Need advice on choosing a mig welder

[Scoots45]

Trying to decide what mig welder to purchase for my 70 Roadrunner project. Looks like I'll be doing mostly sheet metal work. However I do need to replace part of my rear frame rails due to rust. Right now I'm leaning towards the Hobart 140 since I don't have 240 out in the garage. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[gdrill]

I can't vouch for any particular brand names as I have only ever owned one welder. It is a Miller 135 and is 110 volt. But in my opinion you don't need anything bigger for the work required on these machines.

 

[Bb70charger500]

110 is plenty I use a little Lincoln weld pac 140 it does frame and sheet metal just fine . I've been using it for 8 years straight probably 5-6 projects no problems I had to replace the stinger last year when I cut it on accident but that's about it never let me down Hobart and Miller are great units too.

 

[khryslerkid]

Hobart or Miller. Make sure your 110v circuit is a 20 amp. Use a heavy duty extension cord if the factory cord isn't long enough. You get what you pay for if you go cheap.

Also go with gas not Flux core

 

[pturner]

i use a Hobart Handler (120 volt power) that I got at Tractor Supply. perfect for body work and even heavier work. use .023 wire with shielding gas. I have a millermatic 250 but cannot turn it down enough for the bodywork. You will discover that all the smaller welders are made by Century Electric anyway. Miller and others only make their 200 amp and up welders. I have had the little Hobart for maybe 20 years, no trouble. do not even consider flux coated wire welding.
just my 2 cents.
PT in Tennessee

 

[727]

I have the Hobart 140 and it works well for replacing body panels. Also, second what khrylerkid said " use Gas and non Flux core wire. It is a cleaner weld, reduces spatter, and clean up.

 

[68GTXNH]

I do a ton of welding. For my welder at home i went with the hobart 210 mvp. Its very small so its easy to take with you. That was my main concern. A big 230amp machine weighs almost 200lbs and you need a 50 amp circuit. I help.out alot of friends. 40 lbs and runs on 110 or 220makes that easy. It has a multi voltage plug. Twist the nut pull out the 110 plug stick in the 220 plug and there ya go. Dont change anything else machine knows what youre plugged into. So you can have decent power with a 20 amp 110 circuit. (Decent for 110, once you weld with a big machine a 110 machine seems useless but for sheetmetal is plenty) And if you get a 50 amp 220 circuit or bring it to a friends who has it, swap the plug and suddenly you have a much stronger more capable machine. It was affordable and are available at tractor supply. Going miller or lincoln and youre stuck buying from a more industrial vendor with more normal business hours. And for twoce the price. Most of us weld at night and weekends. And most air gas stores or miller vendors are a 9-5 m-f kind of place. Tractorsupply is much better when you have to run out because that rusty metal burnt up your last tip or something. However miller own hobart so parts are interchangable and you get the same miller quality.

 

[snakeoil24]

I have a Miller Mig 140 it is a very good machine. I would order from Welders Supply Inc. The newer model 145 has some cool adjustment features. I use Co2/Argon call 25/75 works well. Cleaner welds cools the weld faster as well. I think the Home depot units are cheaper made and alsoi would at all cost avoid any harbor freight welders. My Miller is 15 years old and I have a DX300 Miller tig that is water cooled and 30 years old and still runs great. It weighs a ton and has to be moved with my cherry picker, but its brutal quality.

 

[cryplydog]

I'm with snakeoil, use the C-25 gas and I really like the L-56 wire over the L-50, this stuff is more expensive but is a necessity for me. After all these years I switched to .030 dia. wire and like it better than the old .035 standard and I hate running .045 or .060. If you could wire a 230-vac pigtail out to your shop and run the higher voltage it would be a plus as you can use your welder on a wider array of repairs and projects and not have to step up on heavier equipment at a later time. I don't think there is anything wrong with the smaller welders but if you purchase a higher priced unit you will be close to the price of a 230-vac unit plus you will have the option for a spool gun. I have a Miller Dial Arc 250 tig, Hobart Beta Mig, and a old Licoln ac/dc arc welder, and a Lincoln Plasma cutter that will burn up to 3/4" SS. I guess I may be a little jaded but the small 120 volt machines were great for carrying up on top in the petro/chemical plants instead of having to winch or have a crane lift the welders in, this aspect alone changed the way we did things and was a hell of a lot faster and easier.

 

[hunt2elk]

My first mig welder was a Millermatic 140. Really struggled with the soft start feature when welding sheetmetal, and it cant be turned off. Otherwise it was ok. Traded it in for a Lincoln 180 dual and never looked back. One of the best purchases I have ever made. The Lincoln is a great machine.

