welders

[Ryan_1]

so i want to get a welder to use to work on the truck, I would like to be able to weld my own roll cage, replace the floor pans, and be able to keep it in my truck when i go wheeling in case i break something out in the middle of know where. I am looking for something in the inexpensive range. As for power goes I will be putting a 5000+ watt generator on the flatbed bolted down so i should be able to run 110 or 220. And this will be my first time welding so a easy to use one will help.

[Montana71-F100]

I personally like my old Miller Dialarc 250 TIG/stick that I bought new in 1984. It's very versatile. It was expensive then but you can get them used now for a fraction of what I paid. I've never used MIG so you'll probably get other good suggestions regarding them. Don't worry about difficulty. Whatever you end up will be easy to use with a little practice.

[CNM67]

I use a little Lincoln weld pac 100 HD (mig) welder and I love it. I can weld heavy like on the frame but also light like sheet metal and body panels. Couple hundred bucks and it'll pay for its self after a while not having to pay someone to do those repairs for you.

[averagef250]

I don't think 5K is enough generator to power a welder that will do anything.

Learn to weld first, then make an educated decision about buying a welder. College coarses and books are cheap considering what you get.

You can't MIG weld outdoors or upside down or around corners.

There's no need for a welder on a wheeling trip.

[smokey3215]

you dont need a welder when weeling just bring some jumper cables welding rod and you have a welder.

[averagef250]

It works

[HIO Silver]

I consider a welder an investment and when you do start welding you'll never look at a piece of metal the same way ever again. IMO, stick welders are fine for rough work but not appropriate for body work, floor pans, and cages. Too much splatter, porosity, and it's just too "dirty".

A MIG is the way to go and you'll want to use shielding gas for all your work. With that said, a couple of excellent starter welders include the Miller 140 with Autoset (AS) and the Hobart 140. Both can plug into household current and can weld up to 1/4-inch plate with proper preparation. Beyond these units, the next step up are the 220V units like the Miller 211 w/AS and the Hobart Ironman 250... with these you can do ALL work necessary on these trucks... up to frames, HD bumpers, winch plates, axles, etc.

I consider a TIG more appropriate for "fine" fabrication in a controlled environment. MIG welding can be done out in the yard under slightly breezy conditions. TIG welding tends to be fussy so indoors or a shielded enclosure is a better place.

[averagef250]

I consider a welder an investment and when you do start welding you'll never look at a piece of metal the same way ever again. IMO, stick welders are fine for rough work but not appropriate for body work, floor pans, and cages. Too much splatter, porosity, and it's just too "dirty".

A MIG is the way to go and you'll want to use shielding gas for all your work. With that said, a couple of excellent starter welders include the Miller 140 with Autoset (AS) and the Hobart 140. Both can plug into household current and can weld up to 1/4-inch plate with proper preparation. Beyond these units, the next step up are the 220V units like the Miller 211 w/AS and the Hobart Ironman 250... with these you can do ALL work necessary on these trucks... up to frames, HD bumpers, winch plates, axles, etc.

I consider a TIG more appropriate for "fine" fabrication in a controlled environment. MIG welding can be done out in the yard under slightly breezy conditions. TIG welding tends to be fussy so indoors or a shielded enclosure is a better place.

Stick welders are NOT for rough work. Stick can do absolutely anything MIG can do and ten times more. The disadvantage to stick welding is the operator actually needs some basic skill whereas you need no skill at all or knowledge of how to weld to make goobers with MIG.

Stick, Oxy/acetylene and TIG are welding processes that require skill. A big problem with the logic that you just buy a little mig welder, make some b!rdshit then buy a TIG welder for nice work is that you can't TIG weld unless you know what you're doing. You can make TIG welds that look pretty, but it's a little more involved making all around good welds with TIG.

A great first welder is a big old TIG from the 60's era. You can start out stick welding with it, then incorporate the pedal once you get good at controlling the rod and really fly. You can buy stick consumables by the ton for next to nothing. You can take some classes and read some books then step up to TIG with the same machine.

