Is that where you got yours from? I doubt I will have the cash for it by then, especially with the holidays coming up and having to go from RI to NJ a few times so. I was hoping by May/ June to have enough saved up to get a decent one.
CK5
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Welder Question...
- Thread starter swettysblazer
- Start date
big pappa b
3/4 ton status
I was going to but they didn't have it on sale when my local shop did. I could have saved $70 in sales tax
that's who i got my Miller from on eghey... super fast shipping, no probs... got my Elite helmet from them too....
Okay cool. I'm gonna see what happens and will take it from there. Thanks guys.
Yes, the autoarc. The thickest stuff I've welded was DIY's spring perches. Welds as well as my buddy's hobart 140 on stuff like that. Its a good little welder for the money. I wouldnt hesitate to buy it again. But I dont weld much thick material.
it do good work
Jessies got one too i beleive. Im in the process of acquiring an argon tank.
Joe Blaze
1/2 ton status
The MM211 is a versatile machine. I got mine from cyberweld a couple of years ago and it handles most anything around the yard. I used it to put a new floor pan into my jeep wrangler, and patch rust spots in the outside cowl area. My problem at first was blowing holes in the thin sheet metal until i turned the controls way down. Also i was too lazy to switch out the .035 wire. I also used it to weld new buttressed bumper brackets to the frame rails. Since it is a 220v machine, i ran a line from my panelbox in the basement out to the driveway, then made up an extension cord to get to where i wanted to use it. This way i can use the plasma cutter all up and down the driveway also. (it is not necessary to point out that nothing I did was done to code, and is probably dangerous, blah blah... But it gets the job done.)
It seems like a good deal now from cyberweld for $1,035.00 and free shipping.
Thats a sick machine, but im sure thats outa brians price range. Brian I like my hoby 140 alot, but it would be really nice to have the "infinite" adjustment, if you can find a miller of the same price range or so with that I would go for it, but ive had no problems welding anything with mine, would be nice to have that "in between" amp settings, but as long as you put .030 wire in you can do sheet metal fine with it. .035 wire = lots of burn throughs (fortunately I was using it on a jeep when I found out lol.)
(fortunately I was using it on a jeep when I found out lol.)
Adam, thats my plan. I've been looking at the Millers more and more, and I think thats the route I am gonna go. Maybe a 180 or something similar...
but for the price the 140 is a pretty good one I think, how much is that miller? Mine was like $4xx something
the 180 is 849 from cyberweld with nothing, and a Hobart 190 with a cart and a spoolgun is 855 from there as well. The only reason I am looking at the bigger ones is because I don't wanna buy it then not have it be able to weld bigger stuff. But I may never do that, so I need to think some more.
This one will do 1/4", if ur doing anything much bigger on a vehicle id be surprised, unless you really beef that somebizatch out. You said your dad has a big one already didnt you? So whats the point in spending twice the money on something you really dont need nor will you rarely use enough to make it worth the extra money. Just my opinion.
True, these are all valid things that I am thinking about
CGT80
1/2 ton status
My miller 135 has been great, but I could have used a bigger machine many times. I bought it because it was 110v (portable) and within my budget. I have a 460 amp miller TIG machine, but a bigger mig would still be nice.
My brother wanted to weld aluminum, as well as steel, with a MIG. He looked at a machine like mine, then the 211, then 212, and then bought the 252 and a 200 series spool gun. The 252 is almost perfect for anything the average metal worker would come across, but it doesn't have pulsed MIG. My brother thought it did and I doubted it. The thinnest aluminum the 252 will weld is 14ga and its not even great at that (in the little experience we have with it). It sucks that pulsed mig was not an option on the 252, if it had pulsed it would be the ultimate hobby machine.
My brother wanted to weld aluminum, as well as steel, with a MIG. He looked at a machine like mine, then the 211, then 212, and then bought the 252 and a 200 series spool gun. The 252 is almost perfect for anything the average metal worker would come across, but it doesn't have pulsed MIG. My brother thought it did and I doubted it. The thinnest aluminum the 252 will weld is 14ga and its not even great at that (in the little experience we have with it). It sucks that pulsed mig was not an option on the 252, if it had pulsed it would be the ultimate hobby machine.
Personally, I can't stand pulsed Mig. In my experience, you'll never regret having a bigger machine, but on occassion you will regret having a smaller one.
I've seen alot of guys buy a machine to do some of their own body work and not to much longer they're upgrading to do something bigger. Suspension pieces on a 3/8" thick axle tube for instance.... Building a trailer and so on. Not always a function of thickness either but duty cycle will come in to play when you're at the top of the machines capacity.
Having access to a larger machine is definitely not the same as having a bigger machine. Working out an opportunity to use it with the owner, moving your stuff to the welder and so forth are the kinda things that make it a pain in the butt.
Just some stuff to consider when making your purchase.
I've seen alot of guys buy a machine to do some of their own body work and not to much longer they're upgrading to do something bigger. Suspension pieces on a 3/8" thick axle tube for instance.... Building a trailer and so on. Not always a function of thickness either but duty cycle will come in to play when you're at the top of the machines capacity.
Having access to a larger machine is definitely not the same as having a bigger machine. Working out an opportunity to use it with the owner, moving your stuff to the welder and so forth are the kinda things that make it a pain in the butt.
Just some stuff to consider when making your purchase.
By pulsed MIG, do you mean something like the Hobart system, where the voltage settings are stepped rather than "infinite" like the Miller? I'm going to save as much as I can by the summer, and when that comes around I am going to get the biggest machine I can afford.
Nah, pulsed is a whole nother animal. In my opinion its great for high volume production welding where speed is of more concern than appearance. That being said, my exposure to it is limited. A place I used to work for years back was all about the pulse welding until it came time to certify there welders. Then they switched back to straight up MIG for the testing. That says somethin' to me.
Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up for me!
CGT80
1/2 ton status
pulsed mig will heat up and give good penetration and fuse the metal, and then cool off a bit to let the weld puddle solidify a bit, then heat up again. I have never used it, but some people say you can weld thinner material without burning through and that the welds on aluminum can be made to look like they were tiged. I have a huge tig machine, that is how my brother finished up his last project. His 252 would not go low enough to weld 16 ga aluminum sheet, miller doesn't even recommend using it for 16ga. maybe someone with aluminum mig experience could do it, but my brother is a novice welder and I have only migged steel and stainless.
I have a 5 year old Hobart handler 180 and it has served me well and will weld thin body work as well as larger metal. They came out with a newer version called the Handler 187 which has the "variable" adjustment. Now that machine has been replaced with the Handler 190 which again has the "stepped" adjustment but it also has the added feature of built in spool gun control. (nice) If I was going to throw money down it would be the Handler 190/spool gun package. Cyberweld has it for $855.00 and thats with the spool gun! BTW Miller owns Hobart so its preimum quality.
