Welding advice ?

[Shawlerbrook]

Getting tired of asking my neighbor to do minor repairs on trailers, plows and other implements around the place. Working 120 acres things break. Looking for advice on getting a small welder just to do minor repairs. Things like trailer tongues and angle iron corners on the boxes. Don’t plan on doing major fabrication and repairs don’t have to look pretty. Don’t want to break the bank. Was looking at some of the HF welders. Looking for any advice from those who have some welding experience.

[Ozark mike]

Oxy acet is the way to go for most even if they dont realize it. You can do cast steel aluminum brazing soldering heating In the wind without electric. Just about anything can be welded with a torch. If your goin to be doing a whole bunch of .375 or heavier id also get a used 225 lincoln. If you need more info let me know

[clintsfolly]

Check out your local community collage they probably have basic welding class. Probably the best money you will spend to get you to the point of doing your repair work!

[trapper9260]

a stick welder will cover what you mainly looking to do ,also a set of touched

[Jniedbalski]

If you are doing to be welding up heaver stuff like over 1/8 or 1/4 inch the 225 Lincoln will be probably the cheepest and the best.my Hobart handler does good but only thin stuff. 1/4 in max. It’s more for thin stuff and sheet metal. The easier for me is a good mig but they are very expensive. The stick wilder is very hard for me to use and start a ark unless you use it a lot and get practice with it. The Hobart handler was good at mufflers and sheet metal in the body shop. Did usally everything I needed. But a lot of stuff on the farm is thicker than 1/4 in. My dad has a cheep Lincoln mig flux core welder and it’s actually good at 80% of the stuff I need done.

[Gofaaast]

Lincoln ac/dc 225/125 stick is my recommendation. If schools in your state use an online auction firm to disperse what they replace, deals can be found there on welders. If you don’t know how to weld AC current is easier starting out (rod doesn’t stick as easy) but you waste rod and it’s much more difficult to weld in positions that are not flat. My reason for recommending the ac/dc. DC uses less electricity if that matters to you. Get some 6011 rod to practice with and you will have a good understanding after about 10 lbs is burned along with reading about welding. Auctions have cheap rod most of the time that is sufficient for practice. A wire welder with the current needed for farm jobs will cost more than a stick welder usually.

[Ozark mike]

A real welding school will usually start you out on a torch because it teaches you how to manipulate the puddle. With farm jobs you will not always have electric unless you own a 12kw portable genset.

[cwlongshot]

Most harbor freight welders are barely good enough for sheet-metal. If you want to Meg get a better quality unit. On arc welder it's gonna be better suited if you need quarter inch or more steel. Acetylene torches are nice because they can do brazing cutting and welding.

[john.k]

Ive done lots of welding ,like maybe used tons of rods in big tins,and I never cease to be amazed at the little shoebox sized "inverter welders"........In the old days ,crowd I worked for had a Italian "Essetti" inverter ,the thing cost like $1200,and needed regular $400 repairs ......but it could be used off a ladder ,and would work on 100feet of extension lead.....Now the inverters cost $150 for a pretty good one,so on that basis ,you can afford to throw one away if it fails.........My favorite stick welder is the Lincoln SAE 300 horizontal ,heavy and 3 phase ,but what a welder ......next is the Lincoln 250Mk ,upright bullet .

[rockrat]

Should be able to find a Lincoln stick welder for $100-$125 at a pawn shop or yard sale. My first one was $100 and when the cooling fan went out I found a nearly new one at a yard sale for $125. Its red, rectangular and the switch increases power about 15 units each click. 6011 are good deeper penetrating rod, and I use 7014 also. 1/8". Inherited gas welding setup from Grandfather, but have seen them at yard sales for about the prices of a stick welder. I had a class in high school in the 9th grade that taught me a bit about gas and stick welding.
They have come in handy over the decades

[Huskerguy]

Not a welding expert but I have done a lot of welding. I would go with a 225amp MIG with .030 or .035 wire. You can weld thin 1/8 up to 1/2 easily. It is easy to use and you don't need different rods.

