Looking to Start a mobile welding repair busisness

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As a person looking to get a mobile repair business off the ground I am looking at options for my welding machine. I have looked for a cheap engine drive like an SA200 near my area and they are either want too much for them or they are too far away for me to drive to go and get. Is there any Miller, ESAB or other welding machine that I can get for a reasonable price that can run DC stick welding with enough amps and voltage to run 6010 and some of the thicker rods to do general Structural work and Hard facing on some heavy equipment that I might have to repair. What is going to be my best bet for a DC stick welder that can do at least 180 amps at the minimum and run 6010 and still be affordable. Im not looking to cheap out but i need something that is affordable on a small budget of about $1500.
Reply:You find almost all you due welding for do not the difference from a Amazon Friday special  and a Lincoln welder. You also find today Flux core is replacing stick welding for field welding.  You may find a good generator with a good 240 volt portable welder will do a great job. The days of stick welding is slowing down and flux core is on the way up. Dave FYI most welding I did was stick welding but and I enjoyed the smooth running of a stick rod. But times are changing

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

As a person looking to get a mobile repair business off the ground I am looking at options for my welding machine. I have looked for a cheap engine drive like an SA200 near my area and they are either want too much for them or they are too far away for me to drive to go and get. Is there any Miller, ESAB or other welding machine that I can get for a reasonable price that can run DC stick welding with enough amps and voltage to run 6010 and some of the thicker rods to do general Structural work and Hard facing on some heavy equipment that I might have to repair. What is going to be my best bet for a DC stick welder that can do at least 180 amps at the minimum and run 6010 and still be affordable. Im not looking to cheap out but i need something that is affordable on a small budget of about $1500.
Reply:what size generator do I need running watt wise.
Reply:I would look at 9,000 or larger You could start with 4,000Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

what size generator do I need running watt wise.
Reply:MIller Bobcats (225A) or Trailblazer (302 A or 325A) would do the trick. Used Bobcat can be found for About 1000 bucks. Lincoln has similar machines. For mobile work an engine drive would be my choice - can run suitcase wire feeder, TIG or even a HF TIG if needed. Plus it has generator that will run a smaller wire feeder if you wanted to.
Reply:Check into leasing a machine that will meet your needs.  Appearance matters, especially when you are starting out and have no reputation.  Look at what your competition is running.  In my area, the pipeliners run Lincolns almost exclusively, the railroads run miller Trailblazers, the service people run Miller Bobcats.Last edited by Teachu2; 1 Week Ago at 03:53 PM.Miller 250P, MM210, Bobcat 250Lincoln 225AC/DC, Pro-Mig 175Lotos Cut 50PrimeWeld TIG225XTitanium Easy Flux 125
Reply:

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

...enough amps and voltage to run 6010 and some of the thicker rods to do general Structural work and Hard facing on some heavy equipment that I might have to repair. What is going to be my best bet for a DC stick welder that can do at least 180 amps at the minimum and run 6010 and still be affordable. Im not looking to cheap out but i need something that is affordable on a small budget of about $1500.
Reply:Small footprint machine is certainly less to cart around.  Its cheaper to operate and has AC power.   Sa 200 has its place but has some drawbacks too especially for general work.  If I was going to be a real rod burner a larger machine is about a must but a Bobcat will run 5/32 lohy as fast as you can shove them in a stinger.    I have a couple SA and another engine drive but that little junker red one is my fave.  Its noisey, single cyl, 6KW gen will start a 5 hp motor and not blink. I like the way it welds.  Got a baby fuel tank which is both good and bad. Really has the power though.

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Last edited by Sberry; 1 Week Ago at 10:10 PM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:How is the hunt doing. Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

what size generator do I need running watt wise.
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

How is the hunt doing. Dave
Reply:Miller is good brand I have a lot Miller and they all work great 👍 Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

its going pretty well I found a listing for a miller trailblazer 275 for about $4000 and you can pretty much find what you need to get up and running on marketplace. I have to get my welding truck fixed up but you gave me some solid advice for choosing a welding machine and I will go with a miller.also any tips on buying used equipment.
Reply:4 large for a used machine is kind of stiff for a sprout.  Normally I would advocate newer smaller more moderm machi9nes but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,  you need to shop yet.  I paid 700 for the one you see hanging and had another one came with 200 ft heavy leads for 650.Last edited by Sberry; 1 Week Ago at 10:19 AM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Mobile welding does not must shop where go is shop. I agree sometimes a garage shop can be handy. They downside to formal shop is the over head. Mobile welding you are using someone else shop and overhead.  Your truck becomes your shop on wheels.Where most Mobile welders just have a set bottles and big old red and want to burn rod all day. Mobile welding repair witch is 98% of but having a small lathe , arbor press, drill press, small hoist, bandsaw and air compressurer. Odds are most time you will be welding but if a part needs form, turn or drill you do that work on the spot and keeps you welding in the field .Dave

