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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / SA-250 is going to have a new home
- - By aevald (*****) Date 05-23-2012 04:32
Hello everyone, something kind of out of the blue is going to find a home at our shop tomorrow. A brother of one of our past students contacted my partner the other day and showed up today to "show" us a machine that he is looking to sell due to the passing of his dad and a change in interests of his brother and himself.

This is a 1999 SA-250 diesel, has a little over 3000 hours on the meter and is a CC/CV machine with 110 and 220 auxilary power. It is going to find a home on the truck that we are outfitting for both instructional purposes and program promotion. We are very excited to do some tinkering with it and put it through some paces. Hopefully we won't get any surprises, but I really don't anticipate any. Machine looks real solid and well taken care of, came out of California originally and has been in the Northwest for about a year and a half or so and stored on the truck out of the weather.

Got a few pictures that I am sure some of you will enjoy. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By RonG (****) Date 05-23-2012 13:51
Wow, that looks like a Windfall Alan. Heck of a nice machine.
Parent - - By Milton Gravitt (***) Date 05-23-2012 14:34
Allan when you get to run some beads with it post us a few pictures.

            M.G.
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 05-24-2012 05:42
Hi Milton, We'll likely feed it a bunch of different types and diameters of electrodes and see how it likes them. Then we'll hook up the trusty LN-25 and do the same with a number of different wire types: tubular (self and gas-shielded), and then finish out with some solid wires. Probably even light up the scratch start GTAW and see how that goes. As to the weld beads, is it OK if I edit out the bad ones? Thanks for the reply, best regards, Allan
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 05-24-2012 05:36
Thanks Ron, we do plan on having the students put it to use and hopefully gain a better understanding of another aspect of the trades. Namely, being able to care for equipment, understand the differences/similarities of equipment in the shop and out of the shop, and considering the big picture once you go mobile and don't have all the access to things that a shop offers. In other words, they are going to be tested on how well they analyze a proposed job and then prepare for it with how they equip their truck. Of course I am looking to trying it out as well. Haven't run one of those for quite some time and look forward to experiencing it's arc. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 05-25-2012 04:09
I think it is a good idea to give the students hands on time with the equipment they will actually use in the field. Of course You can't have one of everything ever made, but this machine is representative of old school generators.
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 05-25-2012 04:33
Thanks Dave, suprisingly, since this one is equipped with the CV option, it welds just about like a shop-type short arc machine or will crank out a really solid spray arc bead. Once we get the machine on a skid and ready to go I'll see about getting some sample pictures for others to see. Those who own and use these machines already know what they're capable of, those who don't might be pleasantly surprised. Got a chance to work on the skid this evening and made some pretty decent headway. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By dogweld (***) Date 05-25-2012 04:42
sa-250 with that 3- cyliner - D , they run all day long ,all week long , good luck
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 05-25-2012 05:29
Hello dogweld, I am definitely a diesel fan and much more so when I realized that this machine was Perkins powered. In a past life I was a Massey Ferguson mechanic and worked "around" a lot of these. Economical as all get out and long-livers. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By TozziWelding (**) Date 05-25-2012 12:24
I have an SA-250 gasser I pulled out of the scrap yard 5 years ago and she is still running hard for me. If mine had the CV box it would live on the truck permantaly.
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 05-25-2012 13:19
Hello Tozzi, I can certainly understand that. Weight could be a factor with this machine if you don't have a truck that can haul it. This one is going to end up on a 2-ton platform so it won't be much of an issue for us. Thanks for the comments and best regards, Allan
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 05-25-2012 13:23
Allan,

Looks like a very good way to break those new field hands in.  Next thing you know I'll see you down here with a whole crew of them putting up structures.  LOL!!

Really,  you have the right idea in getting them some good solid experience with a setup that will resemble what many could end up with in the work force.  And at least close enough that they won't be totally in the dark.

Keep up the good work. 

Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By up-ten (***) Date 05-25-2012 22:49
Wouldn't be neat if these old Lincolns had a replay button to press and see all the jobs it worked?
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 05-25-2012 23:28
Hi Bob, I do bet that this machine would certainly have a few tales to tell if it had such a button. From my own personal observations and those that I have gleaned from other forum members and many of the folks that I have personal contact with elsewhere, I am sure that all of us might experience some amazement of the histories of a lot of this equipment. Interesting take, appreciate the memories and thoughts that it evokes. Best regards, Allan
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 05-25-2012 23:24
Hello Brent, thanks for the comments. Since our time with most students is really very short, we do hope that we can provide them with a realistic impression of the trades. Machinery such as this does exactly that, as you said. Thanks and best regards, Allan.
Parent - - By TozziWelding (**) Date 05-29-2012 16:57
I have essentially a 2ton truck now (GMC 3500HD 19.5" tires) , 16,000 gvw legal so I might throw it on the deck and keep the Trailblazer for running wire.
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 05-29-2012 22:19
Hello Tozzi, this machine does have the CV module and runs wire very well. That was one of the things that we were looking at when we were deciding on an acceptable machine. Originally I was working on getting a Trailblazer 302, unfortunately that fell through and we had been trying to regroup to go about getting one through other channels. That's when this one showed up and the price was right. So we'll make this work, at least for now. Thanks for the comments and best regards, Allan
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 06-06-2012 16:49
Hello again folks, got to do a few more things with the machine lately. Built a skid for it and outfitted it with some bottles and a retractable hose reel for the torch. Also got some lead reels and got them set-up. Next will come a jockey  box to put some of the misc. items, then it's time for the students to start putting this to work around the shop. Hope you enjoy the pics. Also, as always looking for suggestions/comments. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 06-06-2012 17:53
Looking good Allan.

You're going to have some jealous contractors out there when they see that rig.

Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 06-06-2012 18:10
Thanks Brent, it has been enjoyable getting things set-up for it. Now it's time to put it to use and see about "learnin" these folks something. Oh, and it will be getting a paint job here sometime in the future. Just going to take a bit of time. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By TozziWelding (**) Date 06-07-2012 00:09
Allen, that is a perfect set up. I might do that to mine so I can crane it off and on the truck and leave it onsite.
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 06-07-2012 00:45
Thanks Tozzi, considering that there is the exhaust, fuel filler, and radiator cap on top as well as the crane pick-point the spacings worked out pretty well, we have access to all of them. The torch reel is a 100' and the two live lead reels have 50' on them now and probably room for another 50', I do feel that it worked out pretty well. Would have liked to incorporate room for one more bottle to provide shielding gas but it's already pretty long, definitely not a cross-bed set-up, about 8'7" in the current lay-out. Best regards, Allan
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / SA-250 is going to have a new home

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