Do I need to get a 220v mig

[jpsaf8geusa]

Hello,

I have a Miller 140 and have loved it until had to do some welding on my bucket and had to load some flux wire and still had some trouble getting a good weld. I am a relative noob to welding, but I am learning. Will the Harbor Freight 220v MIG make me happy welding 1/4"?

Thanks John.

 

[coxhaus]

I might look at a Hobart 190 or 210 at TSC if you are looking for MIG. If your bucket is heavy not garden tractor size then I think I would want to stick weld it. A stick welder and a Miller 140 would be a good combo. I have not been happy with my Harbor Freight purchases.

 

[dragoneggs]

Don't know your situation but if you plan to own and use this new welder for a long time, maybe pony up or swap for another Miller, or Lincoln or Everlast. Not much long term history on the newer HF welders. Getting support, and long term holding its value is going to favor Blue, Red, or maybe even Green these days. I sort of hate the saying but... buy once, cry once. What should also be added, enjoy the quality and a better chance to die before your tool does.

 

[jpsaf8geusa]

I might look at a Hobart 190 or 210 at TSC if you are looking for MIG. If your bucket is heavy not garden tractor size then I think I would want to stick weld it. A stick welder and a Miller 140 would be a good combo. I have not been happy with my Harbor Freight purchases.

I have a cheap 220v stick welder. Maybe I need to get it out and learn. Thanks for the info.

 

[MF RED in MT]

Hello,

I have a Miller 140 and have loved it until had to do some welding on my bucket and had to load some flux wire and still had some trouble getting a good weld. I am a relative noob to welding, but I am learning. Will the Harbor Freight 220v MIG make me happy welding 1/4"?

Thanks John.

I have the exact same Miller 140 Auto-Set Welder for 10 years now and love it.

Almost got the 141 which is dual input 110v/220/ but the way I figure if I am welding 3/8" - 1/2" heavier plates, I just preheat it with a propane weed burner torch then weld.

I have never needed to use my flux core wire, since all of my welding is indoors with 75/25 gas, much cleaner welding.

If it were me, and I was set on getting a 220v welder, I would sell my 140 or trade it in on a Miller 141 Auto-Set.

I can't say enough about this Auto-Set, back in the day we would mark up all of the dials with welding reference information.

About HF welders, I purchased a Tig with foot pedal years ago and took it back after 2 days, disappointed, don't know if it was a bad welder or not, but did not want another one.

KC

 

[fatjay]

I bought a HF 110v stick welder and it was absolute garbage. Would stick constantly. Gave it to a buddy who also hated it and tossed it. Have a Lincoln HD125 gasless wire feed and do 3/8 all day long on 15a 110v.

Harbor freight has some great ****. I have all their sockets, wrenches, and even their 70lb hammer. But their welders, not so much.

 

[spitter]

They bought a HF it lasted 3 months and ran about 2 ft. of bead poorly.:thumbdown:

 

[3Ts]

Since you're welding on your bucket, I have to ask the condition of the bucket. Have you cleaned it thouroughly? As in down to bare shiny metal. MIG likes clean metal, stick can penetrate rust and other crud better than MIG. But, clean is always easier and better for all welding operations.

 

[shaeff]

Just out of curiosity, if you were previously welding with solid wire and switched to fluxcore, did you switch the polarity on the welder? If not, you'll have issues.

That being said, many new tractor buckets aren't that heavy but I'd still want a 220v machine regardless. It gives you many more options now and down the road.

Other than that, the other things to mention (and have been already):

Make it clean, shiny metal that you're welding.
Groove out any cracks, it doesn't hurt to terminate any cracks with a drilled hole.
Burn it in hot, there's a lot of mass to the bucket. If your welder is underpowered, you can preheat the area with a torch. That may be required no matter what welder you have if the bucket is very heavy duty.
Remove the gas nozzle if using fluxcore, it gives you better visibility.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD, SHINY GROUND!!! AND THAT YOUR GROUND CLAMP IS ACTUALLY GOOD!. Most ground clamps these days are JUNK. It makes a huge difference. If your welding sounds like a drive-by shooting, check that ground clamp!!

 

[rangerfredbob]

Like everyone is saying, clean is best, and like said flip the polarity for flux core.

I have a Titanium MIG 175 set up with .035" Lincoln flux core right now on 220V and it welds great following the chart on the door, but I haven't used it for 1/4 and checked penetration yet... For heavy welding my go to is my AC/DC Century stick welder on DC with 7018 1/8" rod, but 6011 is close behind, I have a gross of both...

