Thanks guys for the input. I ended up bringing in a professional with a mobile rig and a MIG. We tac welded the brackets and then dropped the axle down for final welding. We did 1/2" welds on each bracket and let them cool each time, alternating sides. The axle never got really hot doing it this way and it looks really good. The welder really wanted to do full 3" welds, but he agreed that it would be better to do smaller welds and let them air cool instead of using a wet cloth to cool them off. He mentioned that this tends to make welds brittle.
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