Any suggestions? I’m not looking to weld anything that really matters as far as load bearing. Just odd and in trailer modifications
I see them as low as 150 on amazon but I have no idea what I’m looking at
No no no. I’ll post back decent one. Do you have 220/240
No, but if that’s what I need I’ll get on installed.
Have you ever welded before? If you learn on a mig then it makes the learning curve on a stick welder longer. I would stick to a name brand myself but I’ve heard people have good luck with Eastwood welders. I prefer Miller but really Miller and Lincoln are the apples to apples it just depends on what you started with.
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Never welding a day in my life. Figured I’d learn on YouTube
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You’ll have no problem learning. It’s just something you need to practice and spend some time on. Just welding small projects together it’s not that serious. I’ll post a link to what I would consider a decent Eastwood welder. I’m cringing at the thought of even suggesting it but you don’t need to spend that much to learn and tinker with. We’ll see what William suggests too. You would probably be fine with a Hobart as well. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-mig-welder-175-amp-with-spool-gun.html
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Can’t go wrong with this starting out.
Ditto on Miller and Lincoln. I lost two nice Lincoln’s in the flood
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That’s a shame. Some of the old transformer welders are the best for just everyday type welding.
If your welding brackets and not load bearing or structures go to harbor freight
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That is almost the same one I have.
@Harold, I learned super basic stick first. And I still prefer stick. It’s wayyy less expensive to get started. You don’t have to worry about buying a bottle of gas. Stick is best if you have to weld outside. It’s tougher to learn, but once you do, you just flip a switch and start welding.
With MIG it’s way easier to learn, but you have to change spools, settings, CFH from the bottle a lot more than you would with stick. Unless you went exclusively flux core, but with gas you can’t really weld outdoors unless there’s virtually no wind.
I’d tell any to learn with a stick welder first because it’s tougher to learn, applicable to most projects, and it’s super inexpensive to get started.
If you get on facebook marketplace or craigslist I bet you can find an old Lincoln 225 60Hz Tombstone that’s put in more work than most millenials and has twice the life left for under $200.
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Oh no 
. You said it. That’s where I leave this thread 
I wouldn’t weld a leaf spring bracket on my truck with it… but a bracket for hose reels? Yap
Haha hey it’s the truth.
If he’s going to venture off into doing modifications on jeeps and building roll cages then that’s a different story. But hey , want to build some hose reel brackets? Spend the $120 or whatever they are at harbor freight
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The newer welders there have great reviews and a ton fans! There’s a guy on YouTube building sawmills with one and his welds are beautiful!
I just wouldn’t buy one because for the price you can spend $100-200 more for a Hobart or Lincoln and get a warranty.
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People give me a hard time. I’m sure they aren’t as bad as they used to be. Everything they had 5-10 years ago was absolute garbage and I refuse to step foot in their stores.
I think everyone should have one of these if they know how to use it or not yet. You can pick them up dirt cheap like this and some 6013 rods and teach yourself should the desire or need arise. No fussing with anything else and you could drop this off a building then go build a trailer with it.
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What’s that supposed to mean? Lol Fact: If you open up a Hobart all the internal parts say Miller. If you open up a Miller they say the same thing, you just pay 30% more for it.
