what is everybody using to weld roll cages and buggy frames and whatnot. My buddy has a 160 mig and i was just curious if this would be sufficient to build a buggy frame out of 1.75od .120 wall dom.

You will be much better off with a real welder. I'm sure you can weld it with the one your buddy has, but I wouldn't. You can however use the small welder to tack everything into place and then use a larger welder to do all the final welding.

what size welder would you suggest?

Lincoln Precision TIG 375

so at least go tig over mig?

Not really adding anything here but I heard something interesting today. Nascar frames are migged. Drag cars are still tigged.

so would migged be the better solution for offroada and abuse?sorry im asking such open ended, nonsense questions, but all i have every messed with is stick welding and i have no idea. figured the newb section would be the place to turn haha

A good capable welder of stick or mig can fulfill the duties of cage welding.

You don't need to spend the money to purchase a tig welder or pay someone to do it when one of the above two welders can do the job.

But as with anything else, experience and know how is mandatory.

lots of people use 180 migs to do their frames/cages. It's if you know how to use the welder to do it.

what brand is this 160 mig?
before you can answer whether it works you need to look up the machine capability
if it is like the baby Clarke I had that required a 20amp breaker I would say, like the above, use it to tack and fit but get a real welder like a 200amp 220v machine (like a miller 200/250/251/252 or a lincoln 250) to do the real welding

I use a lincoln 155 mig. anything that is using 220v should be fine. mine dones the job.

Just preheat the tube with a propane torch and get it good and hot. It will also help to prep the metal by getting all the moisture out. It will give you a lot better weld and better penetration.

that 160 mig will have more than sufficient penetration on .120 wall tubing. Just make sure you go a little slower and make nice wide beads. Youll be fine. I have welded most my entire jeep up with a 125 hobart flux core and I havent broken a weld yet- in fact I ripped a track bar off the frame and the weld was fine (it peeled the actual frame away from itself). Only times I used a 220 were on axle housings or anything over 1/4 inch in thickness

It's pretty much been covered:

If it's a 220 welder, it will work. (Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart).
120v forget about it.

But most of all... Please, please, please, make sure that someone with extensive welding experience welds this thing up.
Remember, this could be the only thing keeping you looking down at the grass rather than up at it. (hopefully it will never need testing).

120v forget about it.


if the proper technique is used, and if you are not welding tooo thick of material (i.e. .120 is not too thick for a 120 volt 160 amp) then he will not have a problem.

a decent 160amp mig would probably be fine for 120 wall tubing. Need more info on the machine, but given the info I will say yes. TIG is not needed, MIG is just fine. I have both and my entire chassis was MIG welded.