Welding temps...

Silly question probably, but I want to do it right do it once... I moved to CO from NM where we had verrry mild winters, if you could even call them that. Now I’m getting snow in April and have to think about things I never had to deal with. Not just shoveling snow LOL but coooold temps in the garage.

SO I’m wanting to weld on my axle, got a truss and lca mounts to burn in... and I don’t want the axle tubes or welds to crack or anything. With the axle so cold right now, I’m kind of worried to even take a torch to it (should be fine) but anyone got any good rules of thumb?

Should I blast my turkey fryer burner in there for a few hours AND use a torch on the axle tubes? I’m not even thinking about welding to the cast iron diff right now, doubt I could even get we warm enough to safely do it and def can’t cool it slowly as is required. Axle tubes should be much more doable in these temps, right?


Thanks for any input!

here is some info...

https://www.wileymetal.com/6-faqs-about-cold-weather-welding/

If it is cold, it seems that you should take effort to warm up the part. Bring the axle inside the house to warm up, use potable heater in the garage, use a gas torch to preheat the parts, etc...

good luck

Thanks for that!
I don’t see myself lugging this bad boy inside though.. lol

I wouldn't worry bout it.

Only time I'd worry about pre heat is if burning 1" thick stuff or maybe 1/4" stuff with a 110 machine

Or maybe pre heat if temp is way south of 32deg

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It’s actually warming up. I think a space heater and not focusing my welds in one spot for very long should suffice. It was much colder yesterday though.

The mounts are 1/4” and the truss is probably 3/16ths.

I'm in Northern UT and have similar weather conditions, but on a cold winter day, I can bring my garage temp up to 60 degrees with my heater.

I installed an Artec truss and inner C gussets on my friend's D30 last month (my 6th similar project) and the only part of the axle that I used pre-heat/post heat was on the diff, to prevent cracking. Some trusses weld to the diff (Artec), others only weld to he tubes and bridge the diff. (TnT Customs)


Prep the entire axle and then you can alternate ends when welding, so that you don't overheat the tubes and warp the assembly.
I like to burn a weld, then move to the opposite end, then wait til the area has cooled to be able to hold my bare hand on it for 10 sec, before making the next weld.

Patience will prevent warpage.

I agree.
Cast steel will almost always crack

Mild is forgiving

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Kind of reinforced my thoughts thanks guys... As for the diff, probably wait for warmer temps so that it can cool down slower. Even if I wrapped it I fear it’d cool to fast... that and I don’t have a space heater big enough to get the garage up to anywhere near 50* much less warmer

I used to weld on broken snow plows all the time in the dead of winter outside...

Only time I have ever had a problem is welding on the cutting edge itself — the hardened metal will crack while cooling

Wrap it in a wool blanket after your done to slow the cool and you’ll be fine

What temperatures we talking about? — 20 and less then I would hold off

You could keep the burner under the housing for pre and post heat.