Anyone own any of the smaller engine drives?

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I'm in the process of putting together a couple of lightweight welding rigs based on a small truck like a ford ranger or S10, and was curious if any of you have any experience with the smaller machines like the miller bluestar or the lincoln weldanpower machines.  Wondering what type of weld quality, how it will handle a 7018  or any limitations I can expect.  These of course won;t be heavy duty rigs, but being in the repair business a 180 amp machine, O/A torch, and a grinder will handle a large number of the service work we do.  The fuel prices have really put a pinch on me, and I am gonna leave the big trucks at the shop unless they are needed, and work out of the smaller units.  I have a couple of trailer rigs that we use, but I would like to just purchase two small machines and mount them on skids with O/A racks and tool boxes to load into the back of the truck, and the larger machines would be too much weight.  Any experiences are appreciated.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I used to have the Honda model, (there's only one model Honda, welding, genset), until our shop was broken into to get at it. Them Honda's will run forever. 170 amp., DC only, it would weld or generate electricity, but not both at the same time, (actually it would make electricity, but it became unregulated due to the welder kicking in and out), and no 240 VAC, only 120.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:About 6-7 years ago I bought one of the little Lincoln weld/gen units, did a lot of pipe work and fence work with it. It does ok with 7018, better with 6011. Good little unit, the B/S motor is a little loud, should of gone with the Honda. I still use it, but in the truck to fix broken trail trail rigs/ camping power.
Reply:I see the Miller bluestars all over our job site at Ft. Bragg.....how economical would it really be for you to rig out a small truck?...... how long would it take to make up for it?
Reply:I drove a 2wd ranger for several years.  Nearly 300,000 miles motor lasted well.  As mike stated how long would it take to make up for it?  Sacrifice space/capacity for gas mileage.  Add weight to the small truck reduce gas mileage.  Unless you get a 4wd, then beef up suspension, brakes and transmission - If you want to be safe. How much do you save over a f-150 6 or 8 cyl.  Add a welder and tanks and you are close to capacity of the truck,  Add two men and you very close.Look to use the engine as a tool.  Under hood welder and inverter.  That is how I did it. Do the math on the inverter, make sure the alternator can keep up with the drain.I think it can be done, though not the with traditional equipment.
Reply:I believe Oldtimer used to have a weldanpower (long worn out now) but it may have been a different model.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:If you can find a used Miller AEAD, buy it.  I bought one more for the generator than the welder but I am surprised how often i use it.  I built a trailer for it with a big tool box but it's small enough to fit on a Ranger or S-10 with room to spare.  It's AC/DC and has enough pop to do serious business.  I also have a wire feeder and argon bottle to do migging where appropriate.
Reply:The equipment rental companies have those little welders on their trucks. considering that they have the big welders on hand I don't think that they would keep the little welders around if they were junk.
Reply:Originally Posted by tresiThe equipment rental companies have those little welders on their trucks. considering that they have the big welders on hand I don't think that they would keep the little welders around if they were junk.
Reply:I worked with a guy , back in Oklahoma ,in early 1980's, who had  an AIRCO 250 machine, made by Generac , with a kubota 3 cylinder (small) diesel , it was light weight , & welded beautiful, what ever kind of rod you needed to use.If you could find one in good shape or something similar. Those "weldanpower" machines were ok , (i had one , ) but it was NOT easy on gas . Probably used as much or more than a  S A 200. My S A 250, with a  perkins diesel used a lot less .[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:I have one of the little hobart champion 4500...that's the little AC brother of the bluestar.  It does a good job for an AC only machine at 140 amps max.  They are a lot cheaper than the bluestar, but also have the limitations of AC and the lower max amperage.  However, they are cheaper by a good bit also.  I have run my mm130 off it with pretty good results also.  They run a little over $1000 bucks new, but I picked mine up for $500 with it used very little...for me, it serves more for a generator than as a welder, but I have burned several pounds of rods without the first problem.  Two guys can lift it pretty easily, but one cannot...It's also pretty loud compared with some of the bigger engine drives.  Just another alternative to think about...Oh yeah...it's pretty good on fuel and I use a nissan 4cyl truck to haul it with...and it's nada problem....Unfortunately I have never run any ac7018 so I have no idea what it runs like.  Mine runs 60XX cause that's all I need.http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200175124.htmLast edited by smithboy; 08-07-2008 at 10:56 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:we mainly use  a lincoln sam 400 and a miller big blue airpak , but for the smaller repairs we have a lincoln weldanpower 175 with a honda motor on it , brilliant machine for repair work , 2 blokes can chuck it in the ute and off we go , built plenty of cattle yard with that machine , repaired anything basically , saves the hassle of using the excavators to load a welder in the ute .
