Welder Recommendations

RobJ · Jan 4, 2006

I'll go against the grain a bit and say don't waste the time and money on a welding class. If you have the money and time then go for it. Money you spent there can go for a welder. Average Joe farm welding can be done with a little reading and LOTS of practice. Basic welding is not that hard at all. Welding exotic metals knoledge usually isn't needed around the farm. Just basic iron on iron. About the hardest thing a farmer will face is welding upside down. But a tractor with a FEL you can flip it over in no time.

I started with a Lincoln AC 225 from HD. Cheap and very powerfull. I waited on a mig until the Harbor Freight 110 Mig 90 went on sale for $99. Gasless it works decent. I found running it on a cheap extention cord lessons the power. A HD cord or a short run and it works nice. I have it at the weekend place. I compared it to a similar Lincoln that my brother in law has and it's really the same. I got it for welding 16 and 18ga tubing. The stick wants to burn a hole through it. I wanted a mig with more power (and cheap) so I waited for the HF Mig 120 (??) to go on sale. A 220v gas or gasless mig. 4 power ranged and a wire feed adjuster and this one has plenty of power. I just used this one to make 2 deer stands, a plow and harrow for my tractor. I've put 5 pounds of wire through it. Not a bad mig for $179. I found the Lincoln .035 wire to be a slight bit better than the HF wire. I have some Hobart wire on it now but have not used it. The flux doesn't work to bad. My welds are pretty clean but there is some splatter(little ball-eees) that needs to be gound or knocked off. I'd love a $600 mig but for less than that I have 3 at 2 different houses.

You will save some money on projects by welding. I have about $40 in each deer stand (16' ladder platforms) that go for $120 at the Gander store. Fun to build to. FIY around here 1" 16ga tubing goes for about $12 for a 24' piece, 3/4" for about $10.

Good Luck,
Rob

Highbeam · Jan 4, 2006

I've never taken a class. Even just watching someone weld has taught me plenty. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing but none of my welds have broken.

dirtyharry45 · Jan 5, 2006

I started welding when I was a Kid 13 or 14 and all that was around were the 225 lincoln buzz boxes. They got me by until I started raising hogs and wanted the portability of the small migs, so I purchased a 130 millermatic 110 volt mig. I purchased the gas kit and it sufficed for about 3 or 4 years.
I mainly used it for welding up stainless feeders the hogs would bust up and gates etc.
I also operate a farm and sometimes the 130 was just a bit short for some of those projects so I sold it to a neighbor with hogs and purchased a millermatic 200! What a difference that is and I think I paid about 1400 something purchased on ebay from a distributor of Miller. (Indiana Oxygen Co.)
To make a long story short I wish I would have doubled my investment initially and bought a big enough welder from the start.

Just checked and it was a MILLERMATIC 210 I purchased !
He has several listed for 1259 .00 on EBAY. I added some extras like auto darkening helmet and consumables like wire,spatter spray,tips,etc to get to 1400.

If you want his name and number direct pm me i have them!
Just my two cents worth
dirtyharry45

JRP · Jan 6, 2006

"To make a long story short I wish I would have doubled my investment initially and bought a big enough welder from the start. "
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I took this kind of advice and bought a new Millermatic 250 size machine off ebay. No regrets. It welds 1/2" plate single pass, no problem. A 210 size machine is also adequate, but not as robust. I recommend you stay away from the 120 v mig units. They simply are not big enough for tractor implement welding. (If you question this statement then ask a professional welder.)

Recomendations for a quality welder you will not outgrow:
Miller brand 250 to 210 amp Millermatic machine (new or used). The current model is 251.
Buy off ebay. Many are new, no sales tax and free shipping (drop shipped from Miller factory).
0.035 Hobart wire
75% argon, 25& CO2 shield gas
220 volt machine, not 120 v.

If you can not get Miller, at least get a name brand like Lincoln or Hobart such that you can get consumable parts and advice from a local weld shop.

