Mig welder

[gmcooper]

I am looking at getting a mig welder. Not planning to weld any stainless. My son needs one working on his race car. I would like to build a new arch next year. We do some stick welding on the farm with our Miller welder. My son suggeested and Hobart 140 or 190. He said the 140 would do up to 1/4" and that was just enough for what he needed. The 140 was 110v and the 190 is 220v. I'm thinking the 140 would certainly be more portable but we do have a generator that could run either out in the field. Any thoughts on either of these?
Mark

[b116757]

I have a miller 211 it will run on 110 or 220 just swap out the quick change plug and that's it no other changes works great definitely welds smoother on 220 but does very well on 110 and makes it very portable. I'm set up for 220 at home but have several times thrown it in the truck and welded at a buddy's place on 110 also has the auto set function just set one nob for wire size and the other is set for whatever metal thickness your welding make even a poor welder like me look like I know what I'm doing

[nymapleguy607]

I second the Miller 211. I bought one a couple years ago and it has been great. The autoset feature is really helpful for dialing in you wire speed and voltage.

[Big_Eddy]

Be careful with specs - the maximum capacity is usually based on multi-pass welding with flux core wire, and a highly reduced duty-cycle. IMO a 120V welder doesn't have sufficient capacity for a race car frame.

I highly recommend you buy a 220V welder. You can turn it down, but you can't add capacity that isn't there.

The Hobart 190 is an excellent machine. It is based on the older 187 which was extremely well respected, with spool gun capability added.

The Hobart 211 adds a few more amps and multi-voltage support which is great for someone who will be using the welder in multiple locations. The 211 "becomes" a 140 when run on 120V.

I have the Hobart 210 (220V only predecessor to the 211) and have nothing but good things to say about it.

I've MIG welded stainless a number of times with mine. TIG is recommended for <20 gauge for pans etc., but MIG works well for scoops and handles and thicker material. Change the wire and change the gas and you're set up for stainless.

[Diesel Pro]

A good used Miller 250x is what I'd recommend.

[gmcooper]

Thanks for the input. Seems like everyone here likes Miller welders. When I was reading reviews on many different ones most recommended the Hobarts over Miller. They are made by same company but the reviews all said the Hobarts were much better built with fewer plastic parts than the Miller. I haven't thought much about a used welder and don't remember seeing many for sale in the area.

[ShawCreekMaple]

Check Indiana Oxygen. They are on ebay as IOC. Don't overlook the Thermadyne. I have used many Millers over the years and consider them an excellent welder. Bought a ThermalArc 250 for my home shop several years ago at a much lower price than the Miller or Lincoln. I have been extremely happy with it. 220V 250A handles 1/4 just fine, mild and SS. I am currently looking at a Thermal Arc tig for lighter gauge SS.

[nymapleguy607]

Check the voltage adjustments between the hobart and the miller. I think the hobart machines use a tapped voltage settings, the miller machines can be dialed in with an infinite dial adjuster. Just another thing to consider.

[802maple]

I have 2 Lincoln, 175's one 220 and the other is a 110. The 220 is much easier to weld with, much smoother and as mentioned above, will be a better welder for a stock car chassis. I hardly ever use my 110. Miller is a good choice.

Also if you want to build a arch, you certainly want a good welder. That is why I have 2, I bought the 110 first and then I had to go out and fix to many arches when the welds broke around the fronts. That doesn't happen very often anymore.