W-Arm Repair w/pics

thstorms

thstorms

Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
508
Age
43
Location
49071 MI
so check this out!!!!

as usual feedback is very much appreciated!!!

I think it looks AWESOME!!!

THANKS Sxr700Bandit!!!!

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Thats what I said!!!

when I weld it doesn't look anything like that........ more like..... Bugers and Blobs!!!
 
I had a friend of my dad back in 2008 weld and re-enforce the first w-arm I had that started to break.Since then I had 4 w-arm's,2 spare ones.I got my own mig welder and welded up plate to the sides and top area and did all the inside corners.I have had no problems since.

Here are some pics from back when...primed and painted after the welding.
 

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^^^

good to know blue!!!

having such a short run in this game, everything is a big roll of the dice!!!

I am getting really really stoked for this season!!!!

I spent 6hrs today cleaning and repacking every bearing off my skid..... what a job!!!

stuff like these w-arms I'm clueless about...... good thing I found TY and good people like Sxr700Bandit!!!!!
 
your learning as you go bud.You'll be an expert in no time..trust me.There are guys out there that can't even use a wrench..so forget about maintenance on their sleds.Guess that is why there are Dealerships out there willing to take your hard earned money..are they any better at it..wrenching that is.I know of at least 2 dealerships out here that are not up to par.Do they really clean your carbs like they say???Things like that would bug me.I know a kid out here,not Yami of course..but bought a used sled..took to dealership to look it over,clean things..etc..$1300 bill later.Kid takes the sled out on a couple of short rides and engine blows.I don't think they cleaned his carbs...piston gone,cyl gone.In for repairs at Associated Crank here in Winnipeg.They are doing all the work for him and the bill is adding up again.Kid is super frustrated.I think he will be switching to a Yami soon.

Let me see..he bought an 02 doo for $3500
then dealer checked things for $1300
now Associated Crack rebuilding for him ..maybe $1500
THATS a whopping $6300 already.
If he bought an older SX for around $2500..he'd still be riding,unless carbs wern't cleaned..loll
Feel sorry for that kid..all that money and still hasn't really ridden the sled for over a year now....have a bad feeling something might go bad for him again this season...he knows nothing about clutching,alignment of clutches,pre-maintenance..type of guy who will just start it up and go and expect things to last...
 
If you do the skid fix below, your w arm issues will be very little and that repair might last a while. The only fix that will las forever is to drill the bottoms of the tubes, slide an 8in piece of solid up inside and spot weld it to the outside tubes, then reweld the cracks. I have yet to break one like this. Read the article below to find out what forces your dealing with that are breaking your arm and you will see why gussets to stop sway wont help. That is not where the issue is. The long piece on the outside is a help but will still allow the inside of the tube to crack(done it). If you do the inside fix, it will look stock and be unbreakable(ish). You can still add the mod to what you have done as it doesn't look like your welding has much burn through.
also, make sure the w arm is on plane, I have seen many on sleds I junk that have been rewelded out of plane, this makes the track and frame sit out of alignment and can torque the track sideways under load or braking as well as try to untwist on bottoming which can cause it to break again.
Great welding by the way, you must have a tig or some old guy on the coat hanger with a torch
 
Thanks for the Kudos THStorms!!! Was a pleasure meeting you at NOVI.
Thanks for the compliments "guys" on the tig welding, I am a fabricator by trade and enjoy tinkering/wrenching at home to pass the time and learn new things.

Betheviper, His skid is on plane-flat and true(was welded on a steel plate for flatness). I was thinking of fabbing some W-arms out of chrome moly for added tensile strength, but would need to machine the pivot tube on the ends for the bushings and either have the rest of the brackets laser cut or water jetted.

I also have the ability to bend metal (sheetmetal break) up to 1.5mm (.060")thick by 4' long, plasma burn, Mig weld, and weld aluminum here in the "shop".

I keep telling my boss that he needs to let us do more G-jobs at work and our work quality will greatly improve.......
SO------- I practice at work so that my home projects turn out NICE...... :-)

Here is a link to some of the other things I've done. Link (click on the pictures tab)
 
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hey i wanted to say thanks also the bottom tube on my arm was completely broken and mushroomed and has a gorgeous weld holding it together now tracy does amazing work! thank you very much and i look forward to ridng or hanging out again. thank you very much
 
You are very welcome Andy! Was nice to also meet you(and your son) @ Novi. Maybe we can all get together for a ride sometime...
 
bluemonster1 said:
Feel sorry for that kid..all that money and still hasn't really ridden the sled for over a year now....have a bad feeling something might go bad for him again this season...he knows nothing about clutching,alignment of clutches,pre-maintenance..type of guy who will just start it up and go and expect things to last...
Click to expand...

I know all too well the type of people who try to wield a wrench..... especially at the dealers, and I too feel really bad for all their victims!!!

sounds like that kid had a year like mine last year!!! sucks!!! I just glad I started with the right brand!!!
 
BETHEVIPER said:
If you do the skid fix below, your w arm issues will be very little and that repair might last a while. The only fix that will las forever is to drill the bottoms of the tubes, slide an 8in piece of solid up inside and spot weld it to the outside tubes, then reweld the cracks. I have yet to break one like this. Read the article below to find out what forces your dealing with that are breaking your arm and you will see why gussets to stop sway wont help. That is not where the issue is. The long piece on the outside is a help but will still allow the inside of the tube to crack(done it). If you do the inside fix, it will look stock and be unbreakable(ish). You can still add the mod to what you have done as it doesn't look like your welding has much burn through.
also, make sure the w arm is on plane, I have seen many on sleds I junk that have been rewelded out of plane, this makes the track and frame sit out of alignment and can torque the track sideways under load or braking as well as try to untwist on bottoming which can cause it to break again.
Great welding by the way, you must have a tig or some old guy on the coat hanger with a torch
Click to expand...


thanks for all the great advice!!! I keep reading and rereading the tighten up yours thread and am just having a really hard time with it........ next summer I think I am going to machine all the aluminum shafts down and change all the plastic bushings to roller bearings!!!!
 
Sxr700Bandit said:
Thanks for the Kudos THStorms!!! Was a pleasure meeting you at NOVI.
Click to expand...

It was a pleasure meeting you aswell!!! everyone who sees your work is amazed at your weld quality!!! makes me smile every time, I hope it does the same for you...... you have quite a talent!!!!
 
Sxr700Bandit said:
Maybe we can all get together for a ride sometime...
Click to expand...

Lets go!!!!

The new house is only a few miles from the trails!!!! I can ride all the way to Gun Lake from my house...... about a 2 hour ride!!!

:letitsnow :letitsnow :letitsnow
 
BETHEVIPER said:
If you do the skid fix below, your w arm issues will be very little and that repair might last a while. The only fix that will las forever is to drill the bottoms of the tubes, slide an 8in piece of solid up inside and spot weld it to the outside tubes, then reweld the cracks. I have yet to break one like this. Read the article below to find out what forces your dealing with that are breaking your arm and you will see why gussets to stop sway wont help. That is not where the issue is. The long piece on the outside is a help but will still allow the inside of the tube to crack(done it). If you do the inside fix, it will look stock and be unbreakable(ish). You can still add the mod to what you have done as it doesn't look like your welding has much burn through.
also, make sure the w arm is on plane, I have seen many on sleds I junk that have been rewelded out of plane, this makes the track and frame sit out of alignment and can torque the track sideways under load or braking as well as try to untwist on bottoming which can cause it to break again.
Great welding by the way, you must have a tig or some old guy on the coat hanger with a torch
Click to expand...

Could you show us. Mine is cracked also. Thanks
 
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