Opinions wanted on using either for trail repairs and for stuff at home, hands down the cost goes to a portable stick but ease of use goes to the Ready Welder but am looking for something to use both at home and on the trail but this may not be realistic.....thanks

I have used both and carry a few sticks with me in the truck for trail repairs. If you set it up right the ready welder makes great welds. It could be used for small fab jobs at home as well as working for trail fixes.

my vote would be for the ready welder, its just so much easier and quicker to weld with it than stick.

The little rechargeable Century is what I would get. Don't need two batteries, very portable, welds nice for trail repairs. Plus they're under $400.

Originally posted by pmurf1
The little rechargeable Century is what I would get. Don't need two batteries, very portable, welds nice for trail repairs. Plus they're under $400.

I've done a bumper, frame scab plates, a transfer case truss, and some misc brackets with this welder. Not a bad "super" portable unit.

However, I would only use it for VERY small home projects or be prepared for long waits(6-8 hours) between welds:( It took me about 3 days to do four scab plates on my frame(each about 12 inches long):eek: and that was "maximizing" my ability to weld by doing 3 charges a day(once at 8 am, once at 2 pm, and once at 8pm)

The big downside of this unit is the short battery life. Their "5 feet" of weld claim is not quite right.... sometimes I feel lucky to get about 2-3 feet out of it:( Then it has a 6-8 hour charge up time.

For that matter, I wouldn't want to use it on "sheet" metal.... pretty hard to control the power on it. The only "control" on it is the wire speed. I've burned a few pieces of metal due to not being able to turn it down.

The other minor gripe I have about it is the power to the mig wire is not trigger controlled. I've "blinded" myself numerous times trying to position myself and the gun:eek:

But, it does work fairly well and in hind sight, I would still have bought it. Plus, it'll make a great trail back up to the homemade onboard welder:rolleyes:

coyote-- The first time my ReadyWelder saw use was in Moab in about 1998 when Chris Geiger tore a spring mount loose from his FourRunner's frame. Chris is a very experienced welder and was dying to try this relatively new product so I handed the torch to him. He was really impressed with it I think, as was I. This is a good welder for the trail if you have access to 2 batteries. It will suffice for garage projects also.
Since then, I have sold it and been the proud owner of a Century 131 totally portable welder.....totally portable means it has a built-in battery pack. When the .035" flux core spool ran out, I replaced it with a thinner .030 flux wire for ease of use. Power is plenty good enough for all the repairs I have done so far. I figure I can weld up 2 toyotas and a Jeep before it needs re-charging.....that works out to 3 feet of THICK weld. This is an excellent trail welder and good for small garage projects. See the links below.......
.
.http://dreamwater.com/zuk/century131.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39443

here's something I'm gonna play with soon....buy one of these for 140 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33244 then physically snip and remove the bulky AC transformer and replace with a pair of medium sized lead acid motorcycle batteries to result in a portable kickass wirefeed trail welder. Anybody gonna beat me to it?

Zuk, might just have to try that option as I have several batteries and the price is right....shouldn't be to difficult to do but might make it a trick 36V unit or something along those lines, actually all I want is the mig side but adapt it to the batteries already in the vehicle....all depends on how everything is powered if all downstream of the transformer then its trick.....

you guys have a good idea !!! can they be wired to your car battery ???? please somebody try & let me know how to wire up !!! thanks 55 guy

go for it Coyote....remove the transormer and the 2 large diodes and it's all ready for 24 VDC. Take pics and post if you do. ZUK