Drain plug hole repair

[dirtdobber]

Was out riding last weekend and floated around in Sardis Lake just a bit, and noticed I was taking on water. Had a problem with drain plug, but first a little background.

Someone other than me cut this big nasty hole in the back of the machine where the drain plug goes.
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I was using a tank bung type type fitting to adapt a plug, but that big ugly hole is cut right on the bottom and left little sealing area for the bung gasket. Well, apparently I hit a cypress knee or a log or something just right because it was the bung that was leaking allowing me to take on water. So I decided to get rid of the bung and try to cast a plastic "barrel" to weld into the hole to receive a standard boat plug.

Here's the jig I made to create the barrel. I already put plastic chips in and melted them down.
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This worked out well. I used a propane torch to get it hot and I kept mashing the melted pieces down in the jig. The only thing I wish I had done differently was use a hollow piece for the center hole so I could get more heat to the center. When i took it apart, I was very pleased with the outside, but there were some craters on the inside that I had to fix. The inside would have been much better if I gotten more heat in there. Here's the casting:
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Beveled that big ugly hole and test fit the casting:
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Welded it up and ground the casting to fit the contour of the tub, and I'm ready to go. Finished product:
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[dirtdobber]

Who else has a fancy lift system like this to get under their machines?20170128_140908[1].jpg

[msafi65]

That's a great repair. What type of plastic welder did you use? I also have a hydraulic lift on casters that will pick about 2 feet. Hopefully moving this summer to my sons apartment with shop underneath. He has a forklift on site with 12 foot forks. I think
may spoil me.

[dirtdobber]

What type of plastic welder did you use

All of my plastic welding has been done with a soldering iron. I use a spade tip on it, and I plunge the tip into the joint along with a piece of filler plastic. It will all get soft and I can use the wide flat spade to mash and smooth the weld.
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[Dozerlarry]

Hey DD, does Sardis have any trails to ride on? I work for the Corps (Vicksburg District) and don't know of any Corps lakes that allow it. I'm over working on Sam Rayburn now and there are no ATV signs everywhere.

[dirtdobber]

Dozer, most of the riding is along the lake bottom. Given the drought we have had the lake is very low which means there is a tremendous amount of open lake bottom for riding. This is the place where all the locals and college kids go to mud ride, get stuck, shoot skeet, and I'm sure other unmentionables. I don't know if the Corps specifically prohibits 6x6 riding, but on any sunny Saturday or Sunday you can find motor bikes, 4 wheelers, sidexside's, jeeps, trucks, and last weekend some guy buried his military style Humvee out there. I can't imagine the Corps would allow all those vehicles but prohibit a 6x6. There are some trails out there. Take a look at Google Earth and the satellite image will tell you a lot about the area. I usually start my ride at Latitude 34°26'49.67"N Longitude 89°38'11.94"W.

[dirtdobber]

Dozer, following up on my last post I did a little research. There is a state park (Trace State Park) about 40 minutes from me that specifically allows Off Road Vehicles, including ATV's, on its trails. I recognize that a Mississippi State Park is different jurisdiction from the Corps.

[Dozerlarry]

Thanks Buddy-I'll give that a look on Google. Even though I work out of Vicksburg I live in Florida and we have some width restrictions down here among other things. Thought I might haul mine up that away next time I visit my boy. I haven't been around the Sardis area in years.

[dirtdobber]

I might haul mine up that away

Come on. I live about 5 minutes from the lake and am always looking for an excuse to go for a ride! Where is your boy, by the way?

[flyer05]

What kind of drain plug is that. I have a cam latch boat plug. Not to sure about that, if it snags and pops out I'm sinking.

[dirtdobber]

Flyer it is a cam lock boat plug. it installs from the inside, so what you see in the pic is the wet end of the plug. It is possible, but not likely, that it will snag on something. From the outside, I would have to hit a stick or something just right for it to push the plug out of its hole. From the inside, there's nothing to cause the cam to unlatch, and something would have to get wrapped around the rear axle inside the tub in order to snag it and pull it out.

[flyer05]

Thanks, mine is a deep tub 980. Pain to get to it from the inside. But I guess that where it need to go.

[Dozerlarry]

Come on. I live about 5 minutes from the lake and am always looking for an excuse to go for a ride! Where is your boy, by the way?

Greenville

[Dozerlarry]

Flyer I have almost the same thing you and DD use but it has a nut to tighten it up and seal it tight. I put it in from the outside on my Max 4 and have never had a problem. Your local parts house should have them.