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I'd like to get some comments or ideas on how to consolidate my welders down to one or two units rather than the five I have nowI am a retired engineer and military pilot. I have been welding for about 40 years on and off, mostly stick, FCAW, and MIG. I have built four trailers, three metal buildings, lots of projects like tool stands and tables, etc. All are still standing or on the road, so far as I know. I also have been exposed to welding in heavy equipment and aircraft overhaul depot shops plus a few welding theory courses, but no real formal hands-on training. The thickest I have welded is 1/2" and mostly mild steel. I do a fair job of welding but have learned a great deal being here for a couple of years, mostly material prep and technique so THANKS in advance to all here. At the moment I have a 10k Hobart Champion welder gen, a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone, HH187, import 40A plasma, and import Super 200P stick/plasma/TIG machine. I also have OA. For the record, the imports work good but the 200P was a real headache to get to that point - they both now work as advertised whenever I crank them up. .I might weld two or three times a month, and then up to two or three days. Most of what I do is 5/16" or less. I really love MIG. I would like to TIG but am too far from a school though I have satisfied myself that I can at least do mild steel and stainless. I'd like to downsize to just a couple of welders plus a generator and sell the rest. I also have an 8k Onan generator. I love to MIG and am wondering if a bigger MIG would fill my needs so I could sell the stick machines and the HH187, I also am thinking of geting rid of the 200P and later picking up a smaller used Miller Maxstar for TIG. I would keep only the Onan gen, buy a 250A MIG, and keep the smaller 40A import plasma. The up to $3000 I would get from selling off what I don't use much would get me what I wanted and clear out some shop space. Any off site welding I could take care of with the Onan and MIG.Steve in Central TXThis make any sense?
Reply:Would the Onan power the 250 amp mig if you wanted it at full amperage? I'm not a tig weldor, but I'm sure you already know how to O/A weld. If so, I understand tig isn't too much of a stretch beyond that. Correct me if I'm wrong. MikeOl' Stonebreaker "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:If the Onan won't power the 250 mig, keep the 10K Hobart, it should have the power to run it. Also, I believe there is a TIG torch you can get for the Champion, if you want to go that route. You will have more auxiliary power available during power outages with the Champion than the Onan, too. You would have stick, MIG, Tig and back-up power supply in just two units.
Reply:Sounds like a nice multi function CC/CV power source like an XMT 304 would fit what you want to do. With a feeder you can run mig with power to spare, comprable to what a 250 amp class mig would put out. With stick leads it's also an awsome DC capable stick machine. An aircooled tig torch would allow you to do DC scratch start tig as well. About all you would loose is the AC stick and tig capability, and from the sound of it, you don't use that anyways.You can probably pick up a nice used XMT 304 CC/CV unit and feeder for $1500-2000, Several guys here run XMT's off gen sets for "field" use, even if it's really more of a shop machine. 8KW is probably on the light side, but 10 KW would run it, and 12-15 KW would let you run almost full tilt.Another option might be a CV/CC engine drive like a Bobcat or Trailblazer. Pretty much get everything you could do with the XMT, including AC power, but that would mean you would need to run the engine drive any time you wanted to weld..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:[QUOTE=DSW;575047Another option might be a CV/CC engine drive like a Bobcat or Trailblazer. Pretty much get everything you could do with the XMT, including AC power, but that would mean you would need to run the engine drive any time you wanted to weld.[/QUOTE]Wouldn't the 10K Hobart Champion he already has be about equal to the Bobcat in this respect? This would keep him from selling one engine drive, just to buy another.
Reply:Doesn't look like your down sizing but looking to take on a bunch of new purchases, get rid of the plasma cutter, keep the mig just get some .045 and wheel,030and 023 wire for it and it will handle alot of your work, tig and stick weld with the import, sell off the onan and get a feeder for the hobart genset, sell off the tombstone.Your money to the good.Or sell off most of it and get an XMT.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauWouldn't the 10K Hobart Champion he already has be about equal to the Bobcat in this respect? This would keep him from selling one engine drive, just to buy another.
Reply:Hi Steve, I agree with Bistineau, keep the Champion, it is more versatile than the Onan.For the MIG, you might want to look at the new Thermal Arc Fabricator 252. It's just coming out, but it impressed me when I saw it at Fabtech last week. 250A MIG, stick and lift-arc TIG.If financially possible, I'd sell the 2 imports and get a Powermax 45 plasma. Personally, I'd keep the AC/DC tombstone, it's a nice unit and pretty indestructible.Just my 2 cents,JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:id get a DC capable stick welder. with the DC stick welder you can also use it for a tig welder (scractch start). that way you can do really thin stuff and heavier stuff also.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWNo, because his Champion is a CC only machine. To do mig he needs a machine capable of doing CV if he wants to be able to do short arc mig. The Bobcat / Trailblazer are both CC/CV capable. The Champion is a decent stick machine and it would probably run midsize FC wire ok in spray at high amps with a VS feeder, but that won't work for doing what most people think of when they think of "mig"Pistolnoon, I don't think his HH187 has the balls to run .045 wire.
Reply:Originally Posted by jpmillerid get a DC capable stick welder. with the DC stick welder you can also use it for a tig welder (scractch start). that way you can do really thin stuff and heavier stuff also.
Reply:Originally Posted by Silicon-basedHi Steve, I agree with Bistineau, keep the Champion, it is more versatile than the Onan.For the MIG, you might want to look at the new Thermal Arc Fabricator 252. It's just coming out, but it impressed me when I saw it at Fabtech last week. 250A MIG, stick and lift-arc TIG.If financially possible, I'd sell the 2 imports and get a Powermax 45 plasma. Personally, I'd keep the AC/DC tombstone, it's a nice unit and pretty indestructible.Just my 2 cents,John
Reply:Originally Posted by weldingonethermal arc just started selling the fabricator 252i on december 1st...i have not used it but it seems like a pretty versatile machinehttp://www.thermalcut.com/Fabricator...der-_p_80.html |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:04:17