A torch puts out way too much heat and is not good for thicker metal and required more skill.

JMHO

[Ozark mike]

A torch puts out way too much heat and is not good for thicker metal and required more skill.

JMHO

Gtaw and ofw are the only two methods accepted for airframes

[Kenstone]

I've been happy with my HF Titanium Easy-Flux 125 amp welder, as are many others, read the reviews:
https://www.harborfreight.com/titanium-easy-flux-125-amp-welder-56355.html

The HF haters will always poopoo anything HF even if they never owned it.

I still have the other HF 90 amp welder too, and built a few MC trailers with it, before converting it to DC negative electrode with $20 worth of electronics:
https://www.harborfreight.com/flux-125-welder-63582.html
Again read the reviews...

That Easy-Flux 125 is a DC based invertor and is better than the AC 125 amp old tech welder though.
I've welded up to 3/8" thickness by V'ing out both sides of butt welds.

You might have trouble finding one though, they've been pretty scarce since they came out.
Here's a thread by owners of the easy-flux:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=430172
:mrgreen:
Edit: some vids here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=reviews+of+Titanium+Easy-Flux+125+Amp+Welder

[Shawlerbrook]

Appreciate all the responses. Will definitely check out the CC’s and BOCES to see about classes.

[chambers]

Buy a Lincoln or Miller 200 Amp stick welder, Bought one( Miller) for couple of hundred bucks that was used 2 times, 50 amp, 220 volt. This is all you need. Wire welding is easier( GMAW) but you will need something about 200 AMP machine to weld heavier than 1/4".

[chambers]

Look on something like facebook adds or Craigslist list, see it weld before you buy.

[hc18flyer]

Lincoln ac/dc 225/125 stick is my recommendation. If schools in your state use an online auction firm to disperse what they replace, deals can be found there on welders. If you don’t know how to weld AC current is easier starting out (rod doesn’t stick as easy) but you waste rod and it’s much more difficult to weld in positions that are not flat. My reason for recommending the ac/dc. DC uses less electricity if that matters to you. Get some 6011 rod to practice with and you will have a good understanding after about 10 lbs is burned along with reading about welding. Auctions have cheap rod most of the time that is sufficient for practice. A wire welder with the current needed for farm jobs will cost more than a stick welder usually.

I agree with this. A ac/DC is the low cost ticket for a beginner. Imhotep, a wire welder is well worth what it costs! We love our Miller, versatile and easy to use. Just like anything else worth doing, takes practice, and a basic welding class at a community college, would be an great start.

[curdog007]

I just picked up a Lincoln 225 crackerbox for $125. We keep it in the farm shop for quickie repairs and tacking projects together so we don't have to listen to the Ranger 250 all day long. Then we weld it with the Ranger. I also have a Lincoln TIG for serious small stuff, and also oxy/acetylene for some welding. I was taught at pipe school on oxy/acet first as Ozark Mike said, before going on to stick. MIG/wire welders are only suitable for sheet metal IMO, I do not trust wire on anything serious - seen too many failures. Very, very, few welders can do a first quality job with wire - they are fast for production and allow a so-so "welder" to lay an OK looking bead.
I told my son who is 18 and learning to weld to stay away from wire until he has mastered the stick. Already he lays beads with 7018's so nicely that most think it's wire.

[cp1969]

Get a good welding book, such as Richard Finch's "Welder's Handbook." Read it first before you buy anything. It's not a big book or expensive but will teach you a lot. Learn what electrodes are suitable for which jobs. Don't buy a whole bunch of any one electrode; they don't retain their 'freshness' unless kept moisture free. 1 lb packages may not seem economical but they are when you have to throw out 4 lb of a 5 lb box because the flux has drawn moisture.

