welder suggestions
 

Hey im gona be buying a diamond rear housing soon and will need to buy a welding jig to hook up all the goodys. Im looking for a mig welder in the 200-300 dollar range, ive seen some at schucks and other auto supply places and a lot online, what are you guys using? Im trying to find something that will be heavy duty enough to do frame on welding as well as light sheet metal.

I'm interested in this as well. Color me subscribed ...

What ever you get... you are going to want a 220V machine for the type of welding you are talking about. You'll need the penetration for the thicker wall steel you are hopefully planning to use.

You are going to want to be able to weld with gas, but most 220V machines will have that capability. I think your budget will have to be more in the $600 range for that type of machine new.

Hobart makes quality welders at slightly lower prices than Miller their parent company.

One thing I might add... learning to weld on items such as suspension or steering might not be the best idea. Should your work not be up to task, you could get stranded, hurt or worse injure others on the road. Either take some classes or start with the simpler stuff such as sliders or shock mounts.

I have a 220V hookup already assembled, i can weld proficiently with mig tig OA and ark. I just dont have any of my own equipment. I would definately preffer a mig unit with shielding gas over one without though i realize the cost implications of that.

BUT if you guys have any specific units that you really recomend that are up there in price let me know, or any cheap units that will handle light duty only but will hold up. Also interested in a good 220V ark welder if anybody knows of any of those that have a good reputation and price.

-I learned mig on a full-size miller unit with argon gas. Really awesome tool, but way up there in price :(

my father has had one of these for a dog's year, and it works well.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93793

i think it goes on sale from time to time. for about $300.

a fellow on this site just started a thread about using welding equipment from china. it is a great welding forum.
http://www.weldingweb.com/

For a MIG, anything less than a 175/180 is a waste of money for what you want to do as it will not do the job properly.

Buy the biggest welder you can afford. If you cannot afford it, save your money and then buy it.

If you can already weld, you should know a 110v MIG welder just won't cut it for what you want to do.

:guitar:

This is true yet the average person cannot afford the bigger models nor is it plausible to wait and save for one sometimes. I have a millermatic 180 that does the job. Yes I do wish I got the bigger model but it does the job great for now. Aseptically for a beginner this is a great welder.

If you want to someday go to dana 60's or bigger I would suggest getting a a bigger model welder but if not you'll be golden with a 180
:guitar:

Thanks for the replys guys :)

I never had any intention of buying 110, I should have mentioned that in the first post. I already have 220 wired up in my shop as the lift i ordered will use it also. Any downsizing is going to be weird for me as i learned on fairly hefty full time duty units, but ive heard a lot of good things about that millermatic aswell, a friend of mine has one and he uses it for a lot of custom vehicle work. ill check out that welding forum to, thanks for the posts :)

Your "average" person can afford anything they truly want it, or as the old adage says, "Where there is a will there is a way."

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

The problem lies within the fact that we are a microwave society that wants things now and we do not want to work hard to save money for what we want. I am not a rich person by any means, I am middle class redneck at best, but I work for what I want and then buy it when I have the money.

I started on a buzzbox 20 years ago at a local jr college. My first welder was a Lincoln Pro MIG 135 that I still use almost every day, but I also have a MillerMatic 251 and I will never have to buy another welder.

Good luck finding a good welder.

:guitar:

whats wrong with the good old ac arc welder? haha

agreed. buy what you need, not what will get you by.

funny that you mention microwave http://www.hackaday.com/2006/09/21/m...en-arc-welder/

unfortuntately what i NEED is another axle housing and shaft, along with all the seals bearings and retainers. What i would like is to buy a diamond housing since it is actually cheaper then stock not to mention much more durable, but that requires welding on perches, shock mounts, brake line mounts, et. It wouldnt be a big deal if i wasnt in school full time right now, my working barely covers the costs of food gas and rent, not to mention the fact that my scholarships only cover tuition not the hundreds of dollars books cost. Its hard to justify buying something that you think you might be insuficient in the near future thats why im trying to find a good welder that wont put me in much more debt. :con: