Not sure about state dot laws but, I have done hundreds of frame alterations that has included welding frame rails from pick up trucks to semi's and dump trucks. I don't see why there are a few negative comments about the welder or the repair. Its going to be just fine and will last the rest of the truck life.
I have done many frame stretchs and repairs like this over the year with no problems. The warning is because of litigation lawyers and people welding frames that dont know how to do it right
Serious question about frame repair on a Volvo has rust hole after removing rust and preparing area getting a patch to fill missing metal then thinking of plating inside & out it's behind the fuel tanks overkill or should I do something different?
I've done two of these. If you don't sleeve them you will have problems in the future so good job. Also I sleeved the opposite side exactly as the side we repaired. I think that the frame structure should be balanced and also it will prevent this from happening on drivers side (which it will happen eventually)👍
That frame will never crack there in your's or the trucks lifetime. The double frame plate, bolted in, and the weld is more than sufficient. I know it's hard to weld the inside of the frame. But if it was, then I would probably grind the outside down smooth to pacify prying eyes.
Knowing where to look and what to look for sometimes is a trick of the trade. Now every little streak of rust might look like a crack. You learn as you go though.....never stop learning 👍
Great job. Putting the plate on the inside is the right fix. Not depending on the side pressure on the bolts. I have repaired many Mack trucks old school in the 70s by doing the inside with inner frame rails. Weld and repair looks top notch.
Really enjoined your presentation on the cracked frame issue, as a new subscriber i look forward to future post's, been in trucking since 78, your professional attitude is paramount .
I did my apprenticeship with Kenworth trucks Australia in the 1980s, they did a major recall, replacing cracked/ broken chassis rails, we changed quite a few. Even though the rail had a huge sticker saying “heat treated rail do not weld rail or drill flanges”, the engineers decided to drill a hole in the flange for the front spring hanger, new rails we didn’t redrill the flange, left the bolt out, never had a repeat problem! I’m surprised Kenworth are still drilling the flange against their own advice!
It was on the bottom flange, the new rails didn’t have the hole drilled in the flange, so the bolt hole in the rear front spring hanger underneath the rail was left empty.
Shame on Kenworth. The repair job is top notch. The weld looks great and the fabricated channel on the inside is exactly what I would have done. That is the best way to reinforce a frame cracked like that. It will last a long time.
I had my right frame rail snap right behind the cab right where cross rails where bolted. Was sitting just over 600,000 miles. But we did pull permitted overweight at times. I was sitting dead on 34,000 on my drives with 40,100 on spread axles. So you can guess I was hauling a big billet. Going around Atlanta getting on 75 north there are a few bumps on that ramp. I heard a bang and my whole cab leaned hard right. Fuel tank almost kissed the ground as I stopped. International put a whole new frame in it. I had them install trailer lift wedges. That help big time swapping trailers.
That is correct. I saw that question on an ASE test once. The taper on the fishplate prevents an abrupt stress point, that a square cut plate would have.
@@tjon66 I weld broken frames back together. Welded from the inside first then grind the outside into the inside weld and weld the outside. No fish plates no frame glove and never have one break.
Was involved in almost the exact same repair on LHS frame rail of a long hood freight liner classic except the crack other side of the spring hanger , I was adjusting clutch talking to driver when I noticed I could see him through the crack in the frame (he said wasn’t steering quite right on his last load😛)
And this is why I always to a pre-trip on the old trucks. Never *EVER* skip the pre-trip. I can hammer it off in 14 minutes flat, barely makes a dent in my hours of service. It's saved my ass even in my few WEEKS of driving a truck.
