CAT 374D L

[Alokocat]

Originally Posted by Lil Giants

Is that shelf dust or work dust on the grader?

Good zone Joe !

Dont know what to say in front of such skills.....congrats on a fine build. Hope to see more videos of it please.

[Espeefan]

That's beautiful! Your builds just keep getting better and better with every update. I never grow tired of seeing all the details. Very impressive!

[Morghan]

You're an artist ....

[Hemi1966]

I finally got the TIG, still need to get the argon bottle and then start practicing

[RCP57]

Woohoo right on! Looks like it has a lot of adjustments. Now hurry up and weld that cab together.

[Lars S]

Hey! I thought Kemppi was Finland! ;-)

[Hemi1966]

Originally Posted by Lars S

Hey! I thought Kemppi was Finland! ;-)

It is, but it's over my price range

[oldwestrnwear]

this is a beautiful work of art

thanks perry

[Hemi1966]

Not much to report here I've been disassembling the excavator for easier painting.
I also have been practicing tig welding with varying success
I can weld aluminium over 2mm thick, but I'm struggling with thinner materials when welding corner and but joints. Especially when the other part is narrow and other is bigger I tend to melt the narrow part through
I was trying to weld the cab side to the front window frame which is about 6mm wide and it melt through

[RCP57]

I've definitely been there! The only difference is my pieces weren't as pretty as yours before I ruined them.lol You would think that it would be easy but it's really not. I think I have improved with time(you will too) but I've also learned that there are some things that "I" just don't have the ability to weld. I often weld pieces together before cutting out windows or drilling holes. This often makes the welding possible but the hole cutting a pain in the a$$. I also sometimes make small parts oversize and trim them to the proper shape or size after welding. All that makes the job more time consuming but there is nothing worse than spending hours on a part only to melt a big hole in it and having to start again!

Reg

[Hemi1966]

Originally Posted by RCP57

I've definitely been there! The only difference is my pieces weren't as pretty as yours before I ruined them.lol You would think that it would be easy but it's really not. I think I have improved with time(you will too) but I've also learned that there are some things that "I" just don't have the ability to weld. I often weld pieces together before cutting out windows or drilling holes. This often makes the welding possible but the hole cutting a pain in the a$$. I also sometimes make small parts oversize and trim them to the proper shape or size after welding. All that makes the job more time consuming but there is nothing worse than spending hours on a part only to melt a big hole in it and having to start again!

Reg

Thanks Reg, you gave me several good advices there. I actually went through your Volvo thread yesterday to see how you did your cab. I will try to make the window frame oversize, that might make the welding easier

[Hemi1966]

Excavator parts degreased and ready for painting
Here's everything except the hydraulic lines.

[rc_farmer]

Truly a masterpiece!

[speedy8305]

Darn this paint needs to speed up lol cant wait to see the finished product been watching this awesome build since post#1

[Espeefan]

With your parts all cleaned and degreased, laying out on the bench.....it gets me wishing this was a kit, and it was laying on my workbench!

[speedy8305]

Yea that sounds like a good Idea you should turn it into a kit (reasonablly priced)

[RCP57]

Looks like you got that cab welded up. How do you like the welder?

[Hemi1966]

Originally Posted by RCP57

Looks like you got that cab welded up. How do you like the welder?

The cab is not done, what you see in the picture are just some cross members that I welded between the sides to help welding the actual outer surface, that I haven't even done yet.
The welding machine is ok but I still have a lot to learn

[RCP57]

Originally Posted by Hemi1966

The cab is not done, what you see in the picture are just some cross members that I welded between the sides to help welding the actual outer surface, that I haven't even done yet.
The welding machine is ok but I still have a lot to learn

You'll get it. Does the welder have a pulse setting? I find it helps to use it on the thin stuff sometimes especially with longer beads. I am using .050 5052 aluminum on the boat that I'm working on and it seems to weld OK but I definitely have to be more careful than with the .063 that I'm used to. How thick is the cabs sheet metal?

Reg

[Madda]

Beautiful job, can't wait to see the final product!

Ari, when you make parts with your BF20l, what tolerances do you get usually on the parts?