could i get my truck to provide 32 amp power easily

[s410man]

doing quite a lot of mobile welding lately and uing my truck as a mobile workshop

porbably a mad idea but culd i get my truck to provide 16a or ideally 32a of power for mobile electric

im sure western power etc have sockets but just wondering if theyre only 13a and if they would be suitable for a welder starting?

i know a generator would be easy but my truck is always there and i would have no problem with fuel going off etc or not having it there when i need it etc

been looking at inverters but im guessing they wouldnt like the startup of a welder??

let me know if its a completely mad idea

just like the idea of being able to pull up on site open the back pull a lead out and off to go no messing

thanks

 

[cianh91]

you can get a welder that wires in to run off your engine there expensive but they be handy there specifically built to fit onto car/van engines

 

[Robotstar5]

You could fit a 240V generator to your engine, emergency services, utility companies use them - example

 

[s410man]

Thanks for the replies

need to be able to run all sorts of kit I just mentioned a welder as I thought it might rule some options out

I'll have a good look into them tomorrow robo

thanks

 

[Justme]

Down side of doing it that way will be:-

extra engine run hours on the expensive van engine
increased van service costs & time off the road for services
use white diesel instead of the much cheaper red
if your parked on the road or public place (inc car parks) you are committing an offence leaving it running whilst you are not in it
very easy for someone to pinch it (keys in ignition) & insurance wont pay out

That said for small jobs it could be a simple solution.

Not sure if you could get a 240v 32 amp one to fit in the engine bay.

 

[Cyberprog]

Runlock is easy enough to solve the security aspect, but most of those 240/110 electric addons are PTO driven, expensive, and won't give a lot of current.

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Either a diesel genny in the back or a towable unit would get my vote. Mosa do some excellent units.

Dan

 

[Kent]

Either a diesel genny in the back or a towable unit would get my vote. Mosa do some excellent units.

Dan

Yep, my vote but a fair investment and you can get them with 16amp 110v / 240v sockets for your bigger power tools and perhaps a 180-200 amp MIG. Off a modern Jap pickup? Not for me an old series Landy or something perhaps if it was cheap but the output for welding?

Do think of hire rather than buy if the work cant justify outright purchase, if fuel will go off it plainly isn't fanatically justifiable.

 

[s410man]

Yep, my vote but a fair investment and you can get them with 16amp 110v / 240v sockets for your bigger power tools and perhaps a 180-200 amp MIG. Off a modern Jap pickup? Not for me an old series Landy or something perhaps if it was cheap but the output for welding?

Do think of hire rather than buy if the work cant justify outright purchase, if fuel will go off it plainly isn't fanatically justifiable.

just fancied the idea of being able to pull up with just the truck and go

i quite often have a trailer behind full of stuff so a towable genny isnt a option and dont fancy loading and unloading one in the back of the truck all the time as it could be full of other stuff

fuel going off isnt really a issue i was just trying to make a point that there always seems to be something wrong with gennys whenever you go to use them lol

im thinking now of maybe a small power inverter wired in for all hand tools upto a 9 inch grinder then a genny on a pallet fork frame that i can lift in or out with a machine

thanks for all the replies

 

[the snooper]

Down side of doing it that way will be:-

extra engine run hours on the expensive van engine
increased van service costs & time off the road for services
use white diesel instead of the much cheaper red
if your parked on the road or public place (inc car parks) you are committing an offence leaving it running whilst you are not in it
very easy for someone to pinch it (keys in ignition) & insurance wont pay out

That said for small jobs it could be a simple solution.

Not sure if you could get a 240v 32 amp one to fit in the engine bay.

the newer vans run without the keys in the ignition once started and if you touch the brake or clutch it will cut out

 

[octo0072000]

Yep, my vote but a fair investment and you can get them with 16amp 110v / 240v sockets for your bigger power tools and perhaps a 180-200 amp MIG. Off a modern Jap pickup? Not for me an old series Landy or something perhaps if it was cheap but the output for welding?

Do think of hire rather than buy if the work cant justify outright purchase, if fuel will go off it plainly isn't fanatically justifiable.

Land Rover did a welder on the series one 80inch models copied for Dunsfold collection


Series I 80-inch Welder (1948-1953)
The Land Rover Mobile Welder was introduced as a separate model with its own chassis number sequences, and spanned both 1.6-litre and 2-litre production. Rover considered it would be an important model, and even equipped the very first Show vehicle (pre-production L.05, at the Amsterdam Show in April 1948) as a welder. However, in practice sales were very slow, and only 113 were sold in five years of production. The Welder was basically a standard 80-inch Land Rover, equipped with a centre power take-off which drove a Lincoln arc welder mounted within the body. Those built before summer 1951 had the 1.6-litre engine, and the 1952-1953 models had 2-litre engines.

 

[Kent]

Land Rover did a welder on the series one 80inch models copied for Dunsfold collection


Series I 80-inch Welder (1948-1953)
The Land Rover Mobile Welder was introduced as a separate model with its own chassis number sequences, and spanned both 1.6-litre and 2-litre production. Rover considered it would be an important model, and even equipped the very first Show vehicle (pre-production L.05, at the Amsterdam Show in April 1948) as a welder. However, in practice sales were very slow, and only 113 were sold in five years of production. The Welder was basically a standard 80-inch Land Rover, equipped with a centre power take-off which drove a Lincoln arc welder mounted within the body. Those built before summer 1951 had the 1.6-litre engine, and the 1952-1953 models had 2-litre engines.

Yep, I know a little of them (reformed Land Rover nut) Land Rover Special vehicles dept was a place I should have loved to work in years back, they made lots of cool stuff

 

[Kent]

just fancied the idea of being able to pull up with just the truck and go

i quite often have a trailer behind full of stuff so a towable genny isnt a option and dont fancy loading and unloading one in the back of the truck all the time as it could be full of other stuff

fuel going off isnt really a issue i was just trying to make a point that there always seems to be something wrong with gennys whenever you go to use them lol

im thinking now of maybe a small power inverter wired in for all hand tools upto a 9 inch grinder then a genny on a pallet fork frame that i can lift in or out with a machine

thanks for all the replies

Looking at options myself at present. I used to use a van on site years back Diesel welder genny strapped in behind the bulkhead with sockets to take grinders and such. The plant always stayed in the van and we had some super long leads, got to be fair it was handy and got a lot of work for the firm BUT it was stinky and the exhaust fumes took some clearing even with the side door opened with the rear and yet still a lot of the jobs ended up back at the shop . We also coupled this up to run another oil cooled stick plant (cant remember why it was a fair while ago now) most likely it was either lead lengths or AC / DC running capacity and often run a 180 amp MIG off it (old "then it was very new" ESAB 180 amp)
Trouble I am facing is AVR included stand alone gennys of around 6.5kva are seemingly rare things (mostly stopping at 5 kva ish) 6.5 will however run all most need in way of separate TIG / MMA/ MIG inverter type plants of say 200 or so. This way you have capability for most jobs with a spend of around 2k ish.
Other options are the Mosa portables MMA 200 amp at 25% or the full swing the other way onto the big tow behind types 8k plus (