Airco 250 Heliwelder: Can anyone advise?

Date 09-03-2002 23:25

Hi:

I've found one of these used for a decent price. It's a bit larger than what I'm was looking for (400 lbs, in comparison to an ESAB Heliarc 161 AC/DC, Miller Syncrowave 180SD, Lincoln SquareWave 175 Pro, Miller EconoTIG). Anyone know how one of these would compare to the above list? I gather this welder is pretty old (which is not necessarily an issue, unless parts would be a problem). Can anyone advise?

Regards,
Dave

AIRCO 250 HELIWELDER V WELDER TIG/STICK AC/DC CC TIG (GTAW) STICK (SMAW)
INPUT POWER IS 200/230/460 VOLTS SINGLE PHASE WELD RANGE 5-310AMPS
UNIT WEIGHT 400 LBS UNIT COMES 15 FT 6/3 SO INPUT CABLE.
AIRCO FOOT CONTROL

>NEW AW-WP2625-2 AIR COOLED TIG TORCH

GROUND CABLE AND CLAMP <
THIS UNIT HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION. CUSTOMER TO PAY ACTUAL FREIGHT.
THIS UNIT HAS ALL THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES YOU NEED FOR HIGH-PRESICION AC TIG WELDING, PLUS THE FLEXIBILITY TO HANDLE A VARIETY OF METALS.
FOR DEMANDING ALUMINUM WORK, THE HELIWELDER V 250 HAS SQUAREWAVE AC OUTPUT

By DGXL

Date 09-07-2002 21:12

Dave,
This is one of the last machines I used before I converted from weldor to inspector. It was a great machine, everyone else wanted the Millers or Lincolns, but I made do with my Airco machine. I consistently passed X ray on a wide variety of materials including (but not limited to) aluminum, stainless, inconel, monel, etc.

While I wanted the latest and greatest when I first went to work at this company fabricating aircraft and aerospace parts, I found the older, antiquated Airco would help me lay down some nice beads when that loud contacter would slam shut. And my machine remained stationary due to the weight, I could only roll it around a limited distance. The little inverters could be carried around and plugged into the various gas manifolds and power outlets throughout the shop. OK, so I couldn't travel with the Heliwelder, and it was loud, but I could go toe to toe with the best as far as weld quality.

Many posts in here about what brands to use, check these out. It's ultimately your call and how much your wallet can bear. By the way, you didn't mention how much for this machine...

By DaveSisk (**)

Date 09-09-2002 15:46

It was actually listed on ebay. The starting bid was $400. There was a reserve price, but I don't know what that was because the item didn't actually sell. I decided to not pursue this one since someone emailed me to say parts might be an issue if/when it breaks...

Thx,
Dave

By DGXL

Date 09-13-2002 03:58

D,
Lots of the parts are interchangeable with other manufacturers and/or can be slightly modified to fit these machines.

But ultimately your own advice was the best for Dave: "...when it breaks..."