I had the same thing on my 1983 double wide COE. Also cracked at rear suspension where the torque rod attached to frame. Had them both fixed by a great shop in Miami 1990-91
Not the right way to fix them. Lots get done that way. Look for my earlier post I outlined the proper way. Welding the inside first is the proper way then the crack is 100% welded. The way they did it the crack still exists inside and can break again even with the fish plate
they make frame inserts for just such breaks ,they're made to fit behind the frame rails after welding up the break , you'll need a magnetic drill to drill the frame and its insert and bolt the inner frame to the original frame rail just saying
@@donniesmith9550 Dodge used to build the frames for both KW and Petes ,they may still do, problem being that most take their intended HiWay type rigs off road logging , dirt and other rough use , as those heavy duty double framed set ups are just so expensive with special order , wait and wait times before your new truck to be finished , and you start paying off the note with your 1st load . I think .Freight Liner which builds their own frames (the name alone says it all .....FREIGHT ... , are notorious for breaking and cracking the rails , when used in the rough , but you use what your wallet allows at the time or what the owner /boss puts you in , I had a 1976 , big orange Peter a long WB , former cement mixer that was just too damn long for some of the places I had to get in and out of , you could put a house between the cab and the 5th wheel , after a few aggravation filled jobs , both rails started cracking just ahead of the fron drive spring hangers so I just ended up cutting the frame at those breaks and shortened the WB,welding things up like this guy did but added the inserts to be just to be double certain that it'd be safe no worries of any future breaks , Did a lot of boulder hauling too ,we're talking 3 / 4 rocks and you were loaded , drop one in your trailer and you got outside the cab before dropping another one i , they would damn sure Jarr your insides when one went into your trailer , definitely not a job for those pretty aluminum end dumps , but would test your frames for sure , also your rear spindles, if you were to refuse to haul out of fear of denting your wagon or bending you driver spindles , well you'd end up being on the no call,no haul list when you are a lease truck for a big outfit ....I really miss driving sometimes been retired since 2008 , however I do not miss the OTR work , the regs and laws and other BS took all the fun out of a once great job , it blows my mind how some will get fired for just being early for a drop , ridiculous s**t like that , heartless dispatchers without so much as a clue to what a driver's day really encompasses , we all know thew sad story ...sorry for this long winded story
I’ve caught frame crack and had welded and plated like you did but I decided to update those hanger brackets to ones that don’t use mount bolts in bottom lip of frame which tends to be a stronger fix.
Its actually the Only design fault with those Older K-Waka's with those bolts drilled through that bottom chassis flange. I'm sure in that part of the Chassis flange Narrows to give Clearance for the Engine & Component traffic...
I've had 3 W900s crack like that. 1 is an 86 model the other 2 were 99s. One thing that folks do to prevent future problems is to use spring hangers from a KW cabover because they only bolt through the web, not the lower flange but they take the same shackle pins.
You guys should look into the new style paccar leaf hangers. You would remove these weld the holes and drill and put the new ones on. This idea was dumb from kw
Flint Creek Transport i just put mine on air ride too. If you switch these hangers for the paccar ones. Itll sit a little bit lower too. Some shops that do air ride installs actually recommend the swap to prevent frame crack. cheers.
Not uncommon, we have fixed a few. That did not suddenly just happen. You need to pay attention on your pre trip inspection, not just check the boxes. Weld it and bolt a reinforcement inside it.
My Uncle says your welder, he's good. It would've been better if the area was sprayed with some boeshield .It's a product created by Boeing designed to prevent rust on airplanes. It's available in cans at Bass Pro Shops.
I’m looking at a 2006 with a crack in the same place. I’m going through with trying to buy it because I have tons of friends who know how to properly fix it so it’s stronger and legal. I’m having them plate/reinforce the other side right away as well. No point fixing one side when both sides are known to crack.
Ive done one of these before was the exact same crack on a kenworth same spot... I ended up putting a 1" thick bar 2" wide 16" long under the crack and under the shackle mount moved it down 1" been holding for years
Did sort of the same thing, ran a piece of 1/2" in x 2"x 12" on the lower flange inside. Welded the crack and the 1/2 plate on the inner flange and that was at least 5 years ago.
A large reason that cracked is the bolt through the flange, the horizontal part of the frame. The frame is a little like an I beam. When the top or bottom parts are compromised it weakens the frame far more than holes in the web, the vertical part of the frame. Looks more like the double framed it rather than just a plate.
@@brianugalde4713 i worry less about heavy trucks that have welded frames than i do idiots in small vehicles that are cobbled together with wire and tape and never get inspected ,,,i know several inspectors and they pay extra attention to a vehicle with a welded frame but they don't go out of their way to put them out of service any more than they would any other guy ,,only time i ever had issues with inspections was when i ran across an inspector that disliked me ,,and i had one that really didn't like me ,she was a commercial motor vehicle cop that lived in my town and really didn't like me because i beat her in court
@@wildcoyote34 I think there is no middle ground, cars or trucks, my point is that owners are not responsible for maintenance, my opinion was more towards trucks because it is what I do for a living and according my experience, not doing a good job the first time costs twice as much later, but I agree with everything you say about car owners who have dangerous vehicles on the road, about DOT l alway plead the fifth🤷♂️ 😂
They brake all the time usually left side brakes first when I fix them I like to plate on inside with piece of frame and cut one flange off new ones have hangers like Pete with no bolt threw bottom
That frame is T1 steel. You didn't say what they welded it with but if it wasn't 11018 rod using stringer beads only that can fail badly. The fish plate should've been diamond shaped, not square and welded to the inside. The crack should've been grooved out to an open root allowing your weld to penetrate into the backer. Then it should've sat 48 hours after welding to be magnafluxed to ensure you don't have hydrogen fracturing.
