Looking to buy welder

[shadyhollownj]

Ok so I'm a contractor and a fairly new farmer. I am looking to learn how to weld and have done some research. The type of welder I was looking at was a hobart or a miller mig 140. I figured between mig or flux core I could do most trailer, gate ,or farm machinery repairs. Any opinions would be great. Thanks.

 

[larryshoat]

I was raised welding with a stick welder and most of the stuff I weld is thick enough to weld with stick, that being said with the inverter welders you can weld thin stuff too, they'll strike an arc and weld at very low amps, very pricey though.

The mig/flux core welders that run off 110volt that I've been are fine for playing around, but if you have much to weld they're not enough. If I were going with a mig I would get something like a 230 amp, then you can do a pretty good job on heavier stuff too.

I'm just a farmer welder not an expert by any means.

Larry

 

[SRBeef]

Ok so I'm a contractor and a fairly new farmer. I am looking to learn how to weld and have done some research. The type of welder I was looking at was a hobart or a miller mig 140. I figured between mig or flux core I could do most trailer, gate ,or farm machinery repairs. Any opinions would be great. Thanks.

If I could have any mig welder I wanted for general use it would be a pulsed arc Miller 350P. That would probably be the last welder you would ever buy. The pulsed arc adds cost but is easier to weld, almost no spatter and big enough for about anything you may want to weld up to about 1/2" thick in one pass. If you get one like this get the PULSED model.

You want to check and see what sort of electric power you have available in your shop, single or 3-phase 220/240v and how many amps.

Here is the unit: http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_350_350p/

There is a neat little video down the page a bit which shows pulsed arc welding.

Of course the down side is price. You may be able to find a Miller 250 non-pulsed mig welder for considerably less money which would be my second choice for what you describe above. Buying a used welder is sort of like buying a used car - it all depends on how it was treated by the previous owner. If you know the previous owner and how used fine, if you don't, beware. jmho. Good luck.

Jim

 

[jedstivers]

The only thing the 140 will do is make you want a real welder once you learn how to weld. Get at least a 230, a 250 is better and of course the one Jim said is even better.

 

[dun]

If you go with the less expensive flux core welders pay a lot of attention to the service cycle time.

 

[highgrit]

A 180 Lincon Mig is as small as you should go. It's 230 volt and it will weld 3/8 inch thick steel with flux core. A decent little welder for the money and beginner to start with.

 

[dieselbeef]

depends entirely on what ya wanna spend and how portable ya wanna be

 

[shadyhollownj]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I figured I would get some good reponses on here. Ok so bascally I have to rethink my whole approach. I thought a 140 since it would weld 1/4" would be big enough. Guess I was wrong. So basically I am in the market for a mig over or around 200 amp depending on how much I wanna spend. I am the kind of person that likes to get good quality but since I dont even know how to weld yet I dont really wanna spend more than a grand on a unit. I would like a unit that is somewhat portable and can run off a a 4000 watt generator. I dont know if some of these units are strictly shop units for heavy welding. The main reason I want this is to do some fab on a trailer and build some heavy duty gates and bale feeders. Again if there is a brand to stick with other than miller like hobart or lincoln let me know. i have a neighbor who is a retired welder so if i have anything big I woould probablt get him to do it. This is probably more for me to do an emergancy fix or build some things in the winter. Sorry to ask so many questions. Thanks.

 

[dun]

You might want to double check your generator to make sure it puts out consistant enough voltage to run a welder. I have a 5k unit that doesn;t but the 7k unit that runs off the PTO does. The PTO unit actually welds better then the house power

 

[shadyhollownj]

Hey Dun how big of a welder are you running off standard 100 amp house power. I have 100amp to my building and 200 at the house. So if I only have a 200 amp service to the house running one of these welders that are 230 amps isnt possible or am I not understanding.

 

[upfrombottom]

You might also consider looking at a gas powered unit. It can be used as a generator and a welder or at least mine can be. If you add the cost of a generator and a separate welder, you will be better off getting the gas powered welder. If your like me, you won't use either one very much and if they sit very long they can be a pain to get started. Since I use mine for both, it seems that it stays it running shape alot better. I bought a used one mounted on a trailer with a bottle rack and torch for $1800.

