Welding Tips and Tricks

Need a stick farm welder with at least 200A DC, 220V, for repairs, rough fabrication, hardfacing.

The Lincoln AC/DC 240/120A just won't run 3/16" Stoody 31 hardface rod very well on DC. Don't need TIG or MIG for what is done around the farm. Don't like to buy used.

Looking at:

1. Lincoln Idealarc 250 (K1053-9), 300/250A. $1600.

2. Miller Thunderbolt XL (903686), 300/200A. $900.

3. Everlast PowerArc 200, 200A DC, $350. (Could add a PowerPlasma 70 for $950.)

4. Maybe a multi-purpose Everlast PowerPro 256. $1750. (Would like a plasma cutter but it is not essential.)

Portability or space are not factors and a budget of $2000 is set.

I've done as much searching forums and Internet research as is reasonable but need "hands on" opinions from farm welders.

My Lincoln is 25 years old and runs well so if the overwhelming opinion is to save money and run the hardfacing on 180A AC then that will be the choice.

Thanks ahead of time.

Never mind, went with the inverter - Everlast PowerArc 200.

If it doesn't work out I'll have all of the members of this forum to blame for not leading me in the right direction. Just kidding of course.

hey, let us know how it works out in the long run. $350 is a pretty nice looking price and if it will handle farm work, it will handle about anything I would throw at it.

ogorir wrote:hey, let us know how it works out in the long run. $350 is a pretty nice looking price and if it will handle farm work, it will handle about anything I would throw at it.

Thanks for your interest. Nothing has broken on the farm recently so the welder has not been used much except to find out what it would do. The inverter weld is especially smooth with 6011/7018. The special 6010/6011 negative terminal does seem to make for a better start.

The only fabricating done was to put a pipe extension in a tractor top link. 3/32 6011 was used for the root weld and 3/32 7018 for the cover passes. Nice flat weld with no grinding necessary. Very smooth but without the "stack of dimes" effect that makes it look professional. I was turning the pipe with one hand while welding with the other and the coordination was not perfect.

This is a "short run" report so if something remarkable happens (or doesn't happen) it will be posted. Seems like a good welder and with a 5 year warranty it makes it attractive as long as the company is still around by then.

Just found out that they are having a 20% off summer sale. I may spring for that plasma cutter after all.

PLEASE let me know how that special 6010 port runs. I was seriously looking at one of those, but thought....why the hell the special port for 6010? Does it even run 6010 on regular DCEP? I didnt want to have to change my cables everytime I ran a short root with 6010 and wanted to cover with 7018.

kermdawg wrote:PLEASE let me know how that special 6010 port runs. I was seriously looking at one of those, but thought....why the hell the special port for 6010? Does it even run 6010 on regular DCEP? I didnt want to have to change my cables everytime I ran a short root with 6010 and wanted to cover with 7018.

Since 6010 has only light flux and a paper core it is sometimes difficult to keep the arc stable for us non-pros. There is something in the circuitry that will keep the are going. The welder runs 6010 on DCEP just fine - like it was meant for it.

On a short root there is probably no reason to change the cables. The port is better used for long runs.

Everlast has a video that demos the property if I recall correctly.

http://www.univision.com/uv/video/Everl ... 1242799418

cool! I didnt want to have to switch cables everytime I had to run 6010. If it'll run 6010 just fine without the special port than I just might buy one. Thanks for the info.