Thinking of building a small towable mobile power/welding unit?

[IHDiesel73L]

I have these two items sitting in my basement collecting dust which I got for free:

Craftsman (Generac-I think) 5000W Surge/4200W Continuous Generator-will supply up to 17.5A @ 240V

Craftsman AC/DC Stick Welder-welding voltage is 30V, input voltage is 230V

Both are in good working order, but I don't use the generator because I have a larger and newer 8500W Surge/6250 Continuous unit that powers my house when needed. I don't use the welder because I have no easy way to get 240V out to where I would use it the most (my barn, about 150' from the house), and I don't want to drag stuff up to the house when I need to weld. I was also thinking it would be extremely useful to be able to bring the welder to the work wherever it is-ie: if I break something when I'm out brush hogging, etc... I was thinking of bolting both of them to an old lawn tractor cart that I could tow behind my quad, that way I could literally bring it anywhere on the property or down the road to my neighbor if he needs it. I could even throw some lifting rings on it and make it so that I could put it into the back of my pickup when needed. It would also be handy for running power tools off of the 120V outlets for working on outbuildings, fences, etc... I have so many good corded tools (drills, circular saws, reciprocating saws, etc...) its hard to justify investing a bunch of money in a whole cordless ecosystem.

The two questions I have are: First-is 5000W Surge/4200W Continuous enough to weld at 80-90 amps with 3/32 6011 rod? Second-if the answer is "Not sure, you'll just have to try it out," is there a danger of damaging the generator or the welder in the process? Or should the generator's breaker protect it (and the welder) if it becomes overloaded? Both machines were free but I'd hate to ruin either of them.

 

[Clintock]

You tube had a good video on this. Explained every scenario. I’d suggest looking at it and making your decision from there rather from opinions.

 

[Egon]

Check out the amperage ratings on the generator.

Also look at the duty cycle.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

You tube had a good video on this. Explained every scenario. I’d suggest looking at it and making your decision from there rather from opinions.

All of the videos I was able to find feature newer inverter welders which as I understand it are much more efficient than my old buzz box, so it wouldn't seem to be an apples to apples comparison.

Check out the amperage ratings on the generator.

Generator will supply up to 17.5A @ 240V (4200W) continuous. Just doing a straight calculation, welding at 30V/90A would require 2700W but there are a lot of variables in there in terms of how efficient the machine is at converting input power to welding power as well as rod diameter, etc...

 

[Topzide]

Yep, that's a rebranded Generac. 17 amps might be to low for the welder to get a good arc going. Won't hurt to try and see if you can get a stable arc at 90amps on welder. If you could find a 30amp 240 circuit generator, you'd be better off. I run an AC/DC Tombstone on a 30amp 240v house circuit without issue and have been at 125amp DC. Might work, might not. Just try and see. Great project and would help with remote work!

 

[zzvyb6]

My immediate thought is that you will be welding right near a gasoline supply. Next is plug needs a change out. That welder probably has at least a 30 or 50 amp male cord end. Not so on the generator. But then, there is the potential for a "here, hold my beer" moment. Do it outside...

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Yep, that's a rebranded Generac. 17 amps might be to low for the welder to get a good arc going. Won't hurt to try and see if you can get a stable arc at 90amps on welder. If you could find a 30amp 240 circuit generator, you'd be better off. I run an AC/DC Tombstone on a 30amp 240v house circuit without issue and have been at 125amp DC. Might work, might not. Just try and see. Great project and would help with remote work!

Sounds like its certainly worth trying...I suppose if it doesn't work I could just throw the generator up on Facebook marketplace, sell it for $100 and put that cash toward a more powerful unit. As long as I know I'm not going to destroy it testing it out.

 

[Teachu2]

When I was trying to do a mobile package, I went with a Hobart Handler 135 Mig unit on a 5k (6.5k peak) generator. It would not power my Lincoln tombstone adequately for even 3/32" rod.

It did OK with the Handler, welding hinges onto steel tubing posts. Finally bit the bullet and bought a Miller Bobcat 250. Welds great, powers my MM210 Mig unit, runs a plasma and compressor, and powers my home during outages.