[69sa200]

I have 2 small engine driven welder generators. The Honda EW 171 and a Multiquip GLW 180. The Multiquip is an all copper wound welder generator. The welder has a separate alternator and generator. It's all bent up and ugly but that's the way I bought it. It weld like a dream Excellent 6011 and 7018. For some reason it doesn't like 6010 at all. I'm not sure how the Honda works but the arc quality sucks compared to the Multiquip. The arc snuffs out and sticks a lot. The Multiquip is like an SA200. It starts easy and it burns hotter the closer you hold it. The new Multiquip welders even have an arc force control.

I want to build a new frame for when I get a chance. I welded my friends tractor using the Honda with 3/32" 6011 Lincoln rods from Home Depot. The wall thickness was only about 3/16" and it was hard to keep the arc lit. I know the weld is ugly and has uneven bead. That's not all my fault the arc was sputtering out and I had to do a lot of arc length manipulation to keep it alive. It was 95 degrees and humid that didn't help my performance or the welders performance either. The weld looks like crap but it hasn't cracked yet. I can't get the pictures of the Honda to upload. I'll get some pictures up of the Multiquip beads for comparison sake.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Wow! That's one hell of a collection. Which one welds the best?

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Is the Vantage 400 a diesel? How do you keep them so clean with that gravel floor? Ive read that the newer welders cant compare to the arc of the old copper SA200's. The rods basically run themselves on tho old SA200s. What size rod can you run on idle with the Vantage 400? With all of those welders you've could have ran a weld bead around the world.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I was just using what he had there. I didn't want to drag my welder out there. I like 6010 5P+ the best for this type of application. Better toughness and ductility. This arm is subject to too much shock forces and 7018 is too brittle.

CEP,
We have bad dust and mud in the Midwest. our mud is also highly corrosive to metal. It destroys trucks and trailers.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I like 7018 and I'm not saying that 7018 isn't strong. But look at the fracture of that weld. It looks like a band saw cut trough it with a clean break. It's a toughness verses hardness. The fracture shows the mechanical properties and grain structure of the metal. The bead didn't stretch or distort. With 6010 it usually bends the bead and then pulls the parent metal out at the heat effected zone before the weld bead actually breaks.

The Cat backhoe in the picture above had a broken shaft on the hydraulic cylinder. It broke off where the eye attaches to the shaft. It's the cylinder that moves the rear excavator arm side to side. We welded it on site with my Multiquip welder and 7018. It made trough the job but it broke again. The break was a clean break no bending at all. So I had to weld it again on a job site but I used 6010 this time. It's been 2 years and it's still going strong. Its usually a lack of fusion. I don't have a rod oven to keep my 7018 dry. That may have been a factor. I've seen some really ugly welds with 6010 hold up to a lot of abuse. Ive also seen some perfect looking MIG welds and 7018 welds break. 7018 is not as good for impact shock loads.

It may have something to do with the person welding it and the machine that made the weld. Most people don't have your experience or equipment.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I'm a solderer. I soldered the backhoe with a sparkler.

I don't usually hit my welds with a hammer but when I do the steel plate gets dented and the plate bends. Your test sample doesn't have any dents from the hammer blows and the plate didn't bend at all. Did you soak it in liquid nitrogen and hit it with a rubber hammer?

I'm just sharing my personal experience with the few examples that I have pictures of. The 7018 is the most enjoyable rod to run. It has less smoke, spatter and nicest bead appearance. On heavy equipment I have had too many beautiful welds break. Usually MIG welds. I don't weld for a living so I'm not claiming to be an expert. Did you use the SA200 for that test weld? It looks too cold. Which brand of electrode did you use.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I can run 7018 with my eyes closed. I don't have a rod oven and low hydrogen are more sensitive to rust, oil, moisture, paint and a number of real world conditions. I could never get that oily cylinder clean enough to take a good weld in the field. Those are actually 6011 beads and I never said they look good. It was -10 degrees and no auto dark hood so the rod kept sticking a lot of re-strikes because of contamination deep into the metal grain. It's still holding after 2 years. The first one only lasted 8 hours but it looked really nice.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Well, to be honest, it looks like you run those 6011 beads with your eyes closed.
I'm glad your happy with your multi quip engine drive welder. But I've yet to see one on any type of code job welding structural or pipe and they certainly aren't no sa200. You don't see any any arc control dial on any Lincoln sa or SAE machine because they don't need it. An experienced operator can use the coarse and fine amperage controls to accomplish this.

