Vantage 300?????

Date 11-28-2008 07:39

The Vantage is a good smooth running machine but the is a PC board thats above the motor and if it goes out it cost about 3500 dallars that why i bought 300D... I am not kicking the Vantage i like them but i just dont like where the PC board is lacated and what the board costs to replace it

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 11-28-2008 10:51

i HAVE HAD A VANTAGE 300 a VANTAGE 400 AND NOW THE NEW VANTAGE 500 IN A 300 FRAME. IN MY OPINION, LINCOLN SHOULD NOT MAKE ANY OTHER MACHINE. ABOUT 50% OF THE WELDERS IN MY YARD RUN VANTAGE WELDERS. THEY WILL OUT WELD ALL OTHERS EVERY TIME. THE MACHINES HAVE A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ON THEM. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS FROM THEM WHATSOEVER.

By DONKEY PUNCH Date 11-28-2008 21:14

cactus the man asked what machine for pipelineing not welding in you're yard u don't even pipeline I would eat u and ur machine on a pipeline sorry to be so blunt but u do a lot of talking about stuff u are not doing mabey u have in ur past but a rig yard is not pipelineing not even close and no a vantage is not a good pipelineing machine in my opinion its a great machine for certain things but not pipelineing thank u and have a great day

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 11-28-2008 21:40

Well Donkey just maybe, besides being another one of the most premeire welders on the Planet, You should learn to read. I said "In My Opinion" and that is still my opinion. And another thing. I have been in this trade for over 28 years this year 25 of those ON MY RIG. I'm not pipelining because I dont have to anymore. And here in my yard my guys are welding XX wall high pressure pipe every day, all day. All of it is X-ray. The Vantages have no problem whatsoever. But then again I can see that your OPINION is that you have the best machine ever built. And all of the talking I do is from Experience ! Not because I read a book or heard some story somewhere. Remember this. A peice of pipe is just a round Plate. No big deal. Either you can weld or you Can't ! It just so happens I CAN. So I have a job that doesnt require me to prove myself anymore. It only requires that you prove yourself to me. Would you like to come and test ? Sorry to be so Blunt.

By sbcmweb (****)

Date 11-28-2008 22:17

He sounds like someone else I know.

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-28-2008 22:19 Edited 11-28-2008 22:21

Well alright then!!!! Donkey what kinda machine do you run???? have you ran a vantage on PIPE???? Cause thats what i'm asking is opinions from guys that have one or have ran them.......

By DONKEY PUNCH Date 11-28-2008 22:47

yes I have I did not like it but I didn't like mine either when I bought it it took some getting use to now I love it its a 300d I know a lot of pipe liners at least 3 of them have had vantage 400 and for pipelineing they didn't keep them very long I'm sure if ur a good welder the vantage will weld x ray all day but its more of a work out I like to let my machine work for me and no I don't think my machine is the best but it doses work well for me 7200 hrs no trouble good luck mabey cactus will hire u if u buy a vantage lol 55hr no perdiem u supply good luck

By pipeliner04 (**)

Date 12-01-2008 04:46

hahaha thats good stuff.

By pipeliner04 (**)

Date 12-01-2008 04:56

yea ive ran a vantage 300 before. great on fuel, looks great, welds LH real good. adjustable arc force, and the ability to light your christmas tree, sure they weld pipe good but they take a couple more passes than a 200. i hated mine,,wouldnt put out the iron. i dont know whos 200 these guys are comparing their machines too, but they outta take it easy on em,,,THEYRE STILL AROUND FOR A REASON. i just know how to adjust mine, rpm's, rack adjustment, sensitivity screws and whatnot. its just easier telling my helper to put in 4th and 75,,,NOT 163 AND 1/2. HAHA,,,TURN ME DOWN 2. ive owned one and ill never own another!!

