Miller XMT Stainless MIG cart

[Munkul]

I bought this welder nearly 2 years ago, and little did I know how good it would be. It's over 20 years old, but being a 3 phase inverter it's a gem of a machine for stick and MIG, as well as pulse MIG.

Only problem was, it had an obviously home-built cart, which was top heavy, didn't roll properly, and generally looked amatuerish.



I made a spool cover last year for it out of stainless.



anyways, I made a new cart out of stainless over the last couple of weeks in between things.

1. The space at the bottom has been sized deliberately for a water cooler - I have an old Migatronic water cooler unit that needs a pump fitted. When I'm feeling flush, I'll buy a new pump and a watercooled torch and get it all fitted, but it might be a long way off... it's an unnecessary luxury.
2. Two bottle spaces at the rear - for when I'm welding aluminium, I can just place the argon bottle on as well, save removing a bottle. It also means I can mix pure argon with argoshield to make a mixture suitable for stainless MIG.

I decided on stainless steel for a frame, having picked up a load of offcuts, so 30mm x 1? box.





I used my new slip rolls to make bottle hoops, a lot easier than doing it by hand like I've always done!
I also made some rails and a stop for the inverter unit to sit tightly.

[Munkul]

I pulled the wire feeder apart so i could mount a swivel on the base. It then got a fresh coat of black paint, since it was looking a bit tired and battered!






Starting to look like something now.




I made a handle out of some solid stainless bar I had lying around.

[Munkul]

I made some vanity panels to hide the interconnect wires.





All re-assembled!





I still have to make some cable hooks, some storage for a couple of tools, and a holding bar for the optima pulser.

[Munkul]

Piece of turd cart doing a wheelie on its way into the skip.

[Capt B]

Good job I like the stainless.

[Lis2323]

I LOVE it! Especially like the feeder turntable and cover for the big spool.

Stay safe for your wedding and beyond!

[davec]

Beautiful work as always. Before you start to damage those cables, grab some rubber hose (like fuel line stuff) , cut a few centimeters, slit it lengthwise and put it over the sharp edges of those sheet metal "vanity panels" where the cables are touching. Sheet metal edges have a way of wearing through insulation all too easily... I also recommend a lip around the cylinders at the floor so the bottoms can't kick out. Everyone does the chain up high like you did, but the bottom needs to be restrained also to be fully secure. Roll another couple pieces of 20-30mm and weld them on with a few tacks set away from the cylinders ~20-30mm to allow for some variation in tanks and to make it easier to get them in place. Just some suggestions from my experience.

Question - what did you weld it with? TIG? Spoolgun? What machine? Looks TIG to me...

[Munkul]

Thanks guys. I think the stainless is probably a bit much - almost wish I'd went mild steel and painted black... but that would be more effort!

dave - don't worry - I will be putting some edge trim on there, I do worry about things like that.

[psacustomcreations]

Nice looking cart. I like how you did not overweld the sheet material to the frame.

[farmersammm]

So...………...like..... the next time ya weld in the middle of a hurricane, or whatever ya call it out there in Guinness Land, you're gonna have a rust free welding cart Power on dood!

Just had to yank yer chain

[Munkul]

So...………...like..... the next time ya weld in the middle of a hurricane, or whatever ya call it out there in Guinness Land, you're gonna have a rust free welding cart Power on dood!

Just had to yank yer chain

haha of course!

I use stainless wherever possible because a) I have access to a lot of cheap, sometimes free offcuts, and b) I don't like to clean and paint mild steel, haha

[Capt B]

I build with aluminum a lot for the same reasons, free drops and I hate painting.

[Mikel_24]

If the material was free, and the welding was considered practice, then is a win win... other than that, using stainless is truly overkill! I, myself, am guilty of that... at least once (material was free).

It looks great though!

Mikel