MIG Welders ???

[TimH]

I'm thinking about buying a MIG welder but don't know much about them price-wise,quality-wise, etc.
My boys have been after me to get one so we can do body work and light stuff like that but I want something that will work for some heavier jobs like making gates and panels and other repair jobs.
Anybody got any tips???? :?

 

[HAY MAKER]

You know you been studying those MIG machines Tim,tell me what you know,cuz IM in the market for one myself,this last tractor I bought is in the need for some patchin the sheet metal,IM thinking about a Hobart 125..............good luck

 

[Mike]

I'm thinking about buying a MIG welder but don't know much about them price-wise,quality-wise, etc.
My boys have been after me to get one so we can do body work and light stuff like that but I want something that will work for some heavier jobs like making gates and panels and other repair jobs.
Anybody got any tips???? :?

I've got a little Hobart Handler that works on 110 volts for small stuff. Mighty handy but won't weld anything over about 1/4". One problem is the wire feeder. Everything has to be perfect for it to feed properly.

Neighbor has a Lincoln that I like. Has the wire feeder in the handle.

 

[Denny]

I have had about 8 Miller Matic 250's the 2 newest ones had the digital numbers on the front all the rest have dial for heat setting's and wire speed they are far better than the digital.

The digitals would weld eratic and it pissed me off and I sold both of them as Miller would'nt do anything about it.

If I ever buy another new welder it will be a Lincoln.I have friends who have them and they are very pleased.

Whatever you do don't be cheap and buy a smaller welder they are okay but the duty cycle will limit you at least thats what happened here.Once the welder was hot it would kick off and not start for about a 1/2 hour then it was 5 minutes of welding 30 coffee break we sold that junker also.

 

[HAY MAKER]

I got a Miller for stick welding ,I really like.But I need something to patch sheet metal,thats the problem with these old tractors,sheet metal is always rusted out,I was thinking about a Hobart 125 because the price seemed reasonable and Hobart is a good brand,but if you are having trouble with yours Mike I probably will look at a Miller or Lincoln .............good luck

 

[TimH]

You know you been studying those MIG machines Tim,tell me what you know,cuz IM in the market for one myself,this last tractor I bought is in the need for some patchin the sheeet metal,IM thinking about a Hobart 125..............good luck

The one I've been looking at is a "Deca" brand(made in Italy :roll: ). You can use flux core wire or get the gas kit for it. 230V input and 130 amps of juice. On sale for $600.00.
I've got a Miller(stick) welder, had it for many years, love it. I'd like to stay with Miller or Lincoln but this one seems like a pretty good deal (if it is worth a $hit). :?

 

[HAY MAKER]

I never heard of a Deca,I think Im gonna stay with the name brands ,probably get me a small Lincoln,all I wanna do with it is patch sheet metal.............good luck

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

TimH,


Give me a call I ve got just what your looking for and I ll give you a heck of a good deal on it I bought it and hardly ever use it. Im always welding heavy material so I use our Licoln stick welder. Send me a pm and I ll give you more details. Maybe we can meet up and make you a great deal!!

 

[TimH]

Denny wrote...

Whatever you do don't be cheap and buy a smaller welder they are okay but the duty cycle will limit you at least thats what happened here.Once the welder was hot it would kick off and not start for about a 1/2 hour then it was 5 minutes of welding 30 coffee break we sold that junker also.

Denny, This one I'm looking at has a 20% duty cycle @ 130amps. Also,it doesn't have the digital readouts.
I like lots of coffee breaks!! :wink:

Does $600 bucks seem like a good price or is that too cheap to be expecting much quality??? :?

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

Deca is a good brand Tim. That is exactly what I have and its a good one. Its a 230volt, and I vhanged the cord on it so there is 35 ft of cord, makes it versatile to move around the shop and out the door. For a fello rancher Ill give you a good deal and make your kids day!!!

 

[TimH]

Deca is a good brand Tim. That is exactly what I have and its a good one. Its a 230volt, and I vhanged the cord on it so there is 35 ft of cord, makes it versatile to move around the shop and out the door. For a fello rancher Ill give you a good deal and make your kids day!!!

Got your PM, M_R. Is your's the "180 E" model???
I'll call you later in the week.

Do you shop at Princess Auto too??? :wink: :wink:

 

[Maple Leaf Angus]

I have used a Lincoln 275 (I think?) MIG for about 6 or 8 years and if I keep good tips and gas shielding nozzles on it, I can't complain about it too much.