By DONKEY PUNCH Date 11-28-2008 22:36

ok ok the welder is a ranger 4 and I've been welding on sewer pipe for 6 months now all I was saying is that the vantages I have seen on a pipe line and I have only been doing it for three years didn't do as slick as other machines a lot had to do with the guy welding and some with machine if u want to pipe line and pipeline only buy an old 200 or 300d or even the 200d if u want 2 pay 12 grand for a machine with no ac power but if you think a vantage will OUT WELD the above machines on pipeline then ur opinion is yours to keep as for taking your test I prefer to do pipelineing or I will sit at home no kids no bills and as far as proving myself to you I think I will pass on that one tell rick paul said hello good day

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-28-2008 22:46

First off all man.... This ain't my first rodeo I've welded pipeline for a number of years till I took a job as a foreman for a pipeline company... I always ran a 300d after my first sa. but I don't always work in oil and gas I do alot of large bore water also! and a sa can't hang! all I wanted to know is if anybody was running them in the gas and oil! By the way who is rick paul??????

By rick harnish (***)

Date 11-30-2008 02:37

I am Rick. He is Paul. I kinda like the name Rick Paul, though. Like a movie star! Or that drag queen. OK, I dont like the Rick Paul thing anymore. HI back at ya Paul!!

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-30-2008 02:41

Haha well glad to know who you are now... not sure why he brought you into that..

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 11-30-2008 21:15

RICK THE DRAG QUEEN !!! I ALWAYS NEW THERE WAS SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT THE WAY YOU HOLD YOUR STINGER !!

By RioCampo (***)

Date 11-30-2008 22:22

Ge'ez, what do ya say to that?

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 11-30-2008 22:51

HE LEFT HIMSELF WIDE OPEN FOR THAT ONE !!!

By rick harnish (***)

Date 12-01-2008 02:40

All I can really say is I still haven't seen concrete evidence that Cactus even has a stinger to hold!

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-01-2008 03:19

He does Rick i saw it monday morning when i looked up and he was welding a skid extention across form me that vantage 500 is a sweet welding machine

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-04-2008 03:53

Hey Rick did you ever figure out if Cactus can weld yet

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-01-2008 03:18

Now i know why he's always so jumpy and looking over his shoulder

By tigrooter (**)

Date 12-01-2008 04:03

Shad how's it going for you out there. you getting up to speed yet?

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-02-2008 02:23

Everything is great thanks for asking i could never find another job like this and the safety meetings lets just say they ar truly 1 of a kind held at a local cantina a large time is had by all back to the job it's really a great place to work they tell you what nees to be done and leave you alone nobody breathing down your neck asking are you done yet i dont see why anyone would wanna drag up or do anything to risk loosing their spot up to speed? yeah i still walk with a limp mand cant move as fast as i use too but i get the job done

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 12-02-2008 04:33

Shad, good to hear things are working out for You.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-03-2008 02:21

Thanks Dave it's been a long time comming

By tigrooter (**)

Date 12-02-2008 04:43

Good to hear I've been reading your post for some time now. You needed a good job to get things headed north! Looking at your post are people draging?

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-03-2008 02:24

Thanks tig this ob is great nobody is dragging that would not be a good move

By pypLynr (***)

Date 12-03-2008 03:35 Edited 12-04-2008 00:48

Well Shad, I'm glad things are workin' out for you. Tell cacti I will send him a postcard ... I'm flyin' out on sunday to Hawaii. He's not the ONLY 'highly sought after international metal fusion technician'! I heard that when you step off the plane you get layed. LOL- Also, after the first of the year , I'm going to the Bahamas for 23 mos. Ahh, the privelage of owning a passport ! Shad, I am glad and happy for you buddy. As it has been said before, its about time things turn around for you, man. You turn and burn out there in Brady buddy !!Remember, ' if sparks ain't flyin'- you ain't tryin' ! Peace bro, and god bless.

