[jkrubitm]

Ya another welder question. First some back round. I'm a pipe fitter by trade so welding isn't a problem. I could be welding pipe from 2''- 12'', flat stock to I-beams. All done by 6010 & 7018. But I haven't mig welded in years.
What I would like to do is make some tube doors,add a truss in the future, and some control arm skid, and fab up some skid plats. These are the ones I was looking at.



http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200304603_200304603


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332691_200332691



also I keep hearing good things about the Hobart 140.Is there that much of a differance from my second choice?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Goodysgotacuda]

I'd certainly go with the MIG. Though I run the $170 220v/170a Harbor Freight welder..

 

[tiltz]

I have a Lincoln 180. It is great. It'll get most jobs done on the jeep.

I would get the biggest machine you can afford.... But, would definitely recommend getting 220v Mig.

 

[Ringer]

I would strongly push for a 220v mig. I have welded a Hobart 130amp side by side with a 180 amp, and the 130 struggles to get decent penetration on 3/16". You need to figure that on your Jeep, you will be welding up to 1/4" thick, and as thin as sheet metal(let's just say 1/16"). This is difficult with stick, but a Mig with a gas kit will do great for you. Also, on some of the off brand welders, pay attention to the duty cycle and the actual max amp output, and compare these numbers to a Lincoln or Miller of the same size.

 

[4x4x4]

It looks like you are trying to really stay budget minded. I'm sure you have a lot more welding experience than I do (My $0.02 worth 00000)but I do have a small fab shop and I teach welding at a Jr. College. I have run the HTP and own the Longevity brand. I personally like Lincoln Welders in the field (SA200)! My school uses all Miller so I'm familiar with most.

My needs are for a budget friendly but higher use welder. I will purchase a HTP 2400 or Longevity 250 but folks have a range of projects.
Might I suggest: (230v)

Tight budget but needs to work.
http://www.longevity-inc.com/productdetail_321/MIG-Welders/MIGWELD-200S.php

Eastwood spool gun allows aluminum to be added for weld projects still on budget.

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welders-175-amp-mig-welder-w-spool-gun.html

Budget - Heavier use welders:
http://www.longevity-inc.com/productdetail_261/MIG-Welders/MigWeld-250P.php

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Power-I-MIG-250-p-385-pd.html

http://www.usaweld.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=602401-ST-24

 

[tiltz]

I would strongly push for a 220v mig. I have welded a Hobart 130amp side by side with a 180 amp, and the 130 struggles to get decent penetration on 3/16". You need to figure that on your Jeep, you will be welding up to 1/4" thick, and as thin as sheet metal(let's just say 1/16"). This is difficult with stick, but a Mig with a gas kit will do great for you. Also, on some of the off brand welders, pay attention to the duty cycle and the actual max amp output, and compare these numbers to a Lincoln or Miller of the same size.

X2

I had originally purchased a Lincoln 135 and I quickly realized that it didn't have enough power to do what I wanted it to do. It struggled on 3/16" using mig wire, and wasn't much better using flux cored wire.

 

[JKCTAZ]

Interesting, my 135 amp Hot Max MIG can weld .250 with little fuss in a single pass. (As long as it's on a 20A breaker) It will burn .1875 without breaking a sweat on a 15A breaker. I would think your Lincoln 135 would be capable of the same results??

 

[tiltz]

Interesting, my 135 amp Hot Max MIG can weld .250 with little fuss in a single pass. (As long as it's on a 20A breaker) It will burn .1875 without breaking a sweat on a 15A breaker. I would think your Lincoln 135 would be capable of the same results??

That was part of the problem. I have a 15A breaker in my garage and it was popping all the time. I live in a condo, so I am stuck with the preexisting outlets. My stove has a 60 amp breaker, so I made a custom extension cord for the 180 welder.

The 180 really makes a difference, though. I played around with the 135 machine at a friend's house who had a 20A outlet and it did okay, but was no comparison to the 180.

In retrospect, I kind of wish I would have gotten a slightly bigger machine than the Lincoln 180 (Maybe the Miller 212). I have welded 1/2" with the Lincoln, but it did require a second pass.

 

[jkrubitm]

Thanks for all the reply everyone.
Goody, I know you have the Harbor Freight one and went over your post. How do you like it so far? I don't recall if you're running gas yet. Also, what have you done with it so far?
4x4x4, You're right about the budget. Of the ones you put up the Eastwood with the spool gun looks good. What about replacement parts when the warranty ends? Can I use other brands parts of do I need to go back to Eastwood?

I just wish you could do a test drive before you buy.

 

[Goodysgotacuda]

Thanks for all the reply everyone.
Goody, I know you have the Harbor Freight one and went over your post. How do you like it so far? I don't recall if you're running gas yet. Also, what have you done with it so far?.