Originally Posted by Sberry

4 large for a used machine is kind of stiff for a sprout.  Normally I would advocate newer smaller more moderm machi9nes but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,  you need to shop yet.  I paid 700 for the one you see hanging and had another one came with 200 ft heavy leads for 650.
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

Mobile welding does not must shop where go is shop. I agree sometimes a garage shop can be handy. They downside to formal shop is the over head. Mobile welding you are using someone else shop and overhead.  Your truck becomes your shop on wheels.Where most Mobile welders just have a set bottles and big old red and want to burn rod all day. Mobile welding repair witch is 98% of but having a small lathe , arbor press, drill press, small hoist, bandsaw and air compressurer. Odds are most time you will be welding but if a part needs form, turn or drill you do that work on the spot and keeps you welding in the field .Dave
Reply:

Originally Posted by tbone550

... But consider this.  If I bill $85/hr and I work 50 billable hours a week, a workload which is doable for me probably half of the year, I make $4250 gross a week.  Even after taking all of my expenses out, I can cash-flow a nice used modern-looking machine with 3 weeks' to a month's worth of steady work.  So even if I borrowed that money, I pay maybe one month's worth of interest on it before I pay the note off completely.  Now a startup is different, and I realize that, but if you can't scrape together enough work to pay a $3k welder off in a couple months, or if you don't have that money saved up already (and more), there are more serious problems on the horizon for the business.
Reply:The good news is the customer do not know the difference in welders Dave

Originally Posted by jamscal

This is the more important point^^^  Hopefully the OP has a budget for a welder and another for operating expenses, because if you do a $1000 job and then don't get paid, or make a mistake and don't get paid or just plain lose money on a job, you still need to go to the next job and try again (and have the $$$ to go.)  There is no quit.I don't know the OP's money situation...and I'm not one to borrow money lightly...but I might put a new welder on a CC and make payments over time...trying to pay it off asap as tbone says above.
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

The good news is the customer do not know the difference in welders Dave
Reply:Good news is many customers do not know about welding.  Having a nice rig might land you a job or 2, while you learn to weld or somebody else comes behind you to fix it.
Reply:

Originally Posted by tapwelder

Good news is many customers do not know about welding.  Having a nice rig might land you a job or 2, while you learn to weld or somebody else comes behind you to fix it.
Reply:Ok can of red paint and a Lincoln label 🏷 Dave

Originally Posted by tapwelder

Bad news is some have heard lincoln or miller.  Some will judge based on rig.
Reply:My Money Situation is that I am kinda broke. I have a part time job and I get extra money in from doing manual labor jobs. Right now I am working on the first part of my mobile welding repair business the Welding Rig itself. I bought a 2000 dodge ram 2500 4x4 that with a little fixing up should be a decent welding rig for me. I don't look to having this started up any time soon but at least by the end of fall or December maybe I could start to see this come together. I am going to be doing some more looking around while I am getting my truck fixed and saving up some money for my welding machine because its the root of the business. But I appreciate all the insight y'all have given me to look at and I really do appreciate all of the responses that you have given me as they have given me a lot to look at. but for now i have more different question to ask y'all.what other equipment am I going to need for my repair business. the only real piece of equipment I have is my Victor Journeyman Set I got from cyber weld by pay in 4 from paypal. and my Vulcan Commander 225/150 Stick Welder That I Practice on. I am in the market for a new hood as the harbor freight on that I had broke on me a few days ago.
Reply:A stick welder you will need a 9,000 generator. But can get small jobs by using customer power and work your way up.I hope you have a set of bottles for the torch.Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

My Money Situation is that I am kinda broke. I have a part time job and I get extra money in from doing manual labor jobs. Right now I am working on the first part of my mobile welding repair business the Welding Rig itself. I bought a 2000 dodge ram 2500 4x4 that with a little fixing up should be a decent welding rig for me. I don't look to having this started up any time soon but at least by the end of fall or December maybe I could start to see this come together. I am going to be doing some more looking around while I am getting my truck fixed and saving up some money for my welding machine because its the root of the business. But I appreciate all the insight y'all have given me to look at and I really do appreciate all of the responses that you have given me as they have given me a lot to look at. but for now i have more different question to ask y'all.what other equipment am I going to need for my repair business. the only real piece of equipment I have is my Victor Journeyman Set I got from cyber weld by pay in 4 from paypal. and my Vulcan Commander 225/150 Stick Welder That I Practice on. I am in the market for a new hood as the harbor freight on that I had broke on me a few days ago.
Reply:When I got my torch set we had about 3 of each oxygen and acetylene and I traded them in for two big sets so we could get the full cutting power of the journman sized torch. But I'm thinking about trading back out for two sets to go on the Welding rig.My Vulcan welder Weighs about 145lbs and if we ever had to move it again we would have to load it by tractor. So it isn't the most portable thing in the world but I do have a 3 phase generator that I can borrow from my dad dont know how many watts it is though it still needs to be fixed.
Reply:

