I rented a Lincoln 110v SP125 welder last week to weld on my wheel well tubbing project.

I was welding on sheet metal, so the welder did fine.

My question is this, would this be a good welder for general purpose welding on my truck. I think it welds up to 1/4" or 3/16", can't remember, but would it weld thicker metal with another pass?

Does anyone have experience with this welder, or should I hold out for a 220v machine?

Thanks

I have the 220v machine and it is rated less than 3/16 (i am sure it will do 3/16 though).

it pisses me off that the 110 and 220 machines are rated the same:confused: maybe someone can clarify wtf is going on

in my experience with welding, (I am not a welder or anything like that, just taught my self and practice alot) is that the 110 unit will not weld continuously for as long. That is you could weld all day non stop on 220 but with the 110 the welder needs time to cool.

with my Hobart 110V i can weld 1/4" plate for an awful long time. i've never had it get hot on me. usually either I overheat myself, or eventually the breaker will trip, but only after like half an hour of continuous welding on the highest setting. also its a 15amp breaker and the welder manual said to use a 20 so thats why it trips sometimes.

Dallas

Originally posted by rockbound
in my experience with welding, (I am not a welder or anything like that, just taught my self and practice alot) is that the 110 unit will not weld continuously for as long. That is you could weld all day non stop on 220 but with the 110 the welder needs time to cool.

Correct. Its called a duty cycle.

Originally posted by StinkBug
with my Hobart 110V i can weld 1/4" plate for an awful long time. i've never had it get hot on me. usually either I overheat myself, or eventually the breaker will trip, but only after like half an hour of continuous welding on the highest setting. also its a 15amp breaker and the welder manual said to use a 20 so thats why it trips sometimes.

Dallas

So you're running a continuous stringer for an half an hour? ;) Seriously though. If you're stopping at all (finger off the trigger) it's a cool down period. Therefore sounds like you just dont do enough to hit the duty cycle on that machine. FWIW most of the 110 units I've seen run around a 20% to 30% duty cycle, where my 220 is a 60%. Also, duty cycle varies with the amperage. Now, I've used a 135 plus. I was quite impressed with it for a 110 machine. Did 1/4" without much problem at all (t joints). I don't see why it wouldnt work for general fab work as long as all the joints were prepared properly. On the other hand, I'd personally go with a larger 220 machine. It's hard to have too much welder, unless you're mostly doing thin stuff.

Mike, yes i did stop occasionally, but not for more than a few seconds at a time. just long enough to reposition my arm or body or to weld on a different area. works great for buildin shit in my garage, and i can take it to friends houses to work on their shit too.

Dallas

another thing I have noticed is that with 110 your surface must be very clean and your ground has to be good as well, this will give you the best weld, with the 220 you can burn through say rust or paint or whatever, it doesn't have to be a as clean to weld. This is obviosously due to the 220 burning alot hotter than the 110. But like Mike said it is great for your general fab work, all i use it the 110 lincoln and I have had no complaints except for the cleaning of surfaces good, it is nice to be able to burn through the grim and dirt with the 220.

I very rarely run the 110 out of duty cylce, I to usually pop a breaker first!

I have a lincoln mig pac 10 110v welder. It seems to do pretty well. I have built my bumpers welded spring perches and bobed my bed and welded it back together with it. I like how it is portable and i can take it anywhere i want to. I have only hit the duty cycle once with it and it was on a hot day as well. Just went grapped a drink came back and started welding again. I have used .035 flux wire in it for everything cause i dont have a gas bottle yet. that is oe thing you may want to look into. On mine it says to weld the thicker stuff 3/16 up you have to use flux core wire. Not sure how true it is or not. I am no pro welder i bought it and then started welding so dont know much more about it. I do wish I would have held out a little longer and gotten a 220 volt one that would burn the thicker stuff easier.

Matt

I use a Miller 135, and my freind has the same lincoln as you use. He has done alot more with his and never had a problem, only hitting the duty cycle on the bigger projects. His welder is older so I can compare directly but the lincoln is rated higher then the miller, but I've never hit the duty cycle welding on 3/16" and I've seen him hit it on lighter material.

