nickle rod vs er70s for application

So i have been hearing i should use nickle rod for some welding application im about to use. Still a newbie in tig so experienced responses are welcome. Im about to tig up an axle truss on my brother in laws axle along with new mounts and shock brackets but i hakve heard nickle rod would be recomended over er70s which i hear gets better grab to the axle tubes and the cast pumpkin. If you have any experience using one or
The other or both your personal or professional opinion is appreciated. Along with what diameter rod should i get if i get
Nickle? The application is for a heavily used offroad jeep

If you are a "newbie," stop. Do not weld on things where failure of the weld could cause loss of life, serious injury, or expensive property damage. Leave that stuff to the folks who know what they're doing.

Newbie to tig only been welding mig along time with only er70s wire. Heard nickle wire was a better option on axles

I have been tig welding for about a year now on mild steal, dom, and aluminum. I do fabrication work in my spare time. Only axle truss i have built until this coming project have all been mig welded. Just looking for more knowledge. I know a higher nickle content in the steal is better thus why i see nickle rod would work better

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Originally Posted by fullydrooped

I have been tig welding for about a year now on mild steal, dom, and aluminum. I do fabrication work in my spare time. Only axle truss i have built until this coming project have all been mig welded. Just looking for more knowledge. I know a higher nickle content in the steal is better thus why i see nickle rod would work better

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Ahhh. I see. Most folks on the Internet who say they're "new to welding" mean, "I bought a welder last week and now I'm going to weld up a trailer, a turbo manifold, and a roll cage. What rod should I use?" By some measures, after a year of TIG practice, you're still a newb, but on the Internet, you'r practically a veteran. :D

Haha well i guess im just being modest. But i can always learn and never pretend to be better than i am. I have had alot of good mentors in the automotive and diesel industry and when you can take someone elses experience and build off of that there is no better way to advance your skills and perception.

Filler rod selection is dependent on the base materials. You need to know what the housing and axle tubes are made of. Rear end housings can be cast iron, cast steel, nodular iron, etc. Stock axle tubes are usually mild steel, but aftermarket are often 4130. Nickle rod does help with cast iron, but getting a strong weld is very tricky and is all about pre and post heating and cool down, so you don't get embrittlement in the HAZ. It's not needed for steel and ER70S2 or ER80S2 would so the job. Some people swear by 309 stainless filler for nodular iron as it has both high nickle and chromium, which help with the high carbon content. A lot depends on the design of your truss. Most depend on high strength attachment to the axle tubes more than at the housing.

Most of the welder I know when you welding steel they don’t know what it really is and no spec’s on what to do use stainless rod ER309/309L I have weld a few rear end for drag racers and stock cars mainly stiffeners and shock mount relocation.
Rambozo has some very good points also.

Its a stock cherokee dana 30 front axle and i will be putting an artec industries truss on it that welds both to the mild steel tubes and the cast iron pumpkin. The cast iron is my concern i had welded a traction bar bracket next to my cast iron pumpkin on one of my axles and it eventually cracked it was a quick job to test a design and have not put it back on the fact it came off is why i looked into nickle rod. Money is not an issue quality is the importance

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Originally Posted by fullydrooped

Its a stock cherokee dana 30 front axle and i will be putting an artec industries truss on it that welds both to the mild steel tubes and the cast iron pumpkin. The cast iron is my concern i had welded a traction bar bracket next to my cast iron pumpkin on one of my axles and it eventually cracked it was a quick job to test a design and have not put it back on the fact it came off is why i looked into nickle rod. Money is not an issue quality is the importance

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Since this truss is for a specific application, what does the Artec recommend ?

The design of most off-road type trusses is to keep the axle from bending upward. So the truss force is more at each end trying to stretch the truss, and the mount on the pumpkin is just to hold it away from the line of the axle. I've mostly done drag car housings where we often build a new housing from scratch but the basic design is the same, just in another plane. (across the back) But you do need a little strength to keep it from being sheared off going over rocks and such. You have a few options. 1. Braze it on. This keeps the heat input below the formation of martensite. 2. Keep the area as cool as possible by welding in very small sections, with slow cooling and peening to relieve stress. Lincoln Electric has a few articles on that process using nickle rod. 3. Preheat to over 500°F, weld it on, then postheat to 1200°F and cool very slow to transform any martensite back into ductile iron. While this will yield the strongest weld, it will also stress relieve your whole housings and even with a stout alignment bar, it might get distorted. This is the main reason to weld the axle bearing holders on last, using an alignment bar.
I have heard that some Dana 30s are nodular iron while others are not. YMMV there are more types of cast iron than you can shake a stick at, and some weld great while others are practically unweldable. You will find out soon enough, what you have to deal with. The real strong points need to be to the axle tubes, so make sure you get those right and you should be ok. Use an alignment bar if you can, to keep things from pulling. You can also match the welds on the bottom of the tubes with welds on the top to keep distortion to a minimum. Something like beefing up the spring or shock mounts, or even just a bead or two on the tubes.