Hobart 125

[MikeW]

I have a offer to buy my freinds welder. But I am not sure if it is what I would need it for.
It is a Hobart 125 retailing for around $469

Would I be able to build a trailer with it?

[morpheus]

I'd pass on the 125 ... it's just not powerful enough. I'd get an HH180 minimum ... it sells for about 575 shipped

[redrangie]

I'd pass on the 125 ... it's just not powerful enough. I'd get an HH180 minimum ... it sells for about 575 shipped

dude..

how can you say that so quick? Your probably right BTW, but a 125 with flux core .035 is capable of building a trailer, as long as you are not going bigger than .025 wall.

a used 125 would would definitely pay for itself on that job... IF he knows how to prep and weld...

j

[braxton357]

dude..

how can you say that so quick? Your probably right BTW, but a 125 with flux core .035 is capable of building a trailer, as long as you are not going bigger than .025 wall.

a used 125 would would definitely pay for itself on that job... IF he knows how to prep and weld...

j


Werd, and thats what *I* said when I bought one off'n ebay, I originally got gas for it but now use only .35 flux as it is way better...once you get good with it and spend lots of time prepping, it will work pretty good.


That being said, now that I am a pretty proficient welder...I'm looking for a 180 or bigger, and am also planning on going back and re-doing some of the stuff I did with the smaller machine. It's up to you, but you will eventually go bigger...why waste the money and time?

[45acp]

That 125 will weld whatever the fawk you want as long as its no thicker than 1/4. Stick with 35 flux wire and itll burn just fine. Yes, the day will come when you will want a stouter machine, but you can weld dam near anything on your rig (or a home-made trailer) with it unless your building the trailer out of drill stem or something...

.... you can always tell the guys on this site that either dont weld much or have never used anything but the big machines... :shaking:

[SeaBass44]

new 140s are cheaper then that & WELDPRO sells both 140 & 180 in the vendor section, I have a 135 was $425 shipped add $130 for a bottle

[D60]

I thought the 125 was not gas capable and the 135 was?

If so, that's the biggest drawback to the 125; you're stuck with flux core (which isn't a terrible thing, but it's nice to have the option for gas)

[redrangie]

.... you can always tell the guys on this site that either dont weld much or have never used anything but the big machines... :shaking:

I almost do all of my structural or load bearing with dual shield now, or I will use just flux. Gas ONLY gets used on my pretty stuff, sculpture and such.

Most of the time I think that the people here only do butt welds, with no prep.

[D60]

Looking thru catalogs last nite I was wrong.............the 125 does have a "MIG kit" available, but it's considered an optional upgrade while the 135 comes MIG ready

[DRM]

What's the price? I could care less how small or capable a TOOL is, if the price is right, I'll buy it :p

I already have a Miller 175, but if I could pick your friend's welder up for, say, $75 - I would buy it and call it my "loaner welder".

It's all about the price ;)

[chumly2071]

dude..

how can you say that so quick? Your probably right BTW, but a 125 with flux core .035 is capable of building a trailer, as long as you are not going bigger than .025 wall.

a used 125 would would definitely pay for itself on that job... IF he knows how to prep and weld...

j

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/handler125.html# is the spec sheet for the current production version of that welder (http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/DC12-43.pdf for the miller equivalent). at duty cycle (20%), and at 21 volt output, you are given 63 amps to play with. with the "rule of thumb" of 1 amp per .001" material thickness, you are going to be able to weld up 16 ga tube or angle. even at the max output, you are good for 1/8", MAXING OUT the machine. for sheet metal work, and general fixit stuff, this would be a great machine ( I used to have a miller 135 that I used to teach myself how to weld). now I can't say for sure what type of trailer you are building, but if it is a trail trailer for gear, you might get away with it. for a car hauler trailer, you need a bigger machine, no matter how much prep you do, or what flux core wire you use. the weld will just sit on the surface without out enough power behind it to fuse it properly into the parent materials. I'm not saying run out and buy a new miller 350p for fixing a rusty rig, but I AM saying for thicker materials, you NEED a more powerful machine for a sound weld.

go to www.shopfloortalk.com, or http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/index.php? and ask this same question. there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on both sites that can answer this question far better than I can. they may even prove me wrong. I'll stick to my guns though for my own piece of mind. YMMV.

