Lincoln Ranger 8 Generator $ & Best Solution

[Carl_NH]

Hi all,

First I would like a welder for occasional use repairs, making some gates etc (had a Lincoln 225 on the farm), and could use a backup generator larger than my present genset of 5700 W 24 AMP 220V.

I only have 20A 220V (two 110 circuits) in barn for running lights and tools where I would want to use the welder.

I found this one on CL that would seem to fit the bill for $3150 LINCOLN RANGER 8KW WELDER/GENERATOR

So the questions are;

Would this setup be good as a generator / is the power decent, meaning clean? I have a Buderus FHW Oil boiler with electronic controls that works fine on the current generator, but they can be finicky.

Is the price right? What I have read here seems to be maybe $300 or so high?

Could my present generator (24A 220V) run a welder? If I recall the 225 takes 35-40 AMPs so I think this is too small.

Does the Ranger 8 hold enough gas for say 2-3 hrs run time? We run our present system for a few hours at a time during outages to keep heat and water then shut down.

I guess I am trying to kill multiple birds with one stone, get a welder, get a higher output generator, and not need to modify the wiring adding a separate box and plug off the garage panel, then conveinence as garage ss 250' from the barn where I have the grinder, benches etc.

Other ideas / suggestions welcome.

 

[RPW]

Engine driven welders IMO are a great compromise to provide power and the ability to weld. I have a Miller bobcat 225nt with around 800 hours and I love it. With one you can stick weld and in most cases do scratch tig. With the addition of a suitcase wire feed unit you can do MIG. Setting up a transfer switch will work great to be able to power your garage also. In my case I will be setting up a transfer switch to power the whole house eventually. As far as pricing it depends on how many hours is on the machine. I paid $2500 for mine so I think you're in the ballpark. BTW; cash talks and if you were to offer a bit less because you're paying in cash you might pick it up for a better price. As far as clean power I don't see any reason why they would be any dirtier than a genset. Run time is dependent on load. My miller specs. out at 14hrs for welding. With that your unit probably will have a switch where the machine will cycle down to idle when not welding but for generator use you'll have to run it full speed which will probably reduce your run time to about 8 hours again depending on load.

Good luck.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

800-1200 buck tops, especially with the ONAN.
That didn't sell for that new.

I paid 1000.00 for mine over 10 years ago with 350 hours and a kohler. You can buy a new ranger 10k for 3k or cheaper. Last year I saw them new for 2800.

 

[Carl_NH]

Thanks RPW,

What i am trying to determine at the end of the day is to go with a Ranger 8K Genset to handle light welding AND a backup genset to replace our 5.7KW existing genset OR should I buy the standalone welder, and a new genset to power both. I have installed the 30 AMP 4 wire connection into the house - thats done no matter the input source.

What i read in your reply is the price seems fair, but cash rules - I understand that and at the same time I dont want to insult the seller. There are 142 hrs on the unit. The question - will the Ranger 8 provide 8KW continously? Our house load is 3.0 to 5.5KW variable with surge maybe higher and we are running a 5.7KW unit so are "on the edge" IMO.

I understand these welders "idle" with no load, then kick in on load, so I guess I am more interested in the "low load" then how it handles the surge of a 1.5HP pump (10 AMPS 220V running 18 AMPs starting) hittting the unit. I would imagine it is similar to welding, striking the arc equals high current then laying the bead is a continous amp draw.

We have choices, 1) to buy a used Lincoln 225 AMP welder $2-300 range, 2) wire this to the garage circuit which is 250' to the barn meaning I need to take parts to the welder, 3) buy a generator that runs the house AND a welder - likely a 9KW, or 4) buy a Generator/Welder combo that suffices 1) and 3).

Thanks

Carl

 

[JoelD]

I bought a welder / generator on my first pass, a miller bluestar. 5000W and DC stick. Mine has the smaller tank and runs about 2-3 hours at full tilt.

I used for the house in power outages. I paid $700 with under 100 hours (honda 13hp motor) and about 300 + foot of cable.

I then purchased a 5500w generator at pepboys for $300 on a day after thanksgiving sale. She runs for over 14 hours on a tank at full song.

So for $1000 total I got a welding rig that will weld just about anything I'll run into and a generator that powers my entire house, including well pump and furnace (I don't run the dryer and stove / oven).

For me, it was killing me to put hours on my expensive welder when I cound put them on a cheap generator.

Joel

 

[Carl_NH]

Mark

I guess thats why this hasn't sold in three months and I need to be on the lookout to find one in the $700-1K range.

JoelD,

I will expand and consider units like Miller and manage our house with the 5700W unit.

I guess my focus was too centric on Lincoln so I need to research the welding aspect some more and expand to other lines.