If you can only afford one outfit, an oxy/acetylene torch and cutting attachment is the way to go. You WILL need the cutting torch on the farm. You can also braze with it (brass rod). Brazing is like soldering but stronger.

If you can afford two, add a buzz box AC/DC stick welder. Get a GOOD helmet to go with it. This is essential. You can't weld what you can't see.

Also get some kind of table to work on. You can make this; it can be your first project. Not mandatory but clamps and magnets are useful and cheap. And a good fire extinguisher.

If money is no object, skip the buzz box and get a top of the line TIG welder or a gas powered Miller Bobcat if you'll be welding in the field. Plus you then have a pretty good generator, too.

Buy all this stuff used if you can. It rarely wears out.

Forgot to mention the plasma cutter. They're coming down in price and unlike the oxy/acetylene torch, will cut any metal.

[M-Tecs]

Depending on the rod re-drying is an option. Always follow the manufactures recommendations. I purchase in larger volume and vacuum seal them.

https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/support/welding-how-to/Pages/storing-electrodes-detail.aspx

If you can only have one the oxy/acetylene recommendation should be first. Next would be the AC/DC stick welder.

[redneck1]

I wouldn't recommend a mig welder for general farm use .
Can't weld anywhere there is a breeze blowing , wind blows your shielding gas away .

Wire feed with flux core wire is possible ...

Its just hard to beat a stick welder for all around usefulness .
If you don't get in a hurry and look around you'll find a nice commercial welder for reasonable money.
Just pay attention you don't get one that has a higher amperage requirement then what you have available .

A person who hasn't ever used a good stick welder can't understand the huge difference between it and a cheap buzzbox
I am not a professional welder and I don't have any problems stick welding
1/16 sheet metal with my miller sr150 stick / tig
Set the amperage properly and it welds like butter .

Oh yea , if you do go the older commercial route ... Pay ATTN to if its single or three phase unless you have a rotory converter big enough to run a 3 phase machine .

The modern inverter welders are pretty fantastic if you can afford one
And the use way way way less power when idling then a transformer machine

[MostlyLeverGuns]

No matter what welder, stick, MIG, TIG, the modern auto-darkening helmets make welding much easier than trying to strike an arc through the old blackout helmets. Being able to see BEFORE the arc is struck just makes the process much more precise and much easier.

[DougGuy]

FORGET the Horrible Freight options, just forget them all together they are ***.

Yes you can use mig, but you need to get out of the wind with it. If you have 220v, buy one of the Lincoln or Hobart or Miller 220v mig machines, those will weld quite good on anything trailer related, I could build an entire trailer with .035 hard wire mig and pretty much have done this many times as the mig is 4x-5x faster than stick. It needs to be semi clean for mig, it don't like oil or paint or rust and especially don't like torch slag but you can weld flat with it easy and it is the easiest of all carbon steel welding procedures to weld vertical with.

My favorite is dual shield fluxcore but it takes a little more of an investment in the machine, I run a Miller 12VS suitcase with a Miller Big 50 diesel, this is a 500 amp machine and I do a lot of buckets, rebuild them with SA514 T1 cut edges, AR400 bars on the sides and bottom etc, I use SA572 where I can, it is high strength steel and it has an extremely high strength to weight ratio, all your excavator manufacturers use this steel for the booms.

Check and see how much you can get into a decent wire feeder that will run .045" dual shield wire, this stuff is the best carbon steel mig process you can get imho, and I been a welder 50+yrs, with experience in shipyards, pressure vessel shops, tons of fab shops, paper mills, chemical plants, you name it I have been there and done it, mostly pretty hardcore industrial stuff, the last 10yrs I got into pharmaceutical and running a lot of hi purity stainless, nice clean work.

