Mig welder search
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Mig welder search
Guys I am looking for a mig welder. I will be welding some frames, body work and other mostly automotive items. It will be used in my home shop. I am familiar with Miller and Hobart and have used both. Anyone have any info on Clarke. They have a 180 that comes with everything...cart , helmet, gloves , gas gauges etc for less than a Miller 175 or Hobart 175. Any suggestions would be helpful..Thx
old and in the way
Joined: Jul 1997
Posts: 5,921
Likes: 1,052
From: Lovely Hueytown Alabama
Mig welder search
dlddrv
I've never heard of Clark welders, but for my money, I'd go with a brand name and you just named the best two. I've got both. A Hobart handler 100 amp 'suitcase' welder and at Millermatic 200.
The little machine does a great job on sheet metal and up to 11 guage. but when you're doing frame work... say 1/8 or 3/16 and up it doesn't have the heat you need... that's why I bought the 200.. it will give you better penetration and longer duty cycle...
the main consideration is part availability... on a saturday afternoon can you run to the welding supply store and get parts for the Clark ?? If you jam up your last tip you can pick up a miller or hobart at Home Depot or Lowes on Sunday... something that needs to be considered... the extras they offer are cheap enough to buy alone... consider what you're getting in features for the price...not the extras...
just my .02¢
john
two good sites you might want to visit for good welder info
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard...y.php?forumid=5
do a search on "welder types" or "Mig" and you'll see tons of info on how to make choices
another is the Chaski site
http://www.chaski.com/ubb/postlist....=&Board=welding
and the miller site
http://www.millerwelds.com/education/library.html
or do a google search on 'mig welders' or 'welding' and you're covered up with data
hope it helps
I've never heard of Clark welders, but for my money, I'd go with a brand name and you just named the best two. I've got both. A Hobart handler 100 amp 'suitcase' welder and at Millermatic 200.
The little machine does a great job on sheet metal and up to 11 guage. but when you're doing frame work... say 1/8 or 3/16 and up it doesn't have the heat you need... that's why I bought the 200.. it will give you better penetration and longer duty cycle...
the main consideration is part availability... on a saturday afternoon can you run to the welding supply store and get parts for the Clark ?? If you jam up your last tip you can pick up a miller or hobart at Home Depot or Lowes on Sunday... something that needs to be considered... the extras they offer are cheap enough to buy alone... consider what you're getting in features for the price...not the extras...
just my .02¢
john
two good sites you might want to visit for good welder info
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard...y.php?forumid=5
do a search on "welder types" or "Mig" and you'll see tons of info on how to make choices
another is the Chaski site
http://www.chaski.com/ubb/postlist....=&Board=welding
and the miller site
http://www.millerwelds.com/education/library.html
or do a google search on 'mig welders' or 'welding' and you're covered up with data
hope it helps
New User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Central PA
Mig welder search
I would stay away from the Clark. Customer support is near nothing, and parts are hard to get. Stick with the big three. Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart. My preference being the Lincoln. (BTW, Miller and Hobart are owned by the same parent company.) The Lincoln has had enough good common sense to not add wire speed tracking to their machines like the other two have. That will screw up a weld quicker than anything. The people at Hobart have been asked to do away with WST, but they are still doing it. Let us know what you do.
PS, The Lincoln SP175+ is the one you should be looking at. They are not sold at Home Depot, etc. Go to a welding supplier and check them out.
PS, The Lincoln SP175+ is the one you should be looking at. They are not sold at Home Depot, etc. Go to a welding supplier and check them out.
Last edited by Arbo; Jul 2, 2003 at 01:04 PM.
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Mig welder search
Thanks for the info guys. I have found a Hobart 175 with cart for 580 and a Miller 175 with cart and extra wire for 660. The lincoln is about another 100 bucks. A toss up I suppose....
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena Kalifornia
Mig welder search
I've got the Miller 210 and love the thing. Plenty of power for 3/8" in one pass (kinda scary the sound it makes at 6 or 7 taps, though) hehe
-T
-T
Trending Topics
Senior User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio USA
Mig welder search
I bought my hobart from this guy on ebay
http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=20436331&ssPageName=L2
Very professional and fast delivery. He sells the big three for good prices. About 100 less then I could get locally.
http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=20436331&ssPageName=L2
Very professional and fast delivery. He sells the big three for good prices. About 100 less then I could get locally.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
Mig welder search
I had a lincoln stick welder and a miller mig welder, when I started building my drag car a few years back, I had to buy a TIG welder (chrome-moly tubing) and since then, I have sold both my stick and my mig. The Miller Econo-Tig is really the way to GO.
