Just bought a new mig welder

[Mike Nelson]

Well after 12 years,we finally bought a mig welder.It is a Lincoln 200 amp.Our little Miller buzz box stick welder can now take a brake.

We are building a body for our new sealcoat truck so we decided to take the plunge on the new welder.

When we get done I will post some pictures.

Mike Nelson

[Deere John]

I'd be interested to hear how you like this welder Mike. I understand that I can hook a similar mig to my Ranger 8 to give me mig-in-the-field capabilities.

[Mike Nelson]

I will keep you posted.

Mike

[Pauls Mowing]

I had a lincoln SP 150 a few years ago, one of the biggest mistakes was selling it when I moved out west.

Good luck with it Mike!!


Paul

[75]

Mike - the MIG was money well spent! You guys will be glad you bought it.

John - seeing "Ranger 8" in your post reminds me of a project (one of many, actually - I was there for several weeks) I did when doing work for one of our aggregate company customers a couple of summers ago. They had a new Ranger 8 welder and wanted a skid frame with a lifting lug built for it. Apparently, not too long after that one of their guys had it sitting on the deck of a 5-ton flatbed and drove off without tying it down. You guessed it, first corner :eek: ! There was a happy ending: The lifting lug was mounted on a hoop which went around the centre of the machine, and it acted as a "roll cage" preventing total destruction of the welder!

Have any of you done much MIG work in the field as John mentions? My only experience with that has been some crusher buildup - NOT fun!

[Mike Nelson]

The guys in the shop are really excited and tell me once I use the mig I won't want to use anything else.

It is something that we needed,now the next step hopefully by fall is a plasma cutter.

Makes me want to play in the shop again.

Mike Nelson

[Deere John]

The last big field job where we used the mig attached to a gas-powered Hobart was in rebuilding shark-fin scarification barrels. They are used to turn up the ground in recently-cut areas to promote access for tree planting. The barrels are made of 7/8" pipe, 24" in diameter and loaded with concrete for weight. The barrels have "shark fins" welded to them in a concentric pattern to aid in parting the debris. The fins are about 1" thick, 10" by 12" and about 16 per barrel. 4 barrels to a set. Lots of stick changes if using a stick machine. The mig here worked great - we took turns to keep the machinery working and give us a break, since it was 85 plus degrees in the cutovers, with no shade.

Question: I use my Ranger 8 to power my shop. As well, I have a 3200 watt portable generator to use there for power when we don't need the power capacity of the Lincoln (like drinking beer by the woodstove with the lights and radio on :D ). This winter, I made a boo boo and backfed 3200 watts of power from the small gen set into the Ranger 8 through the shop's electrical system. The breaker tripped after about 3-4 seconds. Did I do any long-term harm to the Lincoln? It welds fine now, but I'm wondering what may show up over time?

I have started to use 0-W-40 oil in all my portable equipment, year round. I figure the high detergent oil will reach the bearings etc faster on startup, and provide 40 wt. protection while warmed and running. This is contrary (not mentioned) in any of the owner's manuals, but I do and I'd like to hear the thoughts of others.

[Catcher]

Plasmacutter, fun toys. I can highly recommend the Hypertherm products, owned a Powermax 600 for a few years and haven't had any problems. It's always performed above expectations as well ......

[Mike Nelson]

Catcher,

Our local welding shop carries Hypertherm.He quoted me around $1,650. for one that can cut up to 3/8 steel.

Well I better start saving some more pennies,cause that looks like a cool toy.:D

Mike Nelson

[75]

The best thing about a plasma cutter is, it's not limited to steel.

Just the ticket for things like: stainless steel mudflap weights (no more rust - ever! :D ) and oddly shaped aluminum checkerplate panels.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Also yes.

And John, how long ago did the "oops" take place? I think that by tripping, the breaker did it's job and things should be OK.

One symptom that repairs may be needed soon is the fine current dial becoming more difficult to adjust (starts to feel kind of "gritty", for lack of a better term, when you make small adjustments to the welding current) through your most commonly used settings. The Hobart Champion on my work truck is doing that now in between 3 and 8 on the fine current dial, there's another rheostat handy to replace it when it finally quits altogether.

[Deere John]

Thanks Rob - In terms of running time, my fubar was only about 4-5 hours ago. The machine is still new, I have less than 60 hours on it. It has the 20 hp Kohler and runs really strong. I traded a 150 Weld 'n Power for the extra capacity (and electric start!) of the '8. I wanted a diesel, but the diesel option doubled the price.

[75]

As long as it doesn't log any "freefall time" like the one I built a skid frame for, your Ranger should last a long time. The Hobart on my work truck has a 16-horse Onan, it's a good machine but at times I wish I had something bigger on board. We've also got a Weld 'n Power 150, and while I wouldn't want to be using it day in/day out, it's the handiest thing for jobs like minor repairs on marine railways/railings/etc at the waterfront properties common around Orillia. You know, the ones where the driveway ends about 150 yards from the shoreline - that's a LOT of cable to drag.

With the smaller (and fairly modern) machines like the Ranger 8 and "my" Hobart, gas is still fairly economical to run, especially if you use the auto-idle feature & avoid unnecessary idling time. As they get bigger, diesel starts to make more sense.

What I'd REALLY like is a 400-amp welder/compressor so I'm equipped for heavy welding and arc/air if needed. But the boss is still in a bit of "sticker shock" from the body/paint/mural on the work truck, so I don't think I'll see one of them for a while................

[Deere John]

Thanks Rob. My wife 'n me will be dusting it through Orillia tomorrow at about 8 am on our way to St. Catharines for the weekend. Probably not this weekend, but somewhere along the line, we'll probably meet up. I have friends in Orillia that we see about once a year.

[Mike Nelson]

75,
How much does one of those 400 amps go for?
Next year I plan to put a mechanics truck together,so I will need a portable welder/generator/and it has a compressor? Sounds cool to me. Hope it comes in diesel.

Thanks
Mike Nelson

[75]

Mike - I'm not sure of the exact $ figure but I know it's a l-o-t of money - I would be guessing $15,000+ Canadian. :eek: A machine that size would definitely be diesel.

These are big units, so unless you are going to be doing a lot of heavy welding and arc/air (for example, replacing cutting edges/tooth shanks on loader buckets)it may be "too much" for the application - it will have to be a fairly large truck (bigger than a 1-ton) to carry this unit plus torches & mechanics tools.

Of course, there is always the option of putting the big welder on a trailer along with torches and metal fab tools.

For a service truck application, a Ranger 8 like John has would probably work quite well, along with a self-contained air compressor. One of our customers got a new service truck for their heavy equipment mechanic last spring, they have a Honda gas powered compressor plus an air tank mounted on one side of the service body. The truck is an F550 4x4, it's also got a small IMT crane on it for handling those "Cat" parts.

[Mike Nelson]

Thanks Rob,

You are right that seems a little to big for us.
The Ranger seems to be a popular welder around the country.That is all we would probably need.

Thanks for your suggestions
Mike Nelson