Pepe, do you have to have a welder "right now"?
Can you wait and maybe save a few extra $$$ and buy something name brand?
This isn't a rush, so there's time... as I said. I just need to have something lined up before the snow flies again. Living on a disability fixed income is a bitch, so no... just waiting for money to build up isn't going to make anything better.
My Lincoln 140 (110v) does up to 1/8" stuff to structural-grade penetration using 75/25 gas. However, I mostly use it for body work, exhausts, and small repairs around the house (square tube fencing, shelving, furniture, etc.). It is rated for up to 5/16" with flux core and I have pushed it to 3/8" for a small, non-critical, repair on a buddy's Harley. The problem is that the thicker you push the welder's capacity the less likely it is the weld will hold because it lacks the current transfer for adequate penetration. So, you might weld up a bracket for your snow plow and it'll hold just fine sitting in the garage, but as soon as you put it through some abuse and stress, the weld might fail. When you're pushing little welders to their limits it's very much a matter of what the intended application is. Always ask yourself, "How critical is this weld?"
Another thing to consider for "play time" with the welder (because who doesn't like building cool sh*t? :toothless) is the "duty cycle." I'll butcher the explanation, so it might be best to look up a formal definition. Basically, when you have lots of long weld beads that need to be run, like welding up bumper seams for plate bumpers, you want a higher duty cycle. This means the welder can perform for longer before it overheats. This is why for bumpers, cages, structural etc. I also have a Lincoln 255 (220v). When I get something fit up and tacked together I can just go to town and pump wire at higher current for longer periods. Smaller welders can do these things okay, they might just take a little longer if you hit the duty cycle. I'm not saying you need a big welder for home/ranch, but I just thought it might be more information to help make a good choice for your use. :thumbup
Again, just my $0.02.
And what a wonderful .02¢ it is my friend. I'm putting both the big plow on the F250 and the little plow on the Polaris 450HO ATV through some hard paces and have been for the last decade. Obviously some years are better than others but not one has gone by without needing both to keep life reasonable around here through the winter storms. The 7.5' Western is cracking fairly regular now and it's all thick gauge stuff... from 5/16" - 5/8"+/- but the little 4' ATV blade is significantly smaller gauge and last season, I had to weld the frame of the ATV itself... which is something like 1/8" thick, square tube. To really be prepared and make it worth the expense, I need to pick up something that's pretty versatile.
I'm fairly aware of duty cycle and the delays it can require, I'm just not so hip on how that actually plays out in the middle of a job. I've done "stitch" work but that was more about the thin gauge floor pans and body panels than duty cycle limits.
Growing up on the cheap with broken bicycles and motorcycles, I'm all too familiar with welding failures and I may be broke as a joke but I'm also a firm believer in "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right" and "Measure twice, cut once", "the 7 P's", etc., etc. and so on. :toothless
Just for kicks and because we all like pics, here's a few of some I'll be working on...
7.5' Western Plow Quadrant, when I first bought it and had to have it repaired...
Season before last, I literally pushed the blade right off the swivel bolt on the quadrant...
And when I took it apart to address that, I found more problems with the mount...
Those last breaks put me down for 2 weeks waiting to get into the local fab shop and of course... they were some of the worst weeks of the season.
Sorry but I don't have many pics of the ATV setup or plowing but it's pretty much the same as any other out there and I'm pushing much more snow with it to clear walkways all over the property and beating the hell out of the poor thing. NONE of the plowing I do is "smooth" pavement work. They get slammed into banks after hours working at a time, the catch edges and go into/over/through ditches, etc., etc. I obviously try to minimize the straight abuse but sh!t happens and with as much use as I give 'em, it's amazing I don't have to do more repairs than I have.
I have a Hobart handler 140 but haven’t really used it for anything serious so I can’t really comment on what it’s actually capable of. But it’s rated up to 1/4” with flux core on a 120v outlet. I got it on eBay about 2 years ago new in box for $380. Paid $25 for ebay’s “Protection plan” but it works flawlessly so far. I watched eBay for about a month till I found this deal.
A few notes on welders
1. When I looked at the eastwood welders, the one in the $300-$400 range used plastic roller wheels. Not a huge deal, keep some spares around, but I decided to look for a better name brand. Not sure about the current Eastwood line but something to look for.
2. With mig welders 140 amps is about the max you can get off 120v outlets. These are rated at a max of 1/4” regardless of brand. If you know you will be welding thicker than that, and have easy access to 240v, you might want to look into some 175+ welders. Usually the 200+ models will work with both 120v and 240v. This goes for mig welders only. Stick, tig, and multi-process stuff doesn’t always follow these rules.
3. If you only care about welding thick stuff, stick usually gives you the best bang for your buck, and they can usually be picked up used for cheap. But It is hard to weld thin stuff with stick. Like when I needed the seat frame welded on my bronco. It’s around 1/8”. I took it to my buddy with a stick welder and he wouldn’t weld it because he was worried he wasn’t skilled enough to handle it. Anything less than 1/8” is probably better served by a mig machine rather than a stick one.
4. I’ve found in my area Craigslist is dying off and the Facebook marketplace is where it’s at now. Try that too if you’re on FB.
To summarize, in your case Pepe, I’d suggest a stick machine, but I want you to be aware of their capabilities and limitations, as well as those of mig machines in your price range.
Best of luck, and I’m curious as to what you end up with and any other suggestions everyone else has.
Great notes shooter! Much appreciated. :beer Looking up the Eastwood Q&A's revealed the same issue with plastic parts and concerns.
As noted... I already have the 240 outlet setup in the shop and as I said above, the metal thicknesses I want to handle are across the spectrum, so I definitely need MIG versatility. I had a stick welder box as a teen. Cheap little bastard but toying around with that was one of those things that spurred my interest in chasing the AutoBody career training. I was ok with it... but I was a kid, piddling around with fire sticks. Having used them both, long ago and in a limited capacity, I preferred the MIG then and I think it's what I need now for the equipment I'll be working on, not even considering future project potential.
Point #2 is the KEY info though. Knowing that and already having the outlet, I just need to get a quality extension cord and go with the 240v mig power, from what I'm picking up here and with the needs I've noted above.
I've noticed the slow death of Craigslist and it's a drag but I don't have and won't go after a FacePlant, Tweeker or InstaSmack account. Call me old, paranoid or whatever. I just don't like doing things that get up in my business. Our beloved forum is about as far as I go these days. I used to work Tech Support for Microsoft, so it's not that I'm just an old fuddy-duddy... I actually got into all that sh!t back on the ground floor and realized it was growing into something I just didn't/don't want anything to do with. It's all good though. I'll find something eventually. Just need to know what's I'm looking for and the picture is getting clearer. :thumbup