You can weld folding lawn chairs back together, and you can weld up to 3/8" think plate steel with the same machine! You have to use Argon for a shielding gas but you can weld just about any kind of metal, I have welded cast iron heads, aluminum heads, sheet aluminum and steel body panels.
It's not as fast as a mig and won't put up with any kind of crap on your work like a stick, the metal has to be absolutely spotless! But the welds are prettier and stronger than anything else, bar none.
Best thing is that since there's no wire feed, there are a lot less moving parts, there is absolutely NO SPLATTER whatsoever, if you get one with a foot control like mine, you wild with your foot on the "gas pedal" and you can move the amperage up or down like an accelerator. This is really handy if you have an inconsistant gap to weld up.
Try one, you won't be sorry!
You can weld folding lawn chairs back together, and you can weld up to 3/8" think plate steel with the same machine! You have to use Argon for a shielding gas but you can weld just about any kind of metal, I have welded cast iron heads, aluminum heads, sheet aluminum and steel body panels.
It's not as fast as a mig and won't put up with any kind of crap on your work like a stick, the metal has to be absolutely spotless! But the welds are prettier and stronger than anything else, bar none.
Best thing is that since there's no wire feed, there are a lot less moving parts, there is absolutely NO SPLATTER whatsoever, if you get one with a foot control like mine, you wild with your foot on the "gas pedal" and you can move the amperage up or down like an accelerator. This is really handy if you have an inconsistant gap to weld up.
Try one, you won't be sorry!
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena Kalifornia
Mig welder search
Originally posted by Bobby Reynolds
I had a lincoln stick welder and a miller mig welder, when I started building my drag car a few years back, I had to buy a TIG welder (chrome-moly tubing) and since then, I have sold both my stick and my mig. The Miller Econo-Tig is really the way to GO.
You can weld folding lawn chairs back together, and you can weld up to 3/8" think plate steel with the same machine! You have to use Argon for a shielding gas but you can weld just about any kind of metal, I have welded cast iron heads, aluminum heads, sheet aluminum and steel body panels.
It's not as fast as a mig and won't put up with any kind of crap on your work like a stick, the metal has to be absolutely spotless! But the welds are prettier and stronger than anything else, bar none.
Best thing is that since there's no wire feed, there are a lot less moving parts, there is absolutely NO SPLATTER whatsoever, if you get one with a foot control like mine, you wild with your foot on the "gas pedal" and you can move the amperage up or down like an accelerator. This is really handy if you have an inconsistant gap to weld up.
Try one, you won't be sorry!
I had a lincoln stick welder and a miller mig welder, when I started building my drag car a few years back, I had to buy a TIG welder (chrome-moly tubing) and since then, I have sold both my stick and my mig. The Miller Econo-Tig is really the way to GO.
You can weld folding lawn chairs back together, and you can weld up to 3/8" think plate steel with the same machine! You have to use Argon for a shielding gas but you can weld just about any kind of metal, I have welded cast iron heads, aluminum heads, sheet aluminum and steel body panels.
It's not as fast as a mig and won't put up with any kind of crap on your work like a stick, the metal has to be absolutely spotless! But the welds are prettier and stronger than anything else, bar none.
Best thing is that since there's no wire feed, there are a lot less moving parts, there is absolutely NO SPLATTER whatsoever, if you get one with a foot control like mine, you wild with your foot on the "gas pedal" and you can move the amperage up or down like an accelerator. This is really handy if you have an inconsistant gap to weld up.
Try one, you won't be sorry!
I don't trust myself so I just use the MIG gun. "almost" idiot-proof.
-T
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
Mig welder search
I forgot to mention that another drawback to the TIG is that it will give you one heck of a sunburn!!
Migs and Sticks will do it too, but not like a TIG----can you say- red lobster??
Migs and Sticks will do it too, but not like a TIG----can you say- red lobster??
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: Burnsville, MN
Mig welder search
I have a Lincoln 175 Mig unit and I like it, I also have an engine drive Miller AE200-LD, which I also like for stick welding. I am wondering if anybody knows of an engine driven (preferrably diesel) unit that will do MIG, TIG and stick? If it also generates electricity that would also be a plus. I'd like to sell my existing equipment including a 10KW generator and have one unit to do it all! My garage is getting full!
Thanks,
Bill
Thanks,
Bill
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena Kalifornia
Mig welder search
www.millerwelds.com
Trailblazer 301 D (Diesel)
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...lblazer_301_d/
This might be what you are looking for.
-T
Trailblazer 301 D (Diesel)
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...lblazer_301_d/
This might be what you are looking for.
-T