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

My Money Situation is that I am kinda broke. I have a part time job and I get extra money in from doing manual labor jobs. Right now I am working on the first part of my mobile welding repair business the Welding Rig itself. I bought a 2000 dodge ram 2500 4x4 that with a little fixing up should be a decent welding rig for me. I don't look to having this started up any time soon but at least by the end of fall or December maybe I could start to see this come together. I am going to be doing some more looking around while I am getting my truck fixed and saving up some money for my welding machine because its the root of the business. But I appreciate all the insight y'all have given me to look at and I really do appreciate all of the responses that you have given me as they have given me a lot to look at. but for now i have more different question to ask y'all.what other equipment am I going to need for my repair business. the only real piece of equipment I have is my Victor Journeyman Set I got from cyber weld by pay in 4 from paypal. and my Vulcan Commander 225/150 Stick Welder That I Practice on. I am in the market for a new hood as the harbor freight on that I had broke on me a few days ago.
Reply:It sounds like you are on your way. To me 145 pounds is very portable. My welders where over 300 pounds each.It is start and you work with have today Newer and lighter welders and tools will come later as you gain more work. Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

When I got my torch set we had about 3 of each oxygen and acetylene and I traded them in for two big sets so we could get the full cutting power of the journman sized torch. But I'm thinking about trading back out for two sets to go on the Welding rig.My Vulcan welder Weighs about 145lbs and if we ever had to move it again we would have to load it by tractor. So it isn't the most portable thing in the world but I do have a 3 phase generator that I can borrow from my dad dont know how many watts it is though it still needs to be fixed.i think your going to end up doing all the lawnmower deck, treadmill fixes, lawn furniture, type work for a while, so learn to do that kind of work well its goods skills to have and dont need amps. i dont know you but you probably dont have enough hood time if your still practicing  dont know the laws in your area but maybe try to get some work off facebook and craigslist with the equipment you have 1500 might buy you a 20 year old high hour bobcat in this equipment shortage time. I started my drilling business on a shoe string budget 1950s drill rig but I was an expert at my trade, had my 10,000 hours in before I started my own thing. so its doable but humiliatingLast edited by idacal; 1 Week Ago at 09:48 AM.Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
Reply:You made a few comments that I think are worth thinking about.  And I'm laying around the house with COVID so I've got nothing better to do than type.The first one you made is that the welder is the heart of the business.  Setting yourself and your abilities aside, you're absolutely correct.  If there's anywhere to spend money, it's on the machine that makes the beads and on training the hand holding the stinger, torch, or gun.  Everything else is secondary.  If you really want to be a repair welder for a living, find a high-hour Trailblazer 302....it'll probably still be fine with 1500 or 2000 hrs on it, fine enough that you can earn it's purchase price back and the cost of a newer, lower-hour machine before it craps out on you.  Take out a loan for it if somebody will cosign for you.  Going into business is all about risk and how to manage it....owing somebody else money can be a good way to make yourself do those cold calls and get real work.Side Note # 1:  Do not plan to "learn on the job."  Bypass all of the cheap chintzy work like welding card tables together, etc, because you can and will starve to death trying to make it on that stuff.  Be experienced before you step out.  If you're not, plan to fail.  Almost no one can learn basics on the job and survive.  Their work will be looked at by people who know better, and if their work is crap, it gets out in the community.  This is if their work doesn't kill somebody or take a piece of equipment out of commission when it fails.  High-paying work has significant risk attached to it, and customers won't always see, understand, or tell you the risks.  You have to be able to see them for yourself.Side Note # 2: There is at least one person in this thread giving a lot of advice on mobile welding who isn't a mobile welder, has never been a mobile welder, and their advice is not sound in this case.  I'm not going to call them out, but it should be obvious who it is.  Just putting that out there since you're new.  PM me if you don't understand what I'm saying.I think you are coming at this from a farm-boy perspective of cobbling stuff together to get it to work, sort of.  The old truck you're building up, the 1500 limit for the welder, the actual welder you currently have that you might be thinking about using on the job, the non-running 3-phase generator which wouldn't power that welder anyway.....Let me give you some advice on your approach, it might not be popular, and I don't want you to take it the wrong way.  First, I grew up on a farm myself, so I'm allowed to talk like this.  I'm not going to waste too many words trying to be nice, but I'm not being mean, just FYI.  First, the truck.  That truck will be fine, assuming it's not rusted out.  Don't drive a rustbucket onto a jobsite unless you know the owner and are friends with them.  Nobody wants to hire somebody where it looks like this is their first job, or where it looks like they can't afford decent equipment.  A clean older truck works fine in this business.  A rusted-out or dented-up truck, not so much.  Appearance does matter, and people get an idea of how much they're willing to pay you from their first view of you, which is usually you getting out of your truck.  Leave the truck pretty stock as far as ride height, wheels, etc, especially if it's a cheap truck.  An $80k jacked-up rig with a $20k welder says one thing, a $2,000 jacked up rig with a $1500 welder says another.  The first guy either fooled his banker or he's making it.  The second guy didn't know enough about business to put his lift kit money into a better welder instead.You've already gotten plenty of advice about the welder.  But for giggles and since I'm stuck at home with COVID, I looked up your welder.  It has a 20% duty cycle at 150A and it has 8' leads.  It's an old-style transformer, meaning that it sucks power and needs 59A input current at 220V to weld at 225A on AC current, or it needs 49A input at 220V to weld at 150A on DC.  Therefore, if you want to run it on peak output, you need a 13.2KW generator for AC max welding current or you need an 11KW generator for max DC welding current.  Those numbers are without oversizing the generator by at least 20% like is usually done for loads that'll be long-term.  And at your house, that machine needs to be on a 60A breaker.  It has 8' tiny leads which were designed with that 20% duty cycle in mind.  In short, you have a perfectly fine welder for hobby use and learning.  But you don't have one capable of making you look good on a job.  Just in case anyone is making you think that it would be cool to hook it up to a generator and go onto a jobsite with it.  

