| Author | Message | ||
| DebDav (Debdav)
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I am buying a new welder to work on the bus and to have for repairs. I am looking at a Lincoln 135 or a Miller 135. Both are comparable price - Lincoln is slightly cheaper. Both are 120 VAC and work on 1/4" steel and stainless. Both are MIG with and/or without gas. Who uses either and how is the device workablility? Ace - Yours is a Miller 135, Yes? | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
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At Busn' 2002 the welding supply guy at the demo said it depends on where you live. In Florida he said Miller is more popular, in the Mid West, and Kansas, Lincoln. I don't know about Texas. I have a Hobart Handler that is OK but I wish I had spent the extra $100 for a Miller. | ||
| Earl-8-Ky Rating: N/A |
I bought a Lincoln. I believe it is a 165 as it is 220. It will run either flux cored wire or you can use the gas. I much prefer the gas. It does a lot better job for me. I would think either one would do a good job. Just practice with it. | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
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I have a hobart Handler 135 as well. It does well and runs great off the genset. I just bought a big Thermal Dynamics rig for the shop, so the Hobart will probably go in the tool bay on the bus. Ross | ||
| R.C.Bsihop
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I owned a Steel Fabrication Company (Construction Steel) and we used Miller-Matics which, IMHO, cannot be beat....however  I purchased a Campbell Hausfield 105 several years ago for exactly what you are intending to do. It has performed well, I have never run out of welding cycle, and it uses up to a 10 pound roll of wire, which I have used most of the time. In the fabrication company we used .035 wire and that was for most operations, but I think the .035 is not necessary, or even advisable, for the CH. Advantage is lightweight, very portable, pretty adjustable to job being done and, if one keeps everything in perspective ( size and thickness of metal, etc,) it is fine. Runs fine off the Generator (4KW). Get into major welding (beams, heavy iron, etc) it is the wrong choice. I repair- welded a snow plow blade to it's support frame, 1/4 inch metal on both, had no problem. FWIW RCB '64 Crown Supercoach | ||
| Ed Jewett (Kristinsgrandpa)
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I have a Miller and have used a Lincoln at work and cannot see any difference. Both work great. The one thing that I would like to bring up though is the choice of welding wire, not the choice of flux core or gas but the brand you use. All I have used up till two weeks ago was Miller, then I ran out and put a roll of wire I got on sale from Harbor Freight. I wish I had my $35 back and they had their wire back. It is flux core and splatters twice a much as the Miller. I have to stop and clean my tip constantly. The wire retains a lot of slag on the tip and makes it harder to start the arc at the lower amperage settings, not as much of a problem if being used wide open (max amps). I've used Lincoln wire at work and had no problems with it. The wire from Harbor Freight was made in Italy. HTH Ed | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
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I have used a Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 for 8 years and use it with .035 Flux core for nasty and heavy stuff and .023 or .030 stainless wire with Gas for doing stainless or carbon steel and have never had a problem. The 120 volt units are handy and easy to transport but lack real power for doing heavy structural stuff. Then a Miller 185 MIG is the best but expensive. | ||
| R.C.Bishop
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Ed.... you are absolutely right about the HF wire...I called them, they said send it back, gave me full credit and even paid for the return....Lincoln is without question the most reliable and stable from reel to reel. FWIW. RCB | ||
| Sojourner (Jjimage)
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I have Miller 135 w/gas. Only problem (big problem) was gun assemblies which is bad design feature. Poor connection between gun & inter casing equal poor steady welding. No set screw to tighten connection like Tweco gun. It breaks connection while pulling or under-tension near straight-line. I am going to convert to Tweco system soon. Larger Miller mig unit have set-screw set-up. 110v Lincoln equip w/Tweco....great gun….very popular to get service anywhere! My recommend is always asked if it come with Tweco gun or better. Mig welder w/Tweco worth $100 more than other brand. http://www.thermadyne.com/evolution/subCategory.asp?div=twe&catid=127&subcatid=130 With mini-mig welder, angle gun about 45° toward flow direction…..cleaner & better penetration welds. FWIW Sojourn for Christ, Jerry | ||
| bruce king
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I went to an auction and purchased a millermatic 250x for $750. Since then I've welded all sorts of things, and am pretty happy with it. What I like best about it is that the duty cycle is 100% for the thickness of stuff that I'm working on; when I'm fabricating something, I can lay out out, clamp it, and just weld straight through until i'm done -- that is very nice. used vs new -- i don't think these things wear out in normal use; but maybe that's because i don't know what will break. a new millermatic 251 (current model) is $1700. the 30lb spools of wire are pretty nice, too. Just load one and you're done for a long while. 45' of wrought iron fence, two wrote iron gates, mild steel chicken coop, batter slider and racks, mounting bracket for lcd tv; all in the last month. You find these units on ebay for between 500 and 1k -- the welder without the gas tank weighs about 200lbs, but is wheeled and easily moveable. kinda hard to lift into my pickup truck on my own though -- had to use a ramp. I run mine on 230 volts. haven't tried it off the bus inverters. Wonder if it'll work? Since the bay floors and various other parts are aluminum i've since purchased a millermatch 30a remote spool, and will be working on my aluminum welding skills over the summer. I like the idea of making stuff out of aluminum for weight reasons mostly. Bus weighs enough as it is. I run straight wire with 75%argon/25%co2. I'm planning on buying a cylinder of 100% argon for the aluminum work. | ||
