Tool gloat, new project

[vpt]

Or build a trailer to make your welder even more mobile.
I find lots of info on the old engine driven Hobart welders, but no mention of weight.

This is a dilemma I am dealt with. I have a bobcat welder. If you put it on a trailer where do you put the trailer? The way it is the welder doesn't have that big of a footprint and can sit indoors. Put it on a trailer in all of a sudden there is no room for it inside. At that point do you go with an enclosed trailer? One suggestion was to just put it on a skid so it could be loaded on a trailer or in the back of a pickup when needed.

Nice score on the welder doc! I look forward to more pictures and projects with it. I have found that I have used mine as a generator more than a welder so far.

[A.K. Boomer]

Flathead --- wow, it looks in good shape, a little paint and that thing might be worth some bucks just as a museum piece....

[Willy]

Nice score, glad to see that you're going to give the old girl some TLC, she deserves a good home.
I think half of North America is stuck together by those old Hobart and Lincoln SA200 machines.
Nice smooth DC arc, all you'll ever need or want.

[reggie_obe]

This is a dilemma I am dealt with. I have a bobcat welder. If you put it on a trailer where do you put the trailer? The way it is the welder doesn't have that big of a footprint and can sit indoors. Put it on a trailer in all of a sudden there is no room for it inside. At that point do you go with an enclosed trailer? One suggestion was to just put it on a skid so it could be loaded on a trailer or in the back of a pickup when needed.

Nice score on the welder doc! I look forward to more pictures and projects with it. I have found that I have used mine as a generator more than a welder so far.

Isn't that machine, like similar Lincoln(s) and Miller(s) weather resistant? Inside on a cart it"s taking up space, outside on a short, single axle trailer, not so much.

[deltap]

Now you need a crane to hang it on to keep the thieves at bay, especially the copper cables.

[Doozer]

This is a dilemma I am dealt with. I have a bobcat welder. If you put it on a trailer where do you put the trailer? The way it is the welder doesn't have that big of a footprint and can sit indoors. Put it on a trailer in all of a sudden there is no room for it inside. At that point do you go with an enclosed trailer? One suggestion was to just put it on a skid so it could be loaded on a trailer or in the back of a pickup when needed.

Nice score on the welder doc! I look forward to more pictures and projects with it. I have found that I have used mine as a generator more than a welder so far.

When we did bridge work,
we had a Miller Bobcat
and built a trailer that was
about 1 foot larger, on each
side of the welder, all the
way around. Made some
pipe carriers to wrap the
leads up on. It had leaf
springs and a Chevy
Citation rear axle, cut down
to fit the width. Added a
tongue and a drop leg and
used that trailer many many
years. No license plate.
Just pull it like a cement
mixer. You could pick up the
tongue and move it around
by yourself on level paved
ground. I would think that
NOT having it on a trailer
would be a pain in the azz,
not the other way around.


-D

[nickel-city-fab]

It weighs in at 1200 lbs. (545 kg)
It's going to get about 200 lbs heavier after I get done adding the 5kW 115/230 generator head.
Obviously, the truck is a bit too small -- oops wait I didn't post that pic.
It's in the back of an S-10.
I HAVE since added 3,000 lbs of overload springs.
It rides normally now.
Boss told me I need a bigger truck now.
I agreed.
The welder is gonna be my "daily driver" both at the day job and side jobs.
It has moss growing on top, literally.
I'm going to leave it that way.
BUT, there's a bunch of brand-new parts arriving in the mail shortly.....

[DR]

I appreciate old machinery as much as anybody, but..... Does a welder like this make better welds than a modern equivalent that would likely be smaller and lighter?

[vpt]

Isn't that machine, like similar Lincoln(s) and Miller(s) weather resistant? Inside on a cart it"s taking up space, outside on a short, single axle trailer, not so much.

Yes it is. However almost everything fairs better indoors. Vehicles are weather resistant yet lots and lots of people park them in a garage. Lawn mowers, boats, four wheelers, etc are all weather resistant but yet many prefer to have them indoors.

[Doozer]

It weighs in at 1200 lbs. (545 kg)
It's going to get about 200 lbs heavier after I get done adding the 5kW 115/230 generator head.
Obviously, the truck is a bit too small -- oops wait I didn't post that pic.
It's in the back of an S-10.
I HAVE since added 3,000 lbs of overload springs.
It rides normally now.
Boss told me I need a bigger truck now.
I agreed.
The welder is gonna be my "daily driver" both at the day job and side jobs.
It has moss growing on top, literally.
I'm going to leave it that way.
BUT, there's a bunch of brand-new parts arriving in the mail shortly.....

Buffalo winter traction suddenly became a distant problem.

LOL LOL LOL

--Doozer

[nickel-city-fab]

Buffalo winter traction suddenly became a distant problem.

LOL LOL LOL

--Doozer

Yup, no more sandbags! LOL thats what I said

[nickel-city-fab]

I appreciate old machinery as much as anybody, but..... Does a welder like this make better welds than a modern equivalent that would likely be smaller and lighter?

The welds are about the same. And believe it or not, the newer machines weigh about the same. However, many welders prefer the old DC machines like this (especially pipe welders) because they can be much smoother to weld with and easier to operate. Only the very latest inverters can compare, but they are way way out of my price range by a factor of 10. A modern equivalent machine to this one is made by Lincoln, but you're starting at $20,000 -- and it goes up from there. Some of the bigger Miller machines (perfect for my job) can go as high as $50,000. Nope, not gonna happen.

[J Tiers]

It weighs in at 1200 lbs. (545 kg)
It's going to get about 200 lbs heavier after I get done adding the 5kW 115/230 generator head.
Obviously, the truck is a bit too small -- oops wait I didn't post that pic.
It's in the back of an S-10.
I HAVE since added 3,000 lbs of overload springs.
It rides normally now.
.................................

My old S-10 had heavier factory springs, and it still was rated for only 1450 lb, including fuel, oil and people. No clue what the regular type was rated for. Even if you put in the springs, the rear axle bearings will need replacing sooner.

The Ranger is OK for 400 more lb (1860 lb) , and I still don't think it would be OK, given tools, welding rods, etc, etc, plus me and 20 gallons of fuel, especially with the 200 lb more. Put it on a trailer?

.

[Jerrythepilot]

Congratulations, I wish you a lot of luck with it, they do weld nice!

Jerry

[The Metal Butcher]

My old S-10 had heavier factory springs, and it still was rated for only 1450 lb, including fuel, oil and people. No clue what the regular type was rated for. Even if you put in the springs, the rear axle bearings will need replacing sooner.

The Ranger is OK for 400 more lb (1860 lb) , and I still don't think it would be OK, given tools, welding rods, etc, etc, plus me and 20 gallons of fuel, especially with the 200 lb more. Put it on a trailer?

.

Nah, send it bud.