Welder/generator, any drawbacks?

[Rustyferrious]

I need to replace my small 3500W generator with a larger unit that can power more circuits in case of an outage. I also am very interested in doing some welding, which I know next to nothing about. I have projects in mind, but never learned how to weld. Rather than purchasing a separate 10KW - 12KW generator and a welder, I was looking at some of the combo units. Any drawbacks to these machines? Pros/cons? I need to get edjumacated. Thanks for any input.

 

[George2615]

I had a 5KW generator and an old Sears buzz box AC welder. I was in a similar situation.
The 5KW gen would power the house basics during an outage but not the house with 2 big A/C units.
The welder worked but was old and AC only and I wanted AC/DC.
Sold my 5KW to one neighbor for use at his camp and sold the AC welder to another neighbor. Then I found a factory reconditioned Miller Bobcat NT250 10KW welder / generator at a local dealer and bought it at a good discount. I mounted 8" wheels to the pallet it came on for mobility. As a generator it will run my whole house including the A/C units and for the first several years served dual purposes. Last year I got a great deal at a flea market on a used AC/DC 220V welder and that and a wire feed mig serve my welding needs around the garage. The Bobcat now is used mainly for back up power and field welding use due to being portable and easy to load on the trailer.
They are noisy loud when running and only idle down during no load condition such in between welding.
New, a combo unit costs a lot more than if you bought a 10-12KW gen and AC/DC welder separately. Had I not received a good deal on a factory reconditioned NT250 I would have bought separate units.

 

[groundcover]

That's the way I went. Lincoln Ranger 8, 16 hp Onan. It is built to work, not like the throw aways at the big box stores. Now you can even get them with inverter technology so it isn't running wide open for small loads. I have been very happy with my decision , has run my whole house through some extended outages, never missed a beat.

 

[Shield Arc]

A buddy of mine has a Lincoln 305 G. Couple years ago I got him set up with an LN-25 wire feeder, now he can weld Mig, flux core with gas, and self shielded flux core. I've used his welder a couple times, very nice welder.:cool2:
Ranger® 305 G Engine Driven Welder (Kohler)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

At one time I did the same thing, I had two different models... BUT, they are hard on fuel, make more noise, are expensive and heavier...

I chose to buy a QUALITY gen set and sold the welder/genset...

My genset is quieter, uses less fuel, and if needed I can plug my welder into it.

SR

 

[Rustyferrious]

A few years ago, before hurricane sandy and some biblical blizzards, we would lose power fairly often. CT is heavily wooded and they let the trees grow right over the roads and power lines. The state and power company have been on an aggressive tree cutting rampage since then and we lose power a lot less than we did before. At one point I didn't even bother to put the generator away because more likely than not, I'd need it again in a day or two. Now it mostly happens when some darn fool hits a pole or the town plow rips up a junction box. I was considering one of those permanent propane-powered stand-by units (when the power goes out, the gas pumps don't work either). Started looking at weld/gen units, saw this ad on CL but too good to be true 12000 Watts Bobcat Miller welder ===250 EFI== Generator. Maybe I'm trying to stuff too many potatoes into this sack.

 

[George2615]

Must have been too good to be true as its been flagged.

 

[EddieWalker]

At one time I did the same thing, I had two different models... BUT, they are hard on fuel, make more noise, are expensive and heavier...

I chose to buy a QUALITY gen set and sold the welder/genset...

My genset is quieter, uses less fuel, and if needed I can plug my welder into it.

SR

What generator do you have?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The two welder generators I had was an Onan and also a Lincoln... Right now I have a Honda, an old Onan and a pto gen set...

SR

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a decent AC/DC arc welder that I'm comfortable with and a very small Honda 2000 generator that is great for small jobs around my land, bu useless for powering my welder. I've been going over the same issues of ether buying a welder with it's own power supply, gas, diesel or propane generator. Or just getting a bigger stand alone generator.

I keep watching Craigslist, but until the holidays are done, I really don't want to spend the money on anything unless it's a too good to be true deal, and that might just scare me away anyway.

