Welders: Portable vs. Plug-in

[bobodu]

Sounds like a good trade!!
I should mention that I sold my Lincoln for a mere $400 and it took a couple weeks to do it at that low price. Don't expect to get what you think it should in this economy.....
You'll find the market is rather low for these for the same reasons already listed above for not getting one yourself.

 

[tommu56]

Bad starter?
It depends on the welder some use the welding windings to start them and no starter.
The Lincoln we have at work is that way.

tom

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Bad starter?
It depends on the welder some use the welding windings to start them and no starter.
The Lincoln we have at work is that way.

tom

It sounds like that may be the case with this one. The guy was telling me that he couldn't find a starter on this one.

I may have some learning to do. I'm excited to get it now and see what I've got.

 

[mlauk]

What has been said is good information. You have to have a reason to have an engine driven welder. It's not something that you want to use on a regular basis in a quiet neighborhood. It's more cost effective to us a plug-in welder with maintenance, fuel etc. All gas engine driven welders run at 3600rpw (there's probably exceptions). And to get a diesel driven one costs anywhere from 2x plus i.e. Lincoln's 225 amp Ranger is under $3k but their diesel is over $7k. I do plan on getting one myself to add to my arsenal but each has their purpose. My Lincoln pro-mig 140 is for lighter welding jobs that require clean welds. Miller econotig for stick and tig and the miller bobcat 225 for ranch work and backup power. So my 2cents is to keep what you have and use them around the shop but use the engine driven one for when the project/repair is away form the shop. Also it would be good for backup power.

BTW IMO portable is a misnomer in this context as there's nothing portable about an engine driven welder. At 570lbs for the lightest that I could find.

Good luck.

The Hobart with the 22 HP Kohler weighs 430 pounds. It is similar to the Miller, but it only has DC. You still need an engine hoist to put it in the back of a truck or best to just mount it on a trailer.

 

[BXpanded]

What has been said is good information. You have to have a reason to have an engine driven welder. It's not something that you want to use on a regular basis in a quiet neighborhood. It's more cost effective to us a plug-in welder with maintenance, fuel etc. All gas engine driven welders run at 3600rpw (there's probably exceptions). BTW IMO portable is a misnomer in this context as there's nothing portable about an engine driven welder. At 570lbs for the lightest that I could find.

I have a Miller Legend with an 18hp Onan engine. It runs at 1,800 rpm for generator work which helps the noise level a bit. The Bobcat offers more generator wattage but runs at 3,600. The Legend is still a noisy monster when welding as it goes to 3,600. Weight is an issue. I think this thing weighs right at 600 lbs. It's mounted on wheels so we roll it outside if we use it. Rigging an exhaust to the outside just isn't practical for such limited use. Gasoline powered stuff indoors can be really hazardous as these things produce lots of Carbon Monoxide. They also make lots of heat from the engine.
I had an offer to trade it for a really nice MIG machine a few weeks ago. I almost never use it and I could use another MIG, but can't bring myself to get rid of it. Been a victim of the GROITANIT too many times I guess.

 

[FlaDon]

I have all three. Each has its place. It's quieter at night using the AC buzzbox and the MIG unit. The welder generator is DC at 230 Amp max, < 170 Amp Cont. welding and 10K AC 240/120 with an Onan by Robin 20.5 horse, 3600 RPM engine. It has over 350 hours on the meter. We also have a 6.5 K Onan powered 1800 RPM generator. Both burn fuel at about the same rate.

As for welding cables, get them with twist lock connections. I have 3 large ones. 1 25', 1 50' and 1 75'.

 

[cdhd2001]

The Hobart with the 22 HP Kohler weighs 430 pounds. It is similar to the Miller, but it only has DC. You still need an engine hoist to put it in the back of a truck or best to just mount it on a trailer.

My Miller Wildcat weighs 350 lbs per the shipping label. Still heavy though.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

My Miller Wildcat weighs 350 lbs per the shipping label. Still heavy though.

Shoot, my Lincoln SA200 weighs 1300#. Welds nice though.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's hoping that this one I'm going to pick up is less than 600 pounds. That's about the limit of what my loader will pick up from the ground. (It will lift more from about 2 feet up due to the geometry of the hydraulics, but it only lift about 600 pounds from the ground.)

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I got the welder home finally.

In the midst of dickering over the welder, I have traded a riding mower style snowblower to him for the welder, a saddle for a John Deere riding mower, and a not running SCUT for a utility 4-wheeler. I took the tractor to the guy's house to help pick up the welder and had a blown out tire when I got there. I had to wait until today to get a new tire, so I left the trailer, etc. at his house over the weekend. I still have to go back Wednesday to deliver the not-running tractor and pick up the 4-wheeler.

I haven't done anything with it yet other than unload it. It is a heavy beast, though. It may be more than 600 pounds. The loader will lift more after it gets above about 2 feet, and I used a chain, so I was above that 2 feet. I just know that when I lift up the welder, the back end gets pretty light.