guampath Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 alright well i was looking at some mig welders and seen some from 100-1300 dollars i know who to weld from school and all that but as far as picking what welder to but i have no idea so for all you out there who have one let me know what i should get "i want to do some tube welding for like a cage for the truck, some solid bumper welding like the ones you see on https://www.4x4parts.com and just some frame welds that need to be done other then that i think thats it dont really want to spend 2000 on a welder if i dont have to and i dont have all that much time to work on the rig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 although you don't need to go buy a 1000 dollar welder, you WILL need to get a half decent welder. You will want to use flux core for the structural welds, as this burns hotter and deeper than using say, argon...and especially because of the cage, you will HAVE to get a 230 volt unit, with i'd say atleast 180amps You could probably find a used nice welder of this sort for 600 bucks locally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 You "can" use a cheaper 110 welder for all that, but with short duty cycles and the multiple passes you would need it would be very time consuming. A smaller 220 unit would probably be your best bet. You can look for a used one, but I don't see to many around here. Usually if one is up for sale, the seller just upgraded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 You "can" use a cheaper 110 welder for all that, but with short duty cycles and the multiple passes you would need it would be very time consuming. A smaller 220 unit would probably be your best bet. You can look for a used one, but I don't see to many around here. Usually if one is up for sale, the seller just upgraded. Idk bout a bumper or the frame, but it depends on the material....if you want to use 1/8" steel, sure, you could go spend under 250 bucks and grab a 110v, but if you want anything that will be worth the effort, you are gonna want atleast 3/16", which can be painstaking, difficult, and possibly not get the penetration required unless you get a 220v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guampath Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 Idk bout a bumper or the frame, but it depends on the material....if you want to use 1/8" steel, sure, you could go spend under 250 bucks and grab a 110v, but if you want anything that will be worth the effort, you are gonna want atleast 3/16", which can be painstaking, difficult, and possibly not get the penetration required unless you get a 220v seen alot of people have this one lincoln mig welder 3200hd seen it at homedeopt and napa or something just like it but would this be able to weld up a cage some chassis welding with out having to come back after every run on the trail just to find out that the welds that i just did cracked or what not or get out on the trail and role the 4000LB truck over thinking that the cage that i just did is going to save everything but just falls apart. as for the metals that i would use i can use just about anything cus one of my friends dad own a shop that i can get it from for CHEAP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 (edited) seen alot of people have this one lincoln mig welder 3200hd seen it at homedeopt and napa or something just like it but would this be able to weld up a cage some chassis welding with out having to come back after every run on the trail just to find out that the welds that i just did cracked or what not or get out on the trail and role the 4000LB truck over thinking that the cage that i just did is going to save everything but just falls apart. as for the metals that i would use i can use just about anything cus one of my friends dad own a shop that i can get it from for CHEAP for aluminum, you would either need tig, or atleast argon gas for MIG...but for steel, a flux core mig should do fine. Its all in the prep, if you don't prep the surfaces right, no welder will do good, but the 3200hd is rated at max of 135 amps, and 90a @ 20% duty, (out of 10 minutes, it can run constantly for 2 and needs to rest for 8) I don't know if I would want to build a cage that SLOWLY, but its all in the person, depending on the tubing you use, if you only need it at 90 amps, you could do it pretty decently, but if your building a massive exocage, i'd go for something bigger, preferably 220v not 120v If your doing a ton of metal work I suggest getting a 220v machine, spend the money NOW instead of spending it 2x later! Or, you could go get a stick welder, as these have GREAT penetration for low cost, but have a tendency to blow right through thin metal Edited August 1, 2009 by OldSlowReliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I have a 75 amp 110v mig that can weld a pathy frame just fine, and that is all I need it for anyways. It has the option for argon gas but I don't use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packie88 Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 i have a lincoln 220 stick welder and it has worked great for everything i have done and it was real nice and cheap.. (100 dollars) then i built myself an extension cord to go with it and now im good to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Idk bout a bumper or the frame, but it depends on the material....if you want to use 1/8" steel, sure, you could go spend under 250 bucks and grab a 110v, but if you want anything that will be worth the effort, you are gonna want atleast 3/16", which can be painstaking, difficult, and possibly not get the penetration required unless you get a 220v Have you seen my frame repairs and bumper build pics? All done with an 85amp 110 welder with .035 flux core. It welds thicker material just fine, just need some time for it's crappy duty cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Have you seen my frame repairs and bumper build pics? All done with an 85amp 110 welder with .035 flux core. It welds thicker material just fine, just need some time for it's crappy duty cycle. Well, I get how you got good results, but with that little amperage did you really get enough penetration? I haven't seen your weldups yet, but I may just be overthinking it, as I know a small welder could easily do it if you do a beveled edge and fill it in, but idk, flux core can do pretty well though, but im not SO sure about doing 1/4" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Well, I get how you got good results, but with that little amperage did you really get enough penetration? I haven't seen your weldups yet, but I may just be overthinking it, as I know a small welder could easily do it if you do a beveled edge and fill it in, but idk, flux core can do pretty well though, but im not SO sure about doing 1/4" 1/4" would take about 6 passes probably per butt-joint, I think I would rent a stick for that if I were working with it for more than a 6" joint. My bumper is all 2" tube with .120 wall, and 2 - 3/16x1" bar stock, I've landed the full weight of the front of the truck on it comming off a rock once and it barely flexed (the ends are unsupported beyond the weld to the front tube). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 1/4" would take about 6 passes probably per butt-joint, I think I would rent a stick for that if I were working with it for more than a 6" joint. My bumper is all 2" tube with .120 wall, and 2 - 3/16x1" bar stock, I've landed the full weight of the front of the truck on it comming off a rock once and it barely flexed (the ends are unsupported beyond the weld to the front tube). But if he wanted to weld an entire bumper from 3/16" or a winch bumper or something like that, I'd say spend the money 1x... It really depends on the $$ you want to spend, if you can spend a good amount, you can either get a small mig welder for cheap, and a cheap high amp stick welder for the big stuff, or just get a big MIG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 But if he wanted to weld an entire bumper from 3/16" or a winch bumper or something like that, I'd say spend the money 1x... It really depends on the $$ you want to spend, if you can spend a good amount, you can either get a small mig welder for cheap, and a cheap high amp stick welder for the big stuff, or just get a big MIG I agree. I didn't buy my welder, it was a gift, but since I have it, I'm not in a hot hurry to get a bigger one. If I was starting from scratch, I would get a little 220 MIG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Then there is the consideration that not everyone has acces to 220 especially 3 phase... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I agree. I didn't buy my welder, it was a gift, but since I have it, I'm not in a hot hurry to get a bigger one. If I was starting from scratch, I would get a little 220 MIG. Yeah, i mean, if you HAVE the money to get a decent sized one, i say go for it, but if you can get a smaller one for massively cheap or free, go with it! Then there is the consideration that not everyone has acces to 220 especially 3 phase... B But if said person is planning on building bumpers cages and stuff, I think they would want to invest in one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 By 'one' do you mean 220v welder or 220v 3 phase power? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 (edited) By 'one' do you mean 220v welder or 220v 3 phase power? B I was referring to a 220v welder with the correct power, not necessarily 3 phase. Last time I checked, 3 phase power is pretty expensive to get unless its already there. I have not owned my own 220v machine yet (only used them at other places) but I'm pretty sure you could do it on the same kind of plug that say your dryer uses, the deal with it using both legs of your home wiring instead of one 120v or whatever... Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I didn't think all (if any) 220v mig's used 3 phase? Edited August 4, 2009 by OldSlowReliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 You mean 220 single phase (drier plug). I assumed 220v welders would use 3 phase as most industrial applications do, but then I run my 2hp mill off of 220 single phase... Ok, what if the place is set up for a gas drier and you rent... Hell, some new homes have the washer/drier up stairs!! That is what I am getting at. I have seen some decent 110v 130-140 amp welders that would be pretty handy for someone without a 'shop' or suitable/easy power in the garage. Did anyone suggest the ready welder yet?? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Yeah, one guy I knew used to have a home-made 220 extention cord running from his basement to his garage. If he was welding, he ran down and unplugged the drier and plugged the extention in. (Might have been safer if he actually knew how to wire the box up, used to spark if you looked at it funny .) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 You mean 220 single phase (drier plug). I assumed 220v welders would use 3 phase as most industrial applications do, but then I run my 2hp mill off of 220 single phase... Ok, what if the place is set up for a gas drier and you rent... Hell, some new homes have the washer/drier up stairs!! That is what I am getting at. I have seen some decent 110v 130-140 amp welders that would be pretty handy for someone without a 'shop' or suitable/easy power in the garage. Did anyone suggest the ready welder yet?? B With the drier thing, my point was that you could use your standard home wiring and run a single phase 220v for your garage, because 3 phase requires them to run a new line from the poles to your house (if it is carried past your house atall) I have yet to see a 140amp MIG welder with more than a 10% duty cycle...were you looking at sticks? As for the ready welder, the cheapest I've seen them are in excess of 450 bucks, and those are great for what their used for...trail repairs....they too have fairly low duty cycles.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guampath Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 With the drier thing, my point was that you could use your standard home wiring and run a single phase 220v for your garage, because 3 phase requires them to run a new line from the poles to your house (if it is carried past your house atall)I have yet to see a 140amp MIG welder with more than a 10% duty cycle...were you looking at sticks? As for the ready welder, the cheapest I've seen them are in excess of 450 bucks, and those are great for what their used for...trail repairs....they too have fairly low duty cycles.... http://doit101.com/Images/stickwelder.jpg what about that that should get all the stuff done good reight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87pathy Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 only get a 110 welder if you plan on ONLY doing sheet metal. I've tried to use a 110 stick and flux core and they both suck monkey snot for structural weld. NO penetration. get the job done, cheap.. buy a 220V stick welder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87pathy Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 http://doit101.com/Images/stickwelder.jpgwhat about that that should get all the stuff done good reight you will be able to weld anything except sheet metal with that. I have one. the sheet metal is too thin and the setting does not go low enough for sheet metal.. just blowes through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magregor Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I bought a 110v 70a welder from Princess Auto for $250.00 that has 4 heat settings and an awesome duty cycle with thermal protection (haven't hit it yet) and rebuilt 2 Pathy frames, built 2 Safari Racks (working on 3rd for Adamzan), bumper fabs, exhaust and sheet metal work and have had no issues with penetration. As for up to 1/4", I would probably invest in a 220v 180amp Mig with the leased inert gas tank (for nice clean welds and longer duty cycle). But for the backyard hobby mechanic, a flux cored, 110 v 70amp welder is a perfect setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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