I still can't think of a better way to spend $170 in the garage. It's continued to perform very well. I've done at least two dozen sets of C-gussets, 2 Artec trusses, ram mounts, track bar mounts, control arm skids, 3 PureJeep trusses, Poly front/rear 2dr cage, lots of misc shop welding, etc. It's done me very well. I can overheat it if I get overzealous and try to go too quickly on an Artec truss, which requires a ton of welding..but it's not a major deal.

My only real complaints were the poor ground clamp and gauge size it came with. I upgraded that. I also wish it had a longer torch lead. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with it, it paid for itself a LONG time ago.

I am running 75%argon 25% co2 shielding gas and 0.035" wire.

 

[Black Lady]

I still can't think of a better way to spend $170 in the garage. It's continued to perform very well. I've done at least two dozen sets of C-gussets, 2 Artec trusses, ram mounts, track bar mounts, control arm skids, 3 PureJeep trusses, Poly front/rear 2dr cage, lots of misc shop welding, etc. It's done me very well. I can overheat it if I get overzealous and try to go too quickly on an Artec truss, which requires a ton of welding..but it's not a major deal.

My only real complaints were the poor ground clamp and gauge size it came with. I upgraded that. I also wish it had a longer torch lead. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with it, it paid for itself a LONG time ago.

I am running 75%argon 25% co2 shielding gas and 0.035" wire.

Do you have a link to this welder?

I'm interested in getting a new one as well I just sold my Hobart 140 and looking for a 220 now. Does in burn in pretty good any pictures of the welds?

Would you feel confident in installing a long arm suspension system with this unit?

Sounds like the average guy would make good use out of a $170 welder. And I don't weld all the time either.

 

[Goodysgotacuda]

There is a $170 coupon for this pretty frequently

http://www.harborfreight.com/170-amp-migflux-wire-welder-22-volts-110-amps-68885.html

I wouldn't hesitate to install a long arm with it. If I end up redoing my suspension [with my own pickup points and links], I won't be using another machine to burn it in.

I don't take many bead pictures, but here is a 1" solid gusset on the C.

 

[Black Lady]

Looks like it welds thick metal very nicely. I make have to pick one up for the price.

Is there only 1 power setting? Looks like its just a wire speed knob and that's it.

 

[Goodysgotacuda]

Looks like it welds thick metal very nicely. I make have to pick one up for the price.

Is there only 1 power setting? Looks like its just a wire speed knob and that's it.

4 settings for current, Min-Max-1-2.

 

[4x4x4]

Thanks for all the reply everyone.

4x4x4, You're right about the budget. Of the ones you put up the Eastwood with the spool gun looks good. What about replacement parts when the warranty ends? Can I use other brands parts of do I need to go back to Eastwood?

I just wish you could do a test drive before you buy.

As far as normal consumables and gun- Yes, you can get parts from Eastwood or elsewhere. Welding Direct or other supply houses can take care of you. They use a Tweco 10' gun which available almost everywhere.

The internals- No. Here is an answer from one of the guys at Eastwood on that subject asked on their website:

To answer your questions, "will we have the internal electronics available?" The quick answer is "no". But there is more to that. The first reason being that from a safety standpoint, our lawyers wouldn't allow us to promote customers to be messing with the electronic internals of one of our products in fear they might harm themselves or cause damage to property (Read: We don't want to see you get electrocuted or burn your house down). What some of the companies that strictly sell welders (such as Lincoln and Miller) do, is they have authorized welding supply stores in their "repair network" that handle the repairs for them. Then those shops most times, send the welder out to a repair person that is a licensed electrician as well as being fully trained in repairing their welders. Since we have such a diverse product line, it isn't currently feasible for us to do this.

What we can offer to do, is if you have a welder and say, 5-10 years down the road some sort of internal electronic parts goes "kaput".. we will either offer you a identical replacement for cost/just over our cost, or a deep discount on a current model that you may be interested in. In most cases the price we would offer would quite possibly be close to the cost to have a welder repaired, but with less down time, since we'd just ship another one out ASAP. So either way we will take care of the customer, in some shape or form. Just having a authorized repair network for just our welders does not currently make sense for us.

Now if you have any issues with external or "plug in/bolt on" parts, like the ground cable/clamp, gun, etc, we will have those types of parts available for the customer to exchange out.

Hope that helps!

-Matt/EW

 

[jkrubitm]

Well after seeing Goodys pic, I'm leaning tords the Harbor Freight one. Now I need to see how much it would be to run the wires. There is a box for a outlet right under the panel so it shouldn't be to much. My dryer has a different plug then the welder.

 

[JKCTAZ]

If you know a little about wiring you can make a SO cord adapter using a a couple of readily available twist lock cord ends from Home Depot to adapt from the 4 prong at the dryer to the one needed at the welder.

 

[jkrubitm]

I'll look into it. Thank you.