Excavator Drive Sprocket Buildup - Part 1

Please note: I am not a welder!!! I have no idea what I'm doing!!!
I'm using 1/8" Lincoln E7018 welding rods with an old AC welder, set at some current that seems to have reasonable penetration, and also good buildup. The current adjustment mark has worn off, so I'm not sure what the current is. I purchased a 10lb case of Vulcan E7018 welding rods from Harbor Freight, but they do not work for me at all. They stick every time I try to start, at any current setting from 80A to 200A. Maybe it's because they are not really AC rods even though they say they are, or they need to be baked, but they are only a couple months old, and have been sitting in the plastic case unopened. The Lincoln rods that work perfectly are probably 20 years old and have been sitting in the shed in an opened box. The OCV on the welder is around 60V AC.
I do not plan on hard facing the surface as I want my welds to wear down, not the track bushings.
I'm building up one of the drive sprockets on my old 1970s Koehring Bantam C266 excavator. It gets limited use on our property, so I thought I would try this so the track doesn't slip. After spending around 2-3 hours of welding, I've build up 12 of the 25 teeth to about half the height of the good sprocket from where they were. I'm not sure how far I'll go, but once I'm done welding and grinding, I think this will hopefully be an improvement. I might end up trying to buy a weld-on sprocket since it looks like the other sprocket had been replaced not too long before I purchased the excavator, and that sprocket has two halves, so I could torch this one off, and weld on a replacement. Probably less work and a way better solution in the end.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to get weld on drive sprockets? I believe the excavator has a Berco undercarriage, but I noticed that the links say CAT on them. There are 25 teeth, spaced 3.5" apart.

[@ronmcwhirter3641]

When I was in high school ( 63 ) I welded a sprocket and rails on a D 2. For a shop class. It took weeks but the outcome was great. That thing went 10 more years before it was junked ou

[@michaelsimpson9779]

Nice work, good to see.

[@Motumatai3]

A word of caution: When building up sprocket teeth in this fashion, never weld one tooth, then the next in line, , then the next etc etc. The heat put into the sprocket will see you chase stress around the circumference, resulting in a sprocket that is slightly egg shaped. Weld one tooth, then chose a random other one opposite that tooth, etc etc

[@allkindsofweldingelectrica1192]

Good job

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

Dude: Get some E7018AC, made for small box AC welders....Runs as smooth as E6013 on them...thanks for posting your work. done very well.👍👍👍

[@hlukeh]

Hey, thanks for the suggestion! I started with a box of Lincoln E7018AC rods, and they did work pretty well. I was looking at another old 250A AC welder, and I noticed that it said on the front to use 7018 rods on the low output. I just checked, and the low output on this welder has a much higher open circuit voltage of 80V AC vs 50V AC for the high output. I had been using the welder on the high connection because I figured it was better as it could put out more current. That's bad thinking because after connecting to the low output, all the rods I have work! They don't stick and are much easier to weld with! The cheap Vulcan E7018 Harbor Freight rods work, and the Blueshield E7018 rods I have work! I was having trouble with both those rods previously. I've got the sprocket all built up and the track back on, and it has been working great! I built a road cutting up across the hill so we have better access to our lower field, and the track is no longer jumping, and the teeth have worn nicely with the bushings!

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

@@hlukeh Yep, you got it figured out right, The the lower OCV makes STANDARD 7018 hard to or impossible to strike an arc. Also the Arc voltage [when the arc is going] is 25v on small AC's [150-235 amp] 30v on med AC's [250-300 amp] and on large industrial AC's [300-600amp]t is 40v. The Arc volts keep the arc going without snuffing out.

[@randymack1782]

I like! I am watching repair videos as I want a few pieces of equipment, but I know I cant afford nice things, but I can repair broken things, I am very mechanical minded, ben doing mechanic work 35 years, but I have never repaired heavy equipment. I have a tractor with front loader & backhoe, but need a small dump truck, & want several other pieces, but will take time, & my area tends to be way over priced,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway I had wondered if you could weld teeth back on, you answered my question, lol, just whether 7018 rod is best, or? I have welded off & on 35 years as well. I would probably have my wife use a rosebud tip on torch to heat gear as I build tip up. but now
i wouldnt hesitate to try, & yes I watched part 2. very good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!nmm

[@wilson42cc]

We used hard facing rods on ours ,,

[@julianhart5688]

You have amazing paitence 🤣

[@charlesdefrancisco5056]

They make weld in cups that make a lot more sense

[@hlukeh]

I agree! I tried but couldn’t find any that were the right size :/

[@acme663ryo]

So the real question... did it work?

[@hlukeh]

So far - yes! Here's part 2: th-cam.com/video/yTpwWBZ3FoU/w-d-xo.html

[@georgelasala6588]

I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT SPROCKET OFF THE AXL BCASE THE HEAT THAT BUILDS UP AND IT WIL RUNE THE OIL SAEL S ON THAT AXL

[@tatspo8053]

Anong rod gamit yan

[@SamDru]

I tried it on my bicycle sprocket and it melts down

[@georgelasala6588]

I WOULD DO WHAT M IS SAYING

[@bulletdgw742]

Waste of time welding sprockets. It don’t work. It don’t hold up.