 

[dun]

Hey Dun how big of a welder are you running off standard 100 amp house power. I have 100amp to my building and 200 at the house. So if I only have a 200 amp service to the house running one of these welders that are 230 amps isnt possible or am I not understanding.

The welder doesn;t draw 200 amps. That's what it puts out. A 50amp 220 breaker will handle 99% of the welding you need to do. Check the max amperage that the welder draws. The problem with my generator is it doesn;t do exaclty 60 cycle for 110 so it probably doesn;t for 220 either. Not sure why the house power isn;t smoother but cimpared to the bigger generator there is a noatble difference on how smoothly it welds

 

[dieselbeef]

keep the 140..itll werk for ya. haul the big stuff to the nieghbor

put a gen in yer truck and the 140 will do field repairs for ya. get small diam wire and move slow and it will weld 1/4 ok..idk if i would build a trlr for the raod w/it but for minor repairs and small projects itll work..you can always preheat if ya hafta weld somethin a bit thicker.
if you have a mig that doesnt git used much the feed maech and the wire doesnt fare well from sitting

btw the 140 will use gasless flux wire..any other machines will requre more power and then youll hafta buy gas also makin it even less portable

 

[lavacarancher]

Shady, this has pretty much been beaten to death but i'll put in my two cents worth.

I have a Millermatic 175 that does everything I want to do with it. I can weld 1/4" material in one pass and thicker stuff if I want to make two or more passes. I use C25 gas with my machine but I also have a couple of rolls of flux core wire. Never tried the flux core yet but folks tell me it welds about the same.

The down side is the length of the stinger - at least for me. My machine came with a ten foot stinger and that really limits how far away you can get from the machine. If you want to move to weld something 15 feet away you got to move the machine. And if you're using a generator to power the welder you got to move both unless you've got a long extension cord. I think they make longer stingers but the longer you get the more problems you're going to have feeding the wire.

Miller and Hobart are the same. Miller bought Hobart a few years ago but both brands are still being sold. Make sure when you get your machine get a handfull of copper tips for your size wire, a half dozen gas shields and the pliers that fit the tips. Last, get yourself one of self darkening hoods. Those things are like an impact wrench, you wonder how you ever got by without one.

As Dun explained, the power to the welder is only 20 to 30 amps off the main 230VAC house or generator supply. This is not the welding current. The machine steps down the voltage and ups the welding current

I've been a dauber for a long time and these wire feed machines are really fun to weld with, and pretty easy too.

Good luck

 

[dun]

If you can;t get someone that really knows what they're doing to teach you, Northern Tool has some excellent videos on welding

 

[shadyhollownj]

Thanks Dun thats where I was actually looking to buy one they are cheaper than everyone. I was lookin at the lincoln and miller 180. I figure they are big enough for anything I'm gonna do based on everyones opinions. Is it recommended to use a mig with gas or use flux core which is easier or better. Thanks for the help.

 

[dieselbeef]

any machine not 110v will require a co2 gas

mig is

metal inert gas

 

[shadyhollownj]

Thanks deisel. Guess I would have figured that out when I buy it. I thought if you used flux core you didnt need the gas guess I just read it wrong. I got books coming so i'll figure it out. Ok so I was researching the miller 180 reviews and a lot of guys are recommending the miller 211 over the 180. So I could use it on a gen if I wanted. For the extra 30 amps and option of plugs I think its worth it for only an extra 150 bucks. Thanks again guys.

 

[lavacarancher]

Thanks deisel. Guess I would have figured that out when I buy it. I thought if you used flux core you didnt need the gas guess I just read it wrong. I got books coming so i'll figure it out. Ok so I was researching the miller 180 reviews and a lot of guys are recommending the miller 211 over the 180. So I could use it on a gen if I wanted. For the extra 30 amps and option of plugs I think its worth it for only an extra 150 bucks. Thanks again guys.

No sir, you didn't read it wrong. The flux core wire does not require Co2. The flux creates a shielding gas the same as Co2. The gas (either from a cylinder or the flux) shields the molten metal from Oxygen until it has cooled a little. You need one or the other. You must have some sort of shielding gas when arc welding. Stick welding has flux on the outside of the rods.

 

[dun]

For what little I've done of it, I hate using gas outside. The wind seems to alwasy be an issue