 

[roadrunner69440]

I didnt read all the replies but I can tell you what I have (that works well) I have both the lincoln powermig 140 and 250 . I will say this , for what you are doing I would use the 140 w/.023 wire and gas and it is 110v ( DO NOT USE FLUX CORE WIRE ) THE 140 WELDS SOOO NICE FOR SHEET METAL WORK!!! good luck , I hope this helps

 

[YY1]

Miller bought Hobart 10 or so years ago.

I have the Handler 140 and it is great.

IIRC, it's the largest 110v they make.

x3 on "use the gas".

 

[Mike67]

Dont know your situation or how hard it would be but I would try to get another leg out to your garage. You could set a 50a sub panel if needed. The reason im saying that is I think trying to weld a frame rail with a welder set on 110v might be marginal at best...
Look at the duty cycle of the welder when set on 110...I think most will be in the 20% range... A lot of them will say output of 90 amps but Im a skeptic...

 

[Glenwood]

Lincoln dual works on both 110 & 240V. Been a great machine for me. A 20 amp line may not be enough at 110V. it'll be fine for thin sheet metal work but the heavier frame metal might require more current. Just check the electrical requirements against what power you have available.

 

[Yatzee]

Trying to decide what mig welder to purchase for my 70 Roadrunner project. Looks like I'll be doing mostly sheet metal work. However I do need to replace part of my rear frame rails due to rust. Right now I'm leaning towards the Hobart 140 since I don't have 240 out in the garage. Any advice is appreciated.

Can't tell you which brand to buy but IMHO the newer multi-purpose ones seem to be the way to go. I have an Esab Renegade that does Mig, Tig and stick as well as run light gouging rods and I'm impressed with the versatility and quality. Of course, here in North America the "gotta have what everyone else has" leaves you only three choices Miller, Lincoln and Hobart. Perhaps you too could trying to "think outside the box" like me because there's a lot of good competeing brands out there that actually have GOOD customer service. Amongst all brands there exists one truism - you get what you pay for and I don't believe you can buy a decent machine for under $1500, not one I'd trust the integrity of the welds with once you get over 1/8 inch material, especially not car frames. On the "**** storm" of stupid ideas side, putting a 20 amp fuse in a circuit wired with 15 amp capable wire does not make a 20 amp capable circuit. People who claim that probably have nickles behind their screw in fuses. Unless your using a light duty 110 volt Mig welder the machine should have a dedicated 220 volt, 50 amp circuit to maintain clean continuous power. Washers, dryers, furnaces and electric water heaters use the same style of circuits to prevent overloading the wiring, are fused appropriately, use 10ga wire and you should to. If not, review your household insurance policy, purchase lots of replacement light bulbs and make sure your wife knows what appliances she can use while your welding. Basically, welding is nothing more than heat management so make sure you buy a machine suited to the type of work you're going to do which is usually determined by material thickness and type, be it aluminum, ferrus steel or stainless.

 

[Superb Bee]

When it comes to small machines I don't think you can go wrong with any of them to be honest with you. I know a kid who restores jeeps (I've done some body work for him) and them things are all rotted with in 7 years, he uses a little harbor freight welder, his welds look good and hold. He has had it 4 years and bought it second hand, lol.
that being said, miller 211 is my go to mig and spool gun welder, I also have a 252 (very dusty, last time I used it I welded a piece on my buddies for lift 2 years ago and before that was 5 years a few tow truck bed mounts, both of which I could have multi passed with the 211).

The 211 is dual voltage and does the job, I would change the guns on pretty much any welder you buy, I have one for my 211 with a flex head, it was on ebay for like $50, and it works great. no issues in a few years, a friend of mine bought one and I tried it, I was amazed for the money. I think its htp brand, works well.

 

[Darter6]

My little 120v Lincoln is over 30 years old,Never a issue.

 

[ckessel]

When I had my SP100 Lincoln, it required a 30 amp service to run it. Most of the circuits in a garage don't so you may want to verify what you have available. Another thing that will mess you up is if you have it on the end of the circuit run. If you do, you will have nothing but problems trying to weld as there is not enough power to run it even on sheetmetal. I found that one out when I was replacing the trunk floor on my Challenger. Even cranked up there was no penetration. I hooked it up closer to the panel and bingo, I knew how to weld again. Snakeoil, does that gas combo work better for you than the usual steel mix 75/25 co2/argon?

 

[super-bee_ski]

Lincoln
Many threads on this topic

 

[Daves69]

Extremely happy with the Hobart 210 MVP.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/678611-hobart-handler-210mvp-mig-welder.html

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...lding&utm_campaign=generic&utm_content=hobart 187&mkwid=bqVW9kyj&pcrid=4558761342&mtype=bb&devicetype=c&storeId=6970&langId=-1&type=search