Need advice abouwhat welder to buy!

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jason130

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Hello all , any advice greatly appreciated! I am going to buy a mig welder but not getting much help from welding forums! I want a semi pro welder for use on Chassis and light metals, I also want to build two custom overland trailers next year so it has to have a decent duty cycle and be able preferably to run of a 240v socket!
 
I find Clarke welders good value for money and perfectly capable of giving a more than decent weld.
 
I would suggest checking out Mig Welding Forum - invaluable advice from friendly guys. I wish I had found this forum before buying my SIP as I found out after there event that they are not the best welder for the money I paid for it. Clarke machines get a better rep on that forum - and priced at a similar level so you can't go too far wrong if on a DIY budget....
 
Thanks for the advice. Think the Clarke 151 looks good, disapointed to hear that Sip are not so good! I was thinking about a topmig150 as they have a good duty cycle and operate at low amps for light work!
 
i have a clarke 151 and its been good.

one thing to watch though is that on mine the gas pipe came detatched from the gas valve in the torch.

easy fix if you are aware of it , how ever i hadnt used it for about 8 months so i just thought id got crap at welding in that time.

now its back to its good old self for 0 pence :d
 
I'm looking at either a Sealey mightymig 150 or 170/190 for all round welding jobs. The 150 is gas less and you have to pay extra for a conversion kit to use gas but the 170/190 come all ready to go. Not sure though if the 170/190 go lower enough to weld thin material, read somewhere that a 30 setting is good for welding thin stuff but can't find the thread again now.

First job might be new rear cross member with winch tray...........!!!!!!

Thoughts..................
 
The Clarke 151te sounds good, tried gas less welding once thought it was ****! If you don't want gas then use an arc welder! Much better welds! Mickntakenki, go for it that's a good way to get into fabrication and a very rewarding job! But I would get the 170 for the job!
 
The Sealey MightyMig 190 is a good bit of kit. I have owned one now for 4 years and I re-welded all the usual rot spots in my Disco 300tdi. It comes with a Euro style torch as standard and can weld down to 0.9mm steel no problem. I use it now for agricultural spec ATV trailers, feed bins etc and it performs brilliantly. It can be got for around £400 including delivery on ebay - great price compared the the comparable Clarke offering.

For chassis welding and your custom overland trailer projects I'd go for the Sealy 190 option as you will have decent duty cycle, can run on 13amp (although if you weld on top setting for prolonged periods it will blow the 13amp plug fuse ie; long continuous welds on heavy plate/box)
 
Hi, with regard yo using a 240 volt socket ,you are better using the dedicated electic cooker supply. and use an argon/co2 gas mix ,it is much more tolerant to oxides(rust) than pure co2. you should look to be abe to run a 0.8mm wire for chassis work and a 0.6mm wire for sheet work.
 
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