It works!!!!!!!!!!!

Well today for the first time I had my whole setup out on a jobsite.

Coleman Powermate 5500 Generator. Miller Maxstar 200DX Inverter.

3 Yellow Jacket 25' x 10 ga 14L20 connector extension cords Readywelder #10250 0.035" ESAB 7100-Ultra Dual Shield wire C25 gas

I had to finally weld the lower stairs in place on a jobsite I have been working on, slowly, for 6 months.

Absolutely beautiful welds. I use the 0.035" EASB 7100 Ultra Dual-shield as my standard wire in my Betamig 250 in my shop. I spooled some onto an empty 2lb. spool yesterday, using a hand drill.

(Yes I said ESAB.....I hate their machines, but love their dual shield wires)

I am so pleased with the results. I have a fully portable system that can be moved in and out of my truck easily.

See I have been avoiding the whole Welder/generator-bolted-to-the-bed-of-my-truck thing for years. I just don't want a 300-500 lb. thing permanently mounted on my truck, and I only have to do location welding a few times a year. Investing in a Lincoln or Miller generator machine has just not interested me.

Now with the combination of the Powermate generator and the Maxstar

200DX I can TIG or Stick-weld anywhere. Add in the Readywelder spoolgun and steel or aluminum MIG goes anywhere too.

Portable, versatile and quite economical.

I have considered upgrading from my Maxstar 200DX to a Dynasty 200DX, but having just looked at the duty cycles of both.... The Maxstar 200DX has a 40% duty cycle at 200 amps. The Dynasty 200DX has a 20% duty cycle at 200 amps.

To get to a 40% duty cycle on the Dynasty you have to drop to 170 amps. At which point the Maxstar has more like a 65% duty cycle.

So for now I think I will stick with my Maxstar 200DX.

Oh yeah costs Maxstar 200DX $2300 (can be had for down to $1800 new now) Coleman Powermate 5500 $500 (Costco) Readywelder Spoolgun $490

The Yellow Jacket extension cords are designed for use with generators so the connectors match the standardized connectors. They can be bought with either 14L20 or 14L30 4-pin twist locks. I have 3 so I can go up to 75 feet from the machine. I happen to have chosen the 14L20 connector for my Maxstar some years ago so I can use the extension cords and just make up any adapters I need to plug the machine into anything from 110 volt to 460 volt 3 phase.

Luckily the Powermate 5500 has a 14L20 connector on the panel. Like it was destiny or something.

So I will hopefully stop grinning soon before somebody slaps the shit out of me.

Have a nice weekend all.

PS I got some "Stabil" fuel stabilizer to preserve the fuel in my generator since I will likely only use it every few months. That way I don't have to drain it between jobs.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler
Loading thread data ...

Good for you! I love it when a plan comes together. Now....whatchout..... ready....? SLAP!

Lane

Reply to
Lane

Ernie,

Thanks for including the prices -- I had been wondering how much the Readywelder costs. Given that it costs about the same as a 135-amp MIG machine, what are the advantages / disadvantages of the Readywelder vs. a dedicated MIG? (Particularly when using it with a CC machine, which I think/assume the inverter is?)

I'm assuming that one advantage is being able to go up to 200 amps instead of being limited to 135 or so; perhaps another advantage is a spool gun (pull) instead of a push gun when it comes to aluminum?

What, if any, are the disadvantages?

Many thanks for the info ...

Reply to
Andy Wakefield

Lightweight, portability, easy to change wires, Tweco cups and tips are easily replaced.

For aluminum it is simply wonderful.

Where the Readywelder fits is when you mostly do TIG or Stick welding, but want to be able to run wirefeed, you need portability for feild work, or you already have a stick welding powersource but want to weld aluminum.

It does not have a built in contactor control, so while you can easily use it on a large push MIG, as a spoolgun for aluminum, you will have to jerry rig some kind of contactor switch.

I added a contactor control switch to mine without too much trouble. So mine can now turn the power on and off. This makes welding a bit cleaner, since normally you have to yank the gun back whenever you stop the trigger so you don't fuse your wire to the tip. And YES my MAxstar does have a contactor control for Stick welding.

I wouldn't buy one for heavy production work, but for a field expedient or a small versatile fab shop it is great.

There are better solutions for production aluminum, like a cobra push-pull system, or a "real" spoolgun, like a Miller 30A, but the Cobra starts at about $3000, and the Miller 30A is about $900. Neither of those prices includes a welding power source.

And for production Steel MIG a regular mid to heavy MIG machine will be easier to use.

The Readywelder fills a niche unfilled by any other machine. It allows people to MIG weld with any old stick welder they happen to have or a few batteries and it does it quite elegantly.

For me it was the only solution since Miller refuses to acknowledge that this option should even exist. Believe me I tried like all hell to get Miller to help me hook up one of their small spoolguns to my Maxstar , and they just refused to accept that it was viable.

The Readywelder does it elegantly.

So by combining the Maxstar and the Readywelder I get a MIG machine that can run on anything from 110v to 460v 3 phase, weighs less than my Handler 120, and runs aluminum as nicely as steel.

Sure for $2800 I could have had a really nice MIG that would do those things, but it wouldn't also be a TIG with full pulser and sequencer as well, and it wouldn't have been portable and able to run from any cheap generator.

My solution is not the solution for everybody else, but it does work and fits my needs perfectly since most of what I do is TIG on thin stainless tube and sheet, but lately I have been making a lot of heavy steel staircases, and with work being as slow as it is, I can't afford to be turing down work just cause it isn't what I normally do.

Next up I have to build some structural steel supports for a deck on a hillside. Readywelder Ho!!!!!

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Ernie, Thanks for all the reviews on the Readywelder. Its nice to see practical applications instead of a sales pitch.

I've been thinking of getting a Readywelder #10250 for my Trailblazer rig. It seems pretty straight forward, but I have a question. What kind of connector does the unit have for gas hookup? The sales literature shows what looks like a Tweco mig gun type o-ring connector. If so, does Tweco offer the "socket" for this? Just curious.

Thanks!

Reply to
John L. Weatherly

Ernie Leimkuhler wrote: Cool. Sounds like it would work out of the box, then.

Is this cable molded into the main lead, or is it a separate cable attatched to the outside of the lead?

Thanks

Reply to
John L. Weatherly

Maybe use the existing cable for a pull string? Use plenty of lube, 'cause you only get one shot!

Reply to
John L. Weatherly

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.