Quick MiG question

[2manyrocks]

Check out the Hobart 187 and the new Hobart 200 models before you buy a mm 180. Use the saving to lease a tank so you can use gas and solid wire. You won't have all the splatter and smoke you have with flux core.

There's a hobart welder's forum and there's also a miller welding forum you should check out.

 

[mjncad]

Miller and Hobart are owned by ITW (Illinois Tool Works). I'm not saying the machines are the same inside, with different trim outside the way car manufacturers do with their brands (e.g. Chevy Suburban, Cadillac Escalade = same base chassis).

I have a MM210 and I am happy with it. Get the 240 VAC machine of your choice and if you are in a garage or other non-windy area; the gas is no hassle at all to use. Wiring up a 240VAC circuit is no big deal if you have room in your panel or sub-panel for the breaker. I want a spool gun for my MM210 so I can try some aluminum welding. I'd like a TIG unit too. I never could get the knack of stick welding in junior high metal shop. I'd either get the rod stuck, or burn through stuff. Auto darkening helmets weren't invented yet, so doing the visor flip added to my frustration.

Check out svcguy's stick welding at http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/104835-homemade-rops.html

 

[excelagator]

Yes Miller and Hobart are owned by the same company. There are differences though. Miller uses cast parts on the roller feeds and Hobart uses composites.

I looked high and low for a year at welders and asked a lot of questions. The answer Miller is more geared toward the professionals and Hobart toward the hobbist or home-owner. I plan on having this MIG a long time and do a lot of projects with so that is the direction I went. The other thing to consider is duty cycle. The MM180 is around 30%, but when you go up a unit the duty cycle jumps a lot.

I have a MM210 and I like it a lot

Dan

 

[excelagator]

I never could get the knack of stick welding in junior high metal shop. I'd either get the rod stuck, or burn through stuff. Auto darkening helmets weren't invented yet, so doing the visor flip added to my frustration.


You should try DC stick with 7018 rod. A little hard at first, but once you get it down it is awesome!!

Dan

 

[txdon]

Eric, I also had the same dilemma, I wanted MIG but no gas bottle hassle. I spent a bit more money up front and got the Miller Passport. It's 110 OR 220 and the gas used is refillable small paint ball co bottles that I get filled at Academy sports and outdoors store. The bottles last longer than I thought and I use about 2 bottles per small roll of wire. Its very portable and I have use it off a 5500 watt generator also. Just another thought.....

 

[mjncad]

I never could get the knack of stick welding in junior high metal shop. I'd either get the rod stuck, or burn through stuff. Auto darkening helmets weren't invented yet, so doing the visor flip added to my frustration.


You should try DC stick with 7018 rod. A little hard at first, but once you get it down it is awesome!!

Dan

I'll put a stick welder on the wish list!

When I was shopping for my MIG welder, which is my first one; I asked a couple of friends who are knowledgeable on welders and welding and they said go with Miller or Lincoln. I'm glad I took their advice.

 

[Berniep]

I did a lot of reading before I bought my Hobart 180 I have been very happy with it and the 187 is supposed to be the felines nightie. I started with flux core wire and later bought a 80 Cubic foot bottle of 75/25. I can tell you the gas amounts to MUCH less hassle than the flux core and a small tank like mine lasts a lot longer than I thought it would. A trip to the welding store once in a while verses cleaning every weld you make just like stick welding.
We only had a stick welder on the farm growing up and later when I decided to help build a race car all we could afford was a stick welder. I found it pretty hard to Learn mig welding. Well, at least when I was expecting it to be very easy compared to stick according to everything I had read. There are a lot of variables in a mig welder wire speed, voltage , travel speed, gun angle, stick out, gas flow, but once you get it down its about like a hot glue gun.
Whatever you decide you can ask questions about any brand on hobarts forums Weld Talk Message Boards - Powered by vBulletin They are a nice bunch of people over there, kinda like here.

 

[2manyrocks]

I'd encourage anyone trying to select a welding machine to go to the Weld Talk website Berniep posted. There is a huge amount of useful information about flux core versus gas wire welding and selecting the appropriate welding machine for your needs and budget.

I'd say just about everyone would like to have a new MM212, but when you add on an autodarkening helmet, a tank, some good grinders, a good bandsaw, etc. you can get quite a bit of money invested. This too, has been well discussed on Weld Talk.

Once you figure out which welder you want and can afford, then this is the best site I've found to see what you can weld to use with your tractor.

 

[JoeL4330]

Eric, I also had the same dilemma, I wanted MIG but no gas bottle hassle. I spent a bit more money up front and got the Miller Passport. It's 110 OR 220 and the gas used is refillable small paint ball co bottles that I get filled at Academy sports and outdoors store. The bottles last longer than I thought and I use about 2 bottles per small roll of wire. Its very portable and I have use it off a 5500 watt generator also. Just another thought.....

likewise, love my passport. I can fill my own CO2 bottles but use external mixed gas tank when it is in my garage.