trapper

See pics..
I have a little weld-pak 100.. (not big enough)
I bought a 225 AC-225 Arc/stick.. (too sloppy)

I need a big welder for working on trucks and equipment
- (snow plows, bobcat attachments, trailer hitches etc...)
- I have been welding frame strengthening on my XJ & burn through when welding thick steel to thin steel

Eventually build an exoskeleton.. know I'll need:
- gas (please educate me)
- something wire fed
- a welder with an ongoing duty-cycle (please educate me)
- a welder that I will not have to replace for a long LONG time (get what you payed for)
- How should I modify my electric? (200amp svc. drop & plenty of panel room) - Tube bender posts/research for another day..

Welding environment:
- inside
- exhaust fans
- plenty of power
- I will modify my plug and panel if I need (what size breaker and plug??)
*Obviously I want to do this right the first time.. and I'm sure other guys (gals), on here want this information too..

I've read a lot.. and not really new to welding so I know the basics.
practice - practice - practice
**getting to the point of needing to weld things that are CRITICAL**

Pics of:
1) stick welder
2) little welder
3) plug type I need to match
4) snow plows (one on left to be modified into a bobcat attachment)
5) NOT MINE: a guy I know making the bobcat attachment I will make

Please advise..

PS~ sorry first post was a reply.. not my intention.. thanks to all in advance

caged

if you like red, look at a lincoln wire-matic 255.

if you like blue, look at a millermatic 251.

both are 220 with more duty cycle than you'll need. and both use gas.

when burning thick to thin, concentrate on the thick and dip to the thin so you don't just blow through.

sandaddik2

iv got a miller 185 mig if your thinking of wire feed. i cranked it up to weld my diff and burned a hole in the side of the carrier so i know it has plenty of burn

xjmarc

Miller is great, I currently have an older Hobart that was free but if I were to buy a new one it would def be a Miller. I've had 2 Millers and loved both of them. My uncle runs a repair shop and that's why it was free.

retreaded jeeper

for that welding I recommend more practice with the stick I would never have worked on my plow with my wire

EVcherokee

The process has nothing to do with the stregnth of the weld. A proper TIG, MIG, ARC, or gas welded joint will be equally as strong. The advantages of each come out when you decide what your welding, how fast your welding(MIG), desired apperance of the weld(TIG) and location your welding(Arc welders and flux core welders are very portable). I ONLY use a stick welder when I need to go mobile.

OP:
One thing to keep in mind: MIG is the easiest to do, but the hardest to learn(mainly, you can't adjust you parameters as you go), but Gas, TIG, and Arc welding is the hardest to do, but the easiest to learn, because you can adjust filler feed, speed and heat(not arc) as you go, but relly heavily on operator skill.

For mild steel I usually use a %75 AR/ %25 CO2 gas mix. It makes for a resonably clean weld and is better for thinner metals because it makes a softer arc. Straight CO2 is another option, better penetration, but dirtier welds. A lot of MIGs can also run flux core which allows you to run your electrode negative, which gives you a harder arc, thus better penetration. For 24ga(XJ body) I like to use a .030 or .023 diameter wire. If I'm welding 1/4" to body metal, I'm using a .035 or .030 wire.

If your going MIG, get the biggest one you can afford. You can weld 1/2" with a welder designed for 1/4", but you'll have to do more prep and do mutiple passes. I recommend Miller. I use a Miller 350P at work and it is just a dream to use and can weld 1/2" steel in one pass and weld 1/2" stainless or aluminum a couple seconds later with a spool gun(I have two guns hooked up all the time and three gases on my cart. I use a Bernard gun for steel and a spool for stainless and AL) I can then turn it down and make delicate sheet metal welds

Don't even worry about the plug. You may need to change it out, but if you can weld, you can change a recepticale. Just turn the breaker off, 220V tends to hold on a little, but really just wakes you the *F* up!! The Aluminum bars in your breaker box are unregulated and will kill or..if your lucky..you'll get flash burns to %30 of your body and fly across your shop at 40mph. The 350P at work uses a 50amp socket, while the smaller backup we have used a 30amp 220V socket. What you have looks like and older 30amp.

As far as the enviroment, ventalation is awesome, but a stiff draft is not. If it is a little windy, you can turn the gas up, but its more $$. Remember that turning the gas up to high can cause contaminated welds too, because the shielding gas is going so fast, it sucks air into the weld puddle.

FIRE SAFETY #1!! Have a plan IN PLACE on how your going to deal with fires, they DO happen, I had a serious fire at work 4 days ago that got started from our CNC plasma table. I was welding on the other side of the shop with the plasma going..caught a wiff of "burning", as I call it, looked up and saw flames kissing the ceiling!! and I knew exactly what to do, and put the fire out just in time before it spread.

Shop Prayer:
Thank you dear Tiny Jesus, in your golden fleece diapers with your tiny, little fat balled up fists...don't let our shop burn like the drugs and ****** do to my pocket...Amen

Tankerblade

X2 ^^

jcwclm

http://www.lowes.com/pd_256723-1703-...:SearchCatalog

Just got one of these couple months ago. Welds up to 1/2" w/wo gas. You can buy a kit to weld aluminum too. Love it!

fallenknight308

Just an FYI, miller makes hobart so you cant really go wrong with a hobart.
I love my handler 140, it gets plenty hot.
but for industry lev stuff you should get a 220v box
http://www.hobartwelders.com/product...eed/handler187
Good deal on it:
CLICK

sandaddik2

i was recently at air gas and the guys there were telling me the new miller 210s and 252s can take a different spool gun to weld aluminum too, with a welder that size you wont have to worry about having enough power for garage fabrication although they cost a few bucks lol

ZachsXJ

No thank you and no thank you.

After using a welder with the pre-set *****, and now owning a PowerMig 255 with infinite voltage and wire speed control I'd never considering owning one that doesn't have it. I can tweak my power, and wire speed for every situation.

jcwclm

Well, the thread isn't about you dumbass. Maybe the OP doesn't have the cash for that.

sandaddik2

wow moron maybe he was just giving his opinion on the topic, the OP SAID HE NEEDS A BIG WELDER for working on equipment and he has plenty of power, he didnt say hes broke and wants to buy a welder on a budget so maybe that welder would work for him

anyone can save up, im broke most of the time and im almost saved up to buy a millermatic 252

jcwclm

Didn't sound like an opinion to me. The two welders he was talking about are definitely up to the tasks the OP intends them for, so why spend 4 times as much?

ZachsXJ

I never said it was. If I can save up the dough for a PowerMig 255 anyone can. I saved up the money while I was only making $1000/month.

Oh and btw, I happen to be friends with the OP and he ended up buying a Millermatic 250X.

We both bought our machines off of craigslist used for way less than they're worth. Big name welders in the 250amp catagory are considered industrial level machines and thus are built to last.

There is no comparison between welding with a sub 200amp welder and a big 255. The bigger welders are built so much better than the smaller ones and they are well worth the investment. I know I now have a machine that will last me for years and years to come and will weld up to 1/2" in a single pass.