[redrangie]

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/handler125.html# is the spec sheet for the current production version of that welder (http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/DC12-43.pdf for the miller equivalent). at duty cycle (20%), and at 21 volt output, you are given 63 amps to play with. with the "rule of thumb" of 1 amp per .001" material thickness, you are going to be able to weld up 16 ga tube or angle. even at the max output, you are good for 1/8", MAXING OUT the machine. for sheet metal work, and general fixit stuff, this would be a great machine ( I used to have a miller 135 that I used to teach myself how to weld). now I can't say for sure what type of trailer you are building, but if it is a trail trailer for gear, you might get away with it. for a car hauler trailer, you need a bigger machine, no matter how much prep you do, or what flux core wire you use. the weld will just sit on the surface without out enough power behind it to fuse it properly into the parent materials. I'm not saying run out and buy a new miller 350p for fixing a rusty rig, but I AM saying for thicker materials, you NEED a more powerful machine for a sound weld.

go to www.shopfloortalk.com, or http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/index.php? and ask this same question. there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on both sites that can answer this question far better than I can. they may even prove me wrong. I'll stick to my guns though for my own piece of mind. YMMV.

All this is true for mig, however for fcaw, the capacities change due to the amount of heat generated.

j

[jasonmt]

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/handler125.html# is the spec sheet for the current production version of that welder (http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/DC12-43.pdf for the miller equivalent). at duty cycle (20%), and at 21 volt output, you are given 63 amps to play with. with the "rule of thumb" of 1 amp per .001" material thickness, you are going to be able to weld up 16 ga tube or angle. even at the max output, you are good for 1/8", MAXING OUT the machine. for sheet metal work, and general fixit stuff, this would be a great machine ( I used to have a miller 135 that I used to teach myself how to weld). now I can't say for sure what type of trailer you are building, but if it is a trail trailer for gear, you might get away with it. for a car hauler trailer, you need a bigger machine, no matter how much prep you do, or what flux core wire you use. the weld will just sit on the surface without out enough power behind it to fuse it properly into the parent materials. I'm not saying run out and buy a new miller 350p for fixing a rusty rig, but I AM saying for thicker materials, you NEED a more powerful machine for a sound weld.

go to www.shopfloortalk.com, or http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/index.php? and ask this same question. there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on both sites that can answer this question far better than I can. they may even prove me wrong. I'll stick to my guns though for my own piece of mind. YMMV.

It's called multiple passes, in the hands of a capable welder the 125 could weld 1" plate with the proper prep. Would it be cost effective or time efficient: NO, would it be possible: YES.

Just because a machine is "rated" at 0.125" per pass, it doesn't preclude making more than one pass.

[GJC]

What's the price? I could care less how small or capable a TOOL is, if the price is right, I'll buy it :p

I already have a Miller 175, but if I could pick your friend's welder up for, say, $75 - I would buy it and call it my "loaner welder".

It's all about the price ;)

yup, if it's the right price get it. :)

[swampdog]

I have a older handler 120. If you know how to weld and how to prep your metal then you can weld pretty much anything you want. Sometimes to make it right you have to do to passes but it will work. I only run gas 75 carbon 25 argon makes for a nice weld i dont care for flux core.

[ZJim]

I saw the identical welder on sale for 299 at Tractor Supply earlier today. Just figured I'd let you know..

[jerseyzuks]

It's up to you, but you will eventually go bigger...why waste the money and time?

I never understood this logic. What is wasted?

If you buy a used welder today at a good price, and you want to go bigger in a year, you can sell it for the same amount, or more, than what you paid for it. What did you waste?

I say go for it.