Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage

[Deleted member 371759]

Love these new affordable welders. It would be different if owners were dissatisfied with their performance but it seems with some research and due diligence consumers are able to lay down quality welds and not be gatekept by price. Very little makes me happier than seeing people accomplish work that was previously either impossible or cost prohibitive.

 

[California]

Would this unit handle modifications on a utility trailer? I want to add d rings and replace the mesh on the floor of the trailer.
Also considering doing something along these lines.

For D-rings or structural work on a trailer you might want a higher-amperage welder, maybe a stick welder. I consider 1/8" material is what this welder is good at and pushing it a lot harder than that would be a gamble on reliability. Deep in the welder's included manual (not available online) it says its for .030 flux wire and something like 'Don't use .035 flux wire because that puts excessive stress on the welder without improving the quality of the finished weld' - or something like that. So maybe consider it realistically a 110 amp welder.

I have two stick welders here plus a HF MIG-180 that I use flux-only. (Total cost for all bought used, under $100). For D-rings or a trailer chassis, I would use those.

But this little guy sure is convenient to set up and use, I like it a lot better than the other welders.

Here are a couple of projects with the MIG-180. Photo - hitch adapter. And a project - adapt an ancient back blade to fit on QuickHitch. I think you want a mig welder in the 180A category, or a similar stick welder, for trailer building.

 

[newbury]

Don't bother responding to my review over on WeldingSite. That entire website has been abandoned to 100% viagra spam posts for months now.

Man! that site is Viagra and cialis crazy! It's got more spam than Hawaii.

 

[California]

Minor update. I ran out of .030 FC wire before finishing a project so I put a nearly-finished roll of .035 Blue Demon in the Amico. At the same settings this ran much hotter. It was strange to lift my welding hood and see the bead broader and glowing red. I turned down the settings. Since the manual says don't run .035 because that over-stresses the welder, I won't use .035 again.

Ran out of that wire before finishing the project so I got out the HF MIG-180 (with .035 FC). It made me appreciate the Amico more. Rasseling the weight of the MIG-180 out of storage and onto a low table was a PIA. (I'm old). Then after being accustomed to the light Amico torch and its flexible cable, now the MIG-180 seemed clumsy. It works ok, no problem there, but it makes the Amico seem light, graceful, and just a natural-feeling tool.

For anyone considering a really cheap FC welder, this Amico and others similar I see on Amazon are worth considering. As I've said before, add the $29 four year warranty listed alongside the welder so you don't have to wonder about reliability or cost of repair. It's good to see decent, usable gear now available at prices anyone can afford.