Quick tack bucket latch pin repair

[jeepcreepcj]

My quick tack bucket latch pin guides are excessively corroded and flaked away from sitting packed with mud over the years. To the point that the square pins that hold the bucket on angle and go down as far as they can, and the bucket is not tightened by the taper because the taper extends below it. This lets the bucket move around on the plate. Combined with the huge amount of play in the pivot pins and this, it is very loose. To fix this I need to cut out the old square tube that they slide in (with the nylon guides) and fab a new one, but access is very bad as it is boxed in. Has anyone had any success with repairing this problem, or am I limited to replacement? The three pins that it pivots on are also very worn, with about 1/4 in movement in the bottom two and maybe 3/8 or more in the top one on the cylinder end. This is on a 642b. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Tazza]

It really depends on how much gear you have access to. I have removed the pivot points and made and welded in new ones to remove all slack. The square tube where the wedges run is a little harder. There is no reason you can't use a plasma cutter or grinder with a thin wheel to remove the metal infront of it. Do the repairs and weld it back in. Just make sure you use good deep penetrating welding rods. I use ferrocraft 11 for this, they burn deep and do a great job.