What welder??

[energiesource]

I'm in canada remember so we dont have stores you do, or get as good shipping as you do, but here goes:
So I'm going to start fixing my truck up in the spring/summer of this year and i was going to buy a mig welder and start messing around now so i can get decently good when the time comes. i was going to go with either a lincoln or a miller, cant find hobarts here, and any mastercraft or powerfist brand dont seem very....good for a welder. so anyone have any experiences with any, know where to get some fairly priced? i was thinking a lincoln mig 140, or anything that plugs into a household outlet and can weld steel decent. found one at canadian tire for $649, same at princess auto. there are cheaper ones but i dont want to go with a no name welder. im wondering as well, can you use mig to weld a frame, like the truck frame or would i need stick for that?

[lofly'a]

i have a Lincoln 135plus and i love it, have had it for about 5 years (140 was not out yet). if you are wanting a 120v unit the 140 will be an excellent unit for your needs. i think it's the best 120v welder on the market price-wise and performance-wise.

[nuke1]

go to air liquid or prax air or acklands they can help you out, i deal with air liquid. Get a miller, 180 autoweld, it is 220, small light and can weld 3/16" for what you want it will be great, and automatically adjusts for steel thicknesss and runs arount 1 grand our price.

[vk_chevy]

I don't think you can go wrong with either miller or lincoln, also I'd suggest that you get a gas and switch to solid wire as $$$ permit, welds are cleaner and a bit easier to work with especially for metal patch work welding thin metal.

don't know if this is true or not but I keep hearing that entry level welders sold at welding supply stores are of higher quality, you might want to look into that.

[bigsnookmaster]

I have 2- Miller 130's and a 250 and like them all very much, and use the bottle if you can. Both brands are good machines.

[energiesource]

yeah i think the miller 180 i was looking at from prax air was about 800 or something. and he had one in stock, i just didnt know if that was good or not.

[msgross]

northerntool.com has hobart 140 (made by miller i've heard) for $450 w/ free shipping to US.

if you can spring for a 220v modelk then I would do it. Mig can weld frames but you need one with decent amperage...

[energiesource]

i wouldnt be able to plug it in though
unless i get a generator or something

[msgross]

you can run 220v yourself right? I just did.. cost me $10 for the new breaker and 50ft of 12-2 wire to the garage, add $10 for a plug and box and you're done.

[TennesseeZ]

Yeah, I ran 220 myself too. Plenty of how to's on the net.

I suggest getting a 220 machine also, and using the gas too.

ESAB makes a good machine, if you look at used ones, ESAB used to be L-tec, and they both use the same consumables, I'm pretty sure.

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by msgross

you can run 220v yourself right? I just did.. cost me $10 for the new breaker and 50ft of 12-2 wire to the garage, add $10 for a plug and box and you're done.

Details? Pics? Links? I'd like to do this myself. Did you run it underground?

[msgross]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Details? Pics? Links? I'd like to do this myself. Did you run it underground?

my house and garage are connected, do you have electricity in your shop?



hope you don't mind the thread highjack, but it relates to welder choices as well...


220V is easy though, a double pole breaker (two switches) touches both legs of 110v in your breaker box. You hook up black and white wires to the switch (two screws) and the ground to the neutral ground bar. Now you are pushing 110 in the black wire and 110 in the white wire, the ground is the return line. Normal wiring is 110v on black and white is the neutral return line.
If you are going more than 20amp (air compressor) then you should use 10-2 wire and a 30 amp breaker.

[energiesource]

can someone tell me if this is a good welder? will it do a good job on the cab panels? i can use stick for the frame (if that works) i just want a good welder for the cab panels and stuff,

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/s...k=P_PartNumber

now correct me if im wrong but its better for a mig welder for body panels as opposed to flux core? or is flux core equally as good? this lincoln welder is flux core ready out of the box apparently, so theres shielding gases in the wire im assuming. is this good for body panels and tack welding?

[TennesseeZ]

Originally Posted by energiesource

can someone tell me if this is a good welder? will it do a good job on the cab panels? i can use stick for the frame (if that works) i just want a good welder for the cab panels and stuff

This one is pretty entry level, I think, I think Lincoln only makes one smaller MIG machine, the WeldPac 80. It'll do the job on the body panels, but you're probably gonna want a heavier duty machine as soon as you learn to weld with this one.

Originally Posted by energiesource

now correct me if im wrong but its better for a mig welder for body panels as opposed to flux core? or is flux core equally as good? this lincoln welder is flux core ready out of the box apparently, so theres shielding gases in the wire im assuming. is this good for body panels and tack welding?

Flux Core is MIG welding, there are 2 different kinds of wire used in MIG. One is the flux core, whitch has flux in it, and can be used without shielding gas, like argon/CO2 mix, because the flux burns and shields the weld, somewhat. It'll work, but it's kinda like using a pipe wrench because you don't have a box end.

The other choice is solid wire, used with a shielding gas. This will produce a very nice weld, with minimal cleanup. This is the choice of many people who use MIG for body panels.

[msgross]

I'd get one that's ready for gas...