Whats up guys,
I have some quick welder selection questions. Im in the market for my first mig welder and im think im going to buy the lincoln 3200HD. Ive done some welding in the past, mostly custom exhaust work, but i am probably going to be doing some custom frame work on my 92 yota pickup. I was just wondering if you think this welder will penetrate enough to hanlde the frame work? Are there other welders in the 110v range that anyone would reocmmnend over the 3200hd for around the same price? I know this has probably been beat to death like an ol' mule and I apologize for that, but thanks in advance for any help!

 

Anyone? Just trying to see if the 3200 is beefy enough to handle frame work and so forth...

 

110V is gonna be weak for 3mm metal that the frame is made of... I'm using a 220V welder, and I have doubts that maybe I should tig it with my 400V 3phase tig, its just that the penetration isnt that great with low power welders. Granted this is my opinion, I've seen some shady weld jobs on frames that have held "ok" for what they are.

 

will it work? Yes. You will have to take extra time and grind out where you're welding to get the penetration that the lack of heat won't give you. Also you may have to multipass. If thats the only frame job you plan on doing and you mostly do exhaust it's fine. 1/8" is about the heaviest you could go with that machine. If you want to weld stuff like frames all the time you'll need something a lot more powerful

 

you guys are great and thanks for your time! Yes, i would love to have/get a 220 welder but the price is a little much and i dont have all that much access to 220 outlets and like the idea of being able to bring the welder with me to friends houses for small jobs and not having to look for a 220 circuit. but yes, i am deff going to take my time with this and make sure the prep work is done correctly, this will be my first major welding test and i plan to practice first in order to get some good penetration!

 

I just bought a Hobart (model #500500)140 , 110v welder. I custom fabricated brackets for Diesel truck air bags onto my truck, it welds 1/4 mild steel great and penetrates perfect with fluxcore. I paid about $475 for sears online. It was the best bang for my buck. just my opinion tho.