Attn welders, what do you think of this??? Ranger 250

[mofugly13]

When my tax returns come back I have been planning on getting a Lincoln sp175plus, $719. But, the other day I was at Home Depot and they are selling the Ranger 250 for $1999. I have seen it at welding suppliers for $3000-$4000, so I went home and checked the specs in my Lincoln catalog. Looks like the 250 will do every kind of welding process, except pulsed tig, and submerged arc. Now I am thinking of ponying up more $$ for this one. The benefits are, I will be able to take it anywhere, and, I will be able to weld arc, mig, tig at my discretion. Now I know, that after I buy and get good with the mig, I WILL want a tig at some point, and I am already looking for a used Lincoln buzzbox. So, is the Ranger 250 at ~$2000 a good buy? Hopefully some of you experienced welders can help point me in the right direction.

 

[camiswelding]

www.weldingsupply.com usually is the cheapest in the US for welders.... anyway I ran the ranger 250 and thy have it for a couple of hundred bucks more so I dont know what home depot has... and Im real curious... Onan or Kohler motor??? (make sure you check ebay)

the sp175t is a nice LITTLE welder... but for a couple of hundred bucks more get a full size 250... better gun better electronics better duty better everything... the 175 is still a small welder and they cant pack in industrial components into it like a full size case

I have Ranger10... a bigger 250 predecessor, a powermig 300, and sp250.... and Ive had or tried the sp100/135/175 many times (sp100...junk..135.too small.. 175 still too small)

All this being said what you also need to factor in is the followingfor any engine driven welder....
You have to purchase any/all the welding processes you want to perform...mig tig stick... and they are EXTRAS ...not included... (you might get a cheapie stinger in the package)
an LN7 or LN 25 mig box//// up to 1000.00
stick/cable/// up to a couple of hundred.. I have 1000 feet..
hi freq box for tig// up to 1000.00
ground/quick connects/// up to 150.00

engine driven welders are sweet as you get pure dc power... but you are burning gas and making noise...
I use mine about 2 percent of the time... or course when you NEED one and NEED to weld away from the shop they are awesome.... but in my humble opinion buy a shop welder instead... POWERMIG.... thats where its at if you are spending as much money as you say you want to... otherwise a blue or red machine in the 250 amp range will set you back about 1500.... and for less than that you could buy a 50 amp plasma and still be under 3k... and have good equipment for a lifetime of welding and fabbing... oh and once you have plasma you will wonder how you ever did without it.....
this site is an excellent welding forum if you have further questions... hope I was helpful... you can always pm me if you need more

cam

http://www.chaski.com/ubb/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=welding

 

[mofugly13]

Thanks CamsK5! I was wondering if I would need to purchase process specific gear for the Ranger. If I went that route, I'd be putting about $1000 cash down and the rest on my card. I keep an eye out in he online classifieds in my area, and from time to time an older welder will be listed, I am not opposed to used. Do you mind if I shoot you some PM's if I come across anything I might have ???'s about?

I'll be stopping by the Depot in thenext week or so, I'll take a look at what engine they are offering.

 

[camiswelding]

matt no prob..love to talk welding.. I went to lincoln school about 15 years ago... and I have always had red machines... but the blue ones are great as well... there are others but they are harder to get parts for etc as you get out of the mainstream...
Im am real suprised to hear Home Despot has these.. Ive seen a WeldanPower there before but never anything bigger...
it would be pretty easy to spend 4k on a new reliable engine driven welder with all the goodies
Are you SURE you need the mobile capability.... dont even consider it if you wont use it and make money with it.... although I hardly use mine 2 jobs paid for it in about 4 hours( I build large outdoor abstract sculpture)... that is when the k5 projects dont beckon me to the shop..now I have it mounted on a utility body trailer as a complete mobile shop.... but the investment in that is nearly 15k with all the tools and 12hp compressor
Theres always sa 200s and the like for sale cheap but they arent good for mig tig really....
/forums/images/graemlins/weld.gif
cam

 

[mofugly13]

Right on, cam! I dont really know about the 'need' for mobility, but there is no electrical service at my hunting cabin, but I can't think of anything I would need to weld up there ('cept maybe mods on the Sammi.) Whatever I end up getin', I'll post a pic as a proud papa of my new machine.