Actually, the 220 IS a bit big for bodywork, in my opinion (although they make a Hobart Handler 210, not sure about that one). He's talking current, I'm sure, not voltage. The higher current welders, don't seem to go low enough for thin sheet metal used in body work. It burns through very quickly. I'm no welder, by any means, but I do very well with my Hobart, but used my buddie's 210, and burn, baby, burn! This is the Hobart Ironman 210 I'm talking about, that seems to big...

Hobart 210 welder

But, it does a great job, on 3/8"...says it will do 22 gauge, but wih .24 wire, blew holes, even at the lowest setting.

R

 

Ouch, on the AC unit!!!!! I have all portables, and THEY are expensive enough, when one goes down.

I got my welder, and was welding the 3rd day I got it, on the truck. I've done a little welding before that, and I "practiced" on this...love your trailer movers, though - I use one to get my cab in and out of the shop...





I also have a MIC Parker Plasma, very nice tool! Wish I could afford a really nice one, but this one does fine for me.

R

 

OK, I give. What the heck is it??? Balance beam for hauling a motor with a cherry picker?

 

Engine tilter? ...work still in progress?

 

You're so wrong my friend, a 220v welder can do ANYTHING a 110V welder can do, and so much more

You either have a poor quality welder, or don't know how to set it up properly.

 

Don't know what the best welder is but... I bought a used Millermatic 251 from ebay. Works great. It came with .035 wire. Based on recomendations from HAMBers I bought a roll of ESAB Spoolarc Easy Grind .023 wire. I couldn't convince the local welsing supply to order it. Had to get it online. I really like the wire. It is smaller so less heat when welding and it appears to grind easier again less heat.

 

I used a 110V 85A Mig Welder to weld in the sheet metal on my truck. I recently purchased a Lincoln SP130T 220V unit, the same unit I'm told as the 175 model. The difference between the two is like night and day. I'm sold on the bigger unit if you have 220V and any bigger projects to tackle you might consider going to the bigger unit also. Although the smaller 110V with Argon/CO2 will do for the sheet metal repair.

 

Yup, it's a load leveler, for hoisting my flathead and 4 speed. And yes, THAT picture was before it was finished. Now it's complete, not sure if I have a picture...Lot of weight there, especially since I work pretty much always alone. Just stuff I had around - the rollers are shafts and bearing from my water pumps when I rebuilt them, the screw is from a scissor jack. Works great! Perhaps a little overkill, but sometimes you use what's on hand...

As I said, I'm not a welder by trade, although I've been around them all my life, and done my share. Again, you mention 220v and 110v. I am talking current - as in the Hobart Handler 187 versus the Hobart Ironman 210. BOTH are 220 volt welders, just different current capabilities. I know that on all my 18 ga. sheetmetal I have done so far, I have the 187 set at the lowest voltage, speed between 3 and 3 1/2, using .023 wire. Using the same wire, on the 210, voltage all the way down, no matter what speed I set it at, it is FAR easier to blow holes. It's very difficult to fill a wider gap, while it's very easy with the 187. Can it be done? Sure, I guess. But it was MANY times easier to do with the 187 than the 210, no matter WHAT setting I used on the 210. And I believe the quality is pretty much the same between the two Hobarts and both were of comparable age. The 210 works great, on frame work, heavier metal fab, and anything else, it's just not as conducive to sheet metal work, ESPECIALLY in the hands of the less experienced. The control just didn't seem to be there at the lower voltages, that was with the lighter unit. In addition, the guy who owns the 210 IS a great welder, and when I was having difficulties, with the 18 ga., he tried his hand at it, and was having a very tough time. But, he's the one who showed my the basic set up on the 187, and HIS welds were perfect with the 187. If I were going to buy ANY unit, I would figure out what I wanted to use it "primarily" for, and buy accordingly. I wouldn't buy the biggest, baddest welder for sheetmetal, just as I wouldn't buy the lightest 110v, low current for heavy metal fab. Simple as that. Someplace in the middle, who work for probably 90+% of what we do on our trucks. Framework? Personally, I would use an arc welder...

R

 

Hey Driver96er,
You have asked questions that have a lot of different answers. According to what I have read here in this thread so far, they have all been the right answer depending on you specific needs and skills. In general, you can't go too wrong with Lincoln, Miller or Hobart. I have had and used all three brands. I would avoid the Chinese stuff because you are going to have a tough time if you need parts or service. They are pretty much throw away machines. I do a lot of service and repair work of all kinds of welders. I can still get parts for 60 year old Lincoln, but not for a new Chinese one. Of the afore mentioned big three brands, each has it's strong points as well as some less desirable ones. Some guys here have pointed out the convenience of the 120 VAC units. If you are doing only thin body metal they are great. One fellow mentioned using them for up to 1/8 inch stuff. That is about their practical limit. Don't try welding a piece of 1/8 inch stuff to a heavier piece like your frame because the 120 VAC rigs just don't have the power to penetrate the thicker stuff. I have a Lincoln SP-170 which is the size of the 120 VAC rigs but it requires a 240 VAC supply. It is great for the light metal work and will do some heavier stuff. I still prefer my DC stick welder for the heavy stuff