[HIO Silver]

Stick welders are NOT for rough work. Stick can do absolutely anything MIG can do and ten times more. The disadvantage to stick welding is the operator actually needs some basic skill whereas you need no skill at all or knowledge of how to weld to make goobers with MIG.

I respectfully disagree. For bodywork - a MIG or TIG is the only way to go.

[flyboy2610]

[72BahamaBlue]

I'll chime in. I really like MIG with infinite adjustable voltage and wire feed settings. Working on sheet metal of varying thicknesses can require fine adjustments to the settings. Having a set 4 or 6 positions may not be enough for all your needs, just something to consider.
Welding outdoors will work, protect the sheilding gas from the wind. Co2/Argon sheilding gas with a MIG is pretty easy to learn to use, makes nice welds. Flux core MIG welding can be really coarse. My experience is the .025 wire is less forgiving than the .030, which I use for everything. Again, having the ability of fine adjustments helps.
For on the go rough work, a portable stick welder may work fine, they can be very compact. Get a good mig for the fine work. I have a Millermatic 175, used wirh co2 argon gas. Flawless performer, excellent welds, better as my experience grows. Not cheap, but your friends will love you.

As always, save enough to buy the best quality welder, it will pay off in the long run, and perhaps save you a lot of extra grinding!
That's my story, I'm sticking to it.

[dirtwrench]

I grew up with an old Century arc welder and a Victor Journeyman oxy/acetylene torch. When I got out on my own I got stuck with a Forney acr welder that I still have as well as a Victor Apprentice torch. A couple years ago I bought a used Miller 210 MIG welder- 20 years after I should have bought a MIG.

Stick and torch welding take practice, patience, skill, and a bit of luck. Anyone can grab a MIG welder and become almost professional with a little practice.

Most days I used the MIG welder for everything. I run .030 wire and CO2/argon gas. Yes, I can weld outside in up to about 10-15 mph wind. Yes, I weld around corners, in blind holes, upside down, anything that must be done.

I guess if I was to recommend just 1 welder to someone, I would say buy a MIller MIG. Having used a lot of diferent brands, I like them best. But I made both of my sons learn on the Forney stick welder and the torch before they got to use the MIller.

[averagef250]

MIG doesn't work in wind. Saying otherwise is BS.

Point and shoot MIG is easy. It's users that have no actual understanding of what they're doing, the guys who just "grab a MIG gun and become almost professional in no time" are the most dangerous since they have little idea what makes a good weld.

Case in point- There have been a few instances in the build section of this site where guys have documented their projects and put pictures up of deadly welding on steering, suspension and frames. Lots of people would comment how great the stuff looked when it was very very bad welding done with a 110 volt MIG that the owner had no business using on something that would drive on the road. Eventually somebody would call out the welding for what it was and the guy would get help or disappear from the site.

That's the bad part about MIG- False confidence for beginners.

[smokey3215]

i agree i see alot of cold welds . all it takes to master tig and stick is a book and alot of seat time and just practice practice practice. My dad worked at lincoln electric in the lab and that is what he would say just burn some rod you will master it.

[dirtwrench]

MIG does work. It may not be the best choice in certain applications, but nothing is the perfect choice for all applications.

You are very correct in that some folks will grab a MIG gun, never learn the basics, and do crappy welds that may even be dangerous on frames, etc. However, there are also a lot of people like myself, and probably you, that learned on old stick welders and torches. We were taught how to see, hear, and darn near smell a good weld. Personally I got the pleasure of grinding off a lot of welds and re-doing them for dad, older brother, and shop teacher when learning. They figured if I had to re-do it til it was right, I would learn.

If you believe a MIG welder is a joke and no one who knows what they are doing would ever use one, we will have to agree to disagree. I ask you to walk into a local welding repair shop, custom exhaust shop, racing chassis builder or any number of businesses where welding is required of their trade. I think most will have AND use a MIG welder on a regular basis.