MD5

Thanks again for the useful information, I will be extremely careful about welding in short stints and allow proper cooling expecially near the upper ball joints.

indycecil

You will sure enough crack the weld. 60xx series rod is good all purpose rod but very brittle. I would use a 3.2mm or smaller 7018. I would "chamfer" the edges that you are welding to. I would weld a 1/2" or so and stop for a couple minutes then weld 1/2" again and repeat until done. If you do this you should alternate sides so the weld doesn't pull your gusset out of square. You should also "chamfer" at every stop so you get a good tie in everytime you start. If you buddy is a shipyard welder he will know what I'm talking about. If you need anymore assistance PM me and I will do everything I can to help.

MD5

Thanks for your assistance!

In the meantime I got lot's of stick, too much for my needs... My uncle is working for ESAB and he give me 240 various size sticks of 7018 and another 240 sticks of 6013

I believe they are enough to weld a dozen of JK ...

indycecil

ESAB make the BEST 7018 I have used. The Atom Arc brand is an awesome rod.

racinfast002

make sure you keep those sticks good and dry

STUPIDFACE

I dont know about all that mm stuff, but i would use 3/32" diameter rods. I didnt champher / bevel my gussets when i welded them in .

corey d

Muddy_Rubicon

Yeah 6010, 11, etc are designed for a static load. 7018 is ideal for a dynamic load like an axle, 3.2 or 2.5 is fine. MAKE SURE THEY ARE DRY, and i don't mean to the touch or just keep in a dry place. If you don't have a rod oven, then get a new pack and don't open them until your ready to weld.

JK44M

Yeah, i would also suggest 7018. I would also suggest beveling the edges. 7018 will give you a stronger weld but does not get as much penetration as 6011. Beveling the edges will give you that much more penetration. You should also cover up all surfaces that you don't want spatter on. You will get a lot of spatter when arc welding with a stick rather than with a mig welder. I know that Lincoln sells a anti-spatter spray that works well also. You may be able to use that on the surface that you are going to weld that can't be covered up.

Post pics after it's done.

Marttk

I may also suggest to weld the vertical plane of the gusset from buttom to top to avoid flux to be trapped under the weld. Dry rods will give you a stronger weld but will also allow the rod to be less sticky.

JK44M

Well, a fence and a roll cage are two very different things. We also use 6011 to weld fencing and gates at our ranch. It does work great for that kind of stuff. A fence or gate normally will not have to take the pressure of a 7000lb truck falling on it.

Having said that, if the design that they came up with is sturdy and they are experienced welders it would probably hold as long as they are not rolling the truck every weekend. A good design is the key to a strong roll cage. Welding is a close second. It’s best to use a pipe bender (if available) to do most of the fabrication and avoid welding right angles as much as possible. Gussets will also increase the strength greatly if used. Too many people rely on the strength of a weld rather than designing something that can handle the forces that may be applied.

Another tip is to avoid welding to the frame of the vehicle. I took welding classes but learned a lot more from my uncle that was a welder for 35 years. He worked for a trucking company. He made and repaired trailers for 18 wheelers and heavy equipment. His first advice to me was to avoid welding to a frame if at all possible. The best way to attach something to a frame is to bolt it with appropriate size and grade hardware depending on the application. A frame is designed to flex slightly. Welding to that frame will cause that portion of the frame to temper a little. In effect that portion will be more brittle and will be susceptible to cracking. I tried explaining this to a friend that also got an older F150 for off road use. He was unhappy that the previous owner had drilled a few ½” holes to mount a goose neck hitch to the truck. He decided to reinforce that portion of the frame with ¼” plate despite my words of caution. Two years later he was replacing the frame because the frame started to crack along the welds. He would probably have been fine if he would have just left it alone.

I think that most novice welders like using 6011 rather than 7018 because 6011 gives you deep penetration so even a poor quality weld will give you a certain amount of strength. 7018 takes more experience to get a good quality weld with the correct amount of penetration. Most run their current too low because they are afraid of burning through. In that case you tend to get a weld with little penetration that will break. That is when they say “7018 is no good, it doesn’t hold”.

Just my two pennies.