A lot of guys that have never welded start out with a MIG because they are easy to use. I learned years ago starting with stick welding. Back then MIG machines were as big as your truck. Far all intents and purposes the small MIG is probably your best bet if you never plan on doing anything but body metal. I strongly recommend you get a machine that has the gas solenoid valve in it. You will find out that the gas shielded weld with the solid wire is so much better that the flux core wire. For one thing you won't be continuously cleaning off the slag. As for differences in controls, that is a matter of preference. Some guys like the continuously variable controls and others are in favor of the switched step type control. My personal opinion is to go with the switched step control unless you are buying one of the bigger machines with digital readout so you will be able to know exactly where you are setting the variable control. You can only put so many magic marker marks on it before it becomes a real mess and you can't tell what you are doing.

About wire size... Here again, this depends on the thickness of the metal and even in the truck bodies there are different thicknesses in different places, Generally, stick with the smaller sizes. For body work I would get some .025", .030" and .035" along with a supply of the appropriate size contact tips. Here is one reason I favor Lincoln machines, you can get these tips at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply and some Ace Hardware stores. All places open on the weekend. You will also find that size needs will be different when comparing solid gas shielded to flux core. Some of the guys here mentioned ebay and Craig's list as a source. I have bought stuff from both sources and there have been time I got screwed as well as other times when I got a gret deal. At best, you really have to know what you are doing and know all the problems that can be associated with what you are buying. In the case of these sources most of the stuff is used and/or has some problem. I would personslly be somewhat hesitant to buy from ebay unless it was a regular authorized dealer. Take a look at
MIG Welders, TIG Welding Gloves, Hobart Welders, Miller Welders, Welding Jackets They carry all the major brands and accessories.
They do sell on ebay but you can also order directly from their site. they also have people to explain the strengths, weaknesses and differences of each brand and product. They ship free through out the continental U. S. and they have about the best prices I have seen. I am about ready to order a Lincoln MIG 255C and a TIG 225 from them. In total I will beat the local best prices by about $1,000.00 and no sales tax. They are in Indiana. If you are you will have to pay sales tax.

About your welder... I believe you said you had a Hobart. Is it a MIG or a stick welder? If it's a stick welder you probably will never be able to do body metal. If it's a small MIG then there is probably something wrong with it. If it will run the small wire then it should do the thin metal.

OK, I hope this helps you some. Just remember, don't buy something bigger than you need if you never intend to use it for other stuff. The problem is for most people is they end up wanting to do more and bigger stuff later on and they have to trade up to bigger machines. For example, the MIG 255 I am getting will do 1/2" and I can go down to 30 amps and .025 wire and do really thin stuff. But then again, it's a $2,700.00 machine when you get the full kit with a spool gun. It just really depends on budget and needs.

Later Man...

 

Roger,
Either that machine has a problem or that is a good reason not to buy that model.

 

I have a Hobart 140 Handler and its a great machine. I often do bigger jobs than its made for.
Engine mounts, shock plates etc.
Get a cord cord rated for it and pay attention to what it can and cant do.

 

Perhaps the latter - nothing wrong with the welder - I worked at Wabash National, and 95% of my repairs were on the welders (LOT'S of them there!!). It's just very, very sensitive around the lower voltages. I'm sure it has something to do with the larger scale, that makes it a bit more "fickle" on the really lightweight stuff. I would question the welder, if the guy who owns it wasn't so good, and knowledgeable on welding and welders...

R

 

My guess would be there's an issue with the wirefeed control, pretty sure on both my Millers (MM35 and Vintage-like the older 200) that the wirefeed also controls volts as well...i/e if I'm on Tap 4 I can vary the wire speed up/down and bridge things between tap 3 and Tap5.

Another thing too...both my welders have a High/Low range, I keep both on the Low range up to about 3/16th material, when I get in to 1/4inch and above, I go to the High side.

Regardless, either of my welders will do sheetmetal with out issue, could be that Miller has better quality than Hobart, or as mentioned before, there's an issue with the welder (not Weldor<operator> but the tool <welder> itself).

EDIT: My MM35 doesn't have high/low if memory serves, just the Vintage.

 

I've seen so many people try to run machines on sub-standard conductor size. Even the factory cords are rated right on the edge but they are short enough it doesn't have much ill effect.

I would be very carefull using that machine beyond it's capabilities because it may not be giving you the penetration you need for jobs like engine mounts. I've seen stuff breakm off that really looked like a good weld but there was next to no penetration.

 

It sounds to me like the larger of the two welders might be giving you an eradic feed rate at the lower settings. This could be caused by a number of things like the wrong feed rollers, worn or contaminated feed rollers, a bad liner to the gun or a faulty speed control on the feed motor. Any one of these problems might not effect heavier welds with heavier wire, higher currents or greater feed rates.