It's funny to see some that welds as bad as you criticize other peoples work. This is a field repair. It's not a permanent fix. It cost $500 per hour to have crew standing around waiting for a down machine. It took less than 30 minutes for me to grind and weld that cylinder in -10 degree weather. And I couldn't see for **** at -10 weather steaming out my helmet. It was a 30 minute repair that lasted over 2 years. We have purchased a new cylinder but were waiting for that one to break before tearing it apart. The shaft has bent slightly but it never broke.

You obviously missed the entire point of my post. A fast and dirty repair can be made in less than ideal conditions. Also cold weather may have been a factor in why the 7018 weld failed.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Has anyone ever tried one of these vintage Lincwelder 225?
This looks like it has a true DC generator like a mini sa200.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I have two Lincwelder 225's, both have Onans. Both came in kit form. Onan parts can be found at reasonable cost if you look around. I also have a Weldanpower with a 16 HP Briggs, and an old Hobart with a THD Wisconsin engine, all have/can be rebuilt inexpensively if wanted. Whatever you choose or like.......... Good luck!

But how well do they perform? I was using my cousins Miller Bobcat 250. The arc was very difficult to adjust. The spatter was a hot mess and and if you lower the amperage a touch the the rod sticks to the work. With the Multiquip it has something like a hot start feature and if you break the arc by accident you can get right back in and it re ignites. Easy starts no sticking and low spatter from a 250 lb portable welder. How much does the Lincwelder 225 weigh?

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Let's see your welder. Did you even try a Multiquip? I have used both and the arc has similar arc characteristics. I'm talking about man portable engine driven welders. Sure a $12000 welder is going to be better than a $4000 air cooled welder. Unless you have used one personally your comment is full of ****.....

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Nice beads farmersamm. Was that done on AC or DC? Low spatter too. I used a Lincoln weld and power and a Miller Bobcat 250, Lincoln SA 200, Honda 170, and a Multiquip 185. The Lincoln SA 200 welds the best with lowest spatter smoothest bead appearance but that should be expected out of a $12000 welder. The Miller Bobcat and legend welders really spit and spatter everywhere. They don't weld nearly as well as your buzz box Lincoln. I have one of those Lincoln 225 AC welders from 1970 and the cables are all dry rotted. It looks like it may be worth my effort to replace all of the copper cables if it produces welds like that. I know it all depends on the person holding the stinger, but I was really disappointment in the arc quality of the Bobcat 250. That 250 GXT welds nice no spatter at all.

I'll make some beads with 6011 and 7018 as soon as I get a chance. I have 10" of snow outside I have to shovel my driveway.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I originally bought the welder for $300 at an auction. I didn't even know if it worked. When I did get it running I was pleasantly surprised how smooth and stable the arc was for a small portable welder. It also starts the arc really well like the hot start feature on an inverter welder. The engine revs up and the arc comes alive. These are not my welders I copied these off of the internet. My welder is all bent up and ugly but it welds great so I'm keeping her. Don't judge a book by it's cover applies to this situation as well.

Not mine

These two are mine. I don't like the Honda arc nearly as much. The Honda doesn't stat as nice and it has a lot more spatter. I replaced the lugs with twist lock connectors and bought a new set of leads for it too.

Their new GAW 180 uses an inverter so I don't know if the arc is an nice a the older version that used a 100% copper wound DC generator for the welding current and a separate AC generator for the AC power.

http://www.multiquip.com/multiquip/GAW180HE.htm

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

Portable means that it can be lifted by one man into and out of a pickup truck bed. I can get the Honda 171 or Multiquip 180
into my truck by myself if I need to. Also runs on a single cylinder air cooled engine. Liquid cooled engine= heavy duty air cooled= medium/light duty. The Multiquip 180 has a very respectable duty cycle of 50% at 180 amps. It also has a 3000 watt generator. The Honda 171 has a duty cycle of 130 amps at 50%. 4000 watt generator. The Honda uses diodes to make the DC weld current. The Multiquip uses a separate 100% copper generator for DC weld current and a separate 100% copper generator for AC power.

The newer version has an arc force control. I like having arc force on my Lincoln Invertec 275 but I have not tried this newer version Multiquip 180 with arc force.

They even make a lighter version GAW 135H that only weighs 114 lbs and has a duty cycle of 40% at 135 amps. That's perfect for 1/8" rods. It also has a 1500 watt generator built in.

