Suggestions on first Welding machine

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Hello everyone I'm new to these forums and new to welding. I have been MIG welding at a factory for a year now and I assume we use 100% argon for aluminum mig welding and 100% Co2 for steel as the gas tanks don't say anything about using a mix. We have 3 different MIG welders in my department the main one I use is a Miller cp-300 with a Miller s-60 wire feeder and I use that for steel. I weld air diffusers there so the material isn't thick by any means. I have money saved up that I was planning on using to buy a project car with but the more I think about it, the more I want to invest in a MIG welding machine for a good side hobby that won't drain my pockets as my friend is a carpenter and is always looking for welders. I plan to go back to school in February so I was hoping to turn this into a side job. Looking through my local craigslist ads, it's hard to know which welder I can use at home and I honestly don't know what the specification differences are between all of them so here I am. TL;DRI need a MIG welder that I can use to weld gates/fences and other things that carpenters need weldedhas to be able to run on a house's electricityhopefully less than $1500a list of suggested tools I'll need for abovelosangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?excats=122-23-1-17&sort=pricedsc&srchType=T&max_price=1500&query=w  elderthanks again for the helpLast edited by jose7467; 08-12-2015 at 09:27 PM.
Reply:A dual voltage mig is very doable in your budget.  The hobart 210 MVP I have works on household current and you can get it to 220 and really cook.  Same with the everlast 140 stick welder I have.  Either of those can weld steel fences and the hobart can run a spool gun for aluminum gates too.
Reply:Originally Posted by LarryLarryA dual voltage mig is very doable in your budget.  The hobart 210 MVP I have works on household current and you can get it to 220 and really cook.  Same with the everlast 140 stick welder I have.  Either of those can weld steel fences and the hobart can run a spool gun for aluminum gates too.
Reply:Originally Posted by jose7467Just double checking here by steel fences I mean the nice ones with designs in them as well as a rolling gate for driveways I was looking at that miller as well it seems good but I'm worried about the 20% duty cycle what do you think my cycle will be when welding said fences?
Reply:You may also look at the  Thermal-Arc, Tweco 181 and 211I's.Thermal Arc 210 - Tweco 211I - Cutmaster 52
Reply:Originally Posted by Arctic98zThats what we do at work, decorative gates, stairs, handrails/guard rails, doors, etc. We use a miller 130, 140 and a 180 as our field welders. That I can recall, we've never had a problem with duty cycle. 20% doesn't sound very appealing but with that line of work, we aren't running beads on beads for long periods of time. Usually short runs on small surfaces or thin stock, with time in between to cut, fit, grind and prep. So, I can't say for sure, but thats our experience.
Reply:Originally Posted by jose7467Good to know thanks for the input! Just out of curiosity what kind of gas do you guys usually use and cable thickness?