fed up with 300D going to sa 200..

Date 09-21-2006 03:59 Edited 09-21-2006 04:07

I just got finished with a structural job where the primary welding machine was the 300d with less than two hundred hours and it had a tough time lighting and keeping lit smaller rods, actually 3/32 thru to 5/32, the boss/owner of the welder was seriously offended when I told him that there was something wrong with his machine. I have a 1972 red face sae 200 and it will do anything i ask, small rod up 3/32 to a 3/16 rod and you can pull a long arc or stuff it through the parent metal and it never snuffs out. i think that the wind up time for the diesel is too long because when it was at high idle it was better but still "it sucked" we ended up renting a brand new bobcat and every body fought over who got to use the one that worked and the 300d. By the way I paid 1000 bucks for the red face about 6 months ago and it was recently overhauled and starts without any smoke uses very little oil and has some new parts, it is the best of the best.
darren

By downhandonly (***)

Date 09-21-2006 23:03

thanks for taking the time to get back to me darren. When I bought the 300d I was looking forward to its fuel economy and a trademark lincoln arc. people said it would be better after I put 500 hours or so on it, but it has almost 3000 and it never really changed. oh well the sa 200 i picked up may be hard on gas, but I'll take the arc over economy any day.

By 2003440 (**)

Date 09-23-2006 03:28

Hello guys i wanted to drop in on the 300d coversation,i have ran a 65 redface for ages i just bought a 300d recently i really do not think the 300d will stack like my redface the only thing i have noticed is a runny puddle and i probably relate this to the machine running hoter due to the 1800 rpm vs the red face 1500-1600,what ocv are you at on your 300? i have heard that the 200d is the way to go from quite a few guys,but on the other hand the ac voltage sure is a handy thing also.i use the redface as a backup now i also have gotten used to the 300d i sure like the fuel savings!!!

By darren

Date 09-23-2006 05:48

I dont know what the ocv is on my beast I do know that the old grey mares are still the best machines out there period. I geuss i could put the multimeter on it.
I would like an older sae 600 for some gouging. Now those are pigs on fuel. we have some old sa 800 shop torpedoes in our pressure vessel shop and they gouge 5/8 rod with plenty of room to spare. I find it amazing with all the technology and progress we have made that they cannot offer a machine better than the sixties and early seventies offered. I also bought a ideal arc 250 ithink its around a 68 it had almost no hours on it for $600 ca., it was from the lincoln reps dads garage and it had maybe a couple of hundred hours of on time never mind arc time it is just like the sae 200 . the best
also things are so good for work up here that alot of jobs pay for you fuel as well as your consumables along with your hourly rate
darren

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 01-18-2007 22:10

where are you located at that the work is so plentyful

By Sourdough (****)

Date 09-30-2006 15:40

The diesels dont do what the old 200's do, it's true, BUT: My 305d ranger weighs only 600 lbs. I put, (on average) 10k miles on my truck each month. Virtually every job I get on requires at least 2 hours of drive time. Sometimes I am on 3 jobs per day. I prefer the economy both on my truck and my machine over being able to stack like the old ones do. Just my opinion.

By JTMcC

Date 09-30-2006 21:51 Edited 09-30-2006 21:54

A lot if people put either the Fowler coils or the factory 1982 SA-250 coils in the Classic3D's and 300D's and are quite a bit happier with the way they run.
One good friend of mine has one and we tried everything imaginable on it, we rolled the rack both ways, slowed the rpm down to several different levels, ran the slider all three gears while trying different ranges and nothing would make the machine happy. Finally he had the 1982 shunt coils installed and it made a world of difference.
Another good friend set his ocv back to around 90 (otherwise bone stock) and is tickled to death.
A third friend of mine just got his brand new 300D with a Kubota and the rpm adjustment dial, we haven't had a chance to try it out yet but I'll be interested to see how it drives.
The 200D is the solution, IF you can live without ac auxillary power and within it's output limits.

If the fire's going out the first thing I'd look at is the ocv, all of them I've had would tend to snuff out if they were turning a little too slow rpm.

JTMcC.

By darren

Date 09-30-2006 23:35 Edited 09-30-2006 23:39

wow jtmcc you know alot more about em than ill ever know. if i have any questions about my beast youll be one of the first i hope to hear from.
for the most part the new machines work as good or better in most applicatons, as i stated before most jobs up here pay for your fuel and consumables over and above your hourly rate, so the extra fuel costs hardly ever come into it. things are so booming here that welders are a consumable item. if you have any troubles you just get a new one. welding trucks all decked out with all the bells and whistles are selling of the lot ready to go for around 125000 and they are back ordered and keep getting further behind in their orders all the time. the 305g is perhaps one of the most poular machines you see on the back of rigs.
if you can weld pipe you make the 125000 back in four months right now. one friend of mine was making 1440 a day for his rate and 200$ bonus per weld because he had 100 xrays clean previous and he welds 12 joints a day. total 3840/day plus all consumables and fuel paid plus living out allowance. although that is an extreme case there alot of jobs that pay 12000 clear a month for wages only, plus travel and paid flights to and from, based on a three week in one week turnaround. never mind the accountants tricks of the trade. some guys are buying farms in saskatchewan so they can claim all of there money and expenses through the farm. one example my last foreman made 173000 last year and paid only 5000 in tax and 3000 to his accountant. he kept 165000.all for only eight months work. farms are a good way for saving some money.
darren

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Date 10-01-2006 15:12

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By makeithot (***)

Date 01-18-2007 23:01

I wouldn't give up just yet. I recently bought a big 40 D. But during the research period I heard that the 300D had some problems in the area you have mentioned they tell me that the issue was resolved so if possible I would go back to the dealer and tell him to fix it or supply you with new machine. On the positive not though I couldn't be happier with the Big 40D and for the the extra weight +- 200lbs it was well worth the money. It did however require 4 hours on a load bank to break it in, so you could weld at the lower settings perhaps the 300D needed the same procedure. look in your manual or call tech support.