This was never meant to compare it to a full size engine driven welder. My compact or "portable" welders with a single cylinder air cooled engine have served me well. Not every job requires a 2000 lb welder. If I needed to weld for 12 hours a day every day this is obviously not up to the job. For repair work requiring 180 amps or less this is perfect. I can burn 1/8" 7018 all day with mine too. How much does the Ranger 8 weigh? When I bought this I didn't have the cash for a large welder like a SA200 or Ranger 8.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

LOL CEP Your definition of a hobbyist grade welder is an Invertec V 350 with wire feeder 3-SA 200's Lincoln Vantage 400 and an 80 TON shop crane.

Regular guy definition of Hobbyist 120 volt Harbor Fright flux core welder, propane torch, hot glue gun and 40 watt soldering iron. Regular Hobbyist wish list 120 volt Miller, Lincoln or Hobart MIG and compact oxygen acetylene cutting torch.

You obviously worked hard and earned your awesome collection of welding equipment. Unfortunately most people I know can't afford to buy a $2000 welder. From what I read on this site most of the people are asking which welder would you recommend for AC/DC TIG with pulse and high frequency start for under $1000! Or they want a new 250 amp MIG welder for $500. That a lot to ask for such a tight budget.

 

[69sa200]

Re: Best portable engine drive welder

I can't change the title now. I really meant light weight single cylinder engine driven welder 250 lbs or less. The Bobcat and Ranger welders have v twin engines and weigh over 500 lbs. I don't know anyone who can lift a 500 lb welder onto a truck by themselves.

 

[69sa200]

http://victortechnologies.com/IM_Up...cLib_5207_TA-4-170-H DC Scout Welding Generator Instruction Manual (0-2625).pdf

Much smaller, lighter weight, and very nice ac power.. 170/60% duty-cycle.. Welds excellent too..

Thanks, BrandX
This is what I wanted to learn about. I'm not trying to sell people Multiquip welders. Most people can't afford them, including myself. I bought it used for $300. It cost $4500 new. I also bought the Honda used for $1500. That was a big mistake. I like Honda but this one doesn't weld very well. The Honda is good enough for most work, but it doesn't have the same arc control of as the Multiquip.

I use my portable welder do field repairs on heavy equipment non critical parts.I wanted to buy a second welder that doesn't weigh too much and has enough power to at least burn a 1/8" 7018. This Thermal Arc TA-4 /170-H may be the best portable welder.

I also have a battery powered MIG welder but it has issues. The gun is heavy and bulky. It's hard to reach a lot of areas that need to be welded. It also has a limited arc time so I never use it.

I'm not trying to have a pissing contest as to who has the best welder of an size. Everyone knows that the SA200 has the best arc of any engine driven welder.

 

[69sa200]

Everyone knows that the SA200 has the best arc of any engine driven welder. All generator style welders have a unique arc that I prefer. I used an old Hobart generator welder that was a 400 amp welder. It also had a beautiful arc but it was way too big to lug around for small repairs. If I was build steel frame bridges or buildings I would get a Lincoln 400 amp diesel welder.

The Lincoln Invertec are my favorite because I can tune them in perfectly with the Hot start arc force and amperage controls.

The SA200's may be a dime a dozen, but the sure cost a lot of dimes to buy one. I sold one for $2000 and it didn't even run. I'm defiantly going to buy one when I get the money. My goal is to be like SEP. A hobbyist with a collection of Lincoln engine welders. No joke it motivates me to work harder.

 

[69sa200]

The Invertec welders are a dime a dozen too. That's why I bought 2 of them. They are a good value for their performance. I only tried a power wave MIG once. It had a machine gun like arc pop pop pop.

How much does a Thermal-arc 170 cost new? I can't find it on the internet. Is it a special order product?

 

[69sa200]

Nice looking beads CEP. Was that a whip and pause technique. Do you have any demonstration videos on youtube? I appreciate the knowledgeable guys sharing their techniques with us for free. Our country needs more skilled welders. I worked one winter as a welders helper and I hated it. I only bolted the beams and I had to take off my gloves to start the bolts. We built small steel frame structures 2 stories and less. The roof trusses were flimsy 3" wide steel. The wind is a huge factor and the steel sucks the heat out of your body fast. That's why the skilled guys make $50 per hour.

Slob, can you post a picture of the Hobart welder? I used a 400 amp Hobart that welded like butter. Those are industrial grade welders. The Hobart was an older welder. The arc of any welder only gets so good. You can split hairs an personal preference. Even different types of SA200's have slightly different arc quality depending on year of manufacture and copper or aluminum. I'm a big fan of Hobart welders. Too bad they don't make the large 400 amp+ welders anymore.