SA200, what it worth?
- Thread starter muddstopper
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muddstopper
Veteran Member
Right now My BL wants my old ac/dc tombstone for a trade. The way I see it, I dont need the tombstone any more, and I dont really need the SA200. If we do the trade, I suspect the old tombstone will just take up space in his shop instead of mine, and if the time comes that I did need it, I can just go borrow it back. I dont think he has ever struck a arc with a welder.
Shield Arc
Super Member
In my opinion the octagon barrel generators are just another welder, nothing special at all! If I ever get off my a $ $, I have my 1974 in the shop now, I'm going to mate a 5-gear round barrel to the engine, and put it all in a Short Hood body. :thumbsup:
OP
muddstopper
Veteran Member
Are the octagon barrel welders that are supposed to have the aluminum winding? What are the drawback or faults of this particular welder
Shield Arc
Super Member
Yes they have aluminum in the shunts. I think it was 1977 had the highest failure rate in the history of the SA-200s.
It's hard to explain the difference. But if you could weld with both side by side you could see the difference in the quality of arcs. It is just hard to beat a 100% copper DC generator!
It's hard to explain the difference. But if you could weld with both side by side you could see the difference in the quality of arcs. It is just hard to beat a 100% copper DC generator!
OP
muddstopper
Veteran Member
Interesting information. I still think it would be worth having around, as long as it dont cost me a fortune to fix it. I think I will just offer to fiddle with it and see if I can get it to run. If BL wants a welder, I'll let him borrow the tombstone for as long as he wants it. That way, if I cant fix it, or it becomes cost prohibitive, I can just let them have it back. Plus the old tombstone wont be cluttering up my shop taking up space.
Arc weld
Veteran Member
It must be one of the first octagon barrel machines. I thought they didn't come out till 73? It looks in pretty good shape appearance wise. While not as desirable as the round barrel it's still an SA200 :thumbsup: I don't think there's a welder on the planet that would complain if all that was available to use was an octagon SA200. Now if you were talking about about buzz box's and 110 volt machines, most welders would rather stick something sharp in their eye. When they work properly, there's not really such a thing as a bad SA200, some are just more desirable. It's worth getting checked out for sure!
Shield Arc
Super Member
I had to look at the chart 3-times, I couldn't believe a 1971 was an octagon myself:shocked:. I would have swore the octagons came out mid 1973! I have a 1971 my self, and it's a round barrel.:confused3:
The orange one behind the Short Hood.
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muddstopper
Veteran Member
Well, I am pretty sure for what welding I do, I couldnt tell the difference between round or octagon. As long as it would run a bead, I would be happy. While a more modern machine with ac power would better fill my needs considering I would probably use a generator in the field more than a welder.
Shield Arc
Super Member
I understand a lot of pipe liners use the octagon barrel SA-200s! Don't go by me, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a little particular with welding machines.
