my welder blew up!!!!

[jerrell 1]

:hide: I turned the welder on and that thing lit up like a christmas tree, jumped back and ran because it was making a buzzing and crackling sounds and sparks calore.. i shut off the breaker but by then it was shooting flames out the air vents, needless to say i am in need of a new welder. i have a wire welder for very small jobs but need one to weld heavy metal , this was an old (15 years) rod or stick welder, and i have read some post with pictures and saw some beautiful welding ,

what kind of welder do you all think is the best

[saguaro 0]

Glad your all right.A critter get in it?

[jerrell 1]

:hide: don't know matt, that thing is a melted piece of junk , the metal caseing melted on all four sides about in the middle and now is just a hunk of junk. cant't tell what happened but had to be a direct short. afterwards it was funny how that thing blew up, but at the time it was a little scary..

[HorseFixer 2,013]

I have a wire welder for very small jobs but need one to weld heavy metal , this was an old (15 years) rod or stick welder, and i have read some post with pictures and saw some beautiful welding ,

what kind of welder do you all think is the best

If you can find a Lincoln Squarewave 175 thats what I use for Arc & Tig its a smooth machine! :hide:

[catman81056 3]

Ditto what Duke said!!!

[bitten 134]

I have two Millers and love them. But Im sure that anything you get that will do the job and you get use to it, will have you back at it again.

P.J.

[KyBlue 655]

Lincoln or Miller would get my vote...both have pretty comperable models...oh glad your okay and the welder didnt take the garage /shop out or anything like that

[big mike 13]

It all depends on what you need for a welder and your budget.If I did not have a welder and was only going to buy one I would look at a Millermatic 252 or a Lincoln Powermig 250C.

Tig is nice but do you need tig?

The advantages to tig.....you can weld any weldable metal,the bead looks pretty if your skilled.

Disadvantages....higher skill level than mig or stick,much slower deposition rate.

Ya wanna tig?.....hands down,Miller Dynasty 200DX and contractor pack with foot pedal....you'll about never run a nicer machine.

My guess.....please take no offense......find a good ole Lincoln tombstome(maybe one with DC too)and never look back.Fits most budgets,most guys can find an outlet to run it from and stick will do about anything most tractor guys need to('cept for aluminum,unless you like alu stick)

[Mith 2]

General 'farm' welding you will want an arc welder. I only have an arc welder at home, very rarely do I need to borrow a TIG or MIG to do a job.

If you are getting an arc welder get an arc inverter. You can get them very small an light. Mine is 160A and is about the same size and weight as a handbag. 100% duty cycle, and can be plugged straight into a generator. You definitely want to get a DC welder, much nicer and cleaner bead

With inverters, the more you spend the better you get, but I hear the chinese ones arent bad.

Higher end inverters will also TIG weld if you get a TIG torch for it. If you want TIG get one with high frequency start. Scratch start isnt too fabulous, passable, but not great. If you want to weld non-ferrous you need one that has AC. DC is needed for ferrous.

You can weld aluminum with DC, but you need to use helium as a shielding gas which is pricey.

As to brand, if you can get one, Fronius make an excellent welder. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

[big mike 13]

Mith,I made a guess that you were somewhere not in the US when you said Fronius....good products but very hard to get parts here and expensive.

Hi freq is ok but touch start is the berrys.Inverters are great but get pricy off the bat.The Dynasty is an AC/DC inverter and with the contractor pack(to make it a TIG machine instead of just stick)is about 4500 bones :horseplay: .Personally I wouldn't spend my hard earned cash on any machine other than Miller or Lincoln(ok,Hobart too)....just too many problems if "something" happens or you need parts.

[Mith 2]

Mike, you are right, I can get Fronius parts from down the road here. They do have a US division, so there must be parts around.

Funny, I tried touch start and didnt like it, HF just seemed the bees knees to me. Much easier on the tungsten and in tight areas.

You could get a TIG capable inverter for less than 4.5k. Definately much less if you were only the occasional TIG user. Get one with a manual gas valve etc. When I bought my Fronius they were much less than 4.5k.

[jerrell 1]

:omg: 4.5k,,, i was thinking about 4 or 5 hundred...i only use it here on the farm and the old one was less than 200.00---15 years ago...i just need an old rod or stick, i try the mig i have and that thing drives me crazy but i get the job done, just have to STICK with it. . it takes some getting used to. i only have to weld cracks on a disk or harrow, or thiings like that . but they are usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch metal