I have seen a few ehh more or less ill advised replies in this thread, all with good intention I am sure, but just not what would really benefit you with the needs you described. No you don't need to take 2 semesters at the CC to learn to run a mig gun, and you don't need to take on oxy acetylene welding when there are other processes that are much more practical, I don't see welding 2x2x1/4" angle on a trailer as critical, TiG is a really good process but save that for root passes in x-ray pipe welds which I have done hundreds and hundreds of, and it does thin stiff really well and nothing welds stainless sheet metal better than a TiG torch, I have a couple of those as well, one I run in my basement with a 110v Miller lunchbox it's a real *** but for doing small things and running the occasional 3/32" 7018 stick rod I keep it around.

Don't overlook Craigslist either, I can usually find some decent listings that work good, but yeah take a welder with you or at least let one preview the listing. My big Miller diesel came from Craigslist, we got another Big 50 diesel from Craigslist for a buddy of mine's company and I use it rebuilding their skid steer buckets and trailers. They do concrete work, building forms and stuff, they have 30 trucks, each truck has an equipment trailer, they have a bunch of Takeuchi bobcats/skid steer loaders, and a lot of Hispanic operators that will beat a machine to death in short order so I get a lot of repairs very similar to what you describe, and I use mostly 1/16" dual shield on all of it. It is strong, fast, and looks like a million bucks when a good welder lays it down.

[Mal Paso]

Power Quality is just as important as the welder with a simple stick like the 225 Lincoln. Big wire connected close to the meter helps.

Welding is similar to reloading, a slippery slope.

I have a Lincoln 225 stick, Hobart 125 Handler MIG, Victor Journeyman Oxy/Acetylene and a HF 240V Spot Welder cuz it's faster and cheaper than rivets.

+1 For Auto Helmets

[Huskerguy]

Gtaw and ofw are the only two methods accepted for airframes
He is working on machinery, heavier metals.

[Ozark mike]

Im sorry but my post was not ill advised. i have done my fair share of welding over the years for work. I also lived on a farm in Missouri a mig is not a farm tool and anyone who dismisses a torch for all round work on the farm well i aint goin there.
i have worked in a bed shop as a a&p welded pipe built trailers vehicles ive welded on carburetors and other crazy things that i cant think of right now.
Yes a torch is slower yes a miller dialarc is heavy (500lbs) and akward but those are the only ones i own and can weld ANYTHING and dont have to fork money over to the lws for crazy things that my poor but cant afford i wouldnt be trying to use a mig to spray paint a wheel clamp back together on a farmall super m

[Ozark mike]

He is working on machinery, heavier metals.

just welded up a piece of cast iron a manifold used torch so i didnt have to worry about it cracking because arc welders put a lot of heat in one area and requires preheat anyways vs torch. Which heats slowly

[elmacgyver0]

As a teenager I fixed all my dads broken machinery with a 175 amp Lincoln AC arc welder.
It was more than adequate for any job on the farm, my dad was quite pleased and bragged that my welds never broke where some of the "professional" jobs he had done for him did not last.
I still have that old Lincoln but it does not get much use any more.
I do most of my welding now with AC/DC TIG welder with argon shielding gas, great for doing small precision work, I would Not recommend it for fixing plows and combines.
Stick or MIG is your best bet, MIG requires shielding gas unless you use flux core wire.

[bmortell]

id just get a simple cheap stick welder. some 1/8" 6010s for thin rusty garbage. 7014 for welds on cleaner metal. and theres also sticks for aluminum and whatnot if needed. technique for example is very different with those 2 sticks like 6010s you cant straight line weld you gotta do little pecks to prevent melt through but its what works when i have to weld peoples paper thin rusted garbage together. but you can learn anything on youtube.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If you go the AC stick route, try some 7024 Rod. Harder to find, only good for flat/horizontal welds, and a bit pricey, but dang it makes me look good! I only weld a few times a year, so I need something easy to remember. 7024 is it!