One other thing about that welder -- the 145 lb weight is heavy, but in the field you'll be lifting stuff heavier than that.  A 282cf oxygen tank is as heavy or heavier, for example.  So if you can't lift that welder by yourself, you should probably eat more Wheaties....you'll need to be strong enough to do that so you can do other things.Let's look at something like a Miller XMT-304, which can be found for about $1000 and can run on single-phase 220V or 3-phase up to 480V.  (Just for anyone's info, there are also high-voltage 3-phase versions of the -304 which don't have the single-phase ability, so make sure which one it is before you buy.)  So the -304 has a 60% duty cycle at 225A on single-phase, or 60% at 300A on 3-phase.  To get the 300A output, it needs 47A input current on 220V single-phase.  It needs less on the higher-voltage 3-phase circuits.  The XMT has 100% duty cycle until it hits 175A on single-phase 220V.  It weighs 80 lbs, has actual handles to carry it with or use as lift eyes, but still needs an 11KW generator to reach it's max output of 300A on single-phase 220V.  And again, you'd normally oversize that generator if you expected to use it long-term for this sort of thing.  Coincidentally or not, I've run XMT's off of my TB325's 12KW generator with no problem while also using the TB325 to weld with.Your Dad's 3-phase generator isn't going to power your single-phase welder anyway, unless it can be reconnected for single-phase output.  Some can be.  But I would seriously scrap the idea of showing up with what is obviously a hobby-quality welder being powered by an old generator and expecting anyone to buy your services.  You've got one chance to make a first impression, and if you get laughed off of a jobsite, or you get in the door making $30/hr because that's all your equipment allows you to be worth, you will likely not get a second chance at that customer or a second chance at starting at a decent wage when one day you have better equipment.So I would encourage you to do whatever is necessary, including finding a full-time job (these days everyone is hiring) so that you can get your money situation under control first.  And if it's not under control by Fall or December, don't sweat it; keep at it.  You will not succeed if you go into this without two pennies to rub together and running cobbled-together equipment.  I know there are people who have done it.  But their success stories are drowned out by the silent majority who failed trying to do the same thing and don't want to talk about it because it's embarrassing.  Along those lines, hopefully you can hire on with a metalworking company, fab shop, mechanical contractor, etc, so that you can learn the ropes on someone else's dime.  Seriously, it's admirable that you wanted a torch bad enough to finance it through Cyberweld, but also seriously: 1) A Journeyman torch isn't necessary for what you're trying to do, and you could've saved a bunch of money on that if you'd had a chance to ask before dumping the big bucks, and 2) Having to finance a torch is a bad sign.  Just being honest and looking at this from the outside as an interested bystander; I'm not trying to beat you up.  And I wish somebody would've given me some of this advice 16 years ago when I started.I've already said what type of welder I'd be looking for if I was getting into repair work with a limited budget, so I won't rehash that.Your other question was about what other type of equipment you need for repair welding.  I'll try to list the stuff on my F350 by compartment as I can remember it.Driver's side front compartment: medium-duty Smith torch with Victor Edge regulators, large oxygen which is a leased 282cf tank, 20-lb propane BBQ tank, 50' grade T hoses, strikerDriver's side over the wheel top shelf: 50' extension cord, 25' CO2 extension hose, 1/8 and 5/32 Excalibur in 10 lb cans, 25' 110V extension cord with quad outlet, 8 lb sledgehammer, 15' stinger whip, 20' ground whipDriver's side over the wheel bottom shelf: All PPE ....work gloves, light welding gloves, heavy welding gloves with aluminized back hand shield, welding beanie, respirator, old gloves and jacket to use as shields, kneepads, leather welding jacket, cotton welding jacket, leather welding chaps, rod holder, clear face shield, welding helmet, 5' crowbar, 48" straight edgeDriver's side small compartment behind the wheel: wood blocks, mechanical bottle jacksPassenger's side front compartment top shelf: F-clamps of different sizes, Magnaflux crack inspection kit''' middle shelf: (10) Vise-Grip finger grips with swivel ends, Milwaukee 8" metal cutting circular saw''' bottom of box: 20 lb fire extinguisher, 5' chain with slide hook on one end, grab hook on the other, Craftsman tool setPassenger's side over the wheel: 4.5" Milwaukee M18 grinder with stringer brush, 