I think for general hobby type use 110 is plenty as long as you don't plan on being the guy who all your freinds turn to for there little welding jobs.

I went with a 110 holbart mig, and haven't regreted it yet. I went this route for two reasons, 110 is all I have currently in my garage, and it's a rental so I didn't want to hassle with 220, plus the 110 offers a lot more portability, it can be run just about anywhere. Secondly is price, the price difference was over $200 for me, and I'd rather take that $200 (plus a little) and buy a used stick welder when I finally get a place with 220 in the garage. If you only want one rig, you plan on doing lots of work with it, and cost is not as important, go with the 220. Otherwise, the 110's usually offer most of the capability (except duty cycle) as the 220 models.

I think for general hobby type use 110 is plenty as long as you don't plan on being the guy who all your freinds turn to for there little welding jobs. [/B][/QUOTE]

unfortunily if you have a welder, you are the one everyone comes to for weld jobs no matter what kind of welder you have. But that's cool, I would help anyone, I love welding shiat, as long as they buy me wire, that shit is expensive at 20 beaners a pop!

i have a lincoln sp170t set up for mig and i love it. it makes beutiful welds and ive done up to 1/2" plate with it. it runs on 220 i just plug it in where the dryer goes. ive hit the duty cycle cycle one time because i was a welding mofo one day. any thing heavier and ill use the old stick welder.

As stated earlier the 220 will have a higher duty cycle. The 220 will not be any hoter, unless you are running higher amps. The transforer inside desides how hot the output is. The 220 will use less energy then the 110. There fore making it cheaper on the monthy bill.

Originally posted by rockbound
in my experience with welding, (I am not a welder or anything like that, just taught my self and practice alot) is that the 110 unit will not weld continuously for as long. That is you could weld all day non stop on 220 but with the 110 the welder needs time to cool.

I can agree with this. I have the Lincoln Mig Pack 10, which is a 110V welder. It can do a few inches on 1/8" and then need to cool down. Its tough to get good penetration consistantly (sounds like marriage ;) ). My buddy (who I bought this welder from) upgraded to the Lincoln 220 and damn it makes a huge difference. Even on that one I still run the hottest setting most the time. I would hold out for the Miller 200. I understand that you can get those for $550 ish on the internet.

SeanP

I've got a SP-125 Plus and it's rated at 5/16". The thickest I've done so far has been 1/4" and it does great. I haven't had any power problems or duty cycle problems, but I only weld in short segments right now due to my skills.

Thanks guys, looks like I'll be holding out for a 220 machine. I'll also get a 220 outlet run in the garage in the meantime.

"220, 221, whatever it takes." Remember that line from Mr. Mom?:D

I debated long and hard on this same issue. I liked the portability of the 110 units (Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart) and saving money is always good. However, I didn't like the limitations of the 110 that have already been covered. So, I just bought a Miller 175 for $639 from the local supplier. It will do all I need and more with regard to penetration in thick materials and duty cycle (unless I get much more ambitious than I am now). It wasn't that much more $$$, weighs just a bit more (10 lbs?) and is about the same size as the 135 (110V) units. As for portability, 220 isn't that much more trouble to find.

man I have done a lot with my hobart 135 - just finished putting new spring hangers on my jeep, did a ton of stuff to my truck, everything from half doors to the roll cage and flatbed. I have done some thick stuff by using a fillet on the pieces too, only issues have been the metal has to be CLEAN

I've got a little lincon 100, love the thing, but if I were to get another one, it would be big enough that would require some wiring to the house and a plug that no one else had so it would stay at my house, don't get me wrong, I don't mind people using my sheit, but there are those times when an excuse like that comes in nice.

Another thing about welding the thick stuff with 110, is that you can always use torches to first heat the metal, then weld it while it is hot, this will allow extra penetration if you thimk it is needed!

If u are low on bucks, use the 110 to do all of you setup and tacksthen use a friend's 220 to blaze it upp! works good for me, but I think I am gettin a bigger welder, since haulin my shit all the time is gettin old.(ex: tacked mu knuckes on my narrowed D44 front with the 110, blazed em wid the 220) Another idea is to get a old stick generator/ welder and a mig box, sometimes cheap as hell, and portability isnt even an issue.