[country gent]

The old "buzz boxes" will do yeoman service with a good life span. Lincoln hobart miller century all made these. Normally 225 amps would weld about any thing with proper prep. We had a 223 amp century ac dc at the farm and t ran for 30-40 years.Was much louder and noisier when old though. A set of torches are a big plus with the welders and repairs. Pre heating, bending, straightening, cutting and also burning oil off before welding In my shop I have a set of the small bottle (Hvac size) torches. Oxy acetylene. Much smaller and easier to move around and transport, cheaper to fill and a lot less to lose while sitting unused. These allow cutting brazing soldering and gas welds to be done.

As was said this is a slippery slope as the welder and torch will inspire wants for other tools. :bigsmyl2: Another big plus with the welder is a simple welding table so you can position and clamp pieces up to comfortably work on them

[Three44s]

Larger farm here, second generation of welders here, 3 phase in our shop for 50 years!

I would start with a good stick welder, then a good angle grinder and use grinding and cut off wheels. By all means do not buy an angle grinder unless it has a paddle switch!

Next buy an oxy/acy set up. Buy the Victor clone stuff so you can have a good array of tips and cutting torch accessories.

Get as much stuff off of Craigslist as you can. I would not go with HF for a welder or helmet. I would go to a regular welding store and look at their economy brands first.

But if you can, hold out for a quality stick welder like a Miller or Hobart as they are a cut above even Lincoln in my opinion. But Lincoln is way above HF.

Stick beats wire feed as to versatility but BIG wire feed can certainly weld big iron. We have two 3 ph. 400 amp wire feeds in our shop and there is nothing so inspiring as the Lincoln outer shield .045” wire to put the beans out with a heavy machine pushing it!

Three44s

[waksupi]

I'm old school. I can weld anything that needs welding with oxyacetylene. I had some pretty advanced training in doing it over the years by some real pros.

As a side note, in years past I worked making large industrial machinery. We would get new hires with certification from the local college. We had to re-train every darned one of them how to weld.

[Mal Paso]

I have a Lincoln 225 stick, Hobart 125 Handler MIG, Victor Journeyman Oxy/Acetylene and a HF 240V Spot Welder cuz it's faster and cheaper than rivets.



I am not a welder but I build and repair a lot. I am also far enough from town that it makes sense to be self sufficient.

The Hobart 125 gets most of the work. It's set up with .035 Flux Core, is 120 volt and will run on my 3KW generator. 1/4" and smaller it will repair a gate or fabricate a pump stand. Fast and easy.

The Lincoln 225 will weld 1/4" steel and bigger and hard face buckets.

Oxy/Acetylene heats for assembling and removing parts. Heavy duty cutting, fine welding and brazing nothing else will touch. Silver brazing is awesome for gun work, repairing small parts.

Spot Welder for sheet metal. Sheet metal is better, faster, cheaper for a lot of projects and a single project for a customer paid for the 240V HF Spot Welder which is almost twice the power of the 120v model.

From there it's grinders, saws, clamps, blankets .............

[megasupermagnum]

There is a surprising number of people recommending torches. While I know you can weld with an oxy acetylene torch, I'm not sure it is common or easy. I worked on a couple of farms, and neither used a torch for welding. Brazing on the other hand is a huge benefit of a torch, along with cutting.

No, for welding I don't see a reason to get fancy for your listed jobs of heavy equipment repair. People practically give the AC stick welder crackle boxes away, and they are perfect for the job. They work great outdoors, and make great welds on heavier material. Sheet metal is tricky for the average guy, but anything over 1/8" is quite doable. It takes more skill than a MIG for sure, but is easier than TIG, and the lesser cost is the big thing.

[copperlake]

Getting tired of asking my neighbor to do minor repairs on trailers, plows and other implements around the place. Working 120 acres things break. Looking for advice on getting a small welder just to do minor repairs. Things like trailer tongues and angle iron corners on the boxes. Don’t plan on doing major fabrication and repairs don’t have to look pretty. Don’t want to break the bank. Was looking at some of the HF welders. Looking for any advice from those who have some welding experience.

