Hobart 187 Setup

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Just picked up a 187 and looking on some input as far as setup.  Most all my previous welding has been on friends machines already setup so lack in experience on figuring out what I need.I plan to be welding DOM that is .120 wall, 3/16th plate, and 1/4 plate mostly (off road rig).  I have used a friends Lincoln 215 setup to run straight CO2 and have been pretty pleased with the qaulity of welds I was getting with that.Any insights on if straight CO2 will work on a smaller machine like mine welding up to 1/4"?  Also what types of wire should I be looking at?Thanks for the help in advance.
Reply:What does your chart say inside the door to the wire?Maybe something like this? Attached ImagesMarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Yes you can use Co2 with that machineHobart warns against it only because running straight CO2 may cause the Reg. to freeze up.I ran CO2 with my little SP135 and with my PassportEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:The HH 187 is a significantly better performing unit with C-25, then it is with CO². I'd rate the CO² performance as OK, and the C-25 as very good bordering on excellent. My recommendation would be to go with a bottle of C-25.For the material thicknesss range you've listed, an .030 ER70S-6 wire works well as a general purpose wire size. If I were welding strictly 3/16" - 1/4", I might switch to .035 . My preference is to have a roll of .030 and .035 available. Actually I stock a roll of .023 for 14ga. and thinner sheetmetal.  Hobart HB-28, Radnor, and L-56 tend to be good brands of wire for this unit. I've had a couple roll of L-56 that didn't run very good, so I generally try to go with the HB-28 or Radnor first.Don't get hooked on living by the door chart. The 7 tap design of the HH 187 provides a very good level of adjustability. Depending on joint design and the position of the weld for 1/8" I end up using taps 3 - 5, for 3/16" taps 4 -6, and 1/4" taps 4 -7.I attached a couple sample .030 solid wire welds pics. The shielding gas used was C-25.  The material thickness in the picture with the penny is 1/8". The wire used was HB-28. The material thickness in the second pic is 3/16". The wire used was L-56.  Sorry, I don't have any sample CO² weld pics. Due to the C-25 performance being noticably better,I only tried CO² a couple times, before I decided I was sticking with C-25 on this unit. Attached ImagesESAB Migmaster 250 Hobart Ironman 230Multimatic 215TWECO Fabricator 181i & 211iHH125EZ - nice little fluxcore only unitMaxstar 150 STH - very nice
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Yes you can use Co2 with that machineHobart warns against it only because running straight CO2 may cause the Reg. to freeze up.I ran CO2 with my little SP135 and with my Passport
Reply:Originally Posted by DanEd, you need to remember, not every unit is going to perform as well as your Passport does with CO².Due to them covering a very limited voltage range (low to mid range of short circuit transfer), my experience has been that the 120V units generally perform well with CO². Still though, most of them tend to perform better with C-25.
Reply:I've only ran C02 a little bit with my Passport but I feel it welds better with CO2 than mix gas.  Mostly I use the Passport with self shield fluxcore.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Thanks.  I picked up a small tank of C25 to try it out.  Started building a new cart for the welder with a mix of .030 flux and solid .030 with C25 while I played around.
Reply:Yep, the C-25 shows a bit less heat (voltage) according to the chart I posted.  That's from my SP 175 Lincoln door.  The settings on the door are used as a guideline only, each machine has it's own temperament & needs to be adjusted according to the weld. The HH187 is a 120V machine?  My Hobart Handler 175 is a 220V machine. I'm asking because I thought anything higher than 175 = 220V input.Here's the HH 175 door chart: Attached ImagesMarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Mark,HH187=240vEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:That's what I thought.  ThanksMarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:I appreciate the help.  I did not notice the wire type listed on the chart when i first opened it...What type of air pressure do you all run for co2 or c25?  Its in a shop with no wind.
Reply:Originally Posted by mferrariI appreciate the help.  I did not notice the wire type listed on the chart when i first opened it...What type of air pressure do you all run for co2 or c25?  Its in a shop with no wind.
Reply:gas flow is measured in cubic feet per hour or CFH not pressure. usually 12-15 will suffice in a non breezy setting.