4.5" Metabo 18V grinder with wheel, 4.5" Metabo flathead corded grinder w/ cutoff wheel, 4.5" Milwaukee corded grinder with wheel, M18 cordless blower, M18 charger, Metabo 18V die grinder, Milwaukee 1/2" M18 hammer drill, Milwaukee M18 LED flashlight, Milwaukee M18 LED floodlight, Metabo 18V charger, box with random little steel scraps and shims, cheap 1/2" drill bit set, 10-pack of jobber 1/8" drill bits, several hole saws between 3/4" and 1-1/4", box of spare welding helmet lenses, nozzle dip, bag of spare MIG tips, extra 4.5" grinding wheels, box of 50 4.5" cutoff wheels, extra 4.5" flap discs, 4.5" cup brush, extra 4.5" stringer brush, 1-1/8" wrench, side cutters, extra striker, soapstone, Silver Streak pencil and refills, torpedo level, grinder wrench, utility knife, black sharpie, other misc small tools I'm forgetting, (2) 20" crowbars, big spud wrench, impact screwdriver, 10-lb cans of 3/32 7018, 3/32 and 1/8 6010, (5) M18 batteries and (4) Metabo 18V batteriesPassenger's side small compartment behind the wheel: bunch of cheap Irwin sliding beam woodworking clamps (probably 12 of them), cans of misc primer and paint to match customers' colors, fireproof knee padBack bumper is made of 3/8" plate with a 4" clamping perimeter and has a Reed 204R swivel vise mounted on itInside the bed is a 60cf tank of CO2, a TB325 welder which is pinned on and can be removed quickly, my metal bucket of tools, and a Weatherguard toolbox at the front of the bed.  Inside the metal bucket of tools is: 12" square, 12" combination square, bullpin, 3-lb hammer, striker, 7/16" centerpunch, big cold chisel, combination torch wrench, MIG pliers, cheap regular pliers, utility knife, angle finder, oxyacetylene tip cleaner, some other stuff I'm forgetting (about half of it).Inside the Weatherguard is: Miller Suitcase 12RC feeder with .045 Dual Shield, Miller Suitcase 8RC with .035 NR-211, Multimatic 200 with .030 solid wire, plus (2) 50' extension leads for the stinger and/or ground whips stored elsewhere, extra 50' 110V extension cord, 25' extension cord for the RC feeders, ground and stinger for the Multimatic, flowmeter and 25' hose for the CO2 tank, 24" framing square, 4' x 6' welding blanketInside the cab (some behind the seat): First Aid kit, 48" level, hard hat, neon safety vest, raincoat, clipboard with job info, extra torch tips and multimeter in the glovebox, Milwaukee M18 inflator, tire plug kitThis is about the minimum of stuff I've found that will get me by on any old random job I get a call about, although I'm setting up a little Chevy Colorado for tiny jobs where I'll just have torches and a Miller Fusion 160 and hand tools.  I figure I can probably do 20-30% of my work with a truck like that, and then my other truck will be an F450.  So I'm slightly downsizing since I don't do so much mechanical work anymore.I won't even try to list what was on my International before I cleaned it out.Finally, on your torches, if you're going to be in the business, you need full-sized cylinders, not the small ones.  That means a 280cf tank of oxygen and a 130cf acetylene or a 20 lb tank of propane which is my preference.  Full-sized cylinders get you the most gas for your money, because gas is priced cheaper per cf as the tank volume increases.  I don't like leases, and I like being able to get my fuel gas whenever I want, so I went with propane instead of acetylene.  I haven't regretted that choice.Last edited by tbone550; 1 Week Ago at 12:27 PM.Reason: grammar
Reply:I used to do more mobile but got to agree about some of the appearance.  People that know me could care less what I drive or if I show up in w wheelbarrow, its done over the phone and sometimes involves more than just a weld,,,, oh,,, so you hooked it up and its ready to go?  You need to be ready, jump in and go.  2nd,,, I agree with the man about some experience here.  Repairs can be a challenge and a lot of it involves things beside running a bead.  We went steel shopping yesterday, got offers of 2 welding jobs to hire on.  There is no better time than now to jump on that and see a bit of how its done.  There is so much info out there now to tell th3e truth I am jealous of the times,,, I squandered a lot of stuff in my younger days and I would hit the road today after I put a card in my pocket and check out some really interesting jobs going on.  Good welding skills, able to pass real welding test is key to this, one guy on the tractor forum has a grandson who is a poster child for this, real good welder, sharp guy and in demand, c an focus on some skill without the distractioons of business at this time.   Every once in a while, similar to sports and art someone comes along with a real gift and goes in to biz at 19 but they pretty rare and they are gifted, not always the greatest welders either but its a different skill set.

