Welder tech....cant post in fab forum

[wishihad1]

Hey everybody

Im looking at getting a welder here soon. My group of friends and I have gone long enough without really having somebody who could weld. I got my grand dad to weld my 44 truss up, 8.8, steering links etc. Hes a certified welder, and all of his work has been great, but with a lot of chassis stuff its kind of hard to ask an 80 year old man to go crawling around under a jeep to weld.

ive got some ruffstuff frame stiffeners, and ive got a buddy whos building a TJ whos got over a grand of parts which need welding. tube fenders, link mounts, coil buckets, etc.

And im getting to the point where buying bolt on stuff hasn't been an option for quite some time, and my next plan is a rear 4 link.

So I figure its time to invest in a welder. I figure itll pay itself off over a few years of doing work for other people, and itll help me a lot

Now i know for a lot of chassis work that 230 volt is reccomended because of its greater penetration, but im pretty much stuck with a 115 volt for a few reasons. the primary reason is that im still at home, and if i wanted to go 220 volt I would have to pay for it to be wired up to the garage, and possibly we would need to add a new fuse box in the basement. 2nd is price of 220 units alone being more.

so Im currently looking at this
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200306073_200306073

it looks perfect for what i need. i can do any sheet metal work that i need to do on my cherokee, but its also rated to do up to 1/4 inch which most stuff we run mount wise is 3/16th

So whats yalls opinion. Im going to get a lot of practice in before doing anything crutial, mainly Im just wondering if this will be enough to do things like set up link suspensions, etc as thats one of the first big projects ill have to do with it.

I know better then to jump into setting up a 3 link the day i get the welder and will be practicing a lot on scrap metal before even touching anything that sees serious stress

thanks

 

[Moesxj2dr]

Even though it may say it will weld up to a quarter it will not have as good of penetration as would a welder with a little higher amperage rating. I would suggest getting a lincoln or a miller which runs on 240 volts if you have the ability to hook up a 240 volt outlet in your garage. That being said if you want portability then a 110 volt unit is easier. I have a Lincoln promig 140 which i got at lowes it was 525.00 or so and it does most of what i need. i also have a miller 252 which is a 240 volt unit that i weld all of my heavy material with, it was however considerably more money. the Lincoln promig works well and you can weld thicker metals with it you just have to make multiple passes and take time to insure not to overheat the welder. if you have any questions you can pm me if you want to i can always look at units and help you out where i can.

 

[wishihad1]

 

[REVROK]

140 is too light in general for fabrication, but you are right that it is the best for a 110 set up because it is the highest amperage you can get. My own welder is a 175HD Lincoln (now the 180HD) and is about $250 than the Hobart 140... I paid $100 for an electrician to put a 220 plug right below my panel in the garage with a new breaker. I picked mine up used off Craigslist for $150 and have never seen a deal like it again, but you can get them used for close to the price of the 140 all day long. If you are serious you will end up spending the money later, but you have to make the decision.

 

[tomcat]

a friend of mine has the HH140, and loves it.
is your dryer outlet anywhere near where you work on your jeep? that circuit should be able to handle a 220v unit. a drop box can get that outlet a lot closer to your workspace if you are willing to share the outlet.

don't under estimate the price of everything else too (safety gear, gas bottle, tools etc.)

 

[$450JEEPxj]

just use the plug for your cloths dryer most of them are 220V just need to get a realy heavy duty extenshion cord that can take the 220v

 

[wishihad1]

problem is the dryer, and fuse box are both in my basement on the other side of the house...basically as far as possible from the garage.

if it was just the extra couple hundred bucks then i could probably swing it, but its the additional prices for wiring the garage, etc

 

[REVROK]

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/tls/1542908506.html

In Virginia... $450 + $100 for electrical service + $100 for a used bottle = You welding up to 3/8 steel and getting good penetration on lighter stuff.

 

[bj-666]

How long have you waited to buy a welder? well wait a little while longer save a few more dollars and buy a welder that will last as you grow into bigger and more demanding projects. wait just a little longer.

 

[REVROK]

problem is the dryer, and fuse box are both in my basement on the other side of the house...basically as far as possible from the garage.

if it was just the extra couple hundred bucks then i could probably swing it, but its the additional prices for wiring the garage, etc

Aaah... now there is the real problem. Is there a window you can get an extension through from the basement? I used extremely heavy wire and created my own extension cord when I had my shop so that the welder could be used under any of the lifts.

 

[wishihad1]

problem with the extension cord idea is itll need to be atleast 150 feet. from what i can find price wise it would be cheaper just to wire up the garage then buy that much cord

 

[REVROK]

problem with the extension cord idea is itll need to be atleast 150 feet. from what i can find price wise it would be cheaper just to wire up the garage then buy that much cord

Yep... Pretty close. I think your 140 amp idea keeps looking better, though I would definitely find the best deal on used equipment (including helmet and cart and bottle if possible) I could. If you get a bargain you may be able to get your money back when you upgrade by reselling on Craigslist. Seriously I would not buy new if you are looking to upgrade later.

 

[95' heep]

I bought my 200 amp 220 volt MIG welder (used but like new) out of the door for about $865 from a welding shop with everything like nozzle, contacts, tank filled with shielding gas, ground strap, welding gun, a 10lb roll of .030" wire except helmet and glove because I already have them from my Arc welder.

I as well am using the dryer outlet to plug into my welder tempoparly til I have a real outlet made inside the garage in near future.

 

[trd_xj42]

The thing with the 120V migs is that, IMO, you have to already know what you're doing to be able to make them work for the thicker stuff. Learning to weld the thicker stuff with them, probably isn't the best solution.
I realize the voltage limitation, but if it wasn't a factor and it was just a cost thing, I would recommend a buzz box stick welder. You can pick them up for $75 off CL.

 

[RCP Phx]

problem with the extension cord idea is itll need to be atleast 150 feet. from what i can find price wise it would be cheaper just to wire up the garage then buy that much cord

A 150ft to 240volts is about the same as 15' at 120,justplug into the dryer outlet!

 

[mbennett]

Didn't notice anyone mention this, but why don't you buy a book on home repair/wiring and add a breaker to the box nearest the garage. Household wiring is actually less complicated than many automotive radio installations. Take the time to learn how the system works, and then you'll be able to add anything you want. Any good book will teach you what wire ga. to use and how to not overload the panel. In the end you'll have some valuable knowledge to use in the future, plus household wiring isn't nearly as dangerous as industrial, I get zapped all the time. You work on your jeep, why not your house too? Good luck

 

[justin_502]

Wow if you are welding in a basement, you are going to hate the fumes from flux welding, and that is the only way to get power out of the lil machines. Hopefully basement is very wll vented.

 

[dgwelsh]

having owned a 120V miller mig and 240v miller mig, buy the small machine that will run on both. Its a little more $ but well worth it down the road.

here is a link
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_211_autoset/

if you do decide against the recommendations of most on the board, the harbor freight machine is really quite good

best of luck
dgwelsh

 

[sunburned]

I got that HH140 for xmas, havent got to use it yet though. There have been plenty of buildups using only a 110V welder, including ericsXJ, so thats enough proof for me.

 

[9T3XJ]

A couple of things that I haven't seen mentioned yet, if you do get a 120V machine:


Make sure you have a dedicated 20amp circuit to plug it into.

Don't use an extension cord. If you do have to use one, it better be the shortest, fattest cord you can find.

If you have some kind of a torch, you can preheat thicker metal to help get a little bit better penetration. Also, use flux core for the thicker metals.