Reply:I just recently ran into a guy at the local welding shop that had a lincoln ranger 250, a little 5hp compressor and torches in the bed of his truck.  It was a 1989 S10 4 cylinder 5 speed.  He said his other truck is a 3500HD 11' service body.  It sits at the shop now.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingThat's kind of what I was thinking.  Well I bought one truck   89 Ranger 4x4 with a 4cyl for $1200  It runs great and has been serviced just banged up on the rear left which doesn't matter to me.  It seems to be averaging a touch over 20mpg which is about the same as the one I used to own did.  Pulling the trailer I had then I could usually get about 15-16mpg.  Which is still 5-6 more than my 1/2 tons are getting.  My fuel bills are running on average $1600 a month so ANY help is some in the right direction.  I guess time will tell.  I am gonna set up this truck, and see if it turns out any cheaper to run, and go from there...
Reply:Hammack,I have an old style WeldanPower with the Briggs single cylinder engine. The welding characteristics are great, and the engine performs well, but the noise is irritatingly intolerable. If that same machine had a quieter engine, it would probably have been used more often; instead of as a last resort.I also have a Honda powered MQ Whisperweld. In my opinion, the MQ's arc characteristics aren't as smooth as the Lincoln's, but at least you can think while it's running! The MQ has been trouble free and packs a lot of welding and auxiliary power in a compact welder. I especially like the MQ's fuel tank location, it's below the engine and generator, very easy and safe to fuel. Although if offered a fuel choice, I would go with propane for any small engine.About the smaller vehicle - One of my favorite smaller work vehicles is the GM Astro van. The vans will carry a lot more equipment than a mini-pickup, -not to mention roof top- and with much better weight distribution and accessibility; slam the doors and everything inside is secured, out of sight, and out of the weather. The vans also have a decent drive-train, and heavy duty suspension and 15" tires... more ready for the inevitable equipment sprawl, than a sometimes too light pickup. Myself, I much prefer to work from a van, rather than a flat-bed or utility body. I would think that an engine drive loaded sideways behind the driver, with the controls and cables at the side door, would work well; although you may have to add a  vent for cooling air flow.Good LuckLast edited by denrep; 08-09-2008 at 08:03 AM.
Reply:Hey hows it going, I just your post on the bluestar other small welding machine, We have one of those 180 millers at wrk and i personally think the thing is a piece of junk.Whaen running 6010 or 6011 it does not have a very consistent arc likes to put it self out no matter what amps you run, I have tried running it 20 amps higher than what is recommended and same thing. 7018 runs a little better but you really have to watch your arc length.It also seems to burn alot of gas it does not have a switch for high or low idle constantly on high (noisy).We can go through about 2 tanks in 8 hour using for welding to power tools compared to the ranger that use about tank every 2 days for the same amount of work.I dont know anything about the weldenpower machines.      Hope that helps you out, elliott
Reply:I had a lincoln 125.  I think now they have subaru-robbins engines.  However from 1990 to the switch the engine were aluminum sleeve and not considered rebuildable.  Also, the Briggs engine was designed specifically for that unit ( the shaft was small for that horsepower)-- Hence, an expensive replacement, if you can find one.  If going older lincoln check to see what is still supported by lincoln.  Lincoln never really seemed to be too concerned about those small welder.   Keep a close eye on oil, there isn't much in them to start with.  They are crazy, irritattingly loud.  Good luck
Reply:I had a bluestar 180 for a short time. I think it was an alright machine other than sucking alot of fuel quick when welding!