Welder specs

[Sully2]

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The biggest difference between brands of the same amp range is duty cycle. The better brand units will have a greater duty cycle. That is usually what you are paying the extra money for.

I got ya.. Yep! I see that when I read their specs.. More $$...more duty cycle time.

 

[Stimw]

Miller under rates their machines. I have had a MM 210 for 5 1/2 years and I can tell you it is worth the money. I have welded 1/2" single pass with no problems.
For the best info you can go to www.millermotorsports.com (mostly about welding) go to the ask andy forum and you can do a search on the 210 and 175. There are probably hundreds of posts about happy owners.

 

[AntrimMan]

I like heavy things, 'ceptin women, so I looked at the net weight of the welders when I was in the market. Heavier seems to mean higher duty cycle. The MM210 is a bit heavier than the competition, amp for amp.

 

[Dargo]

If you want to weld 1/2" in a single pass then you need to get something in the 250+ amp range. That is why I upgraded to a MM251.

Before I really read the manual and realized that the chart under the lid is pretty accurate, I ran the wire speed to 400 and the voltage to 30. Amazingly enough, you'll blow a hole in 1/2" mild steel there. I found that 24 and about 330 work best with .035 wire.

 

[MadReferee]

Before I really read the manual and realized that the chart under the lid is pretty accurate, I ran the wire speed to 400 and the voltage to 30. Amazingly enough, you'll blow a hole in 1/2" mild steel there. I found that 24 and about 330 work best with .035 wire.

I have tried 24/400 and had decent results. If I could find some generic .045 wire I would like to give that a try as I think it would be much better. I haven't played much with it this summer since I have been busy with other home remodel projects.

 

[schmism]

I know a number of my friends that fab a lot of stuff for the off road world swear by the MM210. They say if your gonna go with a portable version (ie a 110v unit) keep it around for tack welds and sheet metal work. But if your gonna be doing anything heavy just go ahead and save your self the headache and step up to the mm210 or 245.

I know a number of guys that have bought a smaller handler 175 thinking that it would work fine for 3/8 and stuff and found that the duty cycle was killing them.

 

[Dargo]

I know a number of guys that have bought a smaller handler 175 thinking that it would work fine for 3/8 and stuff and found that the duty cycle was killing them.

Yeah, the duty cycle is absolutely no big deal at all....except when your welder shuts down in the middle of running a bead!

 

[MadReferee]

I know a number of guys that have bought a smaller handler 175 thinking that it would work fine for 3/8 and stuff and found that the duty cycle was killing them.

If you read the literature, Miller rates the MM175 at 1/4" single pass, 3/8" multiple passes. Those guys should have done their homework first.

In the almost 4 years I had my MM175 I never once exceeded the duty cycle causing a power supply cutoff. I did some very heavy welding but with all of my projects never exceeded the rated 30% duty cycle at 130 amps. I can see how someone doing a lot of continuous welding on a car chassis could exceed the duty cycle but the average home hobbyist or tractor welder will never come close. If you look at the duty cycle chart, you will see that if you are welding lighter materials you will be using less amps thus increasing the duty cycle.

The MM175 works fantastic for anything under 3/8". If you want to do a lot of 3/8" and above you should be looking at the MM210 or MM251. Like my dad used to say, "Get the right tool for the job".

 

[schmism]

Remember that AFAIK duty cycle is generally refered to in 10 min intervalls

30% would be weld for 3 min "rest" for 7.

Ive welded easly for more than 3 min straight especially on the thicker (yes multi pass) stuff.


I personally dont have a welder in my current shop, i kinda share shops with a guy down the street and he has a small mig and the "can-o-woop-as" syncrowave tig that we bust out for anything 1/4" and thicker. You want to talk about puting some heat down

as for when i permantly relocate to my new property ill be getting a mm210 at least

 

[InlineDieselFan]

bones1,

I have been following this thread as I too would like to get a welder, I have been shopping for a used MIG welder 210 or bigger size for the past few months.

I was over at www.lincolnelectric.com they have a pretty good 'knowledge' area where they answer lots of questions and do some education on the different terms. I thought it was useful, you may want to take a look.

steve