C-160 Cracked Frame Under Battery

[Joker72 91]

Can/should this be welded?

[wallfish 19,379]

Hmm, first I've seen that.

Yes, it could and should be welded. Pretty easy for that one. Jack it up by that 3/4 foot peg bar and it should close the crack gap. Weld it right to the bar inside and out and the crack too

[ebinmaine 77,517]

2 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Hmm, first I've seen that.

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Yes, it could and should be welded. Pretty easy for that one. Jack it up by that 3/4 foot peg bar and it should close the crack gap. Weld it right to the bar inside and out and the crack too

 

 

I hope I don't really need to say this but...

 

 

REMOVE THE BATTERY FIRST.  

[ri702bill 11,353]

OK - you have a lot going on there. Are both sides cracked in the same place?? If so, it must ride like a hobby-horse with the frame flexing.

Flexing - did the frame take a permanent set, dipping downward - on both sides?? If it is all in the affirmative for my questions - game over. Find a good donor frame.

Sounds extreme?? Here's why. There is severe acid corrosion on the frame and in thru the crack. You cannot weld over that - the surface must have all that removed, and the crack Vee gouged out. That requires stripping the tractor to the bare frame. Then the forces that caused the crack need to be spread over a longer area - that requires either a plate or other angle to be inside the frame with the frame inverted and clamped down on a stout welding table..

Short version- - can it be done to properly fix the frame, yes. Is it worth going thru all that, probably no.

I agree with the others that if all you want is a short term "field fix", then even the easy way out is not easy. My 3 cents...

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 11:15 PM by ri702bill

[ineedanother 1,900]

Wow. I've never seen anything like that before and can't even imagine how that would happen other than maybe running REALLY hard over rough terrain. 

[Achto 31,114]

Never seen that on an older tractor. I have seen a 520 with a 60" deck have a cracked frame. Dem 60" decks is heavy.

[AlexR 2,654]

@ri702bill is right you will need to strip that down to bare frame to fix correctly, if you can try to find someone close to you that has a bare frame.

[ineedanother 1,900]

@Joker72 do you have a theory as to what led to the failure? Curious...

[8ntruck 8,611]

 one would need to know the history of the tractor to make a good guess at the cause.

 

One possibility is some sort of heavy load on the center lift.

 

Might be a fatigue crack started in the corrosion.

 

[wallfish 19,379]

We are not dealing with a space shuttle here! Wire brush the area, weld it, it's good to go for another 60 years +.  20-30 minutes of work.

A restoration, then it would be all a part anyway so the proper way would be to just change the frame. A worker, not so much IMO.

But I'm not retired with all the time in the world either so that may play a part in it too. 

 

Add a piece of metal over it to brace it if you're worried about the quality of the weld.  Personally, I'd just wire brush it off and use a 7018 rod to arc weld it. 

 

I'm guessing the original weld wasn't good or complete so it stressed cracked at that weakest point, the top of the hole is the thinnest part to the top. (Built on a Friday evening right before 5 pm. LOL) The heat from the weld would weaken that section of the rail too if the weld wasn't completed. Air bubble in the weld maybe?? The foot peg 3/4 rod was welded on the inside of the frame so a pic of that side would probably show what's actually going on.

[cleat 8,747]

I have heard of the 520's cracking there from the weight of the 60" deck but have never seen it.

 

It is a weaker point with the footrest cutout there.

 

I don't see any reason that could not be ground and welded.

 

[Joker72 91]

@ineedanother not sure unless its the rust/battery corrosion.  Just picked the tractor up.  Noted the drive belt guard was off with damange and soon saw that crack and put it together.  I looked under it and it doesn't appear to be cracked on the other side.  Im good with just 60+ years.  😀

[Pullstart 68,941]

I’ve had a few foot pegs break away from the frame, never crack like that.  I’m sure there are ways to neutralize the acid if you’re concerned, but I’m with ‘Fish here.  Drill a 1/8” hole at the end of the crack to prevent it from spreading after the weld.  Clean it up, weld it.  Back to work we go.

[ri702bill 11,353]

OK folks, one more in the "Gee, I wish I had looked at that too before I spent time on this" catagory.

How ugly is the "F" plate where the Unidrive bolts on? Is it a series of fatigue cracks too???

[Ed Kennell 45,025]

10 hours ago, wallfish said:

weld it, it's good to go for another 60 years

    Just grind a 45*vee groove in the crack and wire brush the frame and foot rest rod.    Like John said, jack it up under the foot rest rod  to close the crack and weld the crack and all around the foot rest rod.  

[oliver2-44 11,258]

Grind, Weld, Paint to Match.

[wallfish 19,379]

5 hours ago, Pullstart said:

 I’m sure there are ways to neutralize the acid if you’re concerned

Mix some baking soda in water like a teaspoon to a quart/1/2 gallon and pour to neutralize acid 

[ebinmaine 77,517]

14 hours ago, Joker72 said:

Im good with just 60+ years.  😀

 

 

[sqrlgtr 2,210]

17 hours ago, Joker72 said:

@ineedanother not sure unless its the rust/battery corrosion.  Just picked the tractor up.  Noted the drive belt guard was off with damange and soon saw that crack and put it together.  I looked under it and it doesn't appear to be cracked on the other side.  Im good with just 60+ years.  😀

Toooo many crash landings from doing wheelies?

[Retired Wrencher 6,475]

On 3/9/2026 at 5:51 PM, ebinmaine said:

 

 

 

 

 

I hope I don't really need to say this but...

 

 

REMOVE THE BATTERY FIRST.  

LOL on that Eric.

[953 nut 64,280]

1 hour ago, Retired Wrencher said:

On 3/9/2026 at 5:51 PM, ebinmaine said:

REMOVE THE BATTERY FIRST.  

LOL on that Eric.

As simple as this advice sounds you would be surprised how stupid some people can be. While I was in high school I worked  for a shop that serviced fleet trucks. While changing the oil and filter on one I noticed a motor mount bracket was hanging by one bolt and had torn the frame.

We called in a mobile welder to make the repairs to the frame. We had already disconnected the battery + lead, common practice on all cabovers while servicing them. The welder proceeded with the repairs and somehow managed to contact the + battery cable with the welding rod, fortunately he didn't make contact with the battery.

We now had a complete rewiring to do so if you happen to find an early 1960s Ford COE that has white 16 gauge wiring for nearly everything and a weld repair on the left side of the frame near the motor mount le me know.        

[Ed Kennell 45,025]

On 3/9/2026 at 5:51 PM, ebinmaine said:

 

REMOVE THE BATTERY FIRST.  

And connect the welders ground cable directly to the frame near the repair.    No current passing thru bearings please.

[ri702bill 11,353]

6 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

No current passing thru bearings please.

I have seen too many "Local repair artisan" YT videos of arc welding being done to a slowly revolving driveshaft chucked up in a large engine lathe... you just know that the ground is NOT attached to the spinning part. That tends to sizzle the lubricant out of the headstock bearings.... and worse.