have an eBay Store.
Also, you may send them an email and inquire about local outlets.
1959 JD 440ICD w/64 Power Angle Tilt Blade
1959 JD 440ICD w/63 Manual Angle Blade
1959 JD 440IC w/602 Manual Angle Blade
1959 JD 730D W SE (many options)
1950 JD M S w/M-20 Mower
1952 JD M W
1955 FORD 640 (burns the most fuel)

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