Portable welder suggestions

[Sedgehammer]

@Haleiwa my guy that does my mobile welding currently has a ranger 8. Works well. He says the Lincoln is a little steadier, he's used both. Might be what a guy is welding perhaps, but for this either is fine. 

@Al_Smith We originally planned on burying a line to a temp box that wood be where the panel wood eventually go. Trouble is when the power company upgraded us last year, they only went to 380. With our 6 bedroom house to be, 5 hp pond pump, smaller shop and this bigger shop, it's gonna be tight. 

[Al_Smith]

If you are going to use more power eventually you can always bury a larger line .In my case because all that aluminum was just salvaged from temporary  jobs and spliced together I didn't have a dime in it  .It's all rolled up in my shop now any way in case I need it at some other time .BTW I'm a retired journeyman electrician .Something like 50 years in the trade if you count my navy time .

[Gearbox]

I have a old Hobart with a twin Wisconsin . I have seen them for sale for 500 bucks . If you do find a older welder like that they are a low voltage 25 volts . they weld real good with a low voltage rod like 7018lv .

[Sedgehammer]

If you are going to use more power eventually you can always bury a larger line .In my case because all that aluminum was just salvaged from temporary  jobs and spliced together I didn't have a dime in it  .It's all rolled up in my shop now any way in case I need it at some other time .BTW I'm a retired journeyman electrician .Something like 50 years in the trade if you count my navy time .

Absolutely it counts! Thanks for your service!

Line size isn't an issue. I'll just do it once though.

This shop panel is a total of 323.44', add down/up from the main box, sub-panel and shop panel. I'll check what size line we ran to the sub-panel, as we already ran to it. It's 215' from main panel to it.

Just checked, the wire to the sub-panel is 4/0 alum. so there's roughly 225' of that, then will go to the new shop, which is about another 117' or so.

[Don P]

This is a voltage drop calc i put together when running a long drop cord to the barn;
https://forestryforum.com/members/donp/linedrop.htm

I got a deal on a spool of 4/0 later which fixed that but ran on that for longer than I care to admit.

My welding instructor had the Bobcat and liked it. I've seen them fairly reasonable used.

[Sedgehammer]

Fronius Trans Pocket 180 stick welder.  
less than 20 pounds. Plenty of videos on it Fronius is top of the line

It can weld between 3/8 and 5/16. Barely, barely. I really like the soft and hot start though.

[Southside]

I picked up my Bobcat probably 10 - 12 years ago and have been very happy with it.  Have welded everything from dog kennel fence pipe to aluminum square tubing to 1/2 frame material on the skidder.  

[Sedgehammer]

I just found out my Hobart Arc Master 500 will do SMAW (stick), GTAW, GMAW and GMAW-P. Currently set up for MIG. It's a 3 phase of course, so that would mean a 3 phase capable generator.....

[Walnut Beast]

Fronius Trans Pocket 180 stick welder.  
less than 20 pounds. Plenty of videos on it Fronius is top of the line

It can weld between 3/8 and 5/16. Barely, barely. I really like the soft and hot start though.

I doubt your going to weld anything over 1/2 inch. 

[Al_Smith]

As far as rod you can buy a 7018 that will run on a buzz box .For decades it was strictly DC reverse polarity then some how they came out with this stuff .It does just fine .Add to that 6011-6012-6013 general purpose fast freeze .7014-7024  iron powder if you wanted to lay down a lot at one pass but all flat .You have a lot of options .A DC machine is nice,I have  one but a buzz box can do just about anything a DC machine can do .
I've got an old Westinghouse 3 phase open delta DC machine I rewired for single phase with a double pi filter to get rid of the ripple .It's smooth as silk but it's at my shop which is 22 miles from my house .Not real handy .
So at the house I have an old multi tap transformer 200 amp Marquette that I think came over on the Mayflower .Another 40 dollar special .My dad had that one and dad was a brilliant machinist /mechanic  but he was not an electrician .It's a wonder he didn't electrocute himself .I had to do a little work on it . :D

[Sedgehammer]

Fronius Trans Pocket 180 stick welder.  
less than 20 pounds. Plenty of videos on it Fronius is top of the line

It can weld between 3/8 and 5/16. Barely, barely. I really like the soft and hot start though.

I doubt your going to weld anything over 1/2 inch.

The weld plates will be 3/4" and some of the posts probably will be 1/4". Plus there's some welding I do that i can't get it into the shop. One was the gate entrance. Have one more to build. Building a zip line above the pond and while the sq tubing is 1/4, there's 8" c-channel. It's just barely, barely.

[Sedgehammer]

@Al_Smith My lincoln stick is a 'cracker' (that's what i was told) box 225 amp. Bought it at an auction 7 years ago for $125 I think. My 10kw peak 8kw constant generator won't run it. 

[Al_Smith]

It most likely is what they used to call a "tombstone "Lincoln sold a zillion of them .The real old ones were wound with copper and weighed a ton .Lincoln  like many others started using aluminum .In my opinion  they were not as good as the older models .That said they work also .
A lot of those older copper wound machines no matter who made them did not have a cooling fan .They did not need a fan because of the mass of the windings .
You don't need to have a machine that can burn a 1/4" rod at over 300 amps .A little 200 amp will do just as well it just won't lay down a huge deposit rate .I mean it's not like you are welding plate steel on the side of a battle ship or the hull of an Abrams main battle tank .--which BTW is made in Lima Ohio .

[Al_Smith]

On that generator deal most likely if you turn the welder down and use 3/32" rods it most likely will run it .
Long long time ago when I was poorer than a wharf rat  I used to hook up two 12 volt batteries in series and weld with them .I used 3/32" fast freeze rods and the jumper cables as a ground and stinger .--a country boy can survive  8) 

[Southside]

Well it's no wonder we don't have any more battleships in the Navy.  How the heck did they think they would get them out of Lima, OH?  :D

[Sedgehammer]

@Al_Smith It's a 'tombstone'. Copper, as very heavy. Tried running it with smaller rod and power turned down. Kicks breaker. 225 amp is prolly as small as I dare go and with nearly everything I do, it's overbuilt, so it'll be 'over' welded. I hate pooh breaking and fixing it again. 

So, if I run power from the current carport (to be remodeled into a cabana pond side and dirty shop road side smaller monitor barn) sub-panel, I could run it to the south side of the new build instead of the north side. Thingy is I'd need to run more internal wire. Other issue there is I'll be maxed out to 200 amps for the shop in total. While i won't be running a welder and various other things constantly, it'll be A/C'd and is 3,555 sq ft. 

[Al_Smith]

My shop is 60 by 70 4200 sq feet .The electrical service is 200 amp which I can't remember if I used 4/0 or 250 MCM copper .Like I said before it was all salvage stuff including the 2.5"  conduit .I did have to buy the weather head . However even with all the stuff I have it's unlikely if I ever exceed 60 amps .I mean how in the world could I run two metal lathes, a milling machine ,two giant drill presses ,a 5 HP air compressor and weld all at the same time ? I'm pretty fair at that stuff just not that good . ;D
If I  find the time I'll look  on my giant aux hard drive to see if I have a pic or two of the shop that has a 30 by 60 shed roof on the back that is 100 percent welded .I can almost bet there are very few in the country built like it if any .I'll make a new thread other than hog in on this one .

[Al_Smith]

Well it's no wonder we don't have any more battleships in the Navy.  How the heck did they think they would get them out of Lima, OH?  :D

That's a classic  :D BTW speaking of battle ships I was a  part of a flotilla escorting the USS New Jersey ,BB 62  as it left port in Norfolk out bound for Viet Nam .Of course nobody saw us not being on the surface .If you ever saw a big war horse battle wagon impressive would be an under statement .They have all gone the way of the passenger pigeon .The end of an era rusting away at various locations eventually to be cut up for scrap or towed to sea and sank while they could still float .

[Sedgehammer]

My shop is 60 by 70 4200 sq feet .The electrical service is 200 amp which I can't remember if I used 4/0 or 250 MCM copper .Like I said before it was all salvage stuff including the 2.5"  conduit .I did have to buy the weather head . However even with all the stuff I have it's unlikely if I ever exceed 60 amps .I mean how in the world could I run two metal lathes, a milling machine ,two giant drill presses ,a 5 HP air compressor and weld all at the same time ? I'm pretty fair at that stuff just not that good . ;D
If I  find the time I'll look  on my giant aux hard drive to see if I have a pic or two of the shop that has a 30 by 60 shed roof on the back that is 100 percent welded .I can almost bet there are very few in the country built like it if any .I'll make a new thread other than hog in on this one .

Basically same thing my sparky told me. I'll prolly be more than fine.

Shop is about the same size as yours if I added the RV lean to. Since it's just storing the RV, it's not usable space for me to be using current. Well, that is unless I'm plugging in the RV.... ;D

Anyways, I think I'll get the welder @Walnut Beast mentioned. Can use that for the lighter welds and there's aplenty of them. That can be run off of my current generator if need be, but can run both from a temp panel. Then I'll use the 'tombstone' for the heavier stuffs, but if needed I can have my welder friend weld with his ranger 8. He's pretty cheap @ $35 mobile.

With that all said, there a chance I'll buy a unit on a truck with a welding bed and torch all set up. If i can buy that for what I think I can, I'm pretty sure I can use it, clean it up and sell it for more than paid, but not ready to pull that chain yet. I'll still buy the fronius though.

[mike_belben]

The miller bobcat is a mechanic, service truck type welder, it is a high performance generator married to a utility grade welder.


The SA-200 pipeliner that @Al_Smith mentioned is a cult classic boss hog oilfield welder because of its generator construction.  Back then they ran a AC excitor into a DC welding generator to generate true DC where the arc never extinguishes.  Its not a lumpy DC procured from a rectified AC.  The pipeliner AC plug was added in the early 60s i think and itll run a grinder but isnt an impressive genny.  However among the best ever made stick welders in history, they just push rod right into the puddle like no other from what i gather.  Where an aluminum wound head will heat soak and need adjustments up or down with temp change, that heavy copperwound pipeliner is the same performance the first minute as it is in the 9th inning.


I ended up with a ford powered hobart 250 in a trade after giving up waiting for an SA200. There is a huge restoration cult around them.  $$.

[Walnut Beast]

All the suggestions on the generator units are fine. But I think you would be well served with the Fronius Trans Pocket 180 power packed punch at 20 pounds.  Sedgehammer watch the Fabricator Series on Utube where he uses 300 ft of 12 gauge extension cord from Home Depot. Full review. The unit is fully weather proof to. If you need to weld a little thicker it can be done fairly easy with proper prep

[Al_Smith]

On those old Lincoln 200's you can get parts enough to totally rebuild one .It's about like parts for a modal A Ford .
Back in the day on those old crankers they had a way to motorize the generators .Get one started and spin the others .A cranker is not fun to start at about zero degrees .
Mine has a Continental  engine but they also used 4 cylinder IXKA 3 Hercules flat heads .I have one of those for parts that is electric start .
The 250 Hobart is a flat head Jeep engine . 

[Al_Smith]

I once looked at a Lincoln 400 amp machine that looked like a small locomotive .Six cylinder flat head engine and must have weighed a ton .Cheap enough just not for me too large .
I used the 600 amp motor generator units set at over 300 amps burning big rods .It was not pleasant .I've still got chicken tracks all over my body from 50 year old weld burns .On that I had two 300 amp stingers I alternated between .They would get so hot you could not hold on to them .Those had 4/0 leads, heavy as lead .

[mike_belben]

Yeah you can bump start one welder off another.  Its just a big electric motor, after all

My hobart is a 400amp model GF-250, got a 200cu-inch ford 6cyl gas.  

[Al_Smith]

They used 200 Fords for a number of things including a self contained air compressor .Ran on 4  compressed on two .On a welder it was a quiet  running engine .None of those 4 bangers were .I think a Wisconsin was the most noisy .
The 200's had 7 main bearings making them very vibration free .I think the only way to kill them is running out of oil .