welder setup

[Donald]

I am half considering buying this welder

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200441250_200441250?cm_ite=628845&cm_pla=Welding%3EWirefeed%20Welders&cm_cat=Nextag&cm_ven=Aggregates

and then selling my older Lincoln AC 225 welder and a unused HF Uno Mig welder.

People seem to be getting away from stick welding and using MIG more and more. This one will do MIG welding up to 5/16" which is thicker than I will need.

Thus I will end up with a MIG/stick welder, gas, and a plasma cutter. Next to learn how to use them!!

 

[tig1]

Buying is the easy part. I can't seem to get this page, so I don't have any idea of the welder in question.

 

[willix]

If is has a good sized wire spool & set up for 0.035 wire and a high & low range. low being good for lesser guage steels.

If it has 150-200 amp capability aluminum wire can also be used with it's own dedicated wire sleeve for welds up to 3/8ths in.

Gotta have a good gas shield. That Lincoln looks ok to me.

You may do better doing a web search for a used lincoln, Miller or Hobart that would be more durable & have better commercial qualities.

 

[JimPghPA]

Remember to V cut any thick joints before you weld them.

 

[Boczech]

Would be nice if you could rent this for a few days to work on a metal project and see how it performs. I'm sure this would be a step up from the old Lincoln 225 that was real popular when I was growing up. I traded mine for a Miller stick welder and a Hobart wire welder. Both were good machines that served their purpose.

Bo

 

[The_Eric]

What kind of work and what kind of budget? Welders are like trailers.. Buy the biggest one you afford, because sooner or later you will use every last bit of it.

I'd be leery of that machine. A recon off name welder?

 

[QuadDriver]

when you crack a frame on the bush hog, nothing beats grabbing a handful of 3/16th sticks and burning them in there with the torch on a good ole lincoln 225 (I was shown this trick by a guy who welds locomotives at brookville and you cant do this with a mig....)

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Buying is the easy part. I can't seem to get this page, so I don't have any idea of the welder in question.


Its a reconditioned Northern Tools combo 200A MIG/stick for $429.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: QuadDriver
when you crack a frame on the bush hog, nothing beats grabbing a handful of 3/16th sticks and burning them in there with the torch on a good ole lincoln 225 (I was shown this trick by a guy who welds locomotives at brookville and you cant do this with a mig....)


Couldn't you use a copper backing plate and push MIG wire in the hole?

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: QuadDriver
when you crack a frame on the bush hog, nothing beats grabbing a handful of 3/16th sticks and burning them in there with the torch on a good ole lincoln 225 (I was shown this trick by a guy who welds locomotives at brookville and you cant do this with a mig....)


Couldn't you use a copper backing plate and push MIG wire in the hole?


Nothing on a brush hog warrants using 3/16 rods of any kind. Like killing a squirrel with a 30 06.

 

[QuadDriver]

Originally Posted By: tig1


Nothing on a brush hog warrants using 3/16 rods of any kind. Like killing a squirrel with a 30 06.



bwahahaha.

ever whack a piece of firewood or an errant cinder block in someones field?

there is no wire fed mig that will hold a commercial mower together.

Heck, I welded plate steel to the skirt to keep it together.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: QuadDriver
Originally Posted By: tig1


Nothing on a brush hog warrants using 3/16 rods of any kind. Like killing a squirrel with a 30 06.



bwahahaha.

ever whack a piece of firewood or an errant cinder block in someones field?

there is no wire fed mig that will hold a commercial mower together.

Heck, I welded plate steel to the skirt to keep it together.


I beg to differ. With proper prep and a decent machine, a mig will hold a bush hog together just fine.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: QuadDriver
Originally Posted By: tig1


Nothing on a brush hog warrants using 3/16 rods of any kind. Like killing a squirrel with a 30 06.



bwahahaha.

ever whack a piece of firewood or an errant cinder block in someones field?

there is no wire fed mig that will hold a commercial mower together.

Heck, I welded plate steel to the skirt to keep it together.


You are kidding about mig welding not suitable for light weight work like mowers and such?

 

[QuadDriver]

Originally Posted By: tig1

You are kidding about mig welding not suitable for light weight work like mowers and such?


no sir, if we were talking about lawn cutting.

a bush hog (trade name of which I have one, rotary cutter being the generica name of which I have 2, not including 2 finish mowers) weighs in at 500lbs for the SMALL ones.

my cat2 8.5ft finish mower weighs in at over a ton.

there is nothing light duty about these (my small one can butcher a goat by being dropped on it) at any rate, ALL welders are sorta technically mig - thats what the flux coating is for if not using bottles. my point being, when you break something and you have a gap to fill, you cannot get material in the wound to fill it fast enuf, hence grabbing a handful of sticks, cranking up the juice, and flowing a lot of material at once(I bridge 1/2" gaps often). I have 10lb hammers and am a big guy, if I cant pound it back any closer in it aint going any closer

Like I said, I was shown this by someone who works for brookville locomotive, where they weld stuff slightly larger.

now if it was a 20gauge or smaller deck used on your little MTD or john deere rider, sure, a wire fed mig will git er done.

big problems need big solutions.

