Recommendations for welder

c-note

hello all
we dont have a welder on the farm, we tend to let jobs build up and then a local welder comes in and spends an afternoon fixing things up.
he's a very skilled guy and does a tidy job, but ocassionally there are small jobs that dont make sense to leave hanging about...

can anyone tell me what specs i should look for in a mma welder for light/medium jobs.. gates/bars/odd bits on machines?
i was hoping to pick up something cheap in the next few months but dont want to buy anything too light, so what should i look for!

thanks

Turbury

The standard air cooled welder that local co-ops sell will be fine for what you want to do. They are usually 250-280 Amp machines that can take up to 4mm rods (Very max). I have one that has done a lot of work over the years always using 3.5mm rods with no difficulty. THey usually only cost about 200 euro.

JohnBoy

agreed.

bk1991

i have only baught a 200amp arc inverter welder which cost 650 euro includeing gloves ,chipping hammer,face mask and 2 boxs welding rods

maidhc

I'm surprised more farmers don't get MIG welders. I don't have one, just an aging arc, but I think i'll go for a decent murex by the end of the year. Any opinions?

powerfarmer

I suppose farmers dont commonly have MIG welders because a good one is expensive and a costly machine for something that is used infrequently,
to get good results with MIG on heavy fabrications you need a machine capable of at least 220A for an extended period and most high output MIG machines need 3 phase.


The rental of gas bottles is probably an issue too , it was around €70 a year for a small argon bottle with around €45 to fill it up ,don't know how much it costs now.
MIG is ideal for fabrication on clean new steel , preferablty indoors to keep the gas shield from blowing away
If I had the work for a MIG ( and 3 phase) I'd buy one

JohnBoy

Agree completely.

MIG is great, but you'll need a 180-220 amp machine for agricultural purposes. which will cost a damm site more than a similar arc welder.

They're way more expensive to run as they need the gas, rental on a small bottle is heading for €20 a month these days and a 180 amp mig will drink gas. if you dont keep it in regular use you risk rusting the wire on the roll which leads to wastage.

also mig requires a higher standard of weld preparation than arc, it has a lower tolerance to the type of dirt and rust you find on ag machines. fine, we should always ensure a perfect weld preparation but sometimes it's just not possible, and arc will be more tolerant of this.

So for farm work it's a cheap arc set all the way.

if you want to get into doing lighter repairs then get a 130A mig for a few hundred too. my two machines stand me around 650 all in and give the flexibilty of having the right machine for the job.