| Pat Bartlett (Muddog16)
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I started out with two Lincoln 135's they were great, i now have a Millermatic 175 and to be honest about it they are so similar its unbelievable, the reliability is great! Bruce mentioned 30lb spools, that is great if you weld all the time, gathering dirty on your spool from sitting can cause problems with your liner. One of the ways i try to prevent that is, I take a couple of sponge type ear plugs and when i change the wire i run the wire throught the ear plugs before inserting it in the feed entrance, this wipes the wire before it goes thru the liner, does it help? When i'm done they sure are dirty, so i guess it works! | ||
| DebDav (Debdav)
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Thanks for info and tips! I want a device that will build the bus and be portable for travel. Was looking at Miller but now asking questions about Tweco guns with Lincoln 135 from local suppliers. Drive Safe-DebDav | ||
| Sojourner (Jjimage)
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Compact mini-welder is most handy for all-around portability to reach high into upper half of bus project. I love my for that reason & it a mig w/gas. Inert gas can be remote from welder as well. A while back, I was told as per salesman & friend (Old pro-himself) that Miller 110v 135 mig come with their version which is troubling. Wish they improve it or switch to Tweco so not to rely on compression contact instead of set-screw connection for full time contact. Result steady & solid welding. Let us know if you will the update of available version of gun for it brand of welder. Thanks Sojourn for Christ, Jerry | ||
| Rob King
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Hi DebDav I looked at Miller/Lincoln. Both very respectable but somewhat pricey. The local Orschleins farm supply carry Lincoln and Clarke. I was nervous about using the clarke 130 but it was on sale at $200 less than Lincoln. So I bit after manager told me if I didn't like it to bring it right back. Have never welded until starting on bus. Has done well, holding up under novice welder, tough welding and also lots of light weight welding. Parts are available on line(needed wire guide because I didn't follow directions to cut wire fresh when running it in first time and stretched the guide out) and reasonable. I think it is somewhat a disposable unit compared to Miller/Lincoln. Plus Orschleins has a 3% discount card that you get for free so got even bigger discounted price. Uses 1-10 pound spools of wire. Rob | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
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There is a commercial version of the ear plug, about one inch in diameter with a spring steel clip to hold it on. I use it with Weld Aid Lubematic. You put a few drops on the foam every now and then. Recommended at Busn' 2002. I also use a tip cleaning dip. My welding books (I am a better reader than a welder) indicate that with patience you can get a good weld on heavier materials with a low power welder. That is especially using gas and keeping the wind blocked. If you use fluxcore, it costs a lot more and you will have some slag or impurities to clean before the next layer. With gas, the weld is clean and ready to be welded to right away. I have an extremely heavy bush hog, more like a Rhino brand, but even heavier that is held at the rear by 3/8 inch chain that I rewelded to the plates with this welder. It is hard to imagine a detoit engine mount would need more strength per square inch than this junction. The bush hog will lift the front wheels of a John Deere 2640 off the ground when it is lifted. One of my better welds on one of my better days. I did buy a 220 volt, 250 Amp AC/DC welder for heavy work but it was for use on rusty metal, with the arc doing the cleaning. I'm glad I have the 120 volt machine to take with me anywhere. Another piece of advice from Busn' 2002. Buy locally where you will be asking advice and buying supplies. There is very little difference in price mig welders from one supplier to another. Harbour Freight prices on a Hobart are identical with the local supply shop here. | ||
| toddVP (Tvp)
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I used a millermatic 220? back in 89 or so .. Little Lincolns from home depot ... and the best so far has been my 200 century !!! WELL under a grand .. WITH A TWEEKCO GUN (stock) .. and a pony tank from the gas company ($200 to own it)!!! Got it at northern tools .. -10% for appling for thier credit card too !!! 110v machines are nice for sheet metal .. but you'll hate it after the first job you do with it ... and you'll think you CAN'T WELD !!! MIG (GMAW) is VERY easy !!! The thing to look for in a machine is ... unlimited adjustments .. for wire speed and temp/amps ... you'll want to "dial" it in to the littlest degree .. those machines with 4 or 5 settings are WORTHLESS !!! and you'll want 200 amps or more so you can run 100% duty cycle at 100 amps or better .. which is what you'll want on those old rusty "channel" frames 135 amp boxes will do .250-.500" bead then you "run out" of juice .... and have to chip your tip away from your work and start over  if you want to do ANY welding yourself .. plan on a grand !! there really isn't an cheap way out ... other than used ... and mine was cheaper .. new .. than those "brands" are used ... | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
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I can tackle some pretty heavy jobs with my Hobart Handler 135, with only 4 current settngs and infinite wire speed. Our buses do not have much 1/2 inch plate. I bought a 220 volt AC DC arc welder for farm equipment, not for the bus. |