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Reply:I like the idea you go with abou8t the LP bottle and a big O2.  I kept 2 120 on this ole truck and a full gas but even though it wasnt cheap it was pocket change to fill an 80 and can be thrifty.  Couldnt scrap for a day but it wasnt a porto torch either and a guy could general fab some fix up as long as you started out with some.  A 20 has limited withdraw especially as it gets colder, use a 30 can run a tip bigger and if I was to go a scrappin would have 100 and big bottle of O2 and maybe 2.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Dave mentions portable welding instead of shop.  Well after a while we do what it takes to get it to the shop... ha My use is so limited that simple works. Stick weld for field and torch cut vs plasma. In my own case simple demo would be pulled up next to and reached with plasma and can go a long time with the exception of an event or 2 uses as much as I dole out for the rest of the year.  I use a torch on auto work but its also limited.     But not everyone lives in California weather, its crap  here a lot.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:I have work in rain and fog outdoors. I have also found I made more money outdoors. Inside is always a lower amount.  All you need is a umbrella 🌂 and that is your shop 🌂. Heat is just a propane heater witch I still have. Dave

Originally Posted by Sberry

Dave mentions portable welding instead of shop.  Well after a while we do what it takes to get it to the shop... ha My use is so limited that simple works. Stick weld for field and torch cut vs plasma. In my own case simple demo would be pulled up next to and reached with plasma and can go a long time with the exception of an event or 2 uses as much as I dole out for the rest of the year.  I use a torch on auto work but its also limited.     But not everyone lives in California weather, its crap  here a lot.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Sberry

A 20 has limited withdraw especially as it gets colder, use a 30 can run a tip bigger and if I was to go a scrappin would have 100 and big bottle of O2 and maybe 2.
Reply:

Originally Posted by tbone550

It took me half a day to figure half of your post out.  I was thinking, "Why did you start talking about shops?  The question has nothing to do with shops."Then I realized you saw where sberry said, "You need to shop yet," and you thought he was saying that the OP still needed to have a shop.Sberry meant that the OP needed to keep shopping, it means, keep looking for a better price on a welder.  He wasn't talking about a shop.Now that that's over.I think the 275 came out around the same time the 325 did, and was kind of the 'budget' model Trailblazer.  I don't know anything about it other than that, nor can I comment on present values since everything has gone nuts.  I just checked, a new TB325 with EFI and Excel is $9200 list.  Just four years ago they were $6,000 -- I know because I bought one in '18.I think you're heading in the right direction with the money, and I think you're going to spend north of $3k to get something that looks professional and that can go on industrial jobsites without getting commented on behind your back.  Just my opinion.  But consider this.  If I bill $85/hr and I work 50 billable hours a week, a workload which is doable for me probably half of the year, I make $4250 gross a week.  Even after taking all of my expenses out, I can cash-flow a nice used modern-looking machine with 3 weeks' to a month's worth of steady work.  So even if I borrowed that money, I pay maybe one month's worth of interest on it before I pay the note off completely.  Now a startup is different, and I realize that, but if you can't scrape together enough work to pay a $3k welder off in a couple months, or if you don't have that money saved up already (and more), there are more serious problems on the horizon for the business.
Reply:

Originally Posted by William McCormick

Look professional? Most mobile stick welding I did was with machines that had so many coats of paint on them I could not tell what brand they were. I took the bosses word they were Lincolns. I did everything from stairs with rails and basement entrances in new buildings to heavy high steel fences around city buildings and when it got slow I did hand rails, and residential spiral staircases or heavy equipment repairs, dumpster repairs and PVC coated rebar Casons. No one cares what your equipment looks like. Most of the jobs came from a person seeing the work done and saying I want that too. We would pull up in a van that had a welding machine in it, and do welding on huge estate properties. The down side is that if it is raining and you are up against the van that had white latex paint for a second coat and you were squeezing in between the van and work clamp grounded railing you would get a nice shock as you were trying to stay calm and get unstuck. There are some nice welding trucks in the city but people think that will cost them more. They want to see some dingy looking guys as big as Russian bears jump off the truck with 150 foot of cable on their shoulder and a fifty pound can of rod in hand, while double parked and get to work. All because of taxation. Sincerely, William McCormick
Reply:We always had a forklift and we would put the welder on and off of the truck or sometimes van to save the tires and to use the truck without an extra 600 plus pounds of welder and wire. That seemed to make good sense. Sincerely, William McCormickIf I wasn't so.....crazy, I wouldn't try to act normal, and you would be afraid.
Reply:

Originally Posted by William McCormick

Look professional? ....No one cares what your equipment looks like.....
Reply:Great if you have a forklift at both ends. 😀 Dave

Originally Posted by William McCormick

We always had a forklift and we would put the welder on and off of the truck or sometimes van to save the tires and to use the truck without an extra 600 plus pounds of welder and wire. That seemed to make good sense. Sincerely, William McCormick
Reply:I agree with tbone, there is a right spee3d for a start up,,, some sweat equity isnt a bad thing and shows some ambition.  The small footprint machine is good where you want to carry it all the time, a 250 have no problem with it and some tools, I did it from a 150 with helper springs in the rear.   I understand a well established outfit with masters doing complicated work can get by on different equipment,,,, also agree the jacked up look with the bobber look wont get it.  A bobber in a modest used truck is another matter though, it needs to fit.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:I do the forklift thing now due to the fact its so rare and I dont need to shoot out the gate every day on call in it.   Did one last week,,, Maxstar, 120V outlet, 4 rods.   But note the skid under the little machine, made just for it, has 80 cf bottle bracket along with 20# LP, self contained weld cut and grind skid.