By RioCampo (***)

Date 12-01-2008 13:47

Cactus will start getting nervous when he sees a pink stinger and a pink pipeline hood behind him.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 12-02-2008 02:23

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thats what we got him for christmas

By sbcmweb (****)

Date 12-02-2008 20:59

Now that's a little strange there, Rick!! :-)

By shorthood2006 (****)

Date 11-28-2008 22:52

Go Get em' cactus.!!!!!! You dont have to prove anything to me cactus!i bet his welder wont produce 20,000 watts of power while welding...yours will!

By DONKEY PUNCH Date 11-28-2008 23:20

like I said I'm pipelineing not powering up a a small town in winter just pipelineing heck I think a bobcat puts out more power than my 300 but like I said

By 52lincoln (***)

Date 11-29-2008 00:29

about how much would a new 300d cost.aint that what your running?

By shorthood2006 (****)

Date 11-29-2008 20:48

munn this week priced a new 300D at $10,750. i have a new one, got it earlier this year.

By 52lincoln (***)

Date 11-30-2008 00:43

thinking about buying one.when i sell the two i got.does yours have the kabota?

By shorthood2006 (****)

Date 11-30-2008 02:16

i love the kabota. i love the fuel consumption. fill up on monday and friday mornings. that is a $100 per week savings on fuel. that adds up over a year. I feel that is enough to justify owning a diesel. 2 yrs and its paid for. the company im pipelining for is paying for all fuel consumed 5 days a week. i make sure im topped on fridays. run their fuel all weekend.
as for the welding, i think a 200 will stack alot better. i had trouble capping when i first got it, it seemed really waterey. i learned how to set it after runnin it for a few days.
It did wet stack a bit when i was breaking it in..even after load banking it for 6 hours. running 3/16" hyp capping helped alot too.

By 52lincoln (***)

Date 11-30-2008 02:58

so does yours have the arc force on it?i really appreciate the info

By shorthood2006 (****)

Date 11-30-2008 16:15

yes, i dont mess with it much. if i change anything, i will use my ditch box to change the heat. i havnt had time to compare on using the arc force. i love the machine though!

By J Hall

Date 11-28-2008 14:52

PC board above the motor? I don't recall seeing this on my Vantages. As I recall, they are behind the front panel.

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-28-2008 15:39

As far as trickin' one out..... (remotes) and such are they as easy and cheap or do you still have to go with the big bulky lincoln remotes???? I have always been used to the weldtron type remotes.

How about stackin' will they run with an old 200?

By stewartfan20 (*)

Date 11-28-2008 17:20

i think mine fill and stacks better than the 200's but i think putting a bead in downhill it is a little slower but it puts a really nice bead in, fuel consumption is flippin great, i have only used regular stick mode for putting sleeve on 20" and it lays a beatifull bead there and is fast, and u know in pipeline if u aint fast your hungry

By Cole Welding (**)

Date 11-28-2008 17:26 Edited 11-28-2008 18:41

i was working in a yard in 2007 in wichita falls and one of the guys machine had to be taken to the shop because that pc board went out.... like i said i and not kocking the machine i just dont like where that pc is lacated in that panel where all the heat from the motor and what is costs to replace it if the board goes out and if you got to pay for it out of your pocket.....

By Superflux (****)

Date 11-28-2008 19:56 Edited 11-28-2008 20:49

Seems to me, the ADVANTAGE would be to have a brand new one and the full benefit of that 5 year warranty...then trade-her in!
The SA 200's are from an age gone by when machines were built to last. That coupled with true DC current gives them under the hood welding characteristics unequaled.

By sbcmweb (****)

Date 11-28-2008 22:32 Edited 11-28-2008 22:41

Yeah. On an Inverter based engine drive, that's about the only way to go if you plan on working it hard & doing it 100 hours a week. I got a nasty little comment handed to me by an ignorant troll on here (who knows NOTHING about repairing expensive Inverter based machines) awhile back because I also said I would take the reliability of the older copper wound SA's over anything else. I guess because I'm not Mr. first rate expert pipe welding superstar, I know nothing. He's a jerk to everyone though :-) I've fixed plenty of inverters & frankly, after the warranty expires, I would be looking to get a new one. Especially if I was counting on making a living with it every day.

