what kind/size welder?

[Trailer Ray]

So I want a welder, nothing crazy just something decent that I can do basic fabrication with. There's a 220 Lincoln on sale at Lowe's and I was just wondering if this is something that would be OK. I'm not looking to weld half inch stuff or anything, just like making tube bumpers and fix my pond hockey nets and stuff like that. so any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[Magilla]

well we cant give you advice on the welder from lowes since we do not know which one you are talking about. Ive heard good things about hobart 140 which is 475 at tractor supply which will do what you need

[lakailimited06]

me and my dad bought a cheapo 110v craftman which didnt seem to have a problem welding up to 3/16 and it was fun i made like 2 skids with it, but when trying to lay a bead longer than 3"s it would cut out the duty cycle was garbage...

that being said we bought a 220v "hobart 210" and i love the thing welding with it is super easy and you can control the feed so good...i welded 3/4" plate no problem and with one pass (probably shoud have done two)

i'd definitely recommend a hobart for sure

[Trailer Ray]

How much is something like that going to run me do you think?

[customcreationsllc]

a 220 welder would be nice but it is hard to find 220 if you have it near by then great.
110 welder is always nice to have you can bring it any wheres but that limits your thickness to 3/16

I have the Hobart 135 older version of the 140 going on 8-10 years no problems and abuse the crap out of it.

I would stick with a name brand welder so you can get replacement parts easy. Miller/Lincoln what ever color you like. Hobart is a lower end Miller, the torch even says miller.

I would definitely get gas mig.

If you are only going to weld a few things for now. get a "ready welder" one of the battery ones read the tech on Pirate.
you can weld up to 1/2" and you can bring it on the trails.
This is what I would do if I was just starting out and only need to weld a few things.
Then buy a good welder when you get to that point.

Let us know what you choose.

I went Blue, Miller Syncorwave 250 Tig and Spectrum 625 Plasma Cutter because my local welding shop stocks the parts haven't had a problem yet. I'm saving for the Miller 252 mig.
Also bigger is better you can weld smaller a lot longer without overheating.
I over heat my Hobart every time I weld.

[Bigbike]

I have a Lincoln from home depot, im not a good welder, but it works for me.

[clean4drxj]

miller syncorwave is a nice machine from what I've heard

[grundlepunch]

i have a lincoln 175 amp, 220v for the home depot. works good for what i need it to do (frame, brackets, exhaust, sliders ect..)

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

I have a Lincoln 110V flux core welder. If I was to do it again I would 110% buy a 220V mig gas no questions asked

[grundlepunch]

welding w/ flux is just fucking terrible

[Even]

i have a lincoln 175 amp, 220v for the home depot. works good for what i need it to do (frame, brackets, exhaust, sliders ect..)

x2 I got the exact same one.

I like that it's small and portable, and welds 3/16-1/4" pretty damn good. It could weld up to 1/2" if you really need it to with a heavy bevel and multiple passes. It's not ideal, but when the hell am I ever going to need to weld a lot of 1/2" steel?

I got it off craigslist, brand new in box for $450.

welding w/ flux is just fucking terrible

It was more expensive initially for me to buy myself a bottle to use sheilding gas, but I will NEVER be caught welding with flux again.

[Zullock Holmes]

I have a lincoln 140c, pretty much the same thing you see at homedepot or lowes but i got it through ABCO, its commercial grade so it has some different features in it than the ones there. It has variable wire speed and amperage setting and a commercial feed mechanism, which makes it nice in terms of reliability against breakage. That and ABCO gives you a killer deal on the tank/gas when you buy a unit through them.

The shop welder i use for larger things, or thicker things is a millermatic 212 MIG and having the long duty cycle is great when i have a lot to do.

[WAD357]

I'm saving for the Miller 252 mig.

My buddy has one of these and Its amazing one day I will own one!......

[Wide-J]

I have an old Millermatic 200 which is underrated and puts out 252 according to the owners manual. I LOVE IT! The adjustable spot timer and burnback along with the 6 high/6 low setting make it really easy to get it right. It is super smooth and I use 75/25% gas. I didnt pay that much and had Owen put a liner and a new spool in it. I havent had a chance to weld anything beyond 1/4 but it welded it like nothing. If I found another one at a decent price, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat.

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

Just a question but does anyone here use ARC welding on any of their Jeeps?