 

[kcfx4]

get a hobart mig, i love mine (body wrk) its in the miller family, fine product

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: QuadDriver
Originally Posted By: tig1

You are kidding about mig welding not suitable for light weight work like mowers and such?


no sir, if we were talking about lawn cutting.

a bush hog (trade name of which I have one, rotary cutter being the generica name of which I have 2, not including 2 finish mowers) weighs in at 500lbs for the SMALL ones.

my cat2 8.5ft finish mower weighs in at over a ton.

there is nothing light duty about these (my small one can butcher a goat by being dropped on it) at any rate, ALL welders are sorta technically mig - thats what the flux coating is for if not using bottles. my point being, when you break something and you have a gap to fill, you cannot get material in the wound to fill it fast enuf, hence grabbing a handful of sticks, cranking up the juice, and flowing a lot of material at once(I bridge 1/2" gaps often). I have 10lb hammers and am a big guy, if I cant pound it back any closer in it aint going any closer

Like I said, I was shown this by someone who works for brookville locomotive, where they weld stuff slightly larger.

now if it was a 20gauge or smaller deck used on your little MTD or john deere rider, sure, a wire fed mig will git er done.

big problems need big solutions.


I'll have to respectfully disagree. My Lincoln Power Mig 255 handles anything from 16ga on up to 3/4" steel with ease. Like I said before, it's in the prep work. If someone brings a broken/ripped part to me, I'll do whats needed to return it to it's original dimension and when I'm done, I guarantee you it'll hold. I even warranty my work because I'm that confident. Never a comeback.

It's good that your loco building friend is handy with a stick, but don't pass them off as the end all be all of the welding world. That PTO driven rotary mower of yours (all of them) were built using a MIG welder and for the most part (barring mowing over cars and other assorted junk) has worked just fine.

 

[edhackett]

Stick welding requires a Constant Current power supply. MIG requires a Constant Voltage supply. You're not going to get that in a $400 welder. True multi-process welders start at ~$4.5K for a bare machine and run over $7K ready to weld.

These cheap "multi-process" welders are poor at both stick and MIG. The fact that it maxes out at 140A on stick tells the story. It's a CV power supply that can hang on to just enough amperage at 140 amps to maybe keep a stick going. Run away.

If you want to do MIG, and don't think that you will need stick for anything, sell both what you have and buy a decent MIG welder from a one of the major names. If you want to have stick capability, keep the Linclon. It'll weld circles around what you are looking at.

The Hobart line, as mentioned is Miller's economy line. This is as "cheap" as I would buy personally. They are fine. Other options are the Miller Millermatic 180 and 211(the 211 is what I would by for a home machine). Linclon also makes some nice home MIG welders such as the 180C. Do not buy the Linclon "Easy MIG" welders sold at Home Depot or Northern Tool. These are cheap versions that use a plastic wire feed mechanism. The good ones are sold only through welding shops.

Buying a real MIG welder from Hobart, Miller or Linclon will end up saving you money in the long run. You'll always be able to buy the consumables, get it repaired if necessary, and it will last a lifetime. Not to mention all of the aggravation it will save not having to deal with a pile of poo while trying to learn.

Ed

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: edhackett
Stick welding requires a Constant Current power supply. MIG requires a Constant Voltage supply. You're not going to get that in a $400 welder. True multi-process welders start at ~$4.5K for a bare machine and run over $7K ready to weld.

These cheap "multi-process" welders are poor at both stick and MIG. The fact that it maxes out at 140A on stick tells the story. It's a CV power supply that can hang on to just enough amperage at 140 amps to maybe keep a stick going. Run away.

If you want to do MIG, and don't think that you will need stick for anything, sell both what you have and buy a decent MIG welder from a one of the major names. If you want to have stick capability, keep the Linclon. It'll weld circles around what you are looking at.

The Hobart line, as mentioned is Miller's economy line. This is as "cheap" as I would buy personally. They are fine. Other options are the Miller Millermatic 180 and 211(the 211 is what I would by for a home machine). Linclon also makes some nice home MIG welders such as the 180C. Do not buy the Linclon "Easy MIG" welders sold at Home Depot or Northern Tool. These are cheap versions that use a plastic wire feed mechanism. The good ones are sold only through welding shops.

Buying a real MIG welder from Hobart, Miller or Linclon will end up saving you money in the long run. You'll always be able to buy the consumables, get it repaired if necessary, and it will last a lifetime. Not to mention all of the aggravation it will save not having to deal with a pile of poo while trying to learn.

Ed


While my knowledge is rather limited on the multi process machines, I do mirror your thoughts on a decent MIG machine. I spent about 1300.00 on a Systematics (175 amp)welder from the tool truck and it served me well, but compared to the Lincoln Power MIG 255, it's not even close.

I will add that your shielding gas selection will have a great influence on the arc's properties. I prefer 95/5 (95% argon/5%oxygen) over all others for steel. It's very hot burning, smooth and gives off low spatter compared to straight CO2 or C25. My second choice (and my current) is a tri-mix. I'm a little fuzzy on it's composition, but it's something like 90% argon, 7.5carbon dioxide and 2.5% oxygen. Don't quote me on that, but I do know that it's pretty hot and smooth compared to most.

 

[Donald]

I found a used Linde 2175 welder for $650, but I do not specs. How does Linde stack up against Miller or Lincoln?

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I found a used Linde 2175 welder for $650, but I do not specs. How does Linde stack up against Miller or Lincoln?


If you plan on keeping a welder for a long time, buy one from the big three. Miller (includes Hobart), Lincoln or Esab. Find out where you can get them serviced and buy parts locally. (liners, tips, feed rools, etc.) as they will wear out and you need then worked on every now and then. Buy quality wire and a good auto darkening helmet (you only have two eyes).

I prefer Miller gear but I have a very good local dealer. For a home owner, something in a Miller 211 class will make a great machine and has the ability to run 115 or 230 volts by plugging an adapter onto the cord.

If you are needing a longer duty cycle than the 211 has (30%), step up to a 212, 252 or 350 machine which offer a 60% duty cycle although I doubt anyone welding at home will need more than the 212 class machine has to offer.