Flat vs Slanted Welding Cart

[qdn]

Welding carts sold at Harbor Freight or Northern Tool can be level or at a slant (angle). Are there any down side to having your TIG welder laying at a slant? Is it not good for the electronics or the flow of shielding gas? I have a Miller's Econotig.

Thanks

[DesertRider33]

The gas is under pressure so it doesn't matter how the hose runs, the gas will get to the torch just fine.

Most small welding machines can run in just about any position without problems, though you want to make sure the air vents are not blocked by anything or it can overheat.

The reason for slanting them on those little carts is they're so low to the ground, having them on a slant helps see and reach the controls easier.

I have to say this, beware of those cheap Harbor Freight carts. I got one for free one time and that is all it was worth. It was so rickety I was afraid to put anything heavy on it and move it around. Even after I braced it up, it was still wobbly. I ended up giving it away. The steel is just too thin to hold up much of anything.

[Jack Olsen]

Having the box sit at an angle also makes it more difficult for it to slide it off its perch when someone tugs on the line.

[snotjello]

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This approaches a question I have.

I'm a newbie. I just bought a Miller Dialarc 250 stick welder and the manual says, essentially (I don't have it in front of me at the moment), not to tip it and it even has a cautionary illustration of one being dollied up a loading ramp. Now, is that just to prevent accidents, or is there something internal that actually suffers from being tilted? I'm going to pick the welder up Friday and I don't see how I can possibly get it into my little enclosed trailer without taking it up a ramp.

God! That feels like the dumbest question in the world.

Thanks.

[snotjello]

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Exact phrasing from the manual (p.17): Do not move or operate unit where it could tip.

...still begs the question I posted above. Though I just read the administrative post about manufacturer-specific questions, I think this is really a question about arc welders in general, not mine specifically even though I mentioned the model. (I repent! I repent!)

[scott brunsdon]

When you consider what delivery guys must do to the welders that get sent across the country, I don't think you need worry. My previous welder was a heavy bugger. I often tipped it on its side or back to get it into my little trailer.

[Broccoli1]

dats just a warning to beez careful Gravity has fooked up a lot of equipment.

[snotjello]

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Good point.

Originally Posted by scott brunsdon

When you consider what delivery guys must do to the welders that get sent across the country, I don't think you need worry.

[snotjello]

I imagine it has.

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

Gravity has fooked up a lot of equipment.

[DesertRider33]

That warning is there most likely cause that Dialarc is so heavy that if it were tip over and land on you, you could end up with a broken something on your body. My Dialarc I'm sure weighs at least 500 lbs. I'd hate to have that land on my foot!

[snotjello]

The Miller website shows the Dialarc 250 as 360 lbs.

Yeah, not something I'd want to play catch with.

[qdn]

Originally Posted by DesertRider33

The gas is under pressure so it doesn't matter how the hose runs, the gas will get to the torch just fine.

Most small welding machines can run in just about any position without problems, though you want to make sure the air vents are not blocked by anything or it can overheat.

The reason for slanting them on those little carts is they're so low to the ground, having them on a slant helps see and reach the controls easier.

I have to say this, beware of those cheap Harbor Freight carts. I got one for free one time and that is all it was worth. It was so rickety I was afraid to put anything heavy on it and move it around. Even after I braced it up, it was still wobbly. I ended up giving it away. The steel is just too thin to hold up much of anything.

Thanks for answering and for the warning on the flimsyness of the Harbor Freight cart. I will check it out. Eventually, I would like to build my own cart but being such a noob, it will have to wait.

[SR20steve]

Originally Posted by snotjello

.
This approaches a question I have.

I'm a newbie. I just bought a Miller Dialarc 250 stick welder and the manual says, essentially (I don't have it in front of me at the moment), not to tip it and it even has a cautionary illustration of one being dollied up a loading ramp. Now, is that just to prevent accidents, or is there something internal that actually suffers from being tilted? I'm going to pick the welder up Friday and I don't see how I can possibly get it into my little enclosed trailer without taking it up a ramp.

God! That feels like the dumbest question in the world.

Thanks.

I had a dialarc 250 and there was nothing that I could do to that machine that would make it stop working. I recently gave it to one of my buddies just to pass it on when I got my new welder and it still works just fine. One hell of a welder so don't worry about tipping it. I think they are just worried about someone tipping it over on someones foot or something. Its a VERY heavy welder.

[snotjello]

What about cart/platform height? I heard from someone that arc welders tend to magnetically attract metal dust and stuff that accumulates on a shop floor, and that it can be harmul to it, and that it should be set on a platform because of this. Is this true? If so, how high is "safe"?

[Boostinjdm]

I like the knobs about waist high if building a cart. I also don't like slanted carts, especially for MIGs. Reason being, that upward slant might make it easier to see, but you loose gun length because the lead arcs up and then back down to lay on the ground. I rarely change settings, so if I have to bend over to see the readouts or turn the knobs, it doesn't bother me a bit. I'd rather save that extra foot or so of gun length.

[snotjello]

Interesting. Thanks.