I'm looking at buying a new welder, and the Hobart Handler 135 looks like a pretty nice unit. I've had the chance to weld with one before, but never on any steels thicker than 1/8". Who has one of these and what are you opinions of them? I'm wanting to use it for bumpers, bars, welding spiders, brackets on the axles, etc. Should I go with the 135 for these chores, or is it going to be too light duty? Several folks have told me that even though it is a 110, it will still make good enough penetration for critical components like brackets on an axle. I like the 110 since I don't have 220 in my garage, and I roam around a lot. IE: Taking it over to buddy's shop to weld on his rig is no big deal, or taking it on trips, etc. Also, I know that it says it will do 3/16, but can it go 1/4" with an extra pass or two? Thanks for the input.

Go for it, Pat has one and all my spring hangers are welded to my frame with it.

Yeah, that is the welder I was gonna buy... now I decided on getting the handler 175 because it isnt enough f a price difference to really care alot, plus, the 220 for me shoudl have a better bite for thicker metal.. oh, and these are the same welders as the miller millermatic 135 & 175, except for some small internal components... and the price... Also the miller is rater for 24 gauge steel, and the hobart is only good for 22... dunno if that is just another way to sell the more expensive miller.. but then, I doubt it will matter much to me... i am saving now to get the $$$ for my 175.
Garrett

My entire rig was built with a Miller 130. I have never had anything break because of the welds. 110 welders work just fine, you just have to think about what you are doing a little more and take a little more time when you weld. For the most part what you usually need to weld doesn't go much over 1/4" anyway, and they'll handle that no problem with the right prep.

Obviously there is a limit to what you can do with it but most anything 3/16 and below you are safe, and you can do 1/4 with it as well given you use the correct wire , and know what you are doing. Those hobarts are excellent machines you wont be sorry.
Basically it untimately comes down to you the operator If you suck then well no machine will help 120 or 240 or 460 etc.!!! Practice , test, ask advise, and soon you'll be GETTIN" IT.
weldpro

What weldpro said! When you test, look at the backside of the weld too... mig machines can make beautiful welds that have no penetration. Weldpro, btw I kicked up the welder and did some spray arc today :D kicked ass! but Im not sure when I'd use it on a regular basis.

IMHO - you will find that when using the Handler 135, more than likely you will keep the heat setting up all the way for anything you would be welding on to a 4x4 :p

BTW - I recently picked a a *barely* used Handler 135 up that included a full spool of wire for $300 :D

I fully dig my 135! Everything on both of my rigs was built with my 135, including Chromo parts.

i use ER70-s2 and -s6 for most stuff with 25/75 Ar/CO2. I paid 369 for mine brand spankin new from a company in new york, who's name has slipped my mind. E-mail me if you want me to dig it up.....

The only complaint I have is that for doing 3/16 and 1/4 inch stuff, the duty cycle is a bit shorter than what I would prefer, but the welder gives you warning when it's too hot. That frying bacon sound changes a bit.....

Andy

Thanks for the input guys, but I've raised a few more questions.

First off, just to clear things up, this isn't my first welder, nor my first experience welding. I've used all sorts of different machines and it just boils down to me being sick of the cheapo flux only unit I have at home. Most of the junk on my rig has been or is currently being welded up by yours truely.

Second, I was looking through the spec sheet on the Millermatic 135, which I am aware is the same unit (Miller uses aluminum internals while Hobart is plastic, but all Millers swap to Hobart assuming they wear out) and it is saying that it is only rated to 3/16" with flux core. WTF?!? Are you guys using shielding gas on 3/16" and 1/4" with success, or is Miller just trying to blow smoke up my ass so I spring for the 175? Also, what kind of a price are you paying on tanks? I was going to run down to Central Welding (welders-direct.com, I live by them) and see what they wanted for them, but I'm looking for a little bit of input on fair prices. Thanks again.

My truck and my jeep were built with the hobart 135, just gotta make sure the metal is clean and for the thicker stuff I kinda chamfer the edges so the weld gets in a bit deeper.

Check out hobarts bulletin board and ask some questions there, they were very helpful and the service..

