More repairs with washers: M6 Restoration

[Tinman]

This repair is similar to the one on the Kingsize dumper using a washer to repair the hinge pivot point. I'm using another brass washer, only difference is that this is a much smaller washer. The casting to be repaired is the Major Pack M6. I have a broken tow hitch loop on the tractor unit and the two ears on the trailer (which holds the wire drawbar) are broken off.

Here is the base from the tractor unit showing the broken hitch loop.



Here is the washer I've selected for the repair. If you look close, you will see I have filed one side of the washer flat (on the radius). That flat spot will face towards the front of the base and allow the hole in the washer to line up with the remains of the hole in the old tow loop.



So that the washer and the remains of the tow loop will mesh together and have the correct profile I have filed the remains of the loop thinner and tapered the thickness. I have filled the washer's thickness too and tapered that thickness in the opposite direction. When the two are glued together with epoxy, they will be flat and have nearly the same thickness as the original loop.





Now that the washer is joined to the base of the tractor, it needs some putty to finish up the cosmetic part of the job. The putty needs to be applied to the top and bottom of the repair.





When the putty is dry, file or sand the tow loop into the final finished shape. Here is the finished tractor. The base and the tractor were primed and painted in their respective colors and new decals applied to the tractor.

[Tinman]

The same washer trick is used to repair the trailer ears for the tow bar.



A slightly smaller washer is used. The flat spot on the radius is used again and that becomes your mounting point. This time the shape of the remaining diameter is tooled to a D shape and no putty is required. Flat brass stock can also be used in place of a washer. With the trailer, I do not reuse any remains of the broken ears and file them off before installing the brass repair ears. Usually filing or sanding the epoxy (at the joint of the union) is all that is required for a nice finished look.



Here's the finished tractor and trailer with some reproduction decals and a reproduction wire tow bar from Steve Flowers.



The total cost of the damaged casting and replacement parts: $12.00 US. IMHO, that's one nice looking M6 for twelve bucks.