Perfect Farm Welder

[Birdhunter1]

Mark I think it is hard to beat the combination of my Everlast Powerarc 200 and 140 iMig. If its thin I use the mig, if I am tacking alot of stuff in place I'll use the mig. When I don't want it to come apart I hook up the stick machine and rock on.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Mark I think it is hard to beat the combination of my Everlast Powerarc 200 and 140 iMig. If its thin I use the mig, if I am tacking alot of stuff in place I'll use the mig. When I don't want it to come apart I hook up the stick machine and rock on.

Understand your sentiments. But a good solution for new buyers might be the PowerMTS 211Si for MIG, TIG and Stick performance, though everything isn't 1 to 1 it is pretty close if you don't need 6010.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Understand your sentiments. But a good solution for new buyers might be the PowerMTS 211Si for MIG, TIG and Stick performance, though everything isn't 1 to 1 it is pretty close if you don't need 6010.

Tis true. If I had it to do over again I might have gone with the MIG/Stick combination machine but I do like the separate machines as I can be doing something with one and my son, dad, or nephew can be doing stuff with the other.

 

[the old grind]

... a good solution for new buyers might be the PowerMTS 211Si for MIG, TIG and Stick performance, though everything isn't 1 to 1 it is pretty close if you don't need 6010.

The PowerMTS 211Si was my hands-down top choice for all it's features after months of searching. :drool: bw, IMO, 6011 means never having to pine for 6010.

I'm a 35 year apprentice welder and want to take a class at MCC, or did until the virus thing closed campuses. I hoped a pro in the class or an instructor might be tempted to see what I bought and help me bring in some W102 Q&As into a W101 class. Anyway, I've done a bit of SMAW, GMAW, MIG, and TIG enough to wish to do much more than my Miller, and Airco, and HFT AC & DC stick welders will do.

As an aside, I've gone from an early HFT (blue box vs blk) AC-only ~90a FCAW to their <$200 "170a" (@ 30% duty cycle ) DC model and could not recommend it more highly for a cheap intro to flux core or solid-wire, say with 100% CO2 for light duty vs general work.

OK, so this thread began about a farm welder, and I like Mark's original recommendation, esp for those of us who find stick welding easier as rod diameter and amperage increase. (AKA farm use ) Not everyone plans to take a class soon. Many of us have use other stuff already and can appreciate what's easy to get used to.

btw, I never did buy the PowerMTS 211Si because I got drawn in buy a sale price direct from the maker and went for something a bit different. Mine is an Everlast PowerMTS 251Si, but I'll get by with the 'substitution', I promise.

Mark, do we ever thank you enough? :drink:

 

[kydick]

a Lincoln 225 ac has served me well for 25 years. been able to do just about all my own repairs myself. all the extra features may be nice but for me I don't need them.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

a Lincoln 225 ac has served me well for 25 years. been able to do just about all my own repairs myself. all the extra features may be nice but for me I don't need them.

I can't tell you how many people have said to me that they thought the same thing, but wanted to see if there was any truth to this inverter stuff and are quite amazed at the difference. To paraphrase one of my welding instructors once said about something "If you'll try it, you 'll throw rocks at the old one".

 

[k0ua]

a Lincoln 225 ac has served me well for 25 years. been able to do just about all my own repairs myself. all the extra features may be nice but for me I don't need them.

Have you ever welded with a DC inverter welder? Yeah my Lincoln 225 served me well for many years too. And when I got the DC inverter, I never wanted to strike another arc with the 225.

 

[5030]

In reality the old Lincoln Tombstone is the 'ideal' farm welder. One, it's cheap (and farmers are cheap) and it lasts forever and runs on 220/1. Most farmers don't have 220/3 available. Second it a gas driven or diesel driven welder gen set for field repairs. My Lincoln goes in the back of the farm truck and gets used a lot in the field. Most times, things break in the field, not in the barn and sometimes getting back to the barn is impossible so a 4wd farm truck and an engine driven unit is worth it's weight in gold.

Nice unit though.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I can't tell you how many people have said to me that they thought the same thing, but wanted to see if there was any truth to this inverter stuff and are quite amazed at the difference. To paraphrase one of my welding instructors once said about something "If you'll try it, you 'll throw rocks at the old one".

Have you ever welded with a DC inverter welder? Yeah my Lincoln 225 served me well for many years too. And when I got the DC inverter, I never wanted to strike another arc with the 225.

I'm one of those too. I had one for years, grew up on one was hesitant to replace it with a DC inverter machine, I mean my old Lincoln AC225 was a good welder...... about the 4th rod burned through my Powerarc 200 I had decided the Lincoln wasn't really needed anymore and found someone really happy to have a good welder at a very good price. A few years later I don't miss the Lincoln.

 

[k0ua]

I'm one of those too. I had one for years, grew up on one was hesitant to replace it with a DC inverter machine, I mean my old Lincoln AC225 was a good welder...... about the 4th rod burned through my Powerarc 200 I had decided the Lincoln wasn't really needed anymore and found someone really happy to have a good welder at a very good price. A few years later I don't miss the Lincoln.

Yep, plus I can use the provided shoulder strap and carry my little inverter outside to weld as long as I have 220 volts . It weighs about 20 lbs. I have the PA160.