what mig welder to buy

[hotrodharley]

i'm old school but time to advance i guess.i'm getting ready to put new cage in my pro/street nova and i'm hearing that nhra only tech mig or tig welded cages now.i have a lincoln stick welder and a craftsman 115volt mig welder that only welds up to 3/16" in single pass.
can't aford to buy a big fancy welder so what i need is to find something i can get by with to weld my roll cage with;;
so what size mig welder do i need to weld my cage good and safe..been in summit tool catalog looking but not sure what i need to look for;;also seen some good prices on e-bay..but don't know what to buy;;;
need help on this ASAP.

SORRY IF IN WRONG FOURM..WASN'T SURE WHAT FOURM TO PUT IN.

[topsportsman1]

Not sure Don myself,but if you don't get any replys here,I'll move it to the body work&projects part.But I am sure some of the guys will see it here.

[v8Fiero]

I wouldnt buy the flux-core migs (the ones that plug into a 110 outlet and dont use any gas) those are realy messy and you get what you pay for, those can be had for as little as $100. I would try to find a good name brand one that uses gas, something like Miller of Lincoln. The gas ones have a cleaner, controllable weld which is a much stronger weld.

[spib]

I had a lincoln 175 mig it was excellent, easy to use, welded excellent simple, it was around $800 with a big tank, I sold and got a miller 235 and It is really nice, but I liked that 175 lincoln a lot more,

[cepx111]

Here's a link to a welder I found on ebay that would easliy do the trick.
However it requires a 230v 30 amp outlet which should'nt be to hard to wire up if you have easy acess to your breaker box.
Your gonna want at least 140 amp or higher for good penetration and preferable a gas type mig. The good name brands like lincoln, hobart and miller are also the ones you'll want to buy, shy away from the no name cheapo's welders. Hobart makes a 140 amp 115 mig thats as good as a 115 unit you can buy but it would be border line for good penetration on 3/16 and thicker and only has a 20% duty cycle. The link below would be my first choice and it has a 30% duty cycle.

Goodluck, Charles


http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-POWER-MIG-180C-MIG-WELDER-PKG-K2473-1-W-CART_W0QQitemZ350018783592QQihZ022QQcategoryZ11374 3QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[OneBadGMC]

I've had a Millermatic 140 for years...

They've recently released a new version of it that has a pretty neat feature.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_140_autoset/

My Miller has gone on through spool after spool without failure. My next welder will be a Miller TIG.

[zipper06]

I'm with the masses on this one, stick with the name brands, miller,lincoln,hobart and wire gas only no rosin core spools. No offshore equipment.
Another thing you need to consider is that welding of cromoly tubing is not allowed with a MIG by NHRA, it must be welded with TIG. So with a mild steel cages mig or tig is O'K.
At our shop we have a Hobart, mig and a lincold tig, both work well with our operation (Plastics injection mold building) i personally have a miller tig that i was lucky enough to buy complete with accesseries including work bench and vice for $600.00 from a mold shop that was closing, but again i was lucky. 20% duty cycle is enough for the home welder, that simple means that you can weld 12 minutes straight/none stop before you have to take a short break. In 12 minutes you can weld a bead from front to back on the chassis. Most good migs will cost you around $1,000.00, but you won't regret it.
I would watch ebay, something will come up in a week or two. Below is the one i bought for $600.00.

JMO

Zip.

http://img01.picoodle.com/img/img01/4/1/31/t_mytigmachm_d49970a.jpg (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/4/1/31/f_mytigmachm_d49970a.jpg&srv=img01)

[SST4530]

I have an old 230 volt L-Tech 225 that I've been using for about 15 years now, used to be Linde, don't think they make them any more. This guy had the welder and couldn't weld, and I could weld and didn't have a welder. So I built him a trailer for the welder. Good deal I think!

Definately stay with ESAB, Miller, Lincoln, Hobart. Snap On even has one all though it's grossly over priced (paying for the name). :)

[dcarr511]

I'm a big fan of the Lincoln 125 or 130 models. 120 v. We used them at work and they took alot of abuse and kept working.

[Racefab57]

Ive got MILLER mig, tig, plasma cutter, All work GREAT, had a miller mig FOREVER...David.

[SST4530]

The 120 volt rigs are great for body work. I would stay away from them when doing heavier chassis and cage fabrication.

[hotrodharley]

i like the autoset feature on the miller 140 auto set..will this welder work for chassis and cage work.???????.it also is in my price range

[rob41willys]

ESAB bought out Linde whitch used to be L-TEC years ago. The ESAB mig master 250 is the current equivilant which is a pretty good machine for the home shop. I would steer away from the 120v machines because I think you'll want to upgrade later. Pay a little more now or pay twice later. I have got just about every kind of welder there is. ( stick, mig, tig ) The Mig Master is the one that I use most of the time

[hotrodharley]

I'M THINKING IF I LIKE THE MIG ONCE I KNOW IT BETTER AND TRUST THE WELDS I WOULD SORT OF PHAZE OUT USING MY LINC STICK AS MUCH;;I'M OWN A TIGHT BUDGET BUT DO WANT SOMETHING I'D BE HAPPY WITH.MORE I SPEND OWN WELDER LESS I CAN SPEND OWN BUILDING CAR SO LOOKING FOR A HALF WAY POINT.

SO WHAT I'M GETTING FROM THIS FOURM IS GO TO A 230VOLT WELDER[MIG]NOW THE PLACE I'M HOPING TO GET ONE FROM SAID THEY MAY DO IN HOUSE FINANCE FOR ME IF NOT TO MUCH.THE HAVE HOLBERTS/LINC/AND MILLER;;SO WHAT ONE TO BUY IS WHAT I NEED NOW.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THERE HELP HERE
DON

[SST4530]

THE HAVE HOLBERTS/LINC/AND MILLER;;SO WHAT ONE TO BUY IS WHAT I NEED NOW.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THERE HELP HERE
DON

Opinion's may vary, but of the three mentioned, You can't really go wrong. Here's my pick:

1. Miller
2. Lincoln
3. Hobart

Or if cost is your concern go with what fits your budget.

:)

[fla1976]

I would suggest that you go to your local welding shop gas supplier and ask them brand they recommend. They usually repair welders and see all the problems that are common. They may even have a used one that is for sale.

[poncholvr]

got to love the power of blue-lol
miller,all the way-
i have a flux cored welder- stay away from them- there junk for thin sheet metal- - just a suggestion-

a good one and you can switch to a aluminum wire- or spool gun-
so id say do the instore layaway- i wish i would have!!!!!!
its well worth the extra money- vs, the drawbacks of not being able to do bolth-

[bbc4life]

I would stay away from the hobart 140 welder I bought one to put my new cage in my car and it was not big enough so i sold it and bought a lincoln 180 it is a very good welder and you buy it at lowe's for 669.00