Welder carts

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I recently bought my first MIG welder and I am wanting to make a cart for it.  Are there any do's and don'ts I should pay attention to?  I have noticed some carts have the machine angled backwards....is that necessary/done for a reason?  What would you have done differently or changed on your cart?  Any help is greatly appreciated.Thanks.Last edited by ProCharger; 04-13-2012 at 06:58 PM.
Reply:Search  "welding carts" and sit and read....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Yes, do as Zapster says. There is already a lot of information available on this site about making carts. A quick search will find too much to read it all. The backward slope is so you can see and make adjustments to the welder easier without making the cart so high that it becomes top heavy..CharleyMiller MM252Miller Bobcat 225NTMiller DialArc HF / DIY Cooler2 Victor O/A TorchsetsMilwaukee 8" Metal SawMilwaukee Dry Cut "Chop" Saw 5 Ton Wallace Gantry Various Grinders, Benders, etc.
Reply:The angled back carts can screw up the angle that the wire comes out of the machine (depends on the machine too), makes it more prone to kinking the liner if it shoots up in the air just to bend down to the floor. I wouldn't do it. There really shouldn't be any issue seeing the knobs because your welder on the cart should be higher than knee-high in the first place.I would use at least 10" solid rubber wheels and 4" rubberized casters up front.Last edited by MikeGyver; 04-14-2012 at 12:50 AM.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Raise that puppy up where it can do some good.  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:and the tanks secured 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:as Mike and Mark both said keep it flat. your bigger machines like my mm252 come on a low flat cart so why would the smaller ones need to be high and angled?sorry for the messy shop i'm still trying to get moved in. took these pics for the ins co. Attached Images225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:I raised mine up to provide clearance for the stick welder.  Originally wanted an AC/DC unit, but bought the Century for $80.  I also have since sold the Lincoln, but the platform is a good place to store my grinders, gloves, slag hammer, MIG pliers & such.  If I ever get an inverter TIG, I'll place it where the Lincoln was at.  Flat placement was my whole idea & raise it up to where I wasn't bending over to make adjustments.I'm lazy that way...........MarkI 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:Originally Posted by MarkBall2I raised mine up to provide clearance for the stick welder.  Originally wanted an AC/DC unit, but bought the Century for $80.  I also have since sold the Lincoln, but the platform is a good place to store my grinders, gloves, slag hammer, MIG pliers & such.  If I ever get an inverter TIG, I'll place it where the Lincoln was at.  Flat placement was my whole idea & raise it up to where I wasn't bending over to make adjustments.I'm lazy that way...........
Reply:I have a 3 car garage, the first 2 bays hold the truck & mini-van, the other holds the lathe, mill, welders, welding table & in progress projects.  That's why everything is placed onto one cart.  The small bottle is an acetylene bottle, I've since moved it to in front of the tank supports & have a bottle of 75/25 & another bottle of Tri-Mix.  If I get a TIG welder, I'll stack that one between the other two gas bottles. Oh yeah, plus a treadmill I'm supposed to walk on 30 minutes a day every day.  Yeah, right!  Like I'm gonna exercise when I could be building something.MarkI 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:see there you have it. simple solution, just get a bigger shop and spend that extra time walking from project to project to get the exercise.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:i luv the thread were the guy did all the work on his super cart. Had so much sh;t welded to it . Painted it. Everybody posted eww ahhhs ,Then you could'nt open the door to put the spool of wire in it where is that thread.  too much        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:I thought of that when I built mine: 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:bet it's a bear to have to remove the welder to change the spool. one thing i notice you do Mark that i don't is close off the end off you tube. i leave mine open because i can hang all the stuff i can never find in the open ends and know where it should be.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Changing the spools is eazy-peazy.  The  doors swing up out of the way, the welder is at the proper height so I'm not bending over.  Changing the rollers is easy too.I did cap the tubes, as I wanted it to look nice.  My stand for the mill doesn't have all the ends capped though.  I hide a couple wrenches in the open ends on that.You can't see it in the photos, but I have a couple "L" brackets that screws holds the welder down onto the table using existing cover screws.  Using that, the welders didn't slide around.  With the weight of the larger Century welder on the front wheels, it's sometimes a bit difficult to roll, but once it's moved it rolls just fine in the garage.  I can even roll it outside, as I have 2, 25' extension cords.  That & if I use the stick I have 25' leads on it.  So I can actually fix something out in the street, if necessary. 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