HD Tactical

Welding Machines

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  • shootnstarz

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    Any experience welders out there that can tell me what I can realistically expect to weld with one of the hundred dollar machines from Harbor Fright. I believe the cheaper ones are wire feed, but I have a little experience (as in very little) stick welding. Would I be better off getting a stick welder?

    I'm just looking to do little projects like repair some lawn furniture, repair broken brackets, ect on machines and maybe construct myself a plant moving dolly.

    Rick
     

    bohica793

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    I am interested in this as well from a stick welding perspective. I am maintaining a club range including repairing broken steel plates. I need to be able to weld up to 1/4 inch steel and do not want to deal with wire feeders and argon gas.
     

    kendive

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    I got a dual voltage Thermal Arc stick/tig welder from ebay a while back and I think it was around $300 -400 came with a case and all. I have only use it a couple of times. Once to help with repairing a wrought iron fence and then had to do some repairs on my bush hog for the tractor. Worked great.
     

    16gauge

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    Stay away from the Harbor Freight welders and the auto dark hoods they sell. I work for a welding supply store and people bring these to us all the time wanting help with them. Harbor Freight will warranty them with another machine but it's no better than the first. Buy a name brand either Lincoln, Miller, Esab, Thermal Arc (which is owned by Esab), or Hobart (which is a Miller product). Tractor Supply sells Hobart, Home Depot sells Lincoln. These are the less expensive "home" versions of the more industrial machines and they work fine for light duty jobs like the ones you talked about. Wire feed welders are very easy to use and you can use "gas less" wire to weld with its just not as pretty as welding with gas. The new thing the last few years is multi-task welders that can wire feed (mig), stick, and tig weld. Check out the websites for each brand and match the welder to your needs. I'll be glad to help just remember I work in Mobile.
     

    oneshot

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    Don't waste you money at harbor fright If you want a learning lesson come up and see me , hard to get in to it all here. I can't type that much, I have paid for the lesson. And as or as welding up plates that are R-400 or r500 that's and other lesson in it self it's not the same as reg. steel welding. so be fore you spend your money learn. Just my 5 cents jj
     

    kendive

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    I agree to stay away from Harbor Freight crap. They are good for some tools, brooms, screwdrivers, tarps, etc...
     

    Zeroed in

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    My friend has a HF mig welder, I think it's the model just above the cheapest one they sell. I've welded on it, it welds good for small projects, and even tho it's supposed to weld up to 1/4", I think in reality it's more like 1/8". Doesn't like to burn into the metal very well. But maybe the bigger ones will?
    Where I used to work, I welded 1" plate all the time with on our arc (stick) welder, but it wasn't portable, and running 25-30 yards of lead out got old. So company bought a Miller 211 from Airgas. It was great. Loved it.
    I'd recommend a name brand welder and go just a bit higher in metal thickness rating, that you plan on welding. So if you plan on welding nothing but 1/4" stuff, I'd buy a welder that's rated for 1/2" metal. Just because down the road, you'll come across something heavier to weld.
    If you just want a welder, cheap, and you plan on welding nothing but 1/8" stuff, I'd go with a HF welder. That way if you don't weld that much, or are disappointed in the welder, you don't have that much invested in it to re-sell.
     

    BrianK

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    I have not had any experience with those particular ones. I did have a Lincoln Electric 110 that just didn't have enough power to do a good job on thicker material, it was alright for 1/8" or so and it sucked welding aluminum. Even that one was like 400 bucks. I ended up getting a Millermatic 211 which is a world of difference but just the machine is like 1,200 dollars. I guess you get what you pay for.
     

    kidsoncoffee

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    You do get what you pay for. The HF is a cheap option for hobby welding and nothing more. I've used them for various tasks like trailer repair, building stuff from small gauge metal, lawnmower repair. They work, but don't expect the welder to last more than a few years. The flux core wire makes for an ugly weld with inconsistent penetration. If you think you're going to use your welder a lot, get a miller or lincoln or hobart. The 110v work well for light gauge metal, but if you're planning on 1/4" metal, go with a 220v. The weld penetration and quality is night and day difference in the HF welders and name brand ones. They make awesome combo stick and mig welders now with a lot of dummy proof settings. They're pricey, but they will last forever.
     

    Chaos

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    welders

    my 2 cents

    Stick welders provide a wider variety of options when it comes to size of material to be welded. They also provide you with a wide range of welding rod sizes and purposes to use depending on your project. I just finished making my sawmill trolley out of 8 inch I Beam and unless I would have used the largest wire feed machine made, it have be hard to do. But with some 3/16- 7018 rod and a good 220 volt Lincoln, the job was no problem. I do have wire feed welders and they work great but on a much smaller scale projects. I also use flux core wire, .035 diameter and can make it work and look as good as standard welding rod welds, practice I guess.


    Chaos
     

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    FNHman

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    When I was looking for a welder in 2006 I talked to lots of people and a professional welder. I wanted something for rock crawling, race cars, trailer repair, general fab and home repair maintenance stuff like lawn mowers. I had used a small Hobart mig back in the 90's that worked well for small automotive jobs and also owned a 350 plus amp miller tig machine in the early 2000's but it was HUGE and you could only move it around with an engine hoist.

    So I bought a Miller challenger 175 mig from Airgas with wire, tips, etc and walked out for $840 back in 2006. I have used it weekly ever since and its been a great welder that has never failed to get the work done and has paid for its self many times over.

    Dont be afraid to buy a good used welder either if you can find someone willing to sell theirs.

    I did get the chance to use a small import welder 10 years ago while out rock crawler when we needed to make a trail side repair. It was junk and we knew it was only for 1/16 or thinner but it was all someone had available. We had a hard time welding a piece of 1/8 angle to a damaged tie rod bar even after preheating the steel. Worst welding I ever put down and you could only make a 1 inch pass on the MAX setting before the machine would be at its duty cycle but it did work and we made it through the rest of the trip.

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    kidsoncoffee

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    "I also use flux core wire, .035 diameter and can make it work and look as good as standard welding rod welds, practice I guess. "


    I was referencing flux core on the HF welder. I've used flux core on lincolns and yes, as long as metal prep is done, it comes out looking great. Have used 3 different HF welders, and no matter what, it's inconsistent.
     

    Plinker

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    RICK,
    Kidsoncoffee is correct.
    I was given one of those HF 90 amp Flux Core rigs.
    Made for thin(I keep it at 1/4” or less maximum)
    I might add that quality spool of wire makes a much better weld.
    Right now using some Hobart .035.

    Want to give it a try??
    I’ll drop it off to you.
    Look in your PM’s for my cell number.
    If you like it, maybe we can trade for a few more of those 147 M80’s???

    No obligationwhatsoever of course.
     

    MauserLarry

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    Good advice from all! I have a 185 amp Lincoln wire welder which I use for light stuff and a 300 amp Miller AC-DC stick welder for the big stuff. I had an old welder tell me years ago he knew of a guy that bought a cheap welding machine and after a few years the input current bleed over to the welding output current (poor insulation?) and the guy got crossed up somehow and got electrocuted. I couldn't verify the story but it seemed legit enough for me to steer clear of anything but a name brand.
     
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