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Up Topic Welding Industry / Welding Fundamentals / Something nifty.
- - By Lawrence (*****) Date 02-06-2012 15:22 Edited 02-06-2012 15:24
Here are a couple of carts that were fabricated by my students.   One was put together primarily with GTAW and the other was built mostly with the little GMAW machine it was built to carry.

I was never a big fan of the little 110 Migs,  But have discovered that they actually are very good little sheet metal machines and with self Shielded FCAW can actually do a pretty good jobs on small racks, bbq's etc..  Fact of the matter is that everybody is buying these things and If I don't teach them how to use the things I'm not doin my job eh?

The little consumable containers were made with a box and pan break and our nifty little bead roller..

Totally student designed.   Maybe a little overkill, but I'm sure its the best ride a Hobart Handler has ever had.
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 02-06-2012 15:37
I have one of those lil 135a 110v Hobart Handlers....and it has served me really well for the past 10 years or so. I've build lots of marching band equipment out of 11ga tubing to hustle the band equipment on/off the competition field.

Good Job! on the welding carts Lawrence!...and the attitude switch towards these great lil machines. IMHO, These are great lil machines for what they are.
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 02-06-2012 17:43
I have found that if provided with a 30 amp (dedicated/single use breaker, receptacle & 10 ga wire) 110-125 vac input these machines can produce 130 amps with a reduced duty cycle of course. And with 100% CO2  - very good penetration & fusion on hot rolled, rusty dirty steel. Some brands have higher inductance and weld better with CO2.
Next time the welding distributor has an open house with live demos; go at a slow time definitely after the free hot dogs are served. Have them demo each brand represented with CO2. There is a difference.
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 02-07-2012 04:24
I have found them to be sensitive to inadequate supply too.

One other problem I had was My own fault. Turns out .035 self shielded wire doesn't feed reliably through a .030 tip. Some areas of the wire were too big and would drag. I don't remember, but that spool of wire may have been in it when I got it used.
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 02-08-2012 16:26
Dave you are absolutely correct about the primary/input affecting the weld output and normally the lack of output. Most of those 115 vac machines require 20 amp input to get just 90 amps out. Extension cords (too small usually) really is an input limiting device. 10 gauge would be the smallest for 50 feet carrying 20 amps. Whereas 8 gauge would carry 30 amps out 50 feet.
A good example was seen a couple years ago when the county rebuilt the runway at the airport. They removed a mile of #2 copper cable used for the 115 vac 15 amp 1/2 mile of runway lights. That was put in about 60 years ago.
I thnk the weakest link on the little feeders is the drive mechanism. The one driven roll with a pressure arm idler bearing. I have switched mine out from a smooth v groove to a v knurled. Kinda like having studded snow tires.
But you can't force .035 through .030 tips.
Parent - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 02-10-2012 03:55
I have 2 of the little buggers. 1 takes 20 amps for 90A output and has a 15 amp plug, the other takes 25 amps for 105A otput and has a 20 amp plug. Both have pretty light gauge short cords, so You darn near HAVE to use an extension cord.
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 02-07-2012 00:18
Very nice Lawrence, and definitely something to keep up "student interest". Quite often we will hear our students complaining about having to do things repetitively so it is nice to have some useful projects that they can be put onto to use both their welding skills and fabrication/thinking skills. Compliments to your students and you also. BTW, we also have a couple of the smaller migs to provide training and understanding for a number of students who come to school to learn how to use their own smaller machines at home and to provide an alternative for individuals who really can't afford a more commercial type machine or don't really need anything larger. We have a number of community education type classes that utilize these machines quite a bit. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By sparksandslag (**) Date 02-07-2012 03:03
Lawrence, great looking rigs!  One question does come to mind, though.  How is the lateral stability of the cart?  In the pictures, they seem to be kind of tall in relation to the width.  Not being critical, but just wondering if more width between the casters would be of benefit.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 02-07-2012 04:38
Good pickup!  Sparky.

They are actually very stable... But if you look close at the wheel assembly you may notice that they are sort of robust..  This is because they were re-engineered during fabrication to get the casters a little further apart...  These pups are going to live their lives on smooth cement... If they were to be made for wider distribution, I would prolly make them a few inches shorter to lower the center of gravity.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 02-19-2012 17:04
I've got one of those Hobart 140's and that thing has been out of state, jobsites and had miles and miles of wire run thru it and I have had not one problem out of it!! Well worth what I paid for it and has made me many thousand's of dollars. Nice carts by the way!
Parent - By Mat (***) Date 02-25-2012 00:31 Edited 02-25-2012 00:35
the 110 machines work great if they're set right, though they are limited.  They're great for doing 1/8" wall tubing or similar items.  I built the headache rack on my truck with a 110 mig and fcaw.
Up Topic Welding Industry / Welding Fundamentals / Something nifty.

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