I got the same email. Looks nice but i love my old Linde 225 and I don't know how easy it would be to hook up my cobramatic to it.

 

you mean you don't know "how hard" don't you ?[emoji1787]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I got that email as well. One thing I didn't see was if it could use 12" wire spools.

 

Manual shows it can use 12" spools.

 

It can use 33# spools. I like 45# spools. I am too lazy to change them that often!

 

If it will take 33# it should take 44#, same spool.

 

PrimeWeld says they are in stock and ready to ship within 48 hours……just FYI. At 285 amps MIG, 30% duty cycle, at 250 amps Stick, it is 30% duty cycle. I wonder what the duty cycle is at 200 amps or 225 amps?

 

no mention of wfs... says what it's measured in, but no numbers. If it were strictly wire feed and maybe had a pulse option I'd be all over it. Oh wait, manual show wfs specs... nice unit, just don't need stick etc...

 

Try getting a 250+ amp MIG welder for this price anywhere else. Its not easy to do and if you do find one I am not sure it will have as good of a reputation as Primeweld has built for themselves. And you get the TIG and stick functions essentially for free. If I didn't have my MM255, I would consider this unit.

 

anybody ever tig weld at 285 amps with air cooled torch. would the torch get too hot to hold?

the duty cycle look pretty good across the board.

 

Well, I like having a backup Mig setup, not to mention the stick, Flux core, & TIG this unit is capable of, so I just pulled the trigger on it, because I’m not likely to see this kind of price on such a capable unit, due to inflationary conditions, and such. I like it will take wire from .023 to .045, and comes with all the wire rolls needed for each size. I’m gonna keep .035 on my Miller 215.

Once I get it in, and get to burn some wire and rods, I will give some first impressions. I have room on my cart for it beside my Primeweld Cut60 plasma machine, so why not? :cool2:

 

If I’m ever in the market again for welders it would be the Prime weld 285 and the soon to be released tig 325. Already have the CUT 60 and Maxcool tig cooler.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

May I ask…what is it about the PrimeWeld machines you like? I’d love to hear your reasons for your stated choices. Thanks!

 

The Primeweld MIG-285 arrived this afternoon. As I was with the Cut-60 plasma unit, I was certainly impressed with the packaging of the MIG-285. Fully encased in thick structural foam, inside heavy gauge cardboard box.

I was surprised to see that the MIG gun assembly was made in the USA, and is heavier duty than my Miller 215 gun, as is the ground clamp. The cable is heavier on it and the electrode holder [stinger]. I know it's designed for more amperage, so that is to be expected, I suppose. I am duly impressed with the owner/operations manual with this unit.........easy read, high quality printing and paper, meant to be kept and used for years. Really good quality!

Everything looks to be high quality, and I hopefully can get it setup, and run some wire & stick soon. I'll post some pics, and give first impressions at that time.

 

What's the hold up, plug it in,, ha

 

Work, other higher priorities tonight.... I don't have time, and need some .045 wire also, which will take me at least a couple days to get.

 

Pictures, your the first person to get one. I'm sure others are waiting for your review to decide on buying one. No pressure.

I'm sure it will run .030" of .035" just fine too, but , sometimes life gets in the way of welding.

good luck

 

AM custom fab on YouTube has a 285 review in the works, he has full line of Prime Weld equipment reviews.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes…pics will be included when I get to use it. I got it out of the den, and put into my tiny shop yesterday. When my .045 wire gets here, I hope to set it up to do both stick and flux core. I don’t have any gasses on hand yet, so no shielded MIG yet. I’ll try to get a few pics as soon as I can…like they say, a picture is like a thousand words, so…

 

Oh, by the way…..earlier post, I mentioned duty cycle at 285 amps. The chart with it says 100% duty cycle at 145 amps for 240v power, which will cover most of what the average work most wleders will do, and 100% duty cycle at 66 amps for 120 v power. This is a dual voltage unit. The manual says it will weld 5/8” steel at a single pass, and of course thicker steel one can use more passes.

