iNOTaRobot

Hello all, Well I am faced with a slight quandry. I am not sure whether to NOW forge (with oxy torch and hammer or porta power), or CUT then fabricate up with welding, 2 predrilled pieces of mild steel plate I am using to make a mini excavator implement adaptor. I will try and explain my need. Hopefully add a few pics. try not to write to long winded explanation. In summary :- I need to put a 3.5" /90mm accurate stepped offset in 2 pieces of 6"/150mm wide by 18" / 455mm long and 7/16" /12mm thick mild steel plate, while keeping both ends parallel and 6 predrilled/reamed holes inline. facts 1. I own a 3/4 ton mini excavator, that I need to add a hydraulic auger drill drive to. 2. Measured both excavator attachement points and auger drive mounting pads/points. 3. The excavator boom end is 4" /100mm wide (2 holes per side 1 for boom and 1 for crowd ram) 4. The auger pivot support mounting end pin holes are 11" / 280mm wide ( apart) (1 hole per side) 5. I purchased 2 cut pieces of 6"/150mm wide by 18" /455mm long and 7/16" /12mm thick mild steel plate. 6. Marked out the holes and set both plates on top of other on mill. Drilled the 3 required 1" /25 mm pin holes through both plates. Also added an inner hole part way along plate as an option (DO not plan to use this for auger) One pic shows auger mounted at this point but its only due to an end hole not being reamed fully to take 1" pin during my mock up stage 7. Trialled the drilled plates on excavator with auger. Planned on leaving both side plates staight and just making spaces and longer pins at excavator end. 8. Of course I was adding cross bracing to the 2 plates and some upper lower edge reinforcing However I felt that leaving both sides plates straight and simply using some 3 1/2" /90mm spacers on the boom end looked like it might be problem. There is urgency to use the excavator/auger unit to drill 4 holes 13.5" /350mm holes 80" /2m deep in compacted mudstone so as to build a 6ft /2m high retaining wall under my house before rains cause more dirt bank to collapse. So :- a. do I mark, clamp to a heavy steel I beam I have. Then heating a plate about the scribed bend mark, bend it using sledge hammer or maybe by my porta power ram and some chain ( feel thats likely to give me more bend angle control. or b. mark plate at both bend points. Cut ALMOST through using 6" angle grinder with narrow cuttoff wheel then bend at cut line with heat; before then welding in the V opening the bend will provide to lay fillet weld in. Be interested in some thoughts please. probably I would have been better to bend plate first and then drill holes. But I can still drill the single front hole back in a bit from the end as the plate is a little longer than I needed. Mind you if I do that then I will NOT have enough clearance to let plates hang vertically down with auger vertical. Wished adaptor to be able to operate either :- horizontally up under house for maximum head height or vertically to make it easy to drill over side of an embankment giving more down reach. also seasons greeting to all David In Australia.