iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Hobart Mig or Esab suitcase welders

Started by ozarkgem, June 15, 2014, 05:46:37 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ozarkgem

Anyone have one of the Hobart suitcase welders. I think they are a model 190. 220 volt. They sell them at the local farm store. I have a Hobart 300 amp mig at the business but its 3 phase so I am looking for one for the farm for the new sawmill build. I am told the Esab are really good welders . not much price difference just no one handles them close by.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

drobertson

I have the 140, nice little wire machine for the money,  of course it's only 120v, but I did get a bottle for it, limited to around 1/4 material according to the specs, have done heavier with no issues. I never heard of the other, so can't help you with that one.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

thecfarm

 I bought a Lincoln,runs on 220 volts and I only needed a different feed wheel. That is the only time I needed a dealer part for it.Just about all my welding is done outside. I use the flux core wire.
I put my welder on a dolly. Works out good on my gravel driveway.I built a box on the dolly. About as wide and as high,about a foot deep. I have about 50 feet of extension cord wrapped on the outside. I just unwrap what I need. The owners manual told me how much I needed. That thick wire was not cheap. I only have one draw in it. Plans for more. All my welding gear in right there.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

julio

Hobart (miller) is a good machine ,I think the duty cycle is a little low for full time welding .Esab is also a good machine . Check both out and make your choice , I think you will find they both are close to each other. I have or have owned both .
If you put your finger in your ear and scratch, it sounds like PacMan.

goose63

I have the 140 110 volt Hobart built my mill trailer with it. if you get that one it comes set up for flux core to use hard wire you have to switch the wires around inside the cover where the wire spool is looking at thy will be in upper right hand corner. its a good welder I like mine
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

Tom the Sawyer

I bought a Hobart 190 about a year ago.  It was rated for the thicknesses of steel I anticipated I would be using.  I had never welded before but was getting tired of what seemed to be excessive charges for the welding I was having done ($90 p/hr. for a skilled welder wasn't so bad - $90 p/hr. for the guy handing him the rods and holding his coffee? Not so much). 

I practiced on some scrap and made some ugly welds.  Tried again, and again.  Figured out pretty quickly that I should be using gas shielding - much smoother welds.  Of course, once you can weld you'll need a power hacksaw, more clamps, welding table, alternate wire sizes, etc., etc.  Mig isn't the answer for every welding job but it works very well for everything I have needed.
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

snowstorm

i have a 250 esab mig i like it stands up well. also have a miller 175 works good for what it is. and a miller bobcat

Larry

I bought the 187 about three years ago.  Shortly after it was replaced by the 190.  I think the only difference is its spool gun ready.

First, I'm not a professional welder but an experienced hobby guy.  I only use it for my projects so it doesn't get a lot of use.  With that in mind I've had excellent and perfect service from this unit.

When I first got it I welded about 2' of flux wire and decided quickly I wanted to add gas and got a big bottle.  I tried both 30 and 35 thou wire and settled on 30 thou.  Btw, I used all brands of wire before deciding on a favorite.  Its Inefil in 10 pound spools from Amazon.

I've welded up to 1/4" thick in one pass with good results.  I do use my stick welder for penetration and a weld that positively cannot fail on thicker stuff.

In summary, I would give the machine a perfect five star rating.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

ozarkgem

I will be using gas. I have 3 stick welders for heavy stuff. Mig is so much easier on vertical welds and leaves a much nice looking bead. Plan on using it for my mill build.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

Billbob

I run a Lincoln 140 mig.  Runs off of 120v.  Works pretty darn good. Learnt the hard way not to cheap out on wire. I use Lincoln .035 flux core wire.  I also have a Lincoln 225 arc.
Woodland Hm126 sawmill, LS 72hp tractor with FEL, homemade log winch, 8ft pulp trailer, Husqvarna 50, Husqvarna 353, homemade wood splitter, 12ft dump trailer, Polaris Sportsman 500 with ATV dump trailer

justallan1

I've had my Hobart 140 for 3 years now and love it. I can easily weld ΒΌ" in a single pass and have done heavier with multiple passes when needed, and their still holding just fine. I have a spool gun for it for aluminum and it took some getting used to, but works great.
Although it's never been an issue, one concern I had when buying it was the duty cycle for the highest setting, but unless you are using it for production work you should never have to worry about it.
One of my biggest reasons for getting the 140 is that I can throw it in the truck with my generator and go anywhere.

