On Board Welders?

[Beowulf]

Of these three on board welders, which one is the best all around performer? Money is not a factor here, only welding ability.

Things to take into account:

Use in the field
Ability to weld wide range of materials
Use on Painted or Rusted material
Ability to weld upside down
Thickness of material. Up to ¼” is preferred.
Usability as a small and infrequent shop welder.


READY WELDER:
http://www.readywelder.com/info.php

Premier Power Welder:
http://www.premierpowerwelder.com/

Mobi-Arc
http://www.perfectswitch.com/mobiarc200x.htm

 

[lowenbrau]

I'm a pretty big fan of the ready welder but I haven't used them all. I once did some welding on the Rubicon with someone's Premiere Power Welder and it did the job nicely.

For me the Ready welder works particularly well because my Cruiser is 24V. Reconfiguring your batteries to use the ready welder each time might become a bit of a pain. I have seen guys add a series/parallel switch for convenience though. The fact that my rig is 24V and has a vacuum pump on the alternator makes swapping the alternator for one of the other products impossible as well.

Finally, It's really nice to be able to toss the Ready Welder and some cables into any truck and know we can weld with any truck if we need to.

 

[AndrewP]

The only one I have personally used is the Ready Welder, and it rocks. Out in the field you'll be using flux core, so that's about as good as it gets if your metal prep is imperfect. I have seen the PP Welder used and it works well, but it's way more complicated. the advantage of the Ready welder is that it's self contained. Wire 2 batteries together and weld. It can seriously save your trip. I have also used a "GoWeld" a little and it's pretty sweet as well. Overall, the Ready Welder has a smaller head and is a bit easier to use.

You will only be welding steel, so don't sweat the material thing.

In the shop, you will be much happier with a real welder and shielding gas, so don't consider a portable a substitute for that. In fact, I'd get a real welder first, learn to weld and prepare your brain for what you'll need to deal with on the trail.

 

[Beowulf]

I have done some welding back when I worked in shop and built several Hopers that held large bins with drop out bottoms that would allow the material to roll down a chute that was built into the hoper.

This was all done with an ancient lincoln stick welder so that is where my knowledge base is.

When I say infrequent shop welding, I really mean it. I doubt I'd lay more than a yard or two of weld a year.

 

[AndrewP]

If that's the case, just take some flux core rods and a lead and you can weld directly from batteries wired in series. The batteries are the equivalent of the "buzz box".

I never really practiced with welding rods, but if you have, that would be a very cheap option and would save you enough to get a real MIG welder for home use. You will be surprised at how often you use it.

 

[crawler#976]

I've used the Ready Welder with good success welding leaves back together on the trail. If you're familiar with a flux core MIG, it's easy to use.

I've also used 2 or 3 12V batteries in series (24V or 36V) with long jumper cables as leads to stick weld on the trail.

I keep a variety of sizes of sticks in the tool box, a set of gloves and a hand held shield in the tool box. It works, is cheap, and has gotten us off the trail on several occasions. It's not easy to strike an arc at 24V and 500A, but I found if you remove the flux from the tip of the rod, it will light easier. At 36V and somewhere around 500A, even heavy rod will burn very quickly...

The reason for the long cables is to reduce the amperage slightly.

Heat is also an issue with batteries. The current draw is extremely high, and the batteries get very warm very quickly. Be careful to not overheat and rupture a battery.

The other problem with battery welding is that you run the risk of draining both batteries. If your travelling with a group, it's no big deal, but if traveling solo like I do, it could be a major bummer...

Mark

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW I once surveyed two different brand U.S.-wide mailing lists that I was on about what stick arc electrode was carried. The leader was 6013, but 7014 was an extremely close second. 7018 was the third.

Jackson/Huntsman makes a full head leather hood. They come with sort of internal head gear, but one I saw in use was worn over a baseball cap. They're a little hard to find, but are perfect for this sort of use as the only rigid part of the hood is the lens & immediate frame. 851P is the fixed 4x5 lens and 860P is the flip-up 2x4 lens.

 

[lowenbrau]

Jackson/Huntsman makes a full head leather hood.

Thanks for this link. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while. I was in Air Liquide this morning asking for something similar and they looked at me like I was nuts. I've been using goggles and a bandanna but invariably end up with some sort of unattractive raccoon tan.

 

[DaveInDenver]

FWIW I once surveyed two different brand U.S.-wide mailing lists that I was on about what stick arc electrode was carried. The leader was 6013, but 7014 was an extremely close second. 7018 was the third.

I broke a leaf pack on the Rubicon and Marlin's buddy James welded the main leaf back (I needed it to locate the axle) into a single piece for me with a Premier welder and 7018 rod. We were in Rubicon Springs and it made it up Cadillac, back to Denver and then another month of commuting. Still good. I dunno what 'best' can be quantified by, but a successful snapped leaf field repair must surely be a pretty good test. Now skill (James is really, really good) has a lot to do with it and I used some extra leaf clamps to minimize flex through the repaired zone, but I am impressed with the Premier fer sure.

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=48124

 

[Nullifier]

I have been around 2 premeir welders and one mobi arc

The first time using a premeir welder was in Tellico. After a bit of welding we had an optima battery over heat in the Defender and it rendered the welder useless. I guess there was a problem in the circuits. My next experience was with a premier welder on our baja trip. We had installed the unit and tested it before we left. Unfortunetly when we needed it after having a massive trailer tongue issue, the unit was dead. Fortunetly Chris from Campa had a Mobiarc unit on his TJ. It worked like a charm.

I have learned that the mobi arc system has a mig option however you can only mig on somehting other then your truck with it. If you need to repair your own rig then you have to stick weld it. There are several options with the setup depending on what type of welding you want to do and how big your alternator is. so I would consult with mobiarc on which unit is best for you.

 

[FJ55]

I am new to the forms, but I am a welding instructor & inspector. a welder that is attached through batteries or someother way to a truck will only perform so well, it will be a short term fix. it seems like a lot of money for short term repairs. i have "fixed" a hole in an aluminum engine block with JB Weld Compound, carry some of that. But if you do get a welder, get one, get an arc welder, you can buy electrodes that will weld cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel, and of course, mild steel.

 

[DaveInDenver]

The first time using a premeir welder was in Tellico. After a bit of welding we had an optima battery over heat in the Defender and it rendered the welder useless. I guess there was a problem in the circuits. My next experience was with a premier welder on our baja trip. We had installed the unit and tested it before we left. Unfortunetly when we needed it after having a massive trailer tongue issue, the unit was dead. Fortunetly Chris from Campa had a Mobiarc unit on his TJ. It worked like a charm.

Marlin's Premier had IIRC almost 200 hours on it. He's done a lot of trail repairs for people... Having the 120VAC was handy, too, to run a grinder.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Ready Welder goes on all my trips!

 

[ntsqd]

I know next to nothing about welding electrodes, but my recollection is that the 7014 was favored over the 7018 for out of position welding, but that you really can't go too wrong with any of them.

I ran flux core for so little time that I'm ignorant of if there are options with it. Anyone?

 

[CJ2AinAZ]

Another Option...

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/on-boardwelder/index.html

This is in my plans. Cheap!