Truck or Trailer

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I know it may be a can of worms. Which do you like for a welding setup? pros and/or cons. thinking of which to start work on even though I haven't been to school and have no experience.In College for welding.Learning 6010 first.passed butt weld, lap, lap multipass, t-weld I have a Campbell Hausfeld Farmhand 125 (only used fluxcore sofar).
Reply:If a full-time set-up, go with the truck.  If part-time, consider the trailer.  You really didn't tell us much about what YOU plan to do, or how much equipment you'll need to do it with.Do you already have a truck?Tell us a lot more about your situation.
Reply:Got to get started. I have an uncle to hire on with and he runs his own truck and contracts with Schlumberger. Thought he could help me learn more after college. close to newer truck for the work.In College for welding.Learning 6010 first.passed butt weld, lap, lap multipass, t-weld I have a Campbell Hausfeld Farmhand 125 (only used fluxcore sofar).
Reply:You still really didn't tell us much about what YOU plan to do, or how much equipment you'll need to do it with.Are we supposed to know who Schlumberger is?Do you already have that newer truck?  Maybe if we knew what it was, it would help.Tell us a lot more about your situation if you want any useful answers at all.
Reply:Originally Posted by MAC702You still really didn't tell us much about what YOU plan to do, or how much equipment you'll need to do it with.Are we supposed to know who Schlumberger is?Do you already have that newer truck?  Maybe if we knew what it was, it would help.Tell us a lot more about your situation if you want any useful answers at all.
Reply:Originally Posted by RoRo72Equipment and trailer repair. Schlumberger - Oilfield sorry people know them before Halliburton(Dick Cheney and Bush know this one) around hereLooking for a decent Dodge 1ton but if trailer I can go for 3/4ton. Looking at Mill TB302 or Pro300, O/A, Reels, Vise, Stands, etc
Reply:when I worked in northwest OKLa. in 1982 , for a cousin, he had hired 160 welders with their own rigs. Building drilling rigs ,for sale.   NOT one had a trailer . ALL had trucks , mostly 1 tons. all had either sa200's or S A 250's. mine an  S A 250 perkins diesel . still have it, still runs great.[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:I would say truck as well.  If you are a full time in the field welder a truck is the way to go.  I ran trailers for 10 years before i bought my first truck to mount my equipment on.  I don;t think I could go back...I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:This was my thought and thanks for input. all input going same way. need to save some more in the truck fund.In College for welding.Learning 6010 first.passed butt weld, lap, lap multipass, t-weld I have a Campbell Hausfeld Farmhand 125 (only used fluxcore sofar).
Reply:I hate going against popular ideas , if they work. I personally like the trailer set-up. I can put everything on my trailer, and when I'm done for the week , I unhitch it , and thats it. I dont have to bring all my tools with me if I want to go fishing or camping or whatever. If you only have enough money for 1 vehicle , like me, I would go with the trailer. It sucks putting your groceries in the back , with a set of gates and railings there. Then if you have a seperate truck for work , that is another registration , more insurance , more tires , and tune ups. I see everyone here is liking trucks , but , I'm a trailer guy. Its a personal preferance i think............chrisp
Reply:It's a personal preference in SOME ways.  Depending on the oil field, it may make the difference in whether or not you get the job or are able to get your rig in to where the job is.I did the trailer routine, which is fine in the city for many things.  I also can't tell you how many times I didn't feel like hitching up the trailer, and took all the tools I thought I would need and jumped in the truck only to really wish I had something with me that I had on the trailer.
Reply:I've worked in the oilfield and even know how to pronounce Schlumberger. It doesn't rhyme with hamburger folks. I know several welders with trailers but never seen a trailer in the oilfield but I haven't done oilfield work in 20 years.
Reply:i grew up in the oilfield. here in south louisiana most welders run just a truck. trailers only for materials. and it sounds like slum ber jay     lol63' Lincoln SA200 2008 miller trailblazer 302fibre-metal pipelinermiller camo BWEand all the guns and ammo a growin boy needs
Reply:I have had both. I had a bus with all the tools in it including my Lincoln weldman power G7.  It sat over the wheel well  and was plumbed into the bus gas tank.  Exhause was run out side and it had its own battery.  I just opened the window and threw the cables out.  Worked great.  Then for about 15 years I had it on a trailer. That worked out well for the part time welding I did.  It sat next to the house and got used as a generator many times.  Now I have my first truck with the welder mounted on it..  So far I have used it on 3 jobs and I like it!  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I have been getting set up for mobile welding lately and have been doing occasional mobile jobs as I go along.   I started with a portable 4kW generator I use for camping and portable 220v mig and stick welders I already had here at the house and put them in the back of the little pickup whenever I had a field job to do and that worked out ok.   Of course, I always have to take things one step further than just 'ok', so....Now I found a good deal on a very gently used Miller Bobcat 10kW 250a welder/generator machine and mounted it in the back of my F350 and that is working 'ok' so far...  However, the trade-off to having that nice, big machine on the truck is I dont get to use my truck for much else but carrying the welding outfit anymore.   I like to use my truck for many things and I miss it .  I have a trailer I could mount the welding stuff on, but it's a big trailer (20-foot deck), and the truck is a big, crew-cab long-bed 4x4 too, so manuevering it in tight spaces is NOT fun!   It's not something I really want to be dragging around all over town.  I didnt really want to buy/register/park/maintain a second trailer to hold the welding stuff, so....I just picked up a used 'utility body' called a Load'N'Go that lifts up on corner jacks and loads into the regular pickup bed of the truck like an RV camper.   It's a really cool set-up.  It has lots of easy-access, lockable tool storage space on the big side boxes, a huge pull-out 'pack-rat' drawer under the bed, and still a 4x8 pickup bed to mount the Bobcat, air compressor, welding tanks and job-box on.  The cool thing about it is that my truck will still be useful for personal and recreation purposes (off roading, taking the motorcycles to the desert, hauling the camper, taking the family out, etc) and still looks like any other normal pickup when the utility box is off-loaded from the truck.  When I need to weld in the field, I can back the truck under the utility box (already loaded with all the equipment), drop it down, connect the tie-downs and it becomes the 'welding truck' again .   Cool, huh?  I will get the manueverability and convenience of a truck setup, with the multi-use versatility of a trailer setup, without hassling with the trailer (once I get it all set up...).  I'm excited about it!   The whole rig looks nice, and has a more 'professional' appearance than just a bunch of equipment thrown in the back of a pickup bed, while still not looking overly 'utilitarian' like a phone company truck with a permanently mounted utility box.   Check out www.fleetwest.net for info on the Load'N'Go utility body.  The new prices are kinda steep, but I got a great deal on a used one in nice shape.  I'll have to take some pics of it once I get it all setup on the truck and start using it for jobs.   I think work will be alot easier and faster once I can organize and access all my tools easily from outside the truck and not have to load and unload it all the time for fear of stuff getting ripped off outta the back of the truck, or rained on and ruined.  I intend to build some kind of removeable top for it to cover the welder from the rain when not in use, while still providing good air flow to cool the motor when working.  I'm only doing the mobile welding on a part-time basis since I have a regular full time welding job that pays the bills, as well as other side work I do from home.   Being able to set the utility box, containing the mobile welding business entirely, down off the truck and not have to carry around those extra thousands of pounds on the truck all the time is appealing to me too, save me some gas $$.  Last edited by DesertRider33; 06-20-2007 at 01:36 AM.
Reply:Why not just have a skid setup if you're going to use the truck for other stuff too.  Get done with welding set the whole setup on the ground.  You wouldn't have to have a forklift, make up an A-frame and a chain hoist.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools