250ex welded transfer case drive shaft

[trackmaster]

Hey there, just a pic or so of an internal drive shaft of a large suv's transfer case. It was a two piece shaft with splined interlock. Somehow the splines on one portion stripped probably after a chunk broke off off the shaft. I designed a fixture for welding the 2 halves together, as you can imagine any run out on the straightness of the shaft as a whole, in excess of a couple of thousandth's would be disasterous at RPM. The shafts were hardened steel, with a fairly nice natural bevel. Cleaned with solvent, rinsed, wire brushed and then cleaned with MEK. Root pass, and fill pass done with 308 stainless rod, to be most compatible for the hardened steel. Slow cooled at approximately 300-400 degree's per hour. Tacked in four places, and sequence welded. Finished piece had less than .002 run-out after welding.
Phew! ...... was a little concerned about that one but got lucky!

[everlastsupport]

Very nice work. Jobs like that pay for the welder pretty quick or at least the new torch.

Thanks for the detailed post and shot.

[trackmaster]

Thanx Mike! Your right. Also, aside from one issue still workin on a bit, I cannot say enough good things about the weld quality this machine is capable of!! Truly one of the best arcs ive had the pleasure of experiencing, ..... it's that good. Factor in the value, plus all the features to tweak the arc, and it's a no brainer. If a serious professional weldor does not seriously consider purchasing this unit when looking at comparable featured machines, then it will truly be his loss.

[performance]

Trackmaster,

That's good to see another seasoned and widely known Pro publicly confirm its performance. We have had so many people tell us "How dare we compare our arc or performance to Miller or another name brand...what right do we have...we couldn't possibly approach an American companies arc quality or performance". Another recently said that Chinese machines are a source of "poor quality welds". Or typically, no pro would "EVER" seriously consider buying a machine like this...Obviously most people don't realize where our machines are and who is using them. One thing that people have started to recognize.....Everlast is working hard to make a difference in public opinion.

But in the end, guys like you can laugh all the way to the bank.

[trackmaster]

Thank you Mark, I don't know if i match up to your kind characterization, other than seasoned, being "old" and widely known, ... "On my block" !! Lol!

But on a serious note, thats why I love what you guy's are doing! Ive read so many welding forum posts with guy's trashing things they've never tried! And have no direct knowledge of. The Chinese have a robust space program, and technology that rivals most advanced countries. I think what people don't understand is that the chinese will build what ever you want, at whatever price you want it to be. You want a multi function tig unit for $500.00? they'll build it, and make no apology for the lack of quality. But on the other end of the spectrum if you want a High quality high functioning unit? Yeah, they can build it! You guy's are very wise to come in with a middle ground price point for the US market! Affordable, but also High quality, high funtioning units. And i have no beef per say with big blue and red. But the technology isn't rocket science and there should be a way for weldors novice to pro, to experience the latest stuff without having to take out a business loan to get it. Bravo! I am telling anybody who's interested about EVERLAST! Thanx, Lou

[Gary]

Hey Lou ,
Nice repair job there.Good looking weave there.Do you need to lathe those down do the grease seals will not get damaged ?
Not sure how that one goes on but Also sucks that you might have to cut off the nice welds..
Good Job Lou
Gary

[trackmaster]

Hey thanx Gary, ..... good question! I had that exact consultation with the tech working on that drive train. It's a little hard to see in the photo but i tried hard to keep the build up height to a minimum, but also concerned with retaining as much strength as possible. I advised him to go ahead a grind it down if necessary, but the oil seal ended up sliding quite nicely right over the weld! The root pass was hot, going for some real penetration and spread across the foot of the bevel. The weave was done with out the benifit of a mechanized device so i had to just work manualy around the circumference, welding 1/4-th at a time, opposite each other to try and control any warpage and minimize any undue additional heat input. No cup walking so just tried to keep the weave fairly uniform. Thanx, Lou