Be careful with MIG welding. If you do not have enoght power you can make a very pretty weld that has no penetration and is just adhearing to the metal surface. With power you can quickly learn to make safe and professional looking MIG welds.

The MIG wire is copper coated for rust resistance and better conduction. Even so, in humid areas like where I live it can develop very slight rust on the wire if left in the machine and humidity condenses on it. If you have humidity, take your spool off and store it in a tight plastic bag. Better yet, add a wire compartment heater. Mine is a 25 watt light bulb. It mounts into an outdoor grade floodlight socket I mounted thru the back of the machine. It plugs into 110 v outlet and slightly heats the cabinet interior, preventing condensation on the wire. Ten degrees temp increase prevents condensation. Electric cost is about $1.25 per month. See photo.

If you are strapped for cash a Lincoln cracker box would be better than a 120v MIG. An AC Crackerbox is much harder to learn than MIG. A used Millermatic 250 for $700 would be better than a new Chinese MIG.

The auto darken helmets are cool, but stay away from cheap ones. Spend your money on the welder welder size and stick to a traditional helmet if you can't afford both correct size welder and auto darken helmet..

blackmajicwoman · Jan 6, 2006

I was and still am a total novice when it comes to welding. I purchased a Millermatic 135 four years ago. The feature I liked the most was that it ran on 120v. Once I started learning to weld better and jump into more advanced welding projects, I found quickly that it just was not powerful enough. After a year, I ending up selling the 135 on ebay for about 90% of what I paid for it and reinvested in a Millermatic 175. This is the perfect machine for me. It runs on 220v and I have plenty of power to weld 1/4" no problem. I have gone up to 3/8" without a problem either. A great machine and it didn't break the bank.

3RRL · Jan 6, 2006

Hi Wayne,
All good information from many posters. Here is some more information that will make good reading for you.

First link is about arc welding.
ARC WELDING

This next one might be interesting as well. Scroll down to the "Old Welders Web".
MACHINE BUILDERS

Hope that helps a little.

wayne48 · Jan 6, 2006

I am totally amazed at the amount of great advice I've gotten back on this post. Thank you all for taking the time to put your thoughts in writting.
Wayne /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

MadDog · Jan 6, 2006

I agree with JRP: I bought a Millermatic 251 about 6 mo. ago. It welds 1/2" w/no problems and is a pleasure to use. If the budget will allow it, you will inevitably want the capacity to weld thicker material, particularly if you are going to use it on tractor attachments. You'll save $ in the long run by getting what you really need the first time.

Hope this helps.

40Kchicks · Jan 6, 2006

I really like the speed of the mig welder. When I started welding I bought a Lincoln AC/DC buzzbox from Home Depot. It worked fine for the repairs around the farm and some medium sized projects. Eventually I was building buckets and blades for my tractors. I ended up tacking them together and then taking them to my brothers professional shop and having them finish the welds with the mig. Eventually I decided to get my own high power mig. I looked at Lincoln and miller and ended up getting a ESAB multimaster 260. This box does Stick, Mig and DC Tig. It works great and I have used the heck out of it. Most the time I use the mig function but it lays down a stick weld like butter. I don’t use the tig function much except when the welds have to be perfect like on a hydraulic tank I built.

I think this is more machine than you need to be looking at but with the others out there writing about how nice the large Millers and Lincolns are I just thought I would let you know how impressed I was with the ESAB machine.

Eric

RobJ · Jan 6, 2006

Just to add don't understimate the power of the Lincoln buzzbox. 220 or so amps will weld anything. Plus sticks are known for better penatration. Some engineers spec stick over migs on certain projects.

I forgot to address the oxy/acet, cutting torch, gas welder. I think a welder and a gas cutting/welding go hand in hand. Both are handy to have around. The gas can cut through an old bolt, heat and bend metal with a rose bud. For general use I would not go smaller than a B acte tank and an 80 oxy tank. Stay away from the small HVAC units. It you are cutting the oxy doesn't last very long.