Metallurgy Questions

[Recovry4x4]

Are there any metallurgists in the house or did anyone stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night? On my crane truck hoist there is a roller that is supposed to apply pressure to the cable as it winds on the hoist. The roller is attached via 2 pieces of spring steel that for, lack of a better word, look like really thin leaf springs. Can spring steel stock (or whateer it's called) such as this be bought and if its flat, can it be bent? Pics to follow.

 

[Jones]

Kenny,
Spring stock is available from a lot of steel suppliers and is available as "oil-hardening, water-hardening or air-hardening". Making springs is an art though and I usually go to my local spring shop and let the pros do it for me to get just the right amount of spring tension and toughness. Too hard and the spring is brittle, too soft and the tension goes away.

 

[devilman96]

Ken MSC has spring stock www.mscdirect.com you can order from the site. Get the stock and bring it over I will bend and form as needed.

 

[wallew]

Kenny,
I agree with Leonard. Being a gunsmith, I do work with spring steel. But I purchase EXACTLY what I need and then modify that. Making springs is an art as well as a science.

Go to your local automotive (or truck) spring company. They could fix you up in a jiffy. Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Well, here's what I have. Thanks for the answers so far. Its really quiite simple but for those of us who mistakenly dropped metals shop in school in favor of wood shop (I'm an idiot), I didn't have a clue as to where to go. Also note the brandy new (woohoo) hoist cable installed this morning.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Sure enough MSC has it. Mike, can the little eyes on the ends that hold the shaft be bent into it? I'll probably order the stuff next week and then take the roller off and drop by with it.
Thanks

 

[wallew]

Kenny,
Take your truck over to the spring shop. As it will be something different for them to work on, you might be surprised to find them very cooperative in helping.

You know how it is, you work on replacing leaf springs all day long. Same thing day after day. Then one day this 'guy' comes in with a military vehicle with an 'odd' request.

You jump right on it because it's an easy fix AND you get to do your thing on something other than replacing leaf springs...

Oh, and replace BOTH of them at the same time. Should be another fifty years before you have to deal with them again.

jim

 

[Jones]

Jim's right Kenny. Some of these outfits jump at the chance for a break in the boredom. They'll probably take a piece of untempered stock, form it, including the eyes and any needed holes, and then throw it into their tempering furnace which'll give an even, controlled heat - much better than a torch. Quinch them, then draw them back at a lower temperature to get rid of the brittleness and impart a degree of toughness. Send you out the door with springs to last another eon. On a good day it may even cost you giving them a ride around the block in your deuce, or maybe a case of Pepsi. Make a show of it by unloading the case of soda pop off of the truck using the wrecker boom.

 

[devilman96]

MSC is THE PLACE for finding new stuff... Sometimes they are pricey but usually its not to bad... Kinda like Grianger, Snap On, Home Depot, NASA, and a few others all rolled into one!!!

Yeah its not a problem to bend just make sure you remember the temper method for the materal your buying, oil, water, air, etc so I can do the same after heating it. Bring the tractor and we will weld up the brake lock you wanted.

 

[Dieselsmoke]

I agree, take it by a spring shop. I bet they'd make you two new springs for relatively cheap. Like Jones said it will give them a break in the everday boredom. I've got a buddy with a machine shop that makes some products for uncle sam, whenever I have a project of my own he stops everything to get out of the daily grind.

 

[wallew]

AND if you feel you might use them again, a six pack of their favorite AFTER work brew is JUST the ticket. No one appreciates the guys in the service bay any more.

I ALWAYS tip my service guy this way. And he's always on the look out for problems on my truck that someone else might miss.

jim

PS - if it was an exceptionally gruelling job, I up the ante to a BOTTLE of their favorite after work drink. It's always nice to be appricated by your customers for your skills.

 

[doghead]

The pics reminded me of the seat springs for a Farmall A. Check out this http://www.steinertractor.com/webplus/steiner/categoryselectqe.wml and look at part # IHS031A or IHS031B. This company makes reproduction parts for "vintage" tractors. Maybe they could work for you.