Spin weld

[Big buford]

Hey gang, I would like to do some mods on my water tanks. Tahoe in their wisdom mounted the water pick-ups and transfer line between tanks about an inch up the side of the tanks. I thought I read where some of you have used the spin weld process to install new fittings. Anybody have a website or can offer any intel on doing this mod?? Thanks BB

[Big buford]

Hey gang, I would like to do some mods on my water tanks. Tahoe in their wisdom mounted the water pick-ups and transfer line between tanks about an inch up the side of the tanks. I thought I read where some of you have used the spin weld process to install new fittings. Anybody have a website or can offer any intel on doing this mod?? Thanks BB

[high desert]

I've never tried to spin weld, but you can get the spin weld fittings HERE.

Wes

[Grizwald2]

Big B Melon was the one who did his holding tank flush with spin welds. I reserched this before I did my water tank mod.(Didn't need them) Saw a video somewhere while gogleing. Looks like you need a special router with high speeds and then it has to brake to an instant stop. Good luck. Can you do like I did and move the water pickup between the two 1.5" drain?



Griz

[Big buford]

Thanks wes and griz.

Griz, problem I have is all the drains, pickups and transfer tube are all mounted on the side of the square tank about 1 1/2" up from the bottom of the tank. No way to get to the last 2" of water in the tanks without tippin the trailer. Which also means when I drain I cant get all the water out either. Just very poor placement of the fittings.

Alright Melon kick down the 411!

[Grizwald2]

Gotchya Big B. Let me know how it works out. I know someday I'm gonna need to use them things. Just watching that video made me think that router might be expensive. The process itself seems easy. Just stopping that motion and letting it cool before you pull the router off is what made me think I would need the special tool. I have a router but it wont stop on a dime!!

Don

[melon]

Alright, here's the 411.
They are called spin on bulk head fitings. I got them from a guy who manufactures my water tanks at work. Its a bulk head with a flat flange on one end. You drill a hole where you want the fitting to go, then using a large drill bit attached to the threaded end of the bulk head, you spin it on with a drill. There is no need for a router, a drill spins fast enough. As well, I barely got the drill in there (tight fit), good luck putting a router up there. The speed of the bulk head when spinning causes friction between the flange and the outside of the tank where you drilled the hole causing it to melt and thus weld it's self to the outside of the tank.


Notice that the flange (the white part) looks melted to the tank (the black part). That is where the friction happened and it was welded to the tank. On the opposite end of the flange is 1/2 inch female NPT so you add a male 1/2 NPT with a hose barb opposite end, then continue with your plumbing.

Since I get them from my tank guy I have not ever researched them anywhere else, so I don't know where else to get them. However, since they are about $.03 a peice and they are so neat, a have a few still laying around the shop, so if you want I can send them to you, you just have to promise to use them, and send pics of the finished product.

Rod

[Grizwald2]

God job rod. Thanks for helping Big B out. By the way where is everbody? Sure seems quiet around here

[melon]

Yeah Man, I noticed that too. Like everyone has lost interest.
BTW, I got a trip scheduled for the weekend or the 9th-10th of Sept. out to Bell Mountain if you or anyone else listening is interested. We were planning on going to Coral Pink, but my buddy would rather go to Hawaii with his family (wussy). Anyway, just throwing that out there.
Also, Dumont Dunes the 22nd of October. Still a month away, so mark your calenders.

Rod

[FatDog]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Yeah Man, I noticed that too. Like everyone has lost interest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
for me, its been a hectic work period for a couple weeks.
In the past when we would get this busy, i used to say that we would hire anyone who didn't show up for the job interview with booze on his breath. Now, .... well if he's at last trying to cover up the smell by chewing gum... he gets the job.

and great tutorial on the spin weld. I was never real sure how those things worked. That really made it easy to understand.

[WWFan]

Rod! No lost interest...just lots of lost time....many irons in the fire!

Hey...I too had to idea how those 'spin weld' stuff worked...just how long do you have to spin it before it becomes a done deal? When do you know to stop?

I happened across JC Whitney's page last night, and saw some type of drill accessory for spin wleding that cost $116- wow...do you use just a regular drill?

And it seems one of us is out-of sync with the camping weekends...we've got the Oct 1 BBQ planned, the weekend of the 15th-16th at Rainbow (up above Barstow- great area!) OR Octotillo, and then the Rasor Road trip at the end of the month. # trips os enough for me, but there might be an occasion to actually show up in some fashion at Bell Mtn- even just to say 'hi'!!

[Hoverbug]

Sean is there a Warrior beside your house??

[FatDog]

Theres a warrior IN his house

[melon]

LOL on the bit about not having enough time. We are getting ready to buy another guys business so things are a little crazy here also.
I reguards to the continued forum reguarding the spin on bulkheads, Sean, the cool thing about these bulkheads is that the flange is white plastic and the tank is black, so you can actually see the plastic melt. It usually starts on the side with the most friction then works it's way around until the whole thing is melted. When that happens you stop the drill and wait a second for in to harden, then pull the drill bit out of the fitting.
I use a half inch drill bit and wrap duct tape around the bit until it is thick enough to screw the threaded end of the bulkhead on. It's alot cheper than buying their bit and router. I guess if you did 10 of these a day I would say buy the bit, but if I buy a new trailer every year or so, I'll only have to do it once a year, until WW includes a tank flush with their trailers.

Rod