 

[jpsaf8geusa]

Great feedback! Thank you so much.

- When I have to do this again I will try the preheat. It is a good tip. I was actually doing the opposite. I was waiting for the metal to cool down between segments.

- I will get a new ground clamp, cheap insurance.

- removing the cup, would never have thought about that.

- I did clean the metal.

- I got the job done but I as soon I get time I want to practice some these tips.

Again thanks for the help.

 

[jpsaf8geusa]

Like everyone is saying, clean is best, and like said flip the polarity for flux core.

I have a Titanium MIG 175 set up with .035" Lincoln flux core right now on 220V and it welds great following the chart on the door, but I haven't used it for 1/4 and checked penetration yet... For heavy welding my go to is my AC/DC Century stick welder on DC with 7018 1/8" rod, but 6011 is close behind, I have a gross of both...

My nephew keeps nagging me to get on the stick welder! I guess I better get practicing. Thanks.

 

[Sonny580]

My century 200 is a 220-v machine and it does great for a wire welder----I am not a fan of wire and use my Lincoln 225 ac stick welder for the important stuff. All of my welding is rusty iron so for the most part wire is out, but I do play with the wire and can get decent welds with it, just gotta waste a lot of time grinding the rust off the iron first.
220-v welders are the best.

 

[fried1765]

I might look at a Hobart 190 or 210 at TSC if you are looking for MIG. If your bucket is heavy not garden tractor size then I think I would want to stick weld it. A stick welder and a Miller 140 would be a good combo. I have not been happy with my Harbor Freight purchases.

The Hobart Handler 190 is 1,000% better than the HF MIG stuff.
Then too: If the Hobart should ever break, (it won't) you can get it fixed.

 

[shaeff]

The Hobart 190 is 1,000% better than the HF MIG stuff.
Then too: If the Hobart should break, you can get it fixed.

I've got an older Hobart Handler (LOL) 210A unit from a few years before they came out with the MVP (multi-voltage plug). It's a fantastic machine and I love it. I laugh about the "handler" part of it because it's bulky and it's gotta be all of 80lbs which makes it awkward if you actually need to carry it anywhere.

I've had it for years, countless large spools of wire, it's been dropped, bumped, kicked, stuff fell on it, grinder shavings slung all over it, plasma sparks blown all over it. Never gave me a single issue. One thing I'll suggest, get the 20ft MIG gun for ANY wire feed welder. You'll thank me later. And ALWAYS upgrade the crap ground clamp.

I use one called the Ground Hog. It's a bit of a pain, but it's provided me with an absolutely solid ground point every time I've used it. Edit: Mine's the vice-grip style:
Grounding Clamps - Strong Hand Tools

 

[Industrial Toys]

Actualy some very critical guy tore apart a HF mig and was quite amazed that it was not as junky as he had predicted.

My feeling. 110 volt flux core migs are just for light sheet metal work. If there isn't penetration, it's not a weld but just what one Scottish welder I knew who made Stainless boats called SNOT.

 

[metalbender]

Upgraded from a Lincoln 180c to a Lincoln 210mp. Best of both worlds. Plenty of grunt in mig mode for decent welds, plus the stick for burning some serious rod. Haven't used the Dynasty in stick mode since the purchase.

 

[STERLING351]

So I have a couple different machines (MIG, Stick, TIG) I recently bought a new HF Vulcan MigMax 215 and actually like the machine.I mostly run it for fluxcore. It is light and easy to move and welds nicely. My biggest complaint is that the knobs and carry handle are what feel like cheap plastic. But overall it has served my needs and allows both 240v and 120v operation. And it is much lighter than my Hobart!

 

[Smokeydog]

Bought a miller 211 MIG auto set 10years ago, no regrets. Three buddies bought the same after trying out. Novice to professional like these. I need all the help I can get. Makes me look like I know what I’m doing.

 

[aczlan]

I bought a HF 110v stick welder and it was absolute garbage. Would stick constantly. Gave it to a buddy who also hated it and tossed it. Have a Lincoln HD125 gasless wire feed and do 3/8 all day long on 15a 110v.

Harbor freight has some great ****. I have all their sockets, wrenches, and even their 70lb hammer. But their welders, not so much.

Out of curiosity, did you try a different roll of wire in it? Apparently there was a batch of them that were shipped out with wire that was garbage and that caused a lot of them to have issues very much like you're describing.

Aaron Z