HELP!! Buying a new machine

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Summary: went to weld school, learned stick welding pipe. moved on to mig and tig.  passed all the plate test both stick and mig.  6g certified tig.  moved back to austin got a job in a fab shop. worked for 3 yrs mig and tig.  mainly tig on aluminum, mild and stainless steel sheet metal.  wife has twins, i get laid off(along with many others), and i've been a stay at home dad for bout a year, and have committed to staying home with our boys for the next year.  my father died a handfull of years ago and left me a little money. after welding school and a custody battle with ex(i won), i've got about 9K left.  with this money i'm buyin 1 or 2 welders.  i'm totally clearing my garage in order to have a suitable work enviroment.  i plan on buying welder(s) immediatly, but don't intend to start marketing myself and making money for at least a year.  My problems are many and so are my questions.  I really don't know what kind of welding i'll be doing in the futre.  i'd like a machine that i can TIG on in the garage, and another that i could take in the field(wherever that might be).  i think the bobcat 250 is more machine than i'm gonna need anytime soon. welding thin metal handrails at my wifes apt complex doesn't exactly need that much juice, and the wildcat 200 limits me to just stick. for my garage i like the syncrowave 200.  Does anyone have some solid advice for a guy whos gonna go for it regardless?  Especially advice on what machines might be better for me.  I'd like to purchase millers, but it is not a deal breaker.  i'm buying brand new. Thanks for any responses!
Reply:Since you are familiar with welding machines I would be all over used- seems like you could get a pretty good deal on a Engine drive over a new machine. I would also take a look at the Passport Plus 120v/240v  for portable work- Apt stuff, gates , etc.Ed 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:[QUOTE=rambleonthruthefog;249476][B][U]My problems are many and so are my questions.  I really don't know what kind of welding i'll be doing in the futre.  QUOTE]That right there is the kicker. If you don't know what type of welding you'll be doing you have no way if knowing what machinery to buy.My take is this, you need to define the work, and buy the appropriate machines for that work. It's like saying I want to drive a truck but don't know what kind of truck driving I'll do. Theres a big difference between a local dump truck, a truck hauling from coast to coast,  a heavy haul lowboy or a FedEx van. Money can be made with all of those, but they won't interchange.Once you define the work you intend to do you will have your answer. I'll add that I don't think any professional welder will be happy with a Bobcat for anything except small repair type work, and he'll wish for more even in that situation. The used "bang for the buck" is much greater than in buying new. The economy right now has a large number of solid used machines up for sale by people going under. Define the workload.....buy the appropriate equipment for that workload, buy solid used machines one (or two) classes above what you can buy new for the same money.My take only, but we've managed to feed the kids since '92 with our little welding business. People will judge you on your truck/tools/equipment (right or wrong) and a Bobcat just screams "farmer" and "low capacity" to commercial and industrial customers.JTMcC.
Reply:JTM is right. i guess i have some idea of what i'd like to do. at least to start. i would like to make repairs to stainless and aluminum either in my garage(until i can get a shop) or on site. i'd also like to do some ornamental/artsy stuff in my garage.(hopefully to sell).  i'd also like the capability to make general repairs to steel gates/fences/railings, etc. big or small for some contractor friends of mine, and hopefully some contractor friends of theirs.(hence my interest in an engine driven or generator model).  i'm down with owning 2 or 3 models out of the gate.  ive got the skills to do a wide array of things but don't wanna limit myself early. when i said i didn't know what i'd be welding in the future, what i meant was, i don't know where my best opportunities are gonna come in the future, but i wanna be prepared for them now.  it was my understanding that the bobcat 250 gives the impression of very capable, dependable, etc.Thanks for your helpLast edited by rambleonthruthefog; 02-05-2009 at 04:17 PM.
Reply:ignoreLast edited by rambleonthruthefog; 02-05-2009 at 04:14 PM.Reason: double posted the same thing
Reply:There are also some very good projects you might want to try in the projects forum. Some of them are real money getters.Also what type of place do you live in? Most communities prevent running a business from your home.Some communities have associations that prevent it. Also does your garage have all the power requirements that you'll need. Plus remember insurance issues? If you run a business from your house and your house was to catch fire because of a welding job will your insurance cover the damage?Just a couple of thoughtsTomCo-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Originally Posted by rambleonthruthefogJTM is right. i guess i have some idea of what I'd like to do. at least to start. i would like to make repairs to stainless and aluminum either in my garage(until i can get a shop) or on site. I'd also like to do some ornamental/artsy stuff in my garage.(hopefully to sell).  I'd also like the capability to make general repairs to steel gates/fences/railings, etc. big or small for some contractor friends of mine, and hopefully some contractor friends of theirs.(hence my interest in an engine driven or generator model).  I'm down with owning 2 or 3 models out of the gate.  Ive got the skills to do a wide array of things but don't wanna limit myself early. when i said i didn't know what i'd be welding in the future, what i meant was, i don't know where my best opportunities are gonna come in the future, but i wanna be prepared for them now.  it was my understanding that the bobcat 250 gives the impression of very capable, dependable, etc.Thanks for your help
Reply:Originally Posted by JTMcCKeep in mind, and I intend no offense to people who weld gates/fences/railings, that this work requires a relatively low level of welding skill, so you will not be able to charge good rates on this type of work. The problem being that every beginner welder with a small machine can and will cut your price, and, be able to make satisfactory welds on a gate. If I was starting out today, I'd not even consider the low end work where there is only a small margin. I'd concentrate on work that few could do as that's where the premium rates are. That's what we did and it's worked out pretty well for us. Think about it, any kid with a 120v mig and an extension cord can make satisfactory welds on gates & such.The more you focus on higher end work the more you will make for your efforts and the less competition you will have trying to beat your prices down. Anything that can be done by part time hobby type welders, doesn't carry enough profit to sustain a real business in my opinion.Aim for the highest level of work you are currently capable of (and strive to become capable of more difficult work), learn the true cost's of doing business (not as easy as it sounds) , and set realistic rates. It takes a large gross to end up with a happy net. You have to provide for yourself (& family), provide health and life insurance and stash a considerable amount away for your retirement. Most start up failures don't understand the true cost's of doing business.The higher you can place yourself in the food chain, the more you can charge and the fewer people trying to hack your rates. If you're experienced in alu tig, I'd start by looking around the area for that type of (fairly specialized) work. Your local airports will likely have someone doing this. I'm in (very) rural northern Arizona, and there is an small aircraft outfit 30 miles from me who needs help every year with aerospace tig work. That's my take on success in the welding business.Take it or leave it Good luck,JTMcC.
