16 years and finally a problem with my TSC splitter

[greenskeeper]

So after 16 years of faithful service, the TSC splitter has a leak at the hydraulic tank.

The tank is also the axle having the wheel spindles welded to the tank.

The problem is at the weld for one of the spindles there is a very very slow hydraulic leak. You can't see it if you stand there but overnight there is a small stain underneath the tank.

I'll probably let it go for a while, but in order to fix I'd have to weld at the joint guessing where the leak actually is.

My question is how could I get it clean enough to weld after draining the oil from the tank?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Tip it on its side. Hydraulic oil burns quickly, almost as bad as diesel.

 

[dave_dj1]

I have welded on mine with just emptying it out and letting it drip dry ( I had a leak in one of my welds) It didn't take long to fix it so not a lot of heat. Be careful though. Maybe flush it out with water?

 

[cantoo]

I use a mig for everything so I would just drain as much as possible, wire wheel the paint off so I could see where the crack is better turn the heat down low to start and have at her. I would burn the paint off with a torch if the wire wheel didn't do a decent job. Or better yet a flap wheel on the grinder. The steel will be this so be careful or you will have a bigger hole to fill.

 

[muddstopper]

I have welded up a few hyd tanks. You have to get the oil level below the crak our your weld just isnt going to fill. I woudnt drain the tank. Seeing how this is a axle tank. I would simply lift the cracked side up where the oil level is below the crack. I would then grind the crack to a small vee. Dont want to grind thru the metal. Preheat the metal to boil the oil out of the metal around the crack, then stitch weld the crack using spot welds. A series of overlapping spot welds is less likely to burn thru the metal than trying to run a bead the entire length of the crack in one pass. http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/thin-metal.htm

 

[greenskeeper]

I'll give it a try.....eventually. Not high on my priority list but it does lose an ounce or so of oil while sitting for an extended time.

 

[muddstopper]

If the leak is that small, you might be able to take a sharp punch and just dimple along the crack. I have done that on pin leaks before, and while not a permanent fix it has been known to stop a leak.