Welders: Portable vs. Plug-in

[bobodu]

Sounds like a good trade!!
I should mention that I sold my Lincoln for a mere $400 and it took a couple weeks to do it at that low price. Don't expect to get what you think it should in this economy.....
You'll find the market is rather low for these for the same reasons already listed above for not getting one yourself.

 

[tommu56]

Bad starter?
It depends on the welder some use the welding windings to start them and no starter.
The Lincoln we have at work is that way.

tom

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Bad starter?
It depends on the welder some use the welding windings to start them and no starter.
The Lincoln we have at work is that way.

tom

It sounds like that may be the case with this one. The guy was telling me that he couldn't find a starter on this one.

I may have some learning to do. I'm excited to get it now and see what I've got.

 

[mlauk]

What has been said is good information. You have to have a reason to have an engine driven welder. It's not something that you want to use on a regular basis in a quiet neighborhood. It's more cost effective to us a plug-in welder with maintenance, fuel etc. All gas engine driven welders run at 3600rpw (there's probably exceptions). And to get a diesel driven one costs anywhere from 2x plus i.e. Lincoln's 225 amp Ranger is under $3k but their diesel is over $7k. I do plan on getting one myself to add to my arsenal but each has their purpose. My Lincoln pro-mig 140 is for lighter welding jobs that require clean welds. Miller econotig for stick and tig and the miller bobcat 225 for ranch work and backup power. So my 2cents is to keep what you have and use them around the shop but use the engine driven one for when the project/repair is away form the shop. Also it would be good for backup power.

BTW IMO portable is a misnomer in this context as there's nothing portable about an engine driven welder. At 570lbs for the lightest that I could find.

Good luck.

The Hobart with the 22 HP Kohler weighs 430 pounds. It is similar to the Miller, but it only has DC. You still need an engine hoist to put it in the back of a truck or best to just mount it on a trailer.

 

[BXpanded]

What has been said is good information. You have to have a reason to have an engine driven welder. It's not something that you want to use on a regular basis in a quiet neighborhood. It's more cost effective to us a plug-in welder with maintenance, fuel etc. All gas engine driven welders run at 3600rpw (there's probably exceptions). BTW IMO portable is a misnomer in this context as there's nothing portable about an engine driven welder. At 570lbs for the lightest that I could find.

I have a Miller Legend with an 18hp Onan engine. It runs at 1,800 rpm for generator work which helps the noise level a bit. The Bobcat offers more generator wattage but runs at 3,600. The Legend is still a noisy monster when welding as it goes to 3,600. Weight is an issue. I think this thing weighs right at 600 lbs. It's mounted on wheels so we roll it outside if we use it. Rigging an exhaust to the outside just isn't practical for such limited use. Gasoline powered stuff indoors can be really hazardous as these things produce lots of Carbon Monoxide. They also make lots of heat from the engine.
I had an offer to trade it for a really nice MIG machine a few weeks ago. I almost never use it and I could use another MIG, but can't bring myself to get rid of it. Been a victim of the GROITANIT too many times I guess.

 

[FlaDon]

I have all three. Each has its place. It's quieter at night using the AC buzzbox and the MIG unit. The welder generator is DC at 230 Amp max, < 170 Amp Cont. welding and 10K AC 240/120 with an Onan by Robin 20.5 horse, 3600 RPM engine. It has over 350 hours on the meter. We also have a 6.5 K Onan powered 1800 RPM generator. Both burn fuel at about the same rate.

As for welding cables, get them with twist lock connections. I have 3 large ones. 1 25', 1 50' and 1 75'.

 

[cdhd2001]

The Hobart with the 22 HP Kohler weighs 430 pounds. It is similar to the Miller, but it only has DC. You still need an engine hoist to put it in the back of a truck or best to just mount it on a trailer.

My Miller Wildcat weighs 350 lbs per the shipping label. Still heavy though.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

My Miller Wildcat weighs 350 lbs per the shipping label. Still heavy though.

Shoot, my Lincoln SA200 weighs 1300#. Welds nice though.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's hoping that this one I'm going to pick up is less than 600 pounds. That's about the limit of what my loader will pick up from the ground. (It will lift more from about 2 feet up due to the geometry of the hydraulics, but it only lift about 600 pounds from the ground.)

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I got the welder home finally.

In the midst of dickering over the welder, I have traded a riding mower style snowblower to him for the welder, a saddle for a John Deere riding mower, and a not running SCUT for a utility 4-wheeler. I took the tractor to the guy's house to help pick up the welder and had a blown out tire when I got there. I had to wait until today to get a new tire, so I left the trailer, etc. at his house over the weekend. I still have to go back Wednesday to deliver the not-running tractor and pick up the 4-wheeler.

