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Thread: 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

  1. #1
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    220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    Background: I am tired of paying to get my tractor trailered and taken to a welder with great equipment and high prices. I am looking for a minimal welding system for patching, small fab work.

    1. what type of welder is easiest and cheapest?
    2. do I need 220 or can I go to one of the 120 Amp units?

    If you could, could you identify what welding you do with what you are recommending?
    thanks!
    Indian Paintbrush Prairie Farm
    Working toward Carbon-negative self sustaining farm

  2. #2
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    Re: 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    There's no doubt the 230 volt welders will handle heavier jobs. The first welder I ever used was a Lincoln 225 (tombstone) and yes, I had to install a 50 amp 230 volt outlet for it. The mig welders or wire feed welders have gotten very popular and might be the best, but I only tried one out for a very limited time and didn't get the hang of feeding the wire are the proper speed. I was much better with a stick welder. But out in the country I bought a cheap Miller de Mexico 120 volt stick welder. I had to use small welding rod and it only had a 10% duty cycle, but since I had the time and was in no hurry, it did the job. My welds may not have been the prettiest, but I never had one break. When a son-in-law broke the tail wheel off my brush hog, I welded it back. And I welded plate steel brackets onto the bucket of my B2710 front end loader for my 4' forks. I also used it to make my own chain guards for the brush hog.

  3. #3
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    Re: 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I have owned a slew of different welders, from 300 AMP trailer-mounted engine-driven DC machines to the venerable Lincoln red buzz box. At present I have a Miller 35 wire feed welder and a "tombstone" crank-front Lincoln buzz box. So far, I haven't found anything that my Miller won't weld, but it is a professional grade machine; not something a homeowner would normally have. My Lincoln buzz box is a superb stick electrode machine, and does whatever I don't want to use the Miller for, like hardfacing, running a cutting electrode, and stuff like that. A couple of years ago, my neighbor bought a "suitcase" welder from one if his farmer friends. It is a little Chicago Electric wire feed machine, it is 120V, and uses inner shield wire.... no gas. He bought the suitcase for fifty bucks because nobody (it had two previous owners) could make the little sucker weld. So I borrowed the suitcase welder to use here in my kitchen where I was building a tricky, cantilevered table for my breakfast booth and needed to tack up a few steel segments right in place and then take them to the shop and weld them up with the Miller. The little suitcase would not weld for me either, so I took it apart and discovered the rolls were in backwards and a few other problems which I corrected and what do you know it welded for me. HOWEVER..... these little crackerboxes on 120V are THE PITS.... 120V "household current" SOUNDS GOOD in the brochure, but here is the reality: (1) for anything except welding beer can thickness material, the duty cycle is so short that you barely get going before the thing trips and ruins the weld; (2) not many "household" plugs can SUPPORT that kind of current; about twenty-something AMPS. (3) not many extension cords will carry that kind of current without a lot of voltage drop so that makes the duty cycle even shorter. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] It's a battle that you just can't win. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] A buddy who owns a welding supply store has a whole fleet of Hobart Handlers that he rents. Those 240V machines fill the need that homowners have to build a boat trailer in the garage, and he has long, renta-cords that can plug into the customer's clothes dryer outlet. Any welder than can survive in a rental fleet has to be good. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] If I wuz you, I would stay away from 120 volts. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
    CJDave

  4. #4
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    THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    these are excellent responses! To the point, relevant, not off topic, and expertise laden. There are several jump-off points for me to run down in catalogs and on the internet.

    Many thanks! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
    Indian Paintbrush Prairie Farm
    Working toward Carbon-negative self sustaining farm

  5. #5
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    Re: THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    I'm not a welding expert, and don't play one on TV either, but I'd look at the AC/DC units. There are some jobs that DC does better than AC.
    Gary
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    Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?

  6. #6
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    Re: THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Most of the bigger wire feed welders are CONSTANT POTENTIAL machines........aka "DC". I'm not sure about the little suitcases", but I think many of them are as well. You're right about the DC, Gary, it's nice to have a machine that can go both ways which many stick machines do nowadays. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] If you are looking through catalogs at welders and trying to make a determination as to what to buy. DUTY CYCLE and WEIGHT are pretty good indicators of what the machine is capable of. The more it weighs, the bigger the transformer is and the longer it will run before it trips. The other thing to look for is an internal contactor that starts the current when you pull the trigger. Some of the little cheapies have the wire live all the time. It's like welding with stick where you have to touch the electrode, except that in this case you touch the wire and pull the trigger at the same time. It's kind of awkward. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
    CJDave

  7. #7
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    Re: THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    I was referring to the stick welders rather than the wire feed units. But I guess I left that part out!
    Gary
    ----------------------------------------------
    Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?

  8. #8
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    Re: 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    I have a Miller 135 120 volt wire feed. I run it on a dedicated 30 amp circuit. It will weld up to 1/4 in pretty well and does fine for tralier repair and other light duty welding. Welding on a tractor sort of concerns me cause that kinda implies some pretty thick and heavy stuff it won't do that. Deck covers on mowers and small braces OK. 3/4 thick lift arms, drawbars or something like that forget it.

  9. #9
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    Re: THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] There are some very reasonably priced AC/DC buzz boxes out there. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
    CJDave

  10. #10
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    Re: THANKS! 220/120 AMP Service for Welder?

    I lucked out at an auction and got a tombstone and more rod than i could carry for $100. Still use it. Seems like the first welder used is the one that works the best when first starting out. I got lucky and used stick and feed in the first day ever welded. They each have their pluses. I think the poster (IMHO) would be happiest with a wire feed, just seems easier to start with, less stuff to mess with.
    No fun, change the rules!!!

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