One out of warranty major electronic repair on an Inverter based machine can EASILY cost thousands of dollars, not to mention the LWS is going to have your machine for at least a week while disassembling it & waiting on the parts. Even with your parts getting priority 2nd day air shipment from the factory. (Standard for Miller service centers) Why do you think the BIG rental companies are looking to off their rental units as soon as they get out of warranty, or get a few thousand hours on them?? They get a compensation from the factory on parts & labor if they are repairing them while under factory warranty & are a service center (most all I know are)The best thing about an SA 200 is that if you have issues with it, there are inexpensive used parts readily available from many sources, as well as reputable aftermarket manufacturers. A good deal of the engine parts can be purchased at a Napa auto parts store & you can be up & running in no time. Granted, diesel engines are the best as far as power to size ratio & fuel consumption, but if you have a breakdown, you're looking at serious coin to get it running.

That said, that Vantage has a LOT of very excellent things said about it & I would love to try one out. They are really spoken well of by a lot of reputable people on here. It's just a matter of what works for the user. That's all. S.W.

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-28-2008 22:39

Tanks SBC, I don't know I wish I could run a sa-200 I love those machines but the just won't hang for what I do or should I say going back to doing... thats why I always ran a 300d or classic III.... so I guess the choice is a vantage or classic

By sbcmweb (****)

Date 11-28-2008 23:02

That's the only downfall to the 200's. If you are in the position where you need to do more than just stick weld, an SA 200 will not do high amperage CAC, generate large amounts of AC power or true CV MIG wire weld, (not like a multi process inverter machine will anyways). I have heard a whole lot of really good stuff about the Vantage & I would buy one flat out before I would even look at a big Miller engine drive. I'm a Miller guy & although Miller makes the better shop machine IMHO, Lincoln beats them out with their engine drives. The big units anyways. I do not have a lot of experience with engine drive machines, nor am I a pipe guy, but if all I had to do was burn rod & needed nothing else, my choice would be the gas SA 200. You could always throw a Ranger or Trailblazer on the back of your truck if you needed a unit to generate AC power & do CV MIG in a pinch.

Only reason being, it is relatively easy to repair, has NO solid state technology to fail & parts are readily available & relatively inexpensive. I am speaking strictly from a repair & reliability standpoint. I have seen inverter machines just go funny & blow boards, IGBT modules, SCR's, caps, etc. & fixing those gets expensive really fast. If it's not under warranty & I wasn't a hired hand, running the company's machine, I wouldn't keep one any longer than the factory warranty. Not if I had to depend on it EVERY single day & it was running 90+ hours a week. After repairing machines for awhile, it has given me a much different view of machine operation & reliability.

I have always wanted to take an SAE 400 generator & put it in an SA 200/250 sized custom frame with a compact diesel engine running it. It would look like a shorthood on steroids!! If you didn't need AC aux. power or true CV, it would be one heck of a machine for heavy DC stick welding & big carbon burning. Just a thought. If only I were rich & had the time.........

S.W.

By sbcmweb (****)

Date 11-28-2008 22:36

They are totally solid state inverter based machines. You can get away with a much smaller remote size because the control signal is much lower power & doesn't require a big rheostat like the analog machines do to adjust the fine current. The remotes can be a bit pricey, depends on what you want & where you get it.

S.W.

By pipehead (***)

Date 11-28-2008 22:48

I have always run a weldtron remote on my 300. Do they make one for a vantage or where could I get one???

By JTMcC

Date 12-02-2008 20:16 Edited 12-02-2008 20:40

Since you asked, here's a picture of a Tidwell remote, and a Cable remote for perspective.

Maybe....
JTMcC.