I haven't done anything with it yet other than unload it. It is a heavy beast, though. It may be more than 600 pounds. The loader will lift more after it gets above about 2 feet, and I used a chain, so I was above that 2 feet. I just know that when I lift up the welder, the back end gets pretty light.

 

[bobodu]

That's the welder I sold!!! Not THAT one of course...I bet there ain't nothing wrong with the "starter"...It takes TWO 12 volt batteries in SERIES giving 24 volts.
I have the manuals and wiring schematics in pdf if you want them.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

That's the welder I sold!!! Not THAT one of course...I bet there ain't nothing wrong with the "starter"...It takes TWO 12 volt batteries in SERIES giving 24 volts.
I have the manuals and wiring schematics in pdf if you want them.

Thanks for the offer on the manuals and schematics. I sent you a PM with more details.

I was browsing google search results for this welder last night before I went to bed and came accross the 24 volt issue. I was pretty excited to think that it might be something as simple as that. I actually have two of the size 51 batteries sitting on the shelf waiting for an occasion such as this.

 

[RPW]

I don't know about the Lincoln but I ran across a blub in my Miller bobcat book (yes i picked it yesterday) and there is a couple of overload fuses that when blown won't allow the welder to start.

 

[bobodu]

This is my old welder...the guy I sold it to is gonna use it as a generator....

Before and after pics....neighbor GAVE it to me.

 

[NH-Rob]

I don't know about your lincoln but the one I have has a 100% duty cycle and the buzz box one I think is much less. I traded something I had got for free for the one I have but it had a blown engine. I built a adapter for a 16hp briggs engine that I picked up cheap. I have run it around the farm often. It may be heavy and noisy but makes great welds.
Rob

 

[J35]

So, I may have an opportunity to acquire a portable welder. I have some shop stuff I don't want, and a guy on Craigs List has a portable welder that won't start. It's a Lincoln AC/DC. I don't know the amperage. We still have to get together and dicker, but I'll probably end up with it.

I already have a 110 volt MIG and a 220 volt stick welder (230 amp AC only) that I use regularly. I'm looking to trade mostly just to convert my unwanted stuff into something more useful.

So, here's the debate... What are the pros and cons of portable, gas powered welders vs. plug ins?

I'm wondering whether to keep all three or if I should plan to sell one.

If you have made it this far in life with out a portable welder you probably won't be using it much.

I bought a Miller Legend in 1992 and worked it just about everyday till 1999, during this time I welded real close to two miles of six and eight inch pipe most being in twenty foot lengths but close to ten percent in 5 foot lengths. From 1999 til now I have burned exactley 4 sticks of 7018 with it, ran it 11 days straight in 2003 when Isabel came to town and took out all the power poles for miles around, used it to run a air compressor to power a man saver T post driver when I fenced this place, other than that it just sits in my shop and looks smug, all those hrs and only gas oil, filters, spark plugs and she still purrs.

I always figured the father of invention was DESPERATION !

Have fun

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I always figured the father of invention was DESPERATION !

Desperation is too much like necessity. Both motivate you to invent something that will do the trick. Laziness motivates you to invent something that will do the trick better with little or no effort.

Try to tell me the TV remote was invented out of necessity.

 

[bobodu]

Well...having been there and done that with one of these welders....if it comes your way without a big cash outlay...you take it!
I got one free,it laid around a couple of years,I then sold it for cash, then built a smaller one that I do use!!
So..Iplayfarmer gets an offer to trade something he has no use for and gets something he MAY have no use for. No harm there-no cash lost.In return,he gets a new toy!! Don't try to convince me that there is no JOY in that...especially if he gets it running. Now he also has mobile DC capability and a generator for power if the lines come down due to another ice storm like we had last year. I could have sold mine for a grand last December.
I would not convince any of my buddies to lay out $8000 for one but if one comes along cheap....that's another matter entirely.

He did say,"I'm looking to trade mostly just to convert my unwanted stuff into something more useful. "
Even if he only uses it for backup power...it still beats his "UNWANTED STUFF"...right?

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I tinkered a bit last night with it. It's going to need a carb rebuild, but it will run for a few seconds on carb cleaner sprayed down the air intake.

 

[tommu56]

I don't know about your lincoln but the one I have has a 100% duty cycle and the buzz box one I think is much less. I traded something I had got for free for the one I have but it had a blown engine. I built a adapter for a 16hp briggs engine that I picked up cheap. I have run it around the farm often. It may be heavy and noisy but makes great welds.
Rob

Do you know what the arraignment of the motor shaft was?

I know were one with a blown engine and was looking to convert it too to some thing more current than the onan's.

tom