Soundguy
Old Timer
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Messages
- 51,575
- Location
- Central florida
- Tractor
- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
my point exactly...
ac has practical application.
Here's my practical application.
I'm not a trained welder.
I'm not a fabricator nor a machinish.
I have a few hobby level projects that requre metal to be melted and stuck to other metal.
I have a very few 'critical' repairs that require welding. If I had to geuss, I'd say that less than 1 per year does a situation occur, that if I could not weld, that something would stay broke down or not repaired. Again.. I hve plenty of low level projects that make hobby farming nicer, like buzzing a step up to bolt on to the running board to help me get on a tractor. that's an ergonomic addition.. not one that prevents the machine from running.. etc.
I bought my hobart welder as a cost / benefit analysis a while back when i had one of those critical farm repairs come up.
i had a batwing mower and one of the dang wings fell off one day! hinge broke.
I called around. Cheapes mobile welding place I could find gave a 'guestimate' quote of 400$, which by the way was their minimum to show up and make sparks, plus a few hours of work. And that was with me providing all the labor, me getting the wing propped up and level, etc, me have most of the correct parts or materials like a hinge pin / rod, and the hinge plates. the welding service would provide incedental filler metals or small parts for gussets or bracing.. etc include din thier shop supply charge, They also build for fuel and o/a gas as well.
IE.. in a perfect situation with no cutting, just the guy driving up, me haivng all parts lined up and vice gripped into place, and he cranks his welder up, suits up, and makes some sparks, packs up and leaves, 400$.. any o/a use or stock metal use, grinding wheel costs, time spent over the minimum charge, or any other supplies needed, = extra charge.
with that in mind I looked around a couple hours.. TSC had the best price on a machine, using the 225a lincoln as a sort of baseline, looking at the box stores and welding shops ( couldn't find a darn one on craigslist or ebay / flea market /pawn shop when i needed it ).. lowes had the best price on the lincoln.. at 248.xx$ for a 225a machine. TSC had the hobart 235xl for 238.xx$ I also had a 10% coupon at tsc, making it come out to 215$ before tax or so. both had some basic accy kit with them. cheap flip down shaded mask, pair of gloves and chipping hammer, and something like 1lb @ of 3 different rods.. must have been 6011, 6013 and 7018ac I believe.. etc. plus one of those orange rod storage tubes. ( a 19.99$ value for that kit, so the advertisement said, but free with welder purchase! )
that 215$ investment, with tax was 227.66 ( still got the reciept in my equipment file right here ).
On the way home I grabbed a handfull of 6011 from work, which I pass on my way home from tsc.
i didn't even own a real torch.. just a small soldering set of the smallest o/a bottles, plus plumbers and map gas bottles. I did have a hf chopsaw, angle grinder and a sawsall.
I grabbed some scrap from the small scrap bin I had, took an hour to heat and bend the hinge pin straight using a pipe and vice. took another 30m to prep the areas to be welded using the grinder and finish cutting off the old hinge plate so it could be heat and beat back into shape. follow that with 20 actual minutes of making sparks welding the hinge plates back on and making sure welds were good, then another 30m of getting the wing into place and driving the hing pin in. had a few squeaks as it was a few thou off in a couple spots.. hinge plate probably was too.. but it drove in using a 2lb drilling hammer and some grease. .. no surprises.. another 5 minutes of making sparks to add the pin limit/stop/keepers, then the test. started the tractor and folded the wings.. first fold made some creaking noises as it folded, and on the drop it went a lil slow and creaked. after about 3 cycles, everything was smooth. that was years ago.
still use the mower as my primary pasture mower.. many cutings a year.
no signs of cracks in the welds. and yes.. i do a thourough inspection of all my mowers befroe using them, including lubing fittings, checking oil, bearings and bushings and welds and them darn hinges for the wings, plus stress points like the nubs the hyd cyls attach too, and the plumbing itself.
right there, that single one time use, saved me at a minimum, $ 172.34
that means I either could have paid a minimum of 400$ and had it fixed, and had nothing else to show for it, or pay the 277.xx$, have it fixed, and have a homeowner quality welder as a 'leftover', PLUS have an extra 172.xx$ in my pocket.
hmmm.. hard decision...
And yes.. i did look at the DC version of the machine. determined I didn't need it to simply melt some mild steel together.
it's not all about the most capability or the name.. it was about meeting the needs I had in a suitable fashion, at least exceeding the minimum requirements.
I could have very easilly have come home with a lincoln had it been cheaper that day. all the same, I'm glad I didn't. I don't prefer the knob-setting they use, vs the continous dial of the hobart... at the time.. eaither would ahve worked satisfactorilly. in fact.. walmart was sold out of their cambel hausfeld 200+a machine that day.. it was a frosty 205$ or so.. and that is what would have come home, if it had been in stock... I'm just as glad I got the hobart though.
soundguy
