Looking for a welder

hey all-

i am looking for an affordable welder that will fit all the rebuild needs of my 76 cj5...

i'm going to have to fish-plate some places on the frame... do some body work (new panles) and such and would like to know your opinions on what works well and is affordable...

i know affordable is a relative term, but if you provide what YOUhave, i can shop around and see whats affordable for ME

THANKS!

TB

 

Hobart 135, got it at Tractor Supply. To me the money was more of an investment because I know I will use that welder for years to come, till someone finds a better way of powering the world then electricity at least.

 

I love my miller 210 You can add a spool gun and do Aluminum or stainless with this welder but you need 220 + it's pricy.

 

A new 220V Miller MIG will run you around a grand with the bottle and all that. I couldent be happier with mine.

Check the tools section on your local Craigslist.

 

I bought this Hobart 140 2 years ago or so:

it was on sale for $399.95 at tractor supply.They are normally around $475 but are on sale several times a year. It will weld sheet metal and steel up to 1/4" thick with no problem. It is a 110v unit so its really portable. If you have thick stuff in your future go bigger but for most hobbiest a 110v unit is more than adequate.

 

I have a miller 175 (the 180 is the current model) set up for 220 and a bottle. It works great. I have welded down to 22 guage and up to 1/4 inch with it.

I built this with it:

 

I have both a mig and an arc. I only use the arc when welding outside due to the wind and shielding gas. My mig is no longer made but if I had to go buy a new one I would go with the Hobart 130-140 range (whatever is current). My brother has a big miller 210 and my little 140 will kick its butt.

Edit- Not to pi$$ off the Miller guys-that one of my brothers has never worked great. I think it may be defective. Miller builds a fine product

 

I have a Hobart 187 for about a year and work very well for me
Got it form www.toolking.com and it was areconditioned unit saved about $200; and had the same warranty.
All I could find wrong with it was a small dent in the door.
Andrew

 

X2, got mine off ebay, about 300 bux shipped to the house. Been a great unit, gas capable. If you will need to do a fair amount of thick metal welding, pick up a used stick welder off ebay or craigslist. Should be able to find a decent one for ~150 bux.

 

Miller and Hobart are the same company.

 

I have a Lincoln 180HD, I just built a front bumper out of 3/16 channel and it penetrated great. It is 220v so its not quite as portable as I would like but has plenty of power for the heavy stuff and can be turned down for the lighter stuff.

 

Where are you guys finding these deals?!?! Best I've found is $450ish with the regulator kit.

 

I just bought a Lincoln Weld Pak 175HD last week. My old cheapy Harbour Freight welder was in need of replacement. So far I'm extremely happy with it. It's a heavy bugger though at ~60lb.
I paid $400 shipped on ebay for it. It was a scratch and dent.

 

Methinks you guys are just luckier, but I threw a bid on one to test the theory, just in case.

 

I have a Hobart Handler 125. Bought it from cyberweld.com about 7 years ago for around $350 (can't remember the actual price)...i remember that it was a great deal for me and the shipping was free. Don't know if they still have the same deal today. The welder came with flux core wire and was ready to use. At the time, they had a deal when they also included the gas conversion kit which came with the hose, regulator, wire, etc. I used the flux core for a while then about a month later I ordered the cylinder and gas from them for around 80 bucks (can't remember the actual price). Again it was free shipping. cyberweld was big on free shipping then.

i just checked their website and shipping is still free to continental u.s.

 

I bid on LOTS of them before I got that deal. I just set the price I would pay and didn't go anymore. Eventually, I got one.

 

I have a 15 year old Lincoln Weldpack 100 (90 amp wire feed) with the gas conversion that has served me well but it has power and duty cycle limits. I also bought a couple years ago a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC buzzbox. For me the combo works well, I keep .023 wire in the lincoln for thin stuff and I run the stick for frame type work.

If I had it to do over again I would look at the Hobart Handler 187 or 210. If you want or need to stay 110V the Hobart 140 model welds really nice for a 110V welder.

 

I've got an older 220 v. Hobart I bought used many years ago. Works great, mostly. The wire feed occasionally needs a bit of adjustment, but other than that, haven't had an issue.

There are times, however, that it would be nice to have something more portable for projects away from the garage. I've still got a Lincoln buzzbox but it's 220, too. May look for a used 120 machine in the future, something that will run off my 6500 watt generator or from a long extension card.