Attached Images


Last edited by Sberry; 6 Days Ago at 10:41 AM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Looks great 👍 I think is for most of first starting you are on a shoe string budget. It more how to start a business on a little cash. After a few years now you can buy the new good equipment. Dave

Originally Posted by Sberry

I do the forklift thing now due to the fact its so rare and I dont need to shoot out the gate every day on call in it.   Did one last week,,, Maxstar, 120V outlet, 4 rods.   But note the skid under the little machine, made just for it, has 80 cf bottle bracket along with 20# LP, self contained weld cut and grind skid.
Reply:I think small jobs are alright.  If structured and pay is right, then you will make money.  If you feel you cannot afford to say "no" to a low price, then you will run into issues...literally no money for fuel, but plenty of jobs.  I experienced that about 20 yrs ago. Contractors would not pay deposits(i allowed myself to be punked into accepting their terms).  I was not charging enough(learning).... I was persecuting myself for lack of experience yet had the skill and resources to provide the desired service. There are other issues with small jobs,  like consistency can you string enough together to make a good week wage.  Setting up may take longer than the repair, do that a few time per day...
Reply:

Originally Posted by tapwelder

Bad news is some have heard lincoln or miller.  Some will judge based on rig.
Reply:Oftentimes being organized and efficient makes the job look easy resulting in the customer thinking he is paying you too much.

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Reply:Contracts never have money 💰. I alway get a deposit from Contracts and when the contractor does not pay a invoice works stops. Dave

Originally Posted by tapwelder

I think small jobs are alright.  If structured and pay is right, then you will make money.  If you feel you cannot afford to say "no" to a low price, then you will run into issues...literally no money for fuel, but plenty of jobs.  I experienced that about 20 yrs ago. Contractors would not pay deposits(i allowed myself to be punked into accepting their terms).  I was not charging enough(learning).... I was persecuting myself for lack of experience yet had the skill and resources to provide the desired service. There are other issues with small jobs,  like consistency can you string enough together to make a good week wage.  Setting up may take longer than the repair, do that a few time per day...
Reply:I agree always a deposit when I think small jobs are alright.  If structured and pay is right, then you will make money.  If you feel you cannot afford to say "no" to a low price, then you will run into issues...literally no money for fuel, but plenty of jobs.  I experienced that about 20 yrs ago. Contractors would not pay deposits(i allowed myself to be punked into accepting their terms).  I was not charging enough(learning).... I was persecuting myself for lack of experience yet had the skill and resources to provide the desired service. There are other issues with small jobs,  like consistency can you string enough together to make a good week wage.  Setting up may take longer than the repair, do that a few time per day....  If no deposit, then charge at minimum interest for the loan you extend to them.  However, Plenty of folk i will work for without a deposit.  Know the terms so you can prepare.
Reply:The ones that work without a deposit from a contractor sooner or later will go bankruptcy.  I know to many sub that did not take a deposit and sooner or later one would not pay. If it small job I would do work without deposit as it is a small lost. Dave PS I do not like working for contractors due there paying me.

