Thank you, I didn't think about removing the yoke. I have been a shade tree wrench monkey for most of my life and I remember removing a yoke like that before.
If it is a bugger to get off then I will just do the Bondo thing I guess. OR,,, Take a one foot square piece of 1/4" plate steel, split it down the middle and make the cuts so the two pieces fit the diff. Then weld the two pieces back together, bolt them down and weld them to the tank. What about removing some of those fins on the diff.? I am thinking about getting the metal closer to the diff. and using JB-Weld instead of Bondo if my welding attempt fails. I have five acres with stuff piled all over the property. I do not scrap out random pieces of metal. That old trailer frame has been laying out there 34 years. For a fixed half of the cover I also have metal salvaged from scrap washing machines. The old top load ones. I use a saw-z-all to cut along the top on both sides and the front. Then I do the bottom and on each side near the back I cut straight down. That gives me a large U-shaped piece of metal. I lay them down on a concrete surface and stand in the center and use a foot to push each side down to the floor. Then I turn them over and again walk the bends. When I get them close to flat I take a two pound hand sledge and flatten the corners until it is all one flat piece of metal. They store easy like that until I need them. I probably will make the opening side of the lid from plywood. Alan in Michigan
--- On Sat, 8/6/11, Spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net> wrote:
From: Spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net>
Subject: Re: [papercreters] Tow Mixer Construction
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011, 1:31 AM
The stock tanks are thin and tend to crack and leak from metal fatigue due to turbulence in the papercrete, and road bounce. The seam around the bottom will separate from the side, too. The plywood stiffens it a lot, especially if the tank is glued to the plywood. The other half of the plywood makes a nice lid. If your tank is fairly thick with welded ends then flexing might not be a problem. The yoke where the universal connects is usually larger than the body of the differential and removing it is fairly involved. To fit plywood over mine I had to oversize the hole and then fill in with bondo. Also, the case had ribs on the outside that required matching slots in the plywood and tank bottom, hard to get a tight fit. The case of my differential seems to be cast iron, which is hard to weld to. If you could do it, you would eliminate that potential leak. It sounds like you have what you need to make a good heavy duty mixer. spaceman All opinions expressed or implied are subject to change without notice upon receipt of new information. On 8/5/2011 8:06 PM, Alan wrote: | Greetings, Please tell me the reason for the plywood layer under the tank. Is it because the stock tanks are so thin? Here is what I am thinking. I have a 1988 Ford F-150 pickup I am getting ready to scrap out. There is my rear axle. I have a heavy steel 500 gallon round fuel oil tank. I will cut it in half and have two 250 gallon tanks. I will just need to build a cover. I could just cut the bottom out of the second tank. I have a very old frame from a boat trailer. I am seeing that as a perfect frame to weld to the axle and set the tank on. Somewhere around here I have several NOS 24" mower blades. What about getting very radical and cutting the tank neatly to fit the diff. then welding it? Alan in Michigan | __._,_
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