I'm trying to replace a missing depth guide on a front-tine rotovator and want to modify a 3/4" socket drive tommy bar which is the ideal length and 18mm diameter which nicely fits the rotovator eye with the clamp tightened. Ideally, the bar would have a 'shoe' on the end that makes contact with the ground. A flat piece of metal say 2"x1" would do the job. The bar is good quality chrome-vanadium. Can it be welded, would it have to be welded to similar material and are there any special considerations? I have access to a MIG welder, with or without gas.
I've welded c-v to mild using "Mirrospeed" and "Vodex" and they've stood up to tougher applications than yours. Bronze welding would be tough enough, too.
Yeah, just go straight at it. Good preparation (a nice deep chamfer) is essential and taking any chrome plate off with a grinder for an inch or two will avoid some of the fume hazard.
Your "shoe" could be anything. Obviously a hard-wearing steel will last better than plain mild, or you could hard-surface it with the welder. Either will weld to your tommy bar and your standard wire should be adequate for this level of stress.
As you mention gasless, I'm guessing this is a small welder. I'd probably use the gasless wire, _especially_ if you only have CO2 as a shield gas (a heathen practice anyway). You should turn all the dials up to 11 before starting and see if you can get spray transfer mode running, to encourage good penetration (CO2 will prevent this). Bog-standard wire should be adequate, which is good as I guess that's what you've got! The gasless wire is probably a little harder when finished and (on a small machine) will probably give better penetration. The best wire (given a choice) for welding "awkward" steels would be Corofil 20/9/3, but that's a luxury you only get when running production quantities.
You might like to pre-heat this before welding, as it's a little on the thick side for a kitchen-sink welder. However don't bother if it's going to make clamping awkward. Cool it down slowly afterwards though and don't quench it (throw it in the woodstove ashes, if you have any).
If you happen to _be_ an agricultural engineer (or can scrounge from one), then of course hard-face it properly with something like Murair
350 wire or Hardex 350 rod. This may want a gentle preheating first (not even glowing dull).
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