Allan

MattJ

I also have the Hobart handler 140 and love it.  I was on the fence between 220V and 120V and went for the largest 120V I could get for the same reasons as above, the ability to run it off the generator or at a friends house where 220V isn't available.  It's a great machine and what I build my sawmill frame with. 

Matt

StimW

I just bought the Hobart 190 from TSC about a month ago ($650. plus tax) because my Miller 210 took a crap and it looks like the ($313.00) board is bad.
I called a local repair shop and they will only warranty new board replacement for 45 days and want $385. plus labor for it. :(
If I change the board and what ever made it fail is still bad I might blow the new one so for now I have the 190.
It welds a little courser than the 210 but it really does a good job over all. I am running .035 with 75/25 gas.
I weld a lot of 1/8-1/4" and it handles that great. I easily can do 1/2" with the 210.
I also bought the cart from HF for $35. on sale. I had to upgrade the rear wheels on it because I have the large bottle and the original wheels were too light. 
New HF Band Mill
Branson 35 hp 4 WD Diesel Tractor W/Attachments- Backhoe, FEL W/ Bucket or Forks, 4' Tiller
4000# Clark Forklift W/24" Tires
Promark 6" Brush chipper W/18 hp Kohler

yukon cornelius

I had a Hobart ironman 230 and a Lincoln power mig 250.  I sold the Hobart and kept the Lincoln. I felt both were equal. 1/2" one pass. I don't use it a lot but when I do its nice. 

another thing I switched to straight co2 instead of argon mix for shielding gas. its cheaper, welds better and last way longer.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

Bruno of NH

I have a Forney 130FI  gas/no gas runs on 120v.
Welds good for what it is and didnt cost that much .
I use it to make small repairs on my equipment and tools.
Weld some things for my jobs.
Bruno
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Gadrock

I use several different welders, quite a lot.

For ease of access our little Lincoln 170, with 023, 030, or 035 on straight CO2.

My fav have been my Lincoln 250 DIgital with mostly 035 and CO2. Recently an outside in the wind project put us into fluxcored (040 E70-S6)...WITH CO2. It make the most beautiful welds of all...even out in the wind. Using a 5/8 shield

others are tig / stick / 220-----and gasoline

I would strongly consider the Lincoln SP170 for your projects...with gas ///flux or non flux cored wire...BUT with gas.


carry on
LT40 G18,   bent Cresent wrench,   broken timing light
Prentice 280 loader, Prentice 2432 skidder, Deere 643J fellerbuncher, Deere 648H skidder, Deere 650H Dozer

ozarkgem

Quote from: Gadrock on June 26, 2014, 10:36:15 AM
I use several different welders, quite a lot.

For ease of access our little Lincoln 170, with 023, 030, or 035 on straight CO2.

My fav have been my Lincoln 250 DIgital with mostly 035 and CO2. Recently an outside in the wind project put us into fluxcored (040 E70-S6)...WITH CO2. It make the most beautiful welds of all...even out in the wind. Using a 5/8 shield

others are tig / stick / 220-----and gasoline

I would strongly consider the Lincoln SP170 for your projects...with gas ///flux or non flux cored wire...BUT with gas.


carry on
I tried straight Co2 at the shop in town and it splattered a lot. Changed to  75/25 and got really nice welds.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

47sawdust

I've used a Hobart 135 with gas for close to 10 years.It has performed very well.I run it off 110 volts.I've done a lot farm related repairs and fab work and would not be without it.It is always a temptation to get the next size up but I like the flexibility of this unit.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Thank You Sponsors!