I use it mainly for welding the rolldoor latches that I sell, and I usually make up four or five batches a year so it collects quite a bit of dust between uses. I find that for doing repairs to macinery, the old Lincoln stick machine can't be beat. Unless, of course you are doing light stuff.

But a MIG does not like welding dirty or rusty naterial. NO, no, no.

This welder cost about $1600 new but does a lot of heavy work for me. I have a jig that I put the parts in for welding and I am doing around 125 parts per hour. The gun is suspended above the jig and it welds for 7 seconds (manually triggered) and is off for about 12-14 seconds while I reset the jig.

I run this thing at that speed for about 2-3 hours at a time (between looong coffee breaks!)and have good results with it AS LONG AS THE TIP AND NOZZLE ARE GOOD. If they are not, the thing will drive me crazy with bad welds and wasted parts. So that's a high duty cycle, especially when you consider that the wire speed and voltage are set almost at the top. It's almost like spray welding.

I also switchd to a 300 amp gun and found it was a lot steadier feed than the original lighter gun that came with the welder.

Having said all that, most guys around here use Millers.

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

Deca is a good brand Tim. That is exactly what I have and its a good one. Its a 230volt, and I vhanged the cord on it so there is 35 ft of cord, makes it versatile to move around the shop and out the door. For a fello rancher Ill give you a good deal and make your kids day!!!

Got your PM, M_R. Is your's the "180 E" model???
I'll call you later in the week.

Do you shop at Princess Auto too??? :wink: :wink:

Yes it is. And yes Im addicted to shopping at Princess auto...... Look forward to talking to you!!!

 

[HAY MAKER]

Seems like I rember when I bought this Miller Bobcat,they told me I could get a MIG attachment ?......................good luck

 

[Denny]

Denny wrote...

Whatever you do don't be cheap and buy a smaller welder they are okay but the duty cycle will limit you at least thats what happened here.Once the welder was hot it would kick off and not start for about a 1/2 hour then it was 5 minutes of welding 30 coffee break we sold that junker also.

Denny, This one I'm looking at has a 20% duty cycle @ 130amps. Also,it doesn't have the digital readouts.
I like lots of coffee breaks!! :wink:

Does $600 bucks seem like a good price or is that too cheap to be expecting much quality??? :?

pretty cheap,

If I were you I would look around for a used welder the welder's I buy useally cost $1700 we use them for 3 years then sell them for around $800 but they would run steady 5 days a week...

My problem with those small welders is they dont get hot enough to make a smooth strong weld.When your selling the product the welds need to be pretty and strong.I would spend more and get something you can actully handle a large welding job.

Most all welders will handle flux core wire you just need to change the liner in your welding lead and with mine flip the drive wheels over.

I can weld sheet metal with a stick welder but I have had LOTS of practice...

Whatever you buy make sure you can get parts.The disposeables tips,nozzels a new lead when you drop an axel on one and cut it in 1/2 stuff like that.As with anything service is worth more than price if it's cheap but you can't get parts what's it really worth?

 

[DJL]

We have a Hobart Ironman 210 that works well for us. We don't weld for a living, but rather just weld up the machinery that breaks, so it serves us just fine. We were warned not to buy off-shore welders as there may not be any source of repair parts for them.

 

[George]

I have a Century 190 that has served me well for about 7 or 8 years. I still have a 600 Amp lincoln stick welder for the really heavy stuff and a 225 Amp lincoln in the service truck but the mig does 90% of the work any more.

Just remember to get the metal prepped right first. I use stright CO2 for any used metal as it will accept some paint and rust but a 50 / 50 blend with argon will be easier to weld with and make great looking welds if everything is very clean ( of new)

 

[TimH]

Thanks, everyone, for all the tips and advice. I'll have to do some more pondering!!! :?
It's tough having "Jaguar" taste when I'm on a "Pinto" budget!!!

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Least "pinto's" weren't as ugly as gremlins........

 

[TimH]

Least "pinto's" weren't as ugly as gremlins........

Ahhh, but can anything compare to the classic lines of the AMC Pacer??
When I was much younger, we had some neighbors(immigrants from Saskatchewan :wink: ) that had an AMC "Eagle", a Gremlin and a Pacer! They also had a Chevy 4X4 but they never drove it.Go figure. :?
I better shutup because my 13 yr.old has his eye on an old Javelin that he wants to buy and "fix up"!!!!