[AT] Welding Grousers...?

[Alan Nadeau]

Skip the rebar, that stuff is terribly hard to make a weld work on.  Any 
welding on rebar tends to result in underbead cracking which will be 
aggravated by impact with the rocks you mention.  Spring for track bar made 
for the purpose, it is alloyed to handle severe abrasion and impact.  Run 
7018, or if you have a DC machine 10016 or 11018.  The last two will run on 
AC but they are a little harder to work with that way.  For the best results 
grind off the skin on the old tracks, don't have to take much off, just that 
few thousandths that are work hardened.  Easiest way is to work on whichever 
grouser is on the sprocket , in the flat.  Weld one side on as many as you 
can do easily then move the machine.  Weld the other side when they get to 
the front roller.  Make sure to fill both your start and stop craters at the 
ends of the new bars.  If you don't fill those they make a thin spot in the 
weld and a crack can start there and propagate across the whole weld.