How to repair a crack on my tractors hood?

bernieinva · Oct 10, 2021

The plastic hood on my tractor has developed a crack about 5 long. What is the best way to fix this? It is not hurting anything structural. As the engine heats up it basically closes then opens up somewhat when it cools down. Looks like it continues to get longer because of this heating and cooling.

cool hand · Oct 10, 2021

I would drill a small hole where the cracking should stop. Then repair both sides with fiberglass cloth and fiberglass resin.

DoubleO7 · Oct 10, 2021

Make and model of tractor. Knowing what kind of plastic will dictate what you can do.

Fiberglass won't hold on some plastics.

You might want to screw, rivet or bolt a aluminum bar or angle inside the hood straddling where the crack begins. As a first measure to prevent the spread and the crack continuing away.

Bob Bancroft · Oct 10, 2021

The body shop supply in town has a tool you can use- it's a gun which holds two tubes of some kind of epoxy. As you squeeze the trigger, it forces equal amounts through a mixer part, and out comes this black stuff which will glue about anything. I repaired my truck hood [Navistar] with this, after coming into contact with a turkey.

[The turkey was flying, I was cruising, and we crossed paths, although I figured I had the right-of-way]

Goose · Oct 10, 2021

That's a 3M bonding adhesive. The black takes 24 hours to set up completely.

They also make a clear that sets up in 20 seconds. With that, you need to have your parts ready to put together.

I have both, and us them all the time.

bernieinva · Oct 10, 2021

John Deere 6320

Mike(NEOhio) · Oct 10, 2021

Bondic may work for that. Vee out the inside surface, squeeze the crack tight and apply it to the vee.

MarkB_MI · Oct 10, 2021

First thing is to stop-drill the crack. Second thing is to figure out what kind of plastic it is, as that will dictate how you can repair it. If there's a triangular recycling symbol stamped on the hood, the number inside it will tell you what sort of plastic it is.

glennster · Oct 10, 2021

call around to your local body shops and ask if they have a nitrogen plastic welder. they can do the plastic welding easy peasy and fixed for good. here is a link to the welder. they are spendy. 2.5 to 5 k.
poke here

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 11, 2021

You can also weld plastic with a soldering iron. No need for a $5000 tool.

DoubleO7 · Oct 11, 2021

(quoted from post at 10:45:23 10/11/21) You can also weld plastic with a soldering iron. No need for a $5000 tool.

I have not seen what the fix looks like using that nitrogen welder.
But I am betting it can repair plastics that the solder gun/ HF welder can do.
And can do a much more better looking repair.

How to repair a crack on my tractors hood?

bernieinva

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cool hand

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DoubleO7

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Bob Bancroft

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Goose

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bernieinva

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Mike(NEOhio)

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MarkB_MI

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glennster

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BarnyardEngineering

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DoubleO7

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