 

Of course you can weld 5/8 steel with 1 pass,,, it will be a little pass and that little fugger wont make a 5/8 weld in a pass. Well maybe 2 if ya really pile it up.

 

I can't speak for the Primeweld unit, but I wouldn't be surprised if it could do 5/8ths. BUT that will likely be in spray mode. If I set my welder for anything quarter inch or more, it defaults to spray mode.

 

What's your 100 % duty cycle amps on the 255? Does Miller list its limits in a pass?

 

Yep, the limit for single pass is 1/2 inch according to Miller. Duty cycle is 230 A at 60%, 260 A, at 40% and 350 amps at 15%. She's got some sack.

 

She's got some sack.

Ew.

Sent from my Lincoln Buzzbox using Tapatalk

 

I weld a 2 inch bar hard wire the other day. You can weld unlimited thickness with hard wire. Main reason not to is wires are normally small from small machines with a cool gas with slow deposit and some concern for lack of fusion. It's about as good as 7018 and doesn't have storage issues.
They even make it in several flavors,,higher shock versions etc.
Some of the core wires have limitations on thickness and passes.

 

Hard wire is limited in current, in production slow and got to go to spray with hi gas use and position limited, got to change equipment. Guns etc.

 

E71T-1 wires are a type of flux cored wire that requires the use of shielding gas. These wires produce weld that is similar in properties to using a fresh 7018 rod or one right out of the oven and the finished weld bead generally has better mechanical properties than regular flux core wire: that is to say low levels of diffused hydrogen, more resistant to cracking, higher ductility and are charpy v-notch rated (i.e., tougher welds). If you ever get the chance to use an E71T-1 type wire (commonly called dual shield, outer shield, etc.) they burn a LOT hotter than E71T-11 (NR-211) type wires, and in my experience they penetrate better than wires like NR-211. The wire has to be designed to use gas, you can't just add gas to a wire like NR-211. It actually will make the NR-211 more brittle.

 

Subscribing to this so I can find this good flux core info.

 

Wow! What a wonderful explanation and technical knowledge of wires. I am so appreciative of you guys…..this single thread is worth my joining this forum, not discounting others, as they have been so helpful as well. You guys are the best!!! I am glad I have this info to refer to, and you can be certain I will from time to time.

I understood what was written, and got a body of knowledge on what dual shield flux core actually does and adds strength and ductility to the weld. Welding, I have found is not a simple thing….it is specialized in many aspects, and having the guys here are like having a good friend who knows whats going on watch over your shoulder, and keep you on the right course.

Thank you so much!!!

 

Quality, Performance and the 3 year warranty plus Tech support who are Americans and actually reply to you with an answer that makes sense, no some foreign support center that has never picked up a torch in their lives. I have an old Century 125GL that I've used on and off for 30 years and wanted new welding equipment. I did a lot of research before I settled on the Primeweld MTS200, MIG160 and the CUT-60 Plasma Cutter. I'm 50 and recently got back into welding and steel fabrication as a hobby.

 

Yes, that is a great explanation of wire . Many flavors of 7018 based on that same general type of thing. Totally relevant and somewhat overhead for someone like me doing general where pretty much any stick or wire in the stinger works. Some of the guys doing specialty need to know, anywhere I worked was already spec, simply grab the stinger and go.
You will know so much more starting out than I ever did or will but keep it in perspective a bit, lots of guys make a career with 1 or 2 rods and don't know any of it, when I shove a stick in doesn't know I don't knowing most cases.

 

Got a bud says they had to change the flavor of the hard wire in the shop, they are underground and excavating and the hard was being used in hi shock etc and common wire cracking. I don't recall exactly what they did.
He had a boss knows more about this type of thing than other people do. They prep a big shoe to be welded, big thing needs 200# of rod so he asks, I said, no how no way not to get brandy new lohy, open box, burn till the end.
So boss goes down to a local plant and scores all these rods from the dumpster. Scott said,, ok,, the first rock they hit and snaps the thing off, 10 ft long underwear delamination, snapped like stepping on a crunchy pretzel. 2 weeks to fix.