Originally Posted by tapwelder

I agree always a deposit when I think small jobs are alright.  If structured and pay is right, then you will make money.  If you feel you cannot afford to say "no" to a low price, then you will run into issues...literally no money for fuel, but plenty of jobs.  I experienced that about 20 yrs ago. Contractors would not pay deposits(i allowed myself to be punked into accepting their terms).  I was not charging enough(learning).... I was persecuting myself for lack of experience yet had the skill and resources to provide the desired service. There are other issues with small jobs,  like consistency can you string enough together to make a good week wage.  Setting up may take longer than the repair, do that a few time per day....  If no deposit, then charge at minimum interest for the loan you extend to them.  However, Plenty of folk i will work for without a deposit.  Know the terms so you can prepare.
Reply:Know the terms.  For me. Home builders pay deposit 100 percent.  Larger established companies may not, since it may not be policy.  You can also be creative and at least get material covered by them paying directly to vendor.  Non payment is rare and should not bankrupt a small mobile business.  If it does, then there were other issues.  Delayed / scheduled payment may be very uncomfortable but knowing the term eliminated the concern.  Doing your own thing aint like working at Mcdonalds. Where you get a check at the end o a bad week. So, hopefully you have jobs stacked.Do not be afraid to work without a deposit.  Do not make it a way of life get it whenever available.  But, do not pass up lucrative opportunities because of what might happen.
Reply:I did not have much time to respond to your post yesterday. There has been a lot more post so I am going to try to answer most of them the best I canSo First of all Tbone550 you pretty much have me nailed down to a tee except for a few things. I really prefer not to cobble things up that's how my grandpa did it, and that's how my dad did it. I try to get things done the right way where its not all cobbled up because I hate cobbling things up be cause that's how I got things handed to me from my dad and my grandpa and I don't like it one bit.Second, The reason I mentioned the current welder and generator is because someone said that it would be an option to look at however that is not the route I am going now that you showed me one of the miller trailblazers and how reasonably price I could find them in my area I have decided to get one of them when I get my truck fixed. Third there seems to be conflict about the appearance part as I have seen advice for why and why not appearance matters. I do believe that some appearance matters I cant go in looking like my equipment is all beat up and that includes the truck. I am going to try to look as professional as possible while also staying practical. Fourth, My Acetylene Tank is a 420 cubic foot tank its massive, I Literally walked in to the welding shop and asked for the biggest tanks he had and I don't Know what Size Oxygen bottle I got but I got one to match it. But my question is I see welding rigs designed with the oxygen tanks laid down and that's what I want if I can do that. And I know the reason the Acetylene has to stand up because of acetone. but what would be a proper size tank of oxygen and Acetylene to keep on the truck, Do I need a propane tank for doing preheats with just a propane torch on welds that require preheat. Now on to the torch I bought that torch from cyber weld because we need a set of regulators too and the ESS42 regulators were a big step up from the old ones I was using and the Torch Kit was on sale at the time and We needed it to cut something I don't remember what.Last edited by ryancrowe92; 6 Days Ago at 09:50 PM.
Reply:

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

I did not have much time to respond to your post yesterday. There has been a lot more post so I am going to try to answer most of them the best I canSo First of all Tbone550 you pretty much have me nailed down to a tee except for a few things. I really prefer not to cobble things up that's how my grandpa did it, and that's how my dad did it. I try to get things done the right way where its not all cobbled up because I hate cobbling things up be cause that's how I got things handed to me from my dad and my grandpa and I don't like it one bit.Second, The reason I mentioned the current welder and generator is because someone said that it would be an option to look at however that is not the route I am going now that you showed me one of the miller trailblazers and how reasonably price I could find them in my area I have decided to get one of them when I get my truck fixed. Third there seems to be conflict about the appearance part as I have seen advice for why and why not appearance matters. I do believe that some appearance matters I cant go in looking like my equipment is all beat up and that includes the truck. I am going to try to look as professional as possible while also staying practical. Fourth, My Acetylene Tank is a 420 cubic foot tank its massive, I Literally walked in to the welding shop and asked for the biggest tanks he had and I don't Know what Size Oxygen bottle I got but I got one to match it. But my question is I see welding rigs designed with the oxygen tanks laid down and that's what I want if I can do that. And I know the reason the Acetylene has to stand up because of acetone. but what would be a proper size tank of oxygen and Acetylene to keep on the truck, Do I need a propane tank for doing preheats with just a propane torch on welds that require preheat. Now on to the torch I bought that torch from cyber weld because we need a set of regulators too and the ESS42 regulators were a big step up from the old ones I was using and the Torch Kit was on sale at the time and We needed it to cut something I don't remember what.
Reply:It come down how mush you have to spend. Cobbled together is typically lack of funds or just do not want spend money.If you invest a lot on credit card you will pay it back even if you having a hard time finding work. No credit cards to pay back you go a long time. Dave

Originally Posted by ryancrowe92

I did not have much time to respond to your post yesterday. There has been a lot more post so I am going to try to answer most of them the best I canSo First of all Tbone550 you pretty much have me nailed down to a tee except for a few things. I really prefer not to cobble things up that's how my grandpa did it, and that's how my dad did it. I try to get things done the right way where its not all cobbled up because I hate cobbling things up be cause that's how I got things handed to me from my dad and my grandpa and I don't like it one bit.Second, The reason I mentioned the current welder and generator is because someone said that it would be an option to look at however that is not the route I am going now that you showed me one of the miller trailblazers and how reasonably price I could find them in my area I have decided to get one of them when I get my truck fixed. Third there seems to be conflict about the appearance part as I have seen advice for why and why not appearance matters. I do believe that some appearance matters I cant go in looking like my equipment is all beat up and that includes the truck. I am going to try to look as professional as possible while also staying practical. Fourth, My Acetylene Tank is a 420 cubic foot tank its massive, I Literally walked in to the welding shop and asked for the biggest tanks he had and I don't Know what Size Oxygen bottle I got but I got one to match it. But my question is I see welding rigs designed with the oxygen tanks laid down and that's what I want if I can do that. And I know the reason the Acetylene has to stand up because of acetone. but what would be a proper size tank of oxygen and Acetylene to keep on the truck, Do I need a propane tank for doing preheats with just a propane torch on welds that require preheat. Now on to the torch I bought that torch from cyber weld because we need a set of regulators too and the ESS42 regulators were a big step up from the old ones I was using and the Torch Kit was on sale at the time and We needed it to cut something I don't remember what.