Forged I-beams vs Cast I-beams

[dhkonrad]

Does anyone know how to tell the difference between a Forged I-beam and a Cast I-beam? I know that the pre-89 years were more likely to have the Forged beams than the post-89 years, but beyond that I am kinda in the dark.

 

[lethal-threat-b288]

forged are solid and cast are head welded? i may have that backwards

 

[country0001]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forging

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_iron

Maybe this will help you.

 

[LearjetMinako]

Shouldn't it say right on the I-beam. I believe when I was under my Ranger one time, I noticed the saying "Cast Iron, Do Not Weld" on one of the beams. I would need to double check on that.

 

[dhkonrad]

Thanks for the links Country.

I am 99.9% positive that my beams are cast, but all they say is "do not cut, weld, or bend", nothing about being cast or not. I have looked at a few '85-ish sets of I-beams, and they look different, but the lettering is still raised, which is normally a sign of cast.

 

[country0001]

Its really hard to weld cast. It can be done, but best left to a pro. More than likely they are cast. Cast will usually have a rough finish to it. Where forged or stamped parts will be smooth,like the radius arms.

 

[dhkonrad]

Yeah I would definitely much rather weld forged over cast. The beams that I found on an older ranger were smooth, but they still said "do not cut, weld, bend", but I am assuming that is more covering their butts more than anything else.