WOW in a word, they would overnight me stuff with no questions asked when I had some problems with mine. Definataly the way to go - talk to ROCK on the hobart board :)

I got my welder from welders-direct right before they bumped up the price, I think it was $399 to my door then I got the tank and I use 75/25 with the thinner wire (.030 or .024, just seems to work better with the welder)

Yup Pat got his Local $399 on sale

I have found this machine to be a great little welder.. And that is what it is a great LITTLE welder.. I bought it for the fact I could take it anywhere with me to do jobs like going to a buddys to weld on his rig .. But I have found that I can do about 80 to 90% of what I need to do with it alone.. when I narrow a axle or something like that I need more ump but I would highly recommend this machine.. Like weldpro said you can't go wrong..:beer:

Thanks again for the input. I just talked to one of the guys at Miller and he says that 1/4" will be alright with a bevel and 2 passes. However I still haven't been able to get a straight answer on the flux core vs/ gas shielded solid on thicker steels. Are you guys welding 3/16" and 1/4" with solid core or did you have to relegate yourselves to flux core? Also, I was planning on welding a few sets of spiders together. Anybody do their spiders with the 135? I'm probably going to go pick one up today actually, so I just want to make sure that everything is kosher before I dump the $$$. I really need to get 220 later on...

I got one about 3 months ago and it ROCKS. I built all the brackets for my SAS with it and didn't have a single problem. I built everything out of 1/4" plate and tube with 75/25 Argon/CO2 and it welded it all just fine, especially with everything nice and clean. I'm using .030 wire. The 25 cu. ft. tank cost me $90 and its $25 to refill, which i've only had to do once so far. Also my oxygen and acetylene tanks cost the same, but are only like $10.50 to fill. best part is i can fit it with the tank, my chop saw, grinder, and tool box in the trunk of my jetta and take it where ever i want. Just took it out to phoenix this weekend to build a tire carrier for a friend.

Dallas

Curious who's got the best deal right now on one? I found the Hobart 135 for $424.99 and the 175 for $549.99 on Harbor Freight's website. Anyone else know of a better place?

I typed JC Whitney but meant to put Harbor Freight instead.

HillBilly - check your local TSC. I was noticing the other day you can sign up for their credit card and get 10% or 15% off the first purchase... Just sign up, buy it on the card, and pay it off with the first bill and cancel the card :cool2:

I think the price was right around $435 or so at the one in Franklin.

(Check the fine print first of course!)

Originally posted by HillBilly
Curious who's got the best deal right now on one? I found the Hobart 135 for $424.99 and the 175 for $549.99 on JC Whitney's website. Anyone else know of a better place?

Careful of shipping with JCW. I bought my Miller 210 from these guys and shipping is free:
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv

Ok, after all of my dumb questions I finally said "FAWK 110" and got the Handler 175. The local shop had it for 560, and I like the idea of 1/4" in one pass being no big deal and not needing any grinding or running the machine at max all the time. I could have gotten it for cheaper if I had ordered it, but I would rather drop a few extra bucks and support a local business that knows my name and what I need when I walk in the door.

If I ever need 110 for some odd reason, I just sold my old 110 MIG to a good friend so borrowing it is no big deal.

Now I've just got to get those leased tanks and about 10 pounds of wire and have a blast. Oh wait...I need to wire the shop for 220 now. Hmmm...

Sweet :D good choice! Since Im renting I dont have 220 in my garage and Im not wiring it for it, so I made an extension to go from the laundry room to the garage. Works great ;) and was faster. BTW check on prices to buy the tank.. worked out cheaper for my usages that way, and I didnt need to establish an account at the shop.

Yea, I checked into tank pricing and I can get the next size up from 80# (Can't remember, is that 100#?) as a rental for $7.50 a month and $20 to fill it with C25. I will be moving pretty soon so this is probably going to work out better for me, at least for right now. It would take me about a year and a half for the tank to pay for itself. As of right now I really don't spend all that much time on the MIG, but I'm sure that the new welder will change that.

I've welded my whole pile together using the hobart 130. I have absolutely no problem getting excellent penetration through 1/4 inch thick metal and I have even welded 3/8 with excellent sucess. I don't know why they say it will only do 3/16 because that just isn't true. Make sure you plug in as close to the power source as you can, i.e. don't use long extension cords cause they use up a lot of power unless you are using super heavy duty ones. Go with it, has to be the best "portable" welder I have ever used.

I also run flux core, got my machine for 400 even with a large spool of flux core wire. Just call your local weld supply shop tell them the best deal you can find and often they will beat it. Plus I got a 5 year no questions asked warranty on labor.