Stick welder recommendation ?

[John D]

LMAO Shaley. Ive used my lincoln tstone for 10+ years now and has done me right building trailers and what not. its a good choice for the money. jb

 

[ww_kayak]

I know absolutley nothing... but I would think the duty cycle of the machine may come into play if you weld alot of thick stuff ( single or multi-pass). I pushed my 185 to the limit quite a few times stick welding some 1/2 plate on my backhoe. No big deal, but if I was always welding 1/2".... It would drive me nuts.

 

[thingy]

Swines,yeah your right,remember using hardsurfacing over hard surfacing a long time ago,I was thinking that brittle factor,can't think of any filler you can't multipass,,stick tig or mig,,I'm sure there has got to be one though,,,and yeah,,if you got the money you could get a constant current/ constant voltage machine,,than you can do anything,,tig stick mig flux core air arc,,wonder what one of those rigs cost? Probably a good bit,6,000 plus,,but you'd be set,,,thingy

 

[thingy]

Yeah,duty cycle is probably the most important thing,,espiecally mig or flux core,,,cause of course,you don't have to stop as often,,,thats why,basicly for most of us,we need to get a higher amped machine,than the amps we plan on running,,,thats just the way they make them.,,,but,,,will say this,,,120-130 amps will burn a .035 wire,,it will burn a 1/8 inch rod,,so you need to figure out,what duty cycle your machine,the one you plan on buying,,,is at that amperage,,,A 60 percent duty cycle at 120-130 amps,,,on a stick machine,,would let you run that machine all day with out worrys using a 1/8 inch rod,[cause you ain't going to be running it more than a min or so,,you stop,change rods,spit,,grind,brush,,etc,,,],,now,,a 60 percent duty cycle on a mig machine at 120-130 amps,,might not be enough,,probably would be,,but,,,maybe not,,,,,,the the way they make these machines,,you need about a 180-200plus amp machine to give you the duty cycle you need to run that .035 wire or that 1/8 rod hard...if your just planning on running a couple inches at a time,,well,,you can get less,,but its always better to have it and not need it,,than to need it and not have it...thingy

 

[kossetx]

If you push the cycle limit of a lincoln 225, your not a hobby welder anymore.

 

[Ken S.in Ky.]

bcarwell
there are a lot of god units out there. to me one of the biggest considerations, Is what you personnelly will be doing with the machine you buy.I have 3 different welders One of those is a torch outfit and a bundle of metal coat hangers. the plastic hanger don't work. I for one enjoy gas weelding from time to time. My sons get a kick out of watching. I guess it's becoming a lost art though with all the new mig machines and all. You will have to deciede what you want from a machine. It is better to have more welder than ya need, than to need more welder than you have! Ihave an AC225 Lincoln that i have used for more years than i care to mention. It has always did what I needed fabing trailers,farm type repairs,3ph attachments and the like.Have welded on every thing from lawn mower fram and handles farm equipment repair and even bulldozer for neigbors. The thing is !!! You match the rod to the metal amps tto the rod to be used, Then ya prep the metal then you weld. Metal prep being a GREAT BIG factor in the equation. and it is amazing how many people for get that part of welding. Welding is like a long journey, ya learn as ya go and ya go as ya learn. Have a good journey and the journey will be good to you!!

 

[digger2]

Going back to the original question.I recommend a Lincoln ac/dc 225/125
machine or Miller/Hobart equivalent.I would stay with one of these brands although there are some others that are prob. fine. Yeah,you could go with some super mega bucks machine that will do everything and then some,I
use a Miller at work every day that costs about 10 times what i paid for my
little Lincoln,but who cares what the machine costs as long as it will do what you want it to.From what you have said,i'm sure the Lincoln ac/dc 225/125
or equivalent Miller/Hobart will easily do anything you have in mind.
Anyway,3 years ago i paid $470 for my Lincoln ac/dc 225/125.It works great and had a 3 yr. warranty.I know alot of people who own these machines
and if you treat them right they will last you a long time.One more word of advice,if you do buy a machine,go the extra $$$ and buy the ac/dc.
AC machines are ok,and they do work,but you will be much happier
getting the ac/dc to start with.Besides,you may want to hook up a tig to it someday.
Digger2

 

[thingy]

WW,do you have a miller blue star 185?,,thats what I got now,,,welder/generator,,,,good machine,,,got the wheel cart for it,,can move it,[well,wouldn't want to move it to far,but you can move it on dirt even],,can load it in back of truck with ramps,[after backing truck to low spot],,,thats what I wanted,,,big enough to do heavy work,,but light enough to move on my own,,,welds great to,,you can burn a 1/8 rod all day,,you will wear out before you gotta worry about duty cycle,,,,[for those who don't know,,its a miller welder generator,,dc output,185 amps max,,,got 5,500 continuous output on auxillary ac current,,cost about 2,200,,,battery start,,,,,generator alone is worth that about,,,,
Now,,,as far as welding thicker steel,,did you know you can weld 1/2 steel with a 3/32 rod?,,yeah,,,just gotta prepare a groove and make mulitple passes,,,,,,,,I mean,,you can't make a single pass weld,[full pen.] on 1/2 steel with a 3/16 rod, so,,,yeah,the bigger the rod,,the faster,,but,,,,you make as many pass as you need to fill the joint,,,,What if you was welding 3 inch thick steel,,,you'd have to make several passes than,,,,even with 1/4 inch rod,,,,,!!!!! thingy