Welders: Portable vs. Plug-in

[have_blue]

So, I may have an opportunity to acquire a portable welder.

I have a Lincoln 5500W, 125A gen welder. It burns 1/8 rods just great. Only down side, it's heavy. Weighs 165 Lbs, and even with added wheels, it's hard to move around.

 

[cdhd2001]

DC is much smoother with hardly any splatter. As for the noise, I welded on a 12'' long by 7'' wide muffler from a small car. My local auto parts store let me dig in the bins until I found one that fit. Muffler plus misc. pieces was about $40. Now the generator itself is the loudest part of the setup. Since my welder is mounted to a trailer, I just wheel it in and out with the tractor. Also, you buy a "cart" mount for it similar to what people use on MIG machines.

Ps. Make sure your leads are at least 50 ft. long each. Any shorter is practically useless.

Really?? I had always heard that these welder/generators were pretty loud.

I have a little 4 Kw generator that I use camping. I think it would power my MIG, but it's only a 110v generator, so no luck on the AC stick.

The main appeal to me in trading for this portable is that it is AC/DC. I've heard that DC is supposed to give much better results in many cases. Keep in mind too that I'm trading stuff that I have already but don't need (I hope). The cost to me is basically nothing. Whatever space this welder takes up will likely be less than the stuff that I trade for it.

The responses so far have been very helpful. One thing I thought about that hasn't been mentioned yet is the exhaust issue. If I'm running this thing in my shop, I'll have to route the exhaust outside somehow.

 

[mlauk]

If you are just going to use the portable welder in your workshop, I wouldn't get it especially since you already have a welder. If you are going to build some pipe fence or need to weld outside of the shop, then I would get it.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I may end up selling it after I get it running and looking for a deal on a DC stick. My mind keeps wandering off to think of projects where I'd need a portable welder. It keeps wandering back without anything.

The biggest pros to keeping it are 1) It has DC, and 2) The back-up generator option.

I'm hoping to build a shop someday, and when I do it may not have power for a little while after I get it built. It would be nice to have a portable welder then. That could be a decade away, though.

If I do get the thing running, what do you think I could sell it for?

 

[easygo]

Depending on what the problem may be with the welder it could easily cost as much to get it fixed as it would cost you to buy an AC/DC stick welder. I was looking at a the same kind of thing a year ago. I would love to have a portable welder/generator, but really don't have then need. Plus I hate the noise of a generator running for longer periods. I bought a dinged up Hobart AC/DC buzz box and added 50ft each to the original leads. It works very well. I can reach anything that is within 60ft of my garage door and that is more then enough for my need.

Does that welder have an hour meter? It would help determine how used it is.

 

[rhett]

If I do get the thing running, what do you think I could sell it for?

Probably 1/2 of retail or more, depending on the buyer and condition of said unit.

More than likely the carbs are gummed up from sitting with gas left in tank for a period longer than 6 months. The shelf life of gasoline is 6 months, so drain the tank and carb when next use is undetermined, this goes for any gasoline application.

The repair cost might only be the time you invest or a carb gasket kit. Lawnmower repair shops love home owners that neglect to run the tank dry for the winter storage.

Not knowing anything about the condition of the welder/genset, chances are 95% of being fouled by bad gasoline. So many people are unaware of gasoline's shelf life. I've seen 1 year old mowers on the road side that a little cleaning will fix.

Portable welder and power is the kind of thing that just might pay for itself the one day it is needed. A dry storage spot might be the only issue, if I had the opportunity I would find a dry spot.

Good Luck, hope it is an easy fix (cleaning)

EDIT: just have to add an FYI - Diesel Fuels shelf life is TWO Years !!!

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Probably 1/2 of retail or more, depending on the buyer and condition of said unit.

More than likely the carbs are gummed up from sitting with gas left in tank for a period longer than 6 months. The shelf life of gasoline is 6 months, so drain the tank and carb when next use is undetermined, this goes for any gasoline application.

The repair cost might only be the time you invest or a carb gasket kit. Lawnmower repair shops love home owners that neglect to run the tank dry for the winter storage.

Not knowing anything about the condition of the welder/genset, chances are 95% of being fouled by bad gasoline. So many people are unaware of gasoline's shelf life. I've seen 1 year old mowers on the road side that a little cleaning will fix.

Portable welder and power is the kind of thing that just might pay for itself the one day it is needed. A dry storage spot might be the only issue, if I had the opportunity I would find a dry spot.

Good Luck, hope it is an easy fix (cleaning)

EDIT: just have to add an FYI - Diesel Fuels shelf life is TWO Years !!!

I should have clarified. The "No start" issue is a result of the starter motor not working, but it probably has gummed carbs too if my experience is any indication. I have made a lot of money off of gummed up carbs.

So far I'm still waiting for the guy to call me back. He was supposed to call last night. Maybe I won't be trading for a welder afterall.

 

[schmism]

So, here's the debate... What are the pros and cons of portable, gas powered welders vs. plug ins?

I'm wondering whether to keep all three or if I should plan to sell one.

i suppose that depends on how you most use your welder.

if your constantly welding broken crap that you have to push-pull-drag back to a power source to plug in a welder, a portable unit would serve you well.

if you dont ever venture farther than 5-10' from an outlet to do your welding (aka fab work) then why go to all the expense (ie fuel) to have a noisy engine powered welder sitting next to you.

on the upside the "portable" one is nothing more than a plug in welder wired to a fuel powered generator. the upshot is that the generator will produce power regardless if its going to the welder or not. ie you can use it as a generator if you need it for that

so if you use a generator a lot, or use a plug in welder off a generator in the feild, then a all-in-one unit would work well for ya.

personally i dont venture far from an outlet with my welder so i wouldnt have a need for one. But virtually every farmer around hear has an engine driven one because 7/10 times they are out in the feild welding up something that broke.

 

[RPW]

What has been said is good information. You have to have a reason to have an engine driven welder. It's not something that you want to use on a regular basis in a quiet neighborhood. It's more cost effective to us a plug-in welder with maintenance, fuel etc. All gas engine driven welders run at 3600rpw (there's probably exceptions). And to get a diesel driven one costs anywhere from 2x plus i.e. Lincoln's 225 amp Ranger is under $3k but their diesel is over $7k. I do plan on getting one myself to add to my arsenal but each has their purpose. My Lincoln pro-mig 140 is for lighter welding jobs that require clean welds. Miller econotig for stick and tig and the miller bobcat 225 for ranch work and backup power. So my 2cents is to keep what you have and use them around the shop but use the engine driven one for when the project/repair is away form the shop. Also it would be good for backup power.

BTW IMO portable is a misnomer in this context as there's nothing portable about an engine driven welder. At 570lbs for the lightest that I could find.

Good luck.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I finally heard from the guy tonight. He came out and decided to trade me the welder for a snowblower. It's a front mount snowblower for a craftsman garden tractor.

I'm going to haul the snowblower to him on Saturday and pick up the welder then. Plan to see another thread at that time asking for help in getting the welder running.