When we ran all R model Macks to do one frame rail replacement in our shop on a tandem tractor was about 40 hours work for one good man, and one good helper. The dumps with the double frames we're usually the ones needing frame rail replacements though. Damn rust jacking between the inner and outer frame rails usually. Those were the ones that turned into lots more than 40 hours.
That happened to my t600. Bad design.. I swapped out the rear shackles and replaced them with the k100 cab over to remove the bolt in the middle that causes the crack
The tricky thing with these Kenworth is they crack and you don’t actually catch it because it’s a very small crack that u can barely see on the bottom side. Then one day it splits …….
@@flintcreektransport but now that the passenger side is reinforced the weaker side is more likely to break. Its odd that if that is such a common issue they dont reinforce that area from the factory.
I got same problem LW-900 lube truck was 3 years the dealers send welder from paccar seattle fix frame.they know about design for long why is not change right.thank video.
That's an excellent job👍🏾👍🏾but there would always be a sticker on the frame that says...."Do not weld or drill in frame" and I could never understand that , is the frame heat treated is that's why they put that sticker on the frame I always thought the frames on trucks were mild steel and not heat treated 🤷🏾♂️
Did you see that factory sticker about welding right beside the cracked frame just to the right of the crack ! Looks like they were expecting a problem in that area. Great repair job, better than it was when Kenworth built it.
Negative. Every single truck ever built has this sticker. You not supposed to weld on the frame (you can drill it though) because that softens up the metal. Small low heat tack welds to mount a hanger stud would be OK, but any major welding has always been discouraged.
Not big deal to re-rail a truck either. Have to unbolt everything on that side, support it, pull rail out and push new rail in. Steel not the problem on newer trucks, just don't seem to paint them the best and then liquid de-icer they put down eats everything. From frame, cab, brakes, wiring, roads, bridges and they wonder why it doesn't last like it did. I see it has C12 a 2KS engine since its from 1999 they did run good. Cat did try 475 hp/1850 torq C12 test engines with fleet in Kansan City they blew them up got turned back to 435 hp. I do see them from time to time they still have decal 475HP on the engine LOL
Steel is not the problem on newer trucks? Have you ever looked at one? Cheap steel from overseas is the first problem, your inability to realize that is the second problem.
@@flintcreektransport but using the same hangers, and drilling the bottom flange compromised the new rail section, too. Had you used the updated parts, likely never have to do it again. Especially with only having a C12 in the rails.
It’s really hard to catch because before it split like this it was just a small crack on inside of frame. Most guys don’t inspect the inside of the frame !! Merry Christmas !!✌🏼
just wondering what sort of inspection will it have to pass ,,i live in iowa and the DOT hates it when thy see weld on a frame // of course that's not the most stressed part of the frame the rear is
@@flintcreektransport that's all that matters , it looked to me like a good repair and i have seen a few similar repairs ,,not really any different than stretching one which gets done a lot
this gets done all the time. they may not like it but it's legal. I dont like Brussel sprouts but don't mean there illegal. we just stretched my shaker 46" to 289". and added a lift & steerable axle.. passed dot with flying colors.
Iowa is not that tough, my 96 Pete was stretched to 305 inches, welded was in plain view and Iowa DOT inspected it for years during my trips across i80. They can hate whatever they want but as long as it's passed federal annual inspection... fk em
@@TheRoadhammer379 i've seen a lot of JUNK on the roads here ,it varies from inspector to inspector what one guy will nitpick another won't see ,there are a ton of modified trucks in iowa both commercial and otherwise ,,i wish they would inspect non commercial vehicles periodically because i see so many junk vehicles driving around that a few commercial trucks with welded frames is the least of my worries ,,not having emissions checks and no vehicle inspections for private vehicles allows for a lot of crap to go on , i grew up on a farm and still work on a farm and drive big trucks as a result ,,i make sure all of my vehicles are up to par even my private vehicle good example of the shit i see here friday sept 2 2022 i saw a garbage truck from defenbaugh industries one of the Omaha trash companies driving on the interstate here in iowa ,, the thing has missing bolts that hold the garbage box to the frame and you can see the thing bouncing on the frame ,,i've seen this truck before , i have a police report from 3 years ago where one of those bolts departed the truck bounced and hit my windshield ,may of 2019 ,, 3 years and it still hasn't been fixed ,,it's been reported to the DOT and state patrol ,, i see shit like that daily but it has a current inspection sticker causei caught up to him at the county landfill and took pictures of the truck and it's pertinent stickers and license plate,, you can't tell me that's safe or legal ,, that means something fishy is going on ,,i've been around big trucks long enough to know that loose frame bolts or missing in this case is an immediate removal from service
people should watch Pakistani Truck videos on RU-vid and see how they treat lots of broken, twisted truck frames with almost no heavy duty tools, amazing what people in poor third world countries have to do to survive unlike the states.