I'm a weldor, I make these sorts of things for a living:

263682

I highly recommend this machine to people just like you. It weighs about a third of a Lincoln tombstone and is my go-to packer at 35 lbs: https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/power-i-mig-200

[waksupi]

There is a surprising number of people recommending torches. While I know you can weld with an oxy acetylene torch, I'm not sure it is common or easy. I worked on a couple of farms, and neither used a torch for welding. Brazing on the other hand is a huge benefit of a torch, along with cutting.

No, for welding I don't see a reason to get fancy for your listed jobs of heavy equipment repair. People practically give the AC stick welder crackle boxes away, and they are perfect for the job. They work great outdoors, and make great welds on heavier material. Sheet metal is tricky for the average guy, but anything over 1/8" is quite doable. It takes more skill than a MIG for sure, but is easier than TIG, and the lesser cost is the big thing.


For torches, you just need the right tips.

[Three44s]

At the price of oxygen and (particularly) acetylene I would cringe having to weld medium to heavier stuff with it. Sure you can, but does it make economic sense?

Best regards

Three44s

[Cast_outlaw]

I’d say get a diesel one Then it’s portable on your property wire feed will be easier than learning stick bed either will work you just need to practice

[elmacgyver0]

This is getting pretty ridiculous.

[SSGOldfart]

This is getting pretty ridiculous.

You think??

[Kenstone]

You think??

Well that and the OP has not posted since page 1 and we're on page 3 :oops:
With the posts on last 2 pages mostly starting with geezer speak like:
years ago
when I was a teenager
I grew up
I'm old school
etc.
[smilie=b:

[45workhorse]

Guerilla glue?:kidding:

Duct tape and bailing wire!!!

[curdog007]

An old blacksmith once said to me "I like having you here. You listen". Maybe that's what the OP is doing.

I used to go to that old blacksmith's forge to listen to his geezer speak, because he was good, and even at a young age I knew if I listened to him the learning curve might not be quite so steep.

He had another saying he liked a lot "When mouth opens, ears close".

[Shawlerbrook]

Again, thank you for all your advice. Leaning toward a 125 amp wire feed welder and definitely getting an auto darkening helmet and the Finch book. When all this Covid crap ends might look into some training at the CC or BOCES. Again, thank for all the helpful advice.

[10x]

An old blacksmith once said to me "I like having you here. You listen". Maybe that's what the OP is doing.

I used to go to that old blacksmith's forge to listen to his geezer speak, because he was good, and even at a young age I knew if I listened to him the learning curve might not be quite so steep.

He had another saying he liked a lot "When mouth opens, ears close".

My grandfather was a blacksmith. I was 11 years old when I met him. He spent 3 weeks at our home and during that time he would fire the forge and "putter". One of the projects he did was make chain, starting from 3/8" steel rod that he salvaged in the 1930's. He used the forge, a cold chisel, a hammer, and a hardy.
He cut the rod, formed the links, and welded the links using the forge hammer, anvil, and hardy.
I was fascinated and amazed. When I asked him why he did it, he said for fun. He also said to teach me that if "one man can build it, another can fix it, or if you can not fix it, another just like it can be built".
My uncle looted his tools so they are gone , but I still have hand forged ice tongs for hauling out 70 lb blocks of ice that he built, and a cow bell.
He needed a coat hanger so he took a 16" length of 3/4 willow striped the bark off of it, formed it to a curve, dried it, formed a hook out of 3/16" wire, and made one.
I use it for hanging USB cables in my office.

[john.k]

Any kind of wirefeed needs regular use ...or it simply wont work......The beauty of the stickwelder is it works after a 6 month layup ,rods left on a shelf in an opened packet .....conditions maybe not ideal ,but still good enough for average steel repairs.

[elmacgyver0]

If you are set on a wire feed welder spend a little more and get one capable of using shielding gas.
You can still use flux core but can add gas if you decide you like to weld and want to progress a bit.