Reply:Well if you are in the buying mode right now, keep in mind there are a lot of business' going under, and a lot of very good deals on used equipment is out there to be had cheap. Keep an eye on craigslist.We are primarily pipeline welders. That's the most cyclical of all construction so we have to have alternative paths to prosperity : )So....when there isn't any pipeline work we'll do any pressure piping. And we've branched out into Pile and foundation related welding as well. A good friend of mine, who's made himself a millionaire working off the back of a welding truck, told me several years ago that the key to his success has been having two seperate fields of expertise. For him it's heavy equipment welding and line boring. For me it's piping and Pile/false work welding. When one is slow, the other is usually cooking right along. I tend to agree with his outlook, many years we have had work in one sector while the other was totally dead, and of course vise versa.Of course there are many paths to welding success and I don't put forth my plan as the only good way, but this has worked out pretty well for me and several others I know. I never work year round, I spend quite a bit of time working out of town but I also spend several months each year at home piddling around and playing with the kids. My business is what they call a "lifestyle" biz, make a decent living but enjoy your time off.JTMcC.
Reply:If you position yourself right, you can make a very comfortable living with a welding business working 6 months per year, you can "survive" on less, and you can really prosper on more. This takes quite a bit of work, lot's of overtime, but it can be a nice lifestyle if you're like me and enjoy hanging around with the family.JTMcC.on edit: I consider "a living" to be a comfortable wage, good health insurance, life insurance in case some dummy kills me (I've got a 4 year old and a 7 year old), and a comfortable retirement package so me and the wife/chic can enjoy our "golden years".Last edited by JTMcC; 02-05-2009 at 05:59 PM.
Reply:i didnt even read the responses because the miller maxstars and miller dynastys are the way to go.  They are great machines that run in the 1800-3000 dollar range, they are suitcase size, and you can beat the **** out of them like we do at work and they run forever.  They will do both stick and TIG, so no problem there.  I've even used one for small amounts of carbon arcing.  Otherwise I would recommend the lincoln V350 pro.  It seems slightly more susceptible to problems than the miller but it does have a lot more options when it comes to doing other things like MIG or GMAW pulse with lincolns little addon LN-15 wirefeeder.  Those are the tried and true machines where I work.   They rarely break down.  Sometimes (when we're doing hullcuts) the miller maxstars will run for two 12 hour shifts for 4-5 weeks nonstop.  They rule.  I would never buy anything other than Miller or Lincoln"Real power is an arcair hand torch with a piece of 3/4 inch carbon and 1500 amps.  You feel like Zeus throwing a lightning bolt."
Reply:Portability says 2 things to me.1st something like the passport for mig and the maxstar / dynasty for tig /stick.2nd something like a trailblazer and a suitcase feeder for mig, and a tig torch set up for it.Either one gives you options for shop / portable work. I'd look at the type of work to choose between the 2 options. Heavier work I'd go with the TB. If it's lighter work then the passport/dynasty set up.Other options like an XMT CC/CV would be limited mostly to shop work or industrial applications where 220v+ is available on site. If it was going to be shop based this would be my choice unless alum tig was required then I'd look at a dynasty to complement the XMT.Keep in mind a small to medium plasma cutter as well as the machines.
Reply:An XMT CC/CV would be a good choice, can do mig/flux, stick and dc tig and can be used in the shop or out on the road with a generator.  The Bobcat is a good generator and ok stick welder.  For more advanced on the road process without an XMT, the Trailblazer is a good choice.   I wish I had bought a Trailblazer instead of a Bobcat, would have been more expensive initially but cheaper in the long run since I wouldn't be spending more to upgrade later.   A PowCon 400SMT would be a good substitute for an XMT CC/CV.  I like my PowCon 300SM for stick and wire (when the contactor was working).MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op