I want to burn metal

[playwithit]

Well the time has come to buy a welder. I have decided on a Miller. Which one? My immediate budget is $850. My dryer is electric, 230V and the outlet relatively easy access from the garage. Not too much space in the garage so size does matter.

Millermatic 140 Auto-Set - how would this unit do with .120 tube? I can get this and have about $240 left for a tank, fill and misc.

Millermatic 180 Auto-Set - Buy this and I have $100 for incedentals. Extension cord, hood.

Is Auto-set a good idea for someone who's last welding job was 30 years ago and consisted on making a scroll doily for his mommy.

Miller is offering a pretty good rebate which expires in 4 days. I have a lead on rock bottom pricing with free delivery.

Any other suggestions or the sharing of wisdom would be appreciated.

 

[eflores]

Hobart is millers off brand. Same great parts ugly colors....

 

[kcjeep6]

I run a Hobart 180 Handler, I believe it was $650.

 

[jonzer12]

get a 220v 180amp or greater machine. Skip the 110v machines.
Lincoln, Miller, Hobart all work fine and are compariable, it comes down to where you plan to buy consumables locally.
Shop around, welders vary hugely in price. My lincoln 180 was 900 at the local welding shop. I kept looking online and a couple weeks later scored mine off ebay for $500. The deals are out there.

 

[the_weirdo]

We got a Hobart Handler 187 from Tractor Supply Co. for something like $650 shipped. Its been a great welder for us. I can't weld to save my life but my brother is pretty decent with it.

 

[Jeep450r]

another fan of the 187 here. Ill be picking one up sometime in the future.

 

[Starboard M]

I have a Miller 180 (older model, so not the Autoset), and it does everything I need a MIG for. Its small, light, and fit pretty well in my parents cramped garage. Its not as good as my friends Miller 252, but at over twice as expensive it wasnt worth the added cost to me.

We made a 20' extension cord for about $30, which allowed me to weld almost all the way to the end of the driveway. Just make sure to unplug the welder after your done so you dont get yelled at when the women folk come to use the dryer!


I know I paid more for the Miller than a Hobart, but I liked the blue color better.:twak:



I would also recommend getting an auto darkening hood. Makes life easier and improved my weld quality considerably. Dont skimp out on safety gear, your eyes are way to important to mess them up by saving a couple bucks.

 

[Phil]

My machine is a Miller 180 without auto set. I plug my extension cord into the dryer plug. You are welcome to come, dare I say, play with it some time. But if you are catching a sale you won't go wrong with a Miller 180.

I have done most of my welding with a quality flip down hood but my wife bought me a pimp auto darkening hood for my birthday.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

i dont have 220 in my garage.
so i bought a used lincoln 135sp and run .035 flux core for everything.
rob, who i bought it from, used it before, and still does use it all the time actaully, for building custom 3 and 4 links on XJs and YJs, frame side brackets and axle side brackets, and control arms themselves and more.

i use it to build a bunch of stuff. bumpers, stifferners, tire carrier, fixing frame rails, welding inserts into knuckles, building this and that, all kinds of stuff . use it every week.

i paid 400 for the welder and a table size chop(both used) saw and it paid for itself when i welded up the 2x6 rocker replacements and the frame stiffeners which held up though many of the the reno trails(moonrocks,bronco, billybob, delores, tonka,) , the con, SR, DV, , PC, boards crossing, this summer just fine.
plus i take the 110 to everyones house, its small light and easy to transport. i use i think a 10 guage extension cord, might be thicker than that, i cant remember.
10lb spools are like 40$ at barnes and i dont have to buy gas. just a better ground thats for sure.

 

[Letterman]

I have the Miller 210, now it is the 212, love it, it can do more then I can.

I have a Hobart 125, big difference between the Miller brand and the HoFart! I think it was worth it to buy the Miller, last welder I will ever need. My Hobart needs to be fixed right now, never ran very good from the start. I would even go with a Lincoln before Hobart. If you want to burn a lot, the most of the 115 VAC (125-135) duty cycles will run out fast.

I also have an off brand 220 buz box for stick. Good to practice for trail fix'in.

But looking back if I was to do anything different I would have spent a lot more money on the Plasma cutter then I did. So much more time is done cutting and cleaning up cuts and grinding up cuts to make it fit better etc. etc etc. Cleaner Cuts will save you so much time.

 

[playwithit]

Great advice everyone. I'm leaning towards the Miller 180 right now.

Just not going to have too much budget left to get started right away, which is a problem. I want to do frame stiffeners this winter. Or, at least learn how not to screw them up. This requires gas, no? Fluxcore ain't gonna cut it, is it? Although the 140 with gas would be ideal for the thinner metal, yes?

 

[playwithit]

I have done most of my welding with a quality flip down hood but my wife bought me a pimp auto darkening hood for my birthday.

And pimp

it is.

 

[Letterman]

I have done a few sets of the frame stiffeners with a 115VAC (125 Lincoln/Hobart style) welder.

For the 110 welder I would not use gas, the fluxcore is fine, also the gas cools the welds and gives you even less penetration.

I am sure most here are sick of my soap box stand on not building anything real with a 110 welder. Bumpers, tow points, mounts, cages etc. etc. etc. should be done with a good 220 welder by someone that knows what they are doing. Anything on the body a 110 is fine, it is hot enough to blow a hole in it, but the 220's have so much better adjust ability, it is night and day.

For more good welding advice check my sick build thread:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1008706

Or is that my sick Build Blog? Or is it more of a sick Mod-blog? Or just a sick Mod-thread? Or is it . . . just sick?

 

[Rob D]

The flux core works just fine for welding stuff to the frame. I used my Lincoln HD3200, which is just a fancy way of saying it's a 140, to put some JKS SBS plates on the front of my jeep using .035 flux. You just have to remember to keep most of the heat on the thicker metal (stiffener), or get good at filling holes, or both. And with flux you'll have A LOT more splatter and smoke residue to clean up after you're done. I've also used it to repair the seat frame on my drivers seat. That was easier since both sides were the same thickness, maybe I should say thinness, of metal. It handled that nicely without burning holes thru. But all that said, if I had the money I would rather go with a 220 welder for the greater range it offers.

 

[knucklehead 61]

i like miller equipment.
i have been using a century 225 amp mig for about 20 years now & am thinking about buying a miller 252 mig next.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

I just bought a Miller 211 at the start of this promotion. I got it for just over your budget on eBay. The nice thing about it is it's flexibility. It has the same output as the MM140 when plugged into a 110 outlet, but plug it into a 220 and you get an extra 15A over the MM180. Still the same physical size as both the aforementioned machines so it is very portable. Combine that with the ability to use it at your place full strength and then drag it over to a buddy's house and use it even though he doesn't have 220 available makes for a very versatile set up.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Just over an hour left Kelly... did you pull the trigger?

 

[playwithit]

Just over an hour left Kelly... did you pull the trigger?

No. I missed out on the $75 discount. I'm was going to visit with Phil yesterday and check out his Miller 180, but ended up spending the entire day at my mothers for her 70th birthday.

Headed to Reno next Saturday to visit Eric, I'll get a look at what he's using. I did stop by Tractor Supply last night on my way back home. The Hobart 190 is $700 and then tax.

I swore I was going to clean out the garage before I bought a welder. Needless to say the garage is a mess. Will have something in the next couple weeks.

 

[JOSEJALAPENO]

No. I missed out on the $75 discount. I'm was going to visit with Phil yesterday and check out his Miller 180, but ended up spending the entire day at my mothers for her 70th birthday.

Headed to Reno next Saturday to visit Eric, I'll get a look at what he's using. I did stop by Tractor Supply last night on my way back home. The Hobart 190 is $700 and then tax.

I swore I was going to clean out the garage before I bought a welder. Needless to say the garage is a mess. Will have something in the next couple weeks.

You should stop by the shop on your way in to see the 44 set up & to pick your sub box. I can't wait to see the new set up. I won't say any more. :cheers:

 

[playwithit]

Pulled the trigger, or I should say pushed the button on a welder. Should arrive sometime next week.

Now, how about a discussion on helmets. Phil touched on his new Jackson Nexgen auto-darkening with pornographic material emblazoned upon the side (NWS!).

I have just under 3 large left to get burning. Opinions please on the best eye protection for my situation.

I have 50' of 3c, #10 wire but will need ends. bottle (size?), c25 gas or what ever is need? And then some leather.

Do I have enough Samolians to get going.