 

[crystallake]

Miller Bobcats are great tools. They are loud and mine drinks a gallon per hour. There are better gen choices, but not better gen/welder choices. However, it is a stick only machine ac and dc. I use mine weekly as my hunting cabin/shop is off the grid but i mainly use it to power a MIG machine. For small fabrication a MIG is just much more useful to me. My mig unit is a Miller Vintage which is an older transformer machine 200amps and works great on gen power.

 

[prichard]

Disclaimer: I have very little welding experience.

Thought that came to me was do you want to have to fire up the gen set for every little welding job? What if you're working in your shop? Welder outside and cables to inside? Go back out side to turn off or adjust?

I like the idea of both in one but those seemed like possible drawbacks. Perhaps they are unfounded and just my ignorance.

 

[HCJtractor]

I had the same thoughts. I bought a Miller bobcat 250 and mounted it on a small trailer . Wired my house so I could pull up in my driveway and plug it in and quickly get it running. I also use it at remote sites for welding and to power up 220 or 110 tools. Been very happy. Also think resale is good for these vs a standard generator I also run my miller 211 mig off it when I'd rather use MIG

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[bdog]

The only downside is the welder/generators are high rpm, loud, and use a lot of fuel. They will certainly do the job but there are better choices for a dedicated generator. It would not be a bad choice for the versatility if you were only using it for power outages and such. I use a 10,000 watt generator for work about 80 hrs a week a couple of weeks per month. I got a diesel unit. I have a trailblazer 302 welder/generator and did not think it would be well suited for this application.

 

[Teachu2]

I had the same thoughts. I bought a Miller bobcat 250 and mounted it on a small trailer . Wired my house so I could pull up in my driveway and plug it in and quickly get it running. I also use it at remote sites for welding and to power up 220 or 110 tools. Been very happy. Also think resale is good for these vs a standard generator I also run my miller 211 mig off it when I'd rather use MIG

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I have a very similar setup. I bought a Bobcat 250 and mounted it to a small HF trailer - lots cheaper than the Miller trailer or even the Miller wheel kit. Kept it that way until I ran across a bargain on CL, a utility trailer made from a 6' pickup utility bed. Lots of tool storage and even a ladder/pipe rack. Powers my MM210 just fine, so I can Mig anywhere. If we have a power outage, I just park it outside the garage and use extension cords to feed the fridges, freezer, and a light or two. We heat with wood, and rarely need the a/c, so it's not been necessary to install a transfer switch setup. Every couple of years I have to replace the fuel pump, as it dries out and quits.

 

[Teachu2]

I had the same thoughts. I bought a Miller bobcat 250 and mounted it on a small trailer . Wired my house so I could pull up in my driveway and plug it in and quickly get it running. I also use it at remote sites for welding and to power up 220 or 110 tools. Been very happy. Also think resale is good for these vs a standard generator I also run my miller 211 mig off it when I'd rather use MIG

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[ModMech]

We had a Hobart Champion 10,000 w/Onan, essentially the same as an older Bobcat 225. As others have correctly pointed out, they are LOUD and THIRSTY for generator use, for a homeowner/farmer not what I would suggest at all. For a Ranch, or larger property where remote welding is often needed, or even construction where there is no power and a 5k gen won't do, they would be great.

Having owned one for a number of years, if you need a generator, get one dedicated to that. If you need an engine driven welder, get one dedicated to that. If you do not NEED either and do not mind the significant trade offs of high weight, noise and fuel burn; then a combination unit is a good compromise. If I ever get an engine driver welder again, I will get a small <160A DC suitcase stick welder and run it off a 3Kva generator in the field. I *could* even get a larger generator and run my Miller 225 AC-DC stick off it, but then the fuel burn is a problem when the power goes out.

A decent inverter generator will burn less than 0.5 GPH at 5.5Kva output, much less under part load. A welder-generator will be OVER 1 GPH, almost regardless of load, ours would drink 1.5GPH under welding loads and more as shore-power to the house