Opinion on welder

[jedens]

I'm looking to get a welder to do some projects for my tractor. The type of projects are adding the ability to put forklift blades on my frontloader, adding top & tilt for the 3 point hitch, adding extensions on the teeth on my grappler, building a lift cage for the front loader, etc. I've taken a vo-tech welding class on MIG so I'm looking at MIG only. I assume the ability to weld about 1/2 inch mild steel will be sufficient for these types of projects. I've talked to a local welder here and he has recommended Lincoln because he has had the best experience with their MIGs. He says their reel has held up better than Miller and they have fewer moving parts. I want something that will last me for 30 years. My current thought on what to get is the new Lincoln PowerMIG 215. Does anyone have any experience with that machine or the 200 which is the model being replaced by the 215?

 

[RonR]

Congrats on learning to weld.

Getting a mig that runs 1/2 steel in single pass is a BIG machine(read: expensive). I looked at a Miller 175 (if I recall correctly) that could do 3/8" single pass. It was about $1200, before you got all the bottles, wire, etc.

Someday I might pop for that, and keep my Lincoln stick welder for anything massive I have to weld.

I can't justify more than $1200--really can't even that much--for just fix-er-up type stuff. Now if I were doing production stuff, well, maybe.............

You are right in the 30 yrs part. My Lincoln 225 is over 20 yrs old now and still works like new.

Ron

 

[theonlybull]

i've never used a lincoln wire welder, but thier generally good machines.

we've got a miller 200 that's been in our machine shop for 21 years now, with nothing other then a few whips, and a set of contacts that need replacing... i've seen it go through a 44lbs spool of wire in 8 hours b4. i would price out a few different brands, and thier consumables. try them, then make your decision.

 

[MadReferee]

To do 1/2" in a single pass efficiently you would need at least a 250 amp machine. I have had several machines of different manufacturers but I prefer Miller. The MM175 that I have now is a little light for what you want to do although it will do 1/2" in multiple passes with the proper prep work and technique.

You should be looking at the Millermatic 251 or better.

Discussing welder brands is like discussing tractor brands. Everyone has their brand favorites and loyalty. Here is a link from the Miller site that does a comparison of similar 250 amp welders.

250 amp welder comparison

Assuming money is no object, expect to spend about $2000 or more for what you really need, especially if you are going to keep this for 30 years.

You can also go to the Miller/Hobart welding boards where you can get a fairly unbiased opinion based on your needs. Owners of several manufacturers brands regularly post there.

Welders forum

 

[SPIKER]

MAD posted a good responce as did others. one thing we have many a MILLER machine, and one is the old 200 discused above, it is probably the best of the lot, we have several of the NEW 250/251s and well that old 200 preforms much better... It has a bigger transformer too and weighs as much or more than the new 250s. sorry to say they changed the transformer setup sometime in the 90's and they are just plane crappy about loosing the field aka it will collapse which cause it to POP and SPIT for several seconds. not sure why. but that old 200 will run a bead at full load all day. the new ones seem to not work nearly as well you are lucky to run a 5~6" continous bead with much more than 1/2 max output. and or below 1/4 output. to stop the sputter popping you usually have to let off the trigger so it can re-establish the field ...

I've been told there are some NEW on the drawing board stuff that is susposed to stop it, (Our newest one is all electronicn with burn back and is crap too. and is only about 1 yr old. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I hate the burn back as it seems to cause the wire to STICK to the tip constantly so you either have to keep a new tip in or clean it every few feet of wire ... )

I heard (but no 1st hand experiance) that Hobart has some very good WIre welders out, and maybe the Lincons too?

Mark M

 

[johnbilt]

Hi

I have a Lincoln Powermig 200 and a MillerMatic 251. Both manufacturers make excellent machines.

The Lincoln 200 makes a nice weld and has a great drive system. You could probably get by welding 1/2" steel by grinding a proper bevel and making appropriate passes as necessary. You can weld aluminum with the .047 wire, but it doesn't offer the control I get with a spool gun. Obviously, more current provides extra heat. The Lincoln 250A Mig with the digital readout would provide more oomph for another $500 or so.....

I upgraded to a Miller 251 for a couple of reasons. It provides infinite adjustment, as opposed to several tap positions. I found a special offer that included a spool gun which is great for aluminum welding. The front panel features a spool gun connector. This allows me to leave both guns connected all the time.

If the budget permits, go for the bigger machine. If not, the 210 range machines will get the job done for steel. You may wish to upgrade later if you get serious about welding some aluminum projects.

Keep an eye on www.centralwelding.com They offer some great prices and have provided good service to me.

Good Luck

John

 

[AndyMA]

I have a Millermatic 251 and have had none of the problems posted above. It works fine and I don't think it is inferior to Lincoln in any way. My local welding supply shop says that they sell many more Millers than Lincoln's. I know that I can weld a very long bead without stopping. I also have the Aluminum spool gun on mine and like the fact that you can keep both connected.

Andy

 

[B7510]

After discussing it w/ my nephew, who sells Miller equipment, I bought the Hobart 175. As far as he can tell, the only difference is the amperage dial. On the Miller it is a continuously variable restat and on the Hobart there are four discrete power settings with nothing in between. For a part time hobby welder I figured 1/4 inch in a single pass was pleanty of power, and my technique isn't likely to get to the point where I will need to refine the power setting that much.

Good luck

 

[jedens]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I agree that talking about brands for welders is like tractors and could open up a hornet's nest. I got exactly the feedback that I wanted which is real experience from owners of different similar machines. I suppose it's hard to go wrong with a Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart if you just keep in mind that they will each have their quirks. Doesn't make my decision any easier though. I think I'll look into the Miller 251 a little more. The ability to weld aluminum sounds nice. What kinds of projects do you do that uses aluminum instead of steel? I assume it would not be for tractor implements???

 

[MadReferee]

A welder is like a FEL, once you have one you will keep finding more and more uses for it.

Having the ability to easily weld AL will open up many more uses for the welder. I can't think of any tractor projects right now that would require AL welding but I am sure there are plenty of non-tractor projects out there.

I know that if I had a MM251 with a spool gun the wife or someone else would find something for me to weld/fix.