Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Portable welder/generator?

What is the collective opinion on this model for occasional welding and a home backup power source?


I am not much of a welder and we haven't had the power go out yet but my wife is a worrying mess.

A 5500 continuous watt Honda is $3k, I see you can get one of these for around $5500.

https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc....r-with-gfci-and-remote-start-stop-907791

I am a 50 year Lincoln addict...and I say that is a best buy. Don't listen to us snobs. Half the field service mechanics trucks got Millers and they do just fine.

Consider me ignorant.


Is Lincoln better than Miller?


I see a few Millers around here so that is what got me on the track.



I honestly don't know anything about these things and haven't looked up Lincoln yet.

Lincoln has built their reputation on quality and longevity and good repair and parts service when needed. You can go on ebay right this minute and order any part for a 70 year old welder. Miller is almost as good,,,,, for power generation, Miller is just as good, using the same engines in this size machine as Lincoln. Miller will come in cheaper than Lincoln every time. Like I said, mechanics trucks have a lot of Millers, and when you go on Sam's ranch at 120 bucks an hour, you don't get to spend Sam's time and money getting the damn welder/power source, crane power, air compressor going. Nothing wrong with Miller. They got a bit of a bad rap some years back for aluminum windings causing voltage and current droop while near continuous welding. That's been fixed through contrpl circuit tweaking and in this size machine, Lincoln has aluminum too. Go for the best buy, not the paint color.

Kind of like a Ford vs Chevy thing, either will do the job.

Thanks man.


I was just checking them, similar model Lincoln was about $5-600 more than Miller. But the red one had a fancy digital display screen and that might be too fancy for this outfit.

And it looks like these combo machines are a little hard to find in stock. Go figure....lol

If just going to use occasionally with extended times in between get a diesel or a gas unit with EFI, will cost more but you wouldn't regret it.

Phil

I am kinda there with you Sam... I have been looking at both... Lincoln guys have me leaning that way a bit.

I picked up these at about $700 each (Google MEP-002A)... low hours... 120/240 and 3 phase 120/208. Rated at 5k, but I suspect 8 is easy peasy.

Spent $300 or so to have custom torsion axle put under them and $100 or so for the tow steel set up.

I will add a panel this summer for various outlets. Run a house, run a 120/240 welder etc.



I will also probably get a Lincoln engine driven machine if I find a good used diesel one. $20k is more than I care to spend on new... https://store.cyberweld.com/lincoln-cross-country-diesel-welder-k4166-1.html

Homepage for gas machines (Lincoln)... https://store.cyberweld.com/liendrwe.html

I've stick welded using a trailblazer and it was a real sweetheart. Neighbor helped me out once and he had an older bobcat that worked just fine also. I like the idea of a welder that can be used as a generator. By no means do I make a living at welding but have done enough on different machines to know that using that trailblazer was awesome.

I've got one just like it. Had it for years, and it's been a good welder and generator.

(Hobart and Miller are the same. Just different paint.)

Mounted it on a 14' trailer so I can move it where I need it.

I have carried one of those or one just like it but older for many years. I also have at present a Lincoln Rnager 305. Either one will do you a fine job and probably last a long time with proper care. Frankly, everybody has their preferences, but for my money, the Miller is the better machine.

I've been plugging my 200 watt Harbor Freight Titanium multi-process into a Honda eu7000is and it works great.

Sam, I think I paid $2700 about 3 years ago.

They have gone up some. But like I said, this is the same welder/generator as the one you linked, but looks cheaper price wise.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hobart-champion-elite-dc-welder-generator?cm_vc=-10005

Not a single thing wrong with Miller.

More and more welders are going to Miller. Lincoln is losing a little ground there.

For what you want to do Sam...I would sure look at a Hobart.

Hobart is I believe Miller's economy brand. They seem virtually the same except for features.

Be quite a bit less money.

For the record...I have 6 Lincoln welders. Two of which are engine drives.

Refreshing to see an honest, non biased report.
With actual knowledge of the competitive brands.

If everyone was so objective, the chainsaws threads would be
shorter, and more informative.

Instead we get,
"My Pappy, Daddy and Me have only owned...Stihl(or Husky)
Stihl is best, Husky(or Stihl) sucks.

I’ve got a Miller bobcat.

Welds good, makes 11k power i think.

Flintlocke is right about the old Lincoln’s. I fooled with them over the years. The old sa200. There’s a reason the pipiliners still use machines made in the 50’s and 60’s. Just know they only make DC power.


Sam, if you wanting it for power for longer times. Look for a Kubota fired diesel welder.

Lincoln or Miller.

I had a Lincoln vantage 300 for awhile. Hard to beat a diesel running 1800 rpm vs a lawnmower engine screaming at 3600..

Sam, Truck before last I had a Miller AEAD 200 LE...2 cyl Onan, reliable, never a problem, ran 5/32 7018 all positions sweet and smooth. It has 120/240, I don't know how many watts. It's an ugly machine, looks like a bunch of schidt bolted together...but easy starting even with stanky old gas. I rigged up a compressor drive off the front flywheel and ran a 2 cyl Bendix Westinghouse truck compressor. You see them now and then with low hours for under a 1,000 bucks. Mine with 2,500 or so hours still ran like a sewing machine when I sold the truck.

Sam;
Good afternoon my friend, I hope you're well.

In one of my former jobs I was responsible for keeping a few generators operational for a small construction company and my good wife and daughter work for a larger one.

I know less than nothing about welders.

For generators or anything gas powered, I'll prefer Honda first, then Yamaha and then everything else stacks in underneath that. Parts availability and reliability are why that is.

We had a Generac generator with a little 3 cylinder Isuzu in it that burned less fuel than the much, much smaller Yamaha gas.

It was bought used off of a large construction company with "a lot" of hours on it and then we put "a whole lot" more on it. The radiator blew and we had to get a custom one fit into it, but that was no big deal and it was running like a top when I left there.

Whatever one is getting for emergency use, it's good practice to do the math on fuel consumption. It's amazing how many folks I talk to that have a generator and one 5 gallon Jerry can of gas - that's a year old with no stabilizer in it....

For you all, diesel power would be a bigger initial investment perhaps, but I'd think you're quite set up for fuel with them and honestly I don't know how long properly stored diesel will last. I do know I had a drum I filled for Y2K that lasted more than a decade in my tractor Sam - ran fine.

Hopefully that was useful to you or someone out there this afternoon.

All the best.

Dwayne

Hobart and Miller are owned by the same company. I hardly ever stick weld with the Hobart and use it as a generator. I plug my Miller Multimatic welder into the Hobart 50amp receptacle and mig or tig with that.

Gentlemen, you guys are on this, thank you for the info, opinions and replies.



I'm researching and trying to keep up with this thread.


Thank you all for the great help!

(I do like the idea of EFI)