OK, here goes! Case W14B with bent clam

Greetings to all of you smart front end loader people. My name's Steve. I'm 70 years old and was recently given a front end loader by my cousin.... just cuzz I said I sure wish I had something to move dirt! LOL!

Never had a loader. Never drove a loader or any other earth moving equipment. It has been quite an experience.

What my cousin gave me was a 1988 Case W!4B articulating front end loader with a clam bucket........AND A BACKHOE! It is, I suspect, from the U.S. Navy Seabees as it has a Dept of the Navy Nameplate on it. It has 2043 hrs on it and has pretty much just sat on my cousin's property for the past 25 years, used only occasionally when something comes up.

BUT.... the movable clam portion of the bucket, which opens and closes just fine(!) is bowed in the middle. I'd guess the bow is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in the center. Makes it a little frustrating to move sand especially! LOL!

Well, I've been reading about heating it up, using a jig, running it into something, etc. However, I think I've come up with an idea that I want to run past you experts.

Why can't I just buy a piece of 1/4" X 3" steel, grind one long side to make an edge, and then just weld it into place over the old blade edge just building up the center with a few tacked pieces of steel so it stays stiff?

Problem number 2: As I've said - I'm 70. Climbing up into this giant beast is not only difficult, but I'm scared of heights! LOL! It's way too big for what I need! Plus it is super long at 26' and I keep running into stuff! OMG! You should see what I did to my pickup truck with the bucket! Came down on the cab, smashed out the rear window and just totally wrecked my truck. Good thing it was on old truck and not a new one!

I'm thinking I should sell it either for cash or with a partial trade to get something smaller. Can anyone give me some idea what it's worth?

Thank you for your time and expertise!

Steve Hartman
Lincoln, MT

Yeah, problem #2 will not improve as more time goes by. An experienced operator can get a lot done in a short time. Maybe sell the loader and use the money to hire someone with the right equipment to do your dirt work from now on?

(quoted from post at 11:54:18 02/26/20) Yeah, problem #2 will not improve as more time goes by. An experienced operator can get a lot done in a short time. Maybe sell the loader and use the money to hire someone with the right equipment to do your dirt work from now on?

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Thank you for your response! Yah, that won't work for me. I live in rural mountainous and forested Montana and have have three lots to maintain. In labor costs I'd be broke in no time! LOL! But I DO thank you for your response!

Hi Steve, That will work, It may not last as long as a regular cutting edge, I did the same on my mini excavator dozer blade
Good luck with it JIM

Pictures of what your talking about would help a lot. But
straightening a cutting edge can be tough. Bolting a mild
steel edge under won't hold up long. The cutting edge is not
only a wear bar, but also an important structural part of the
bucket.

Thanks, Jim!

Thank you for your response, John F! I will take pics as soon as it quits snowing! LOL! But you raised an interesting thought! Mild Steel. What kind of steel would you recommend. And I will be welding it to the inside of the bucket right where the new edge would meet with the old edge. The outer edges of the inside of the clam seem to meet perfectly with the bucket blade.

I understand.

If you were to fix the loader, could you hire a skilled operator to run it for you? Say you find out what the going rate is for a loader operator, and you offer to pay the same or more in cash for someone to run your loader on weekends or during slow times at their regular job? A shop that can fix the cutting edge on large equipment like your loader should also know where to find guys willing to moonlight for some extra income.

Post a pic first so I can see what your doing, otherwise I'm
just guessing. But massive amounts of heat applied properly
are the best way to get a cutting edge straight. Heat the long
side in strips across, then cool quickly. Get about a 6" strip so
it's just showing red on one side then cool with water. Then
move down and do it again. Start in the middle and do
alternating sides til it's straight. Google heat straightening for
videos showing what I'm talking about. Proper heat and
cooling is critical to maintain the temper of the cutting edge,
so learn it first.

Well? It quit snowin'! One pic is from my beast; and the other is of my problem... that two inch bend in my clam for the bucket. But I have been a th'ankin' on it! If I can find something to hold the top of the bucket down, I've got a 20 tome jack that I could use to push the center of the clam up! Ya know? Come on, you guys! You're supposed to be way smarter than I am. I know nothing! If I knew how to fix it I wouldn't be here! ROFL!

Have you tried placing a large block of wood on the ground, at the center on the bucket, then apply down pressure on the block? If that doesn't work it might be better to cut the bent portion of the bucket out and weld in a new piece of plate steel. You'd have to buy a new cutting edge for it too.

(quoted from post at 04:59:31 03/01/20)
Have you tried placing a large block of wood on the ground, at the center on the bucket, then apply down pressure on the block? If that doesn't work it might be better to cut the bent portion of the bucket out and weld in a new piece of plate steel. You'd have to buy a new cutting edge for it too.

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Of Course! The machine is nowhere heavy enough. I even tried to open the clam and run the dang thing into a tree! Nothin'! LOL! I need to figure out a way to freeze the top side of the bucket and use my 2 20-ton air jacks to push the center up!

ss55.... Bsed on your previous posts....It sounds to me like you're a union rep for the operating engineers! LOL!

You would have to anchor the bucket down pretty good in order to force the bend up.

(quoted from post at 14:12:36 03/01/20)
You would have to anchor the bucket down pretty good in order to force the bend up.

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Yah, I can't think of anything I could anchor it down to. I might be able to slant the the blade () against a large tree or notch it and angle to clam to 90 from the ground and get the jacks underneath it. I'll think on it! LOL!

It will be hard for me to come up with an idea not knowing what you have to work with. One idea I have is to cut the bottom of the bucket out, then take it to someone with a large hydraulic press to remove the bend. Then you would have to weld it back into place. Provided someone near you does have a press that big.

(quoted from post at 16:41:28 03/01/20)
It will be hard for me to come up with an idea not knowing what you have to work with. One idea I have is to cut the bottom of the bucket out, then take it to someone with a large hydraulic press to remove the bend. Then you would have to weld it back into place. Provided someone near you does have a press that big.

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Actually, your idea has some merit, L! However, a couple of things. First.... The clam, which is bent, is separate from the blade. The two come together to close and make the bucket. So, first off, the clam could just be removed rather than cut.

Second.... Because the bend is directly in the center of the clam, forcing the bent portion of the clam up also stresses the sides of the clam. However, if a single cut through the center where the bend was done. each side of the cut could probably be lifted, putting all the stress on one weld on each side, thus making it much easier to actually bend the steel (at the weld.) Then, once straightened, you would re-weld the cut and be done with it.

I live in the boonies, so to pull the clam and transport it would not be a fun job. Finding a place with a large hydraulic press could be another problem.

I thank you for the input, L! It has been very helpful, if not for the actual solving of the problem, stimulating the idea that came from your thoughts! I appreciate it!!

Here's a crazy idea I came up with. This would depend on whether you could get your hands on about 80 pounds of coal. Build a large hardwood fire on the ground. once you have it burned down to hot embers start adding the coal until you have it burning good and hot. You may have to blow air on the fire with an old furnace blower to help the coal burn hot. Then park the clam about 2"above that bed of coals until the bend turns red. Then try pushing the clam against a stout tree to bend it back into place. I know it sounds crazy, but I knew an old fella that would do things like that.