Thanks guys,

Carl

 

[RPW]

Carl the Lincoln ranger 225 (new name) will supply 9kw continuous or 10.5kw peak. On the website they list for $3199.00. You said the one your looking at had 142 hours on it and that's nothing. The seller sounds like he's asking near new price so dicker away and don't worry about insulting him. If he gets insulted then you can always walk away. Running a welder off of a generator can be tricky as some welders are picky about variations of power (load) and it might damage the welder. The engine driven welders are designed to run full power all day without incident. Also it's less equipment to haul around. When running as a generator you wouldn't want to let it idle down as it will change the frequency of the power coming out and could damage electronic circuits. Also based on the spec sheet of the new models -76.4dbA at 23 feet is pretty good.

-Mark- I'm curious about your comment about Onan engines. I've run Onan on several generators and it's the engine on my welder. Haven't had any reliablility problems on any of them. Parts are still available for even the older models.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Parts are typically hard to get. When you find them they are usually not worth fixing because of the price of the parts typically exceed the cost of the unit, not to mention the labor. Also there are more issues with the ONAN than the Kohler command series engines with overhead valves. I see Rangers with onans sitting broke quite often and see them on Ebay as well because of the cost. The engines are much noisier and fuel hungry as well(not to mention less powerful)

 

[brad123]

I just bought a new lincoln 305 gas with a kohler.. Seems pretty good so far but haven't done too much..

 

[J_J]

Carl_NH ,

I have a Ranger 8 with Kohler engine for sale here in Florida. I was asking $1500.00 on Craigslist awhile back, and at local flea markets.

I believe the new Ranger 10 sells for arond $3695.00

 

[Carl_NH]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the informative replies on this post and this helps me make a informed decision. I have been busy between snow removal and work of late..

J_J That sounds like a nice unit and price, but shipping to NH from FL might eat up cost savings vs getting one locally. But I will keep that price point in mind when looking locally.

Mark, thanks for your insight on Onan - I know Onan units in Cub Cadet Garden tractors in the 80's were considered good engines - is there a specific range, HP or year(s) on the Onan engine that are more troublesome than others? Then what hour range would these issue arise? I know most 4 cycle engines 18-25HP have somewhere around 1500-2400 hrs typical before rebuild unless they were poorly maintained..

RPW, Thats good info on the new unit price, and also the age/hours on this one at 142 are low. The one statement about idle down/voltage drop concerns me a bit, but I presume any load, say 1000 watts of lights/fridge etc would keep the generator running to maintain 120 V and not allow "idle down" ?

On the negotiation aspects I concur and will consider all your feedback / advise going forward.

Thanks again.

Carl

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

There are small problems that do occur with the ONAN units from time to time such as fuel pump and carb issues. And any problem that occurs cost major money. There are precious few service centers compared to Kohler and Briggs, where there is one in every town.

You cannot buy a lincoln or miller with an onan any longer. You can either get a kohler command or a Subaru.

 

[RPW]

Ok. yes parts can be a problem but I've found that cummins/onan though onanparts.com does have most parts anybody needs and the prices seem reasonable. As far as service centers yes I agree. Main reason you don't see onan on US products anymore is EPA. They didn't want or couldn't meet the newer standards. Still I wouldn't necessarily walk away from onan motors. So far I've had good luck with them. Using the data from the Miller bobcat 225nt out of my manual the differences between the Kohler and Onan. Kohler 18HP, Onan 16HP. Run times pretty much the same and other things were comparable.

Carl, you're right that a load on the unit will keep it running at operating speed it's just that if you do manage to reduce the load and the unit idles down there is a noticable delay in regaining full speed which could damage equipment. There is a switch that will keep it running at operating speed.

 

[tglass]

All the talk about the Ranger 8 with Onan engine I don't understand. Had one we bought new at work quite a few years ago and have never had a problem with the engine. Have always done the normal servicing etc. and believe me it's put thru the test. The price I saw was a lot more than I would pay, but I sure wouldn't be afraid of an Onan engine.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Tglass,
I am not saying they are bad engines, but they have an expensive reputation. And I can point to a several welders I have seen sitting with broken ONANS, either with a thrown rod, bad carb or some other engine issue that easily exceeds the value of the welder. I haven't found any Kohlers that weren't running, not to say there aren't any.

I will tell you this, if you put the old 18 Kohler command that was contemporary to the Onan, beside the ONAN, you will be able to tell which one is the ONAN at 100 ft, and they are quite thirsty. I have run them. My Kohler sips fuel in comparison. I have also been on a job site where the same welders were there with different powerplants, ONAN and Kohler. Every body tried to show up early to get their choice of the Kohlers. The late guys were stuck with the ONANS.