Cast Iron Welding Rods Repair a Kubota Steering Arm

Muggy Weld customer Robert Freeman sent the following testimonial regarding our 75 cast iron welding rods for nodular, malleable, and ductile cast iron welding:

Hey Muggyweld.com, I used the 75 to weld back the steering arm on the spindle of a Kubota 4 wheel drive tractor with a front end loader (also a Kubota)

Robert noted that the man he prepared the weld for “defines work environment, he’ll pressure test it to the limit”

and after returning the Kubota to his customer, followed up with

Attached are the before and after photos of the tractor steering arm weld with 75 welding rods. Super impressed. My customer just called and said he had used the front end loader, disc and bush hog all day today. Thanks! Robert Freeman

When it comes time to weld cast iron, most welders will take a pass on this dirty, porous foe. Other welders have been known to grab whichever cast iron electrode they have handy in their shop, crossing their fingers hoping for a positive outcome. At Muggy Weld, we receive calls from customers stating they’ve used stainless steel rod, MIG wire, or 7018 before and for some reason, it isn’t working for their current application. Incorrectly identifying the type of cast iron is often the issue.

Before running a bead, you first need to identify which type of cast iron you’ll be welding. If you’re unsure which type of cast you’re about to weld, one determination test used is the ring test. Gray cast will not produce a ring sound, but ductile cast will. The chisel test will also help identify whether the cast iron is gray or ductile–gray cast creates small chips like dust, while ductile will try to curl.

Ductile cast is often used in agricultural tractors due to its strength, durability, impact resistance and wear resistance. Unlike brittle gray cast iron, ductile iron has the ability to flex under stress rather than cracking or breaking suddenly. This makes it an ideal material for high-load components such as steering arms, housings, and brackets that must withstand constant vibration and mechanical force in demanding farm environments.

Because of these unique properties, repairing ductile cast iron requires careful material selection. Standard welding consumables are often inadequate, as they may not bond properly or accommodate the metal’s flexibility. To achieve a strong, reliable repair, the base material must be matched with high-quality cast iron welding rods designed to handle both strength and ductility. Properly formulated cast iron welding rods help control heat input, reduce cracking, and produce a weld that maintains the original performance characteristics of the part. Choosing the right rod is essential to restoring structural integrity and ensuring the repair holds up under real-world agricultural use.

75 cast iron welding rods from MuggyWeld.com are engineered to hold up to durable ductile iron. Ductile cast iron is used in some nasty outdoor environments which can cause the metal to become heavily contaminated–75 has the unique ability to penetrate these surface contaminates.

If you are working on clean ductile or malleable castings, 75 can also be used as a TIG weld rod.

Thanks, Robert, for sharing your success using Muggy Weld’s 75 to weld this Kubota tractor steering arm.

Disclaimers:

Please visit https://www.aws.org/Standards-and-Publications/Free-Resources/#YourResources prior to using our welding products, and adhere to all AWS welding safety guidelines.

Further product safety information is available at https://muggyweld.com/safety-guidelines

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MSDS sheets available with purchase from MuggyWeld.com, upon request.

Updated 1/12/26