Was checking welds and found a pretty healthy crack in my tire side swingarm at the latch. No indication that swingarm ever hit anything when backing up. Most likely the crack is the result from allowing the swing arm to slam closed. Alumn stresses and cracks relatively easily, so might check your welds folks. Here's a pic of the weld and crack (looks like a white line in the pic), but its not a very clean shot as using a camera phone. Spot welded the crack right up. Much easier than waiting for latch to completely break off.
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Well, I DID back into a wall and the latch snapped off the tire mount. I've been lashing it to the Baja box with a ratcheting strap to keep it closed. When I went to SMB Austin, they said welding the aluminum again would not give me a strong enough bond and so I decided to replace the entire swing out portion. I couldn't stand the idea that the weld would fail and that heavy tire would swing free in traffic.
I wonder about the accuracy of this advice, it's costing me $400+ for the new section. I don't have welding skills and now I'll have leftovers. Are these parts worth saving?
Thanks
Unless the tube was somehow damaged, their claim seems pretty far from accurate. The complete latch assembly was $30 from Aluminess. When mine was broken off (box side), it was the weld that let go, so no damage to the tube. Guessing a shop would charge less than $50 to properly weld a latch back on.
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It takes a village to raise an idiot.
I agree with deminimis unless there is something special about aluminium that I don't know. I'd suggest talking to Aluminess directly and then take it to a welding shop unless Aluminess strongly recommends against it.
After all the people at SMB aren't exactly professionals with Aluminum welding, and it's doubtful you even spoke with a fabricator.
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