help in selecting welder

A 110V welder is going to be too light for farm equipment repair and trailer building. (Of course someone here will say they weld half inch steel all day long with one.)

I would suggest something similar to a Lincoln SP 175.

If you only plan to weld steel and are OK with a stick welder, look for a quality buzzbox with AC/DC capability. I have (and really like a lot) an older Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC unit. I bought it over the Lincoln tombstone unit because I like the fact that the welding leads detach for proper storage. I found that the wheel kit supplied with the unit was unsatisfactory - I built a cage of steel tube with casters and a piece of plywood cut to fit the top. It is very much easier to move around like that, and the top surface is invariably used to hold rod, slag hammer or the like during a job. The fan on mine got a little noisy once and I took the cover off the welder and found the fix was simple - tightening down the screws which hold the fan, and all has been well for several years since. The welder is bolted to the cage through from the inside (you have to remove the cover to get to the inside of the 4 stock holes left there for this purpose) so it can never move around. You can see my little welder in the background of this shot:

That picture is of a surface plate stand I made for an 18x24" Starrett plate I got once for a very good price ($30). It's an example of how you can make a well-designed setup to hold something in a small home shop if you have the time. After maybe 10 years using this surface plate stand in 2 shops, I haven't thought of a single design change I'd have made.

Grant

Dan wrote:

I definately would go with a 220 machine. 115 volt machines are a bit on the light side. Don;t know what your bedget is, but the Lincoln or Miller MIG welders are sure nice and easy to use, and can be had at a reasonable price. Then there is the old reliable Lincoln AC buzz box which is probably one of the most sold and popular welders out there, and it has probably welded up and repaired more stuff around a farm or house than Carter has liver pills. Miller also makes their equivelant to the Lincoln in the straight bare bones buzz box. As a minimum on these MIG and buzz box machines your gong to need a 50 or so amp source, so keep that in mind. Nothing in the world is wrong with those buzz boxes. Visit my website:

expressed are those of my wifes, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

I bought a campbell hausfeld 80 amp flux core welder a year ago at a low price and it worked pretty good, but if you want to weld anything over 1/8" you really should consider a 220 unit. I just recently purchased a millermatic 175 and what a difference! It's like night and day. It was more expensive, but in the long run, I will be better off. If you cant swing a

220volt name brand unit, I like the idea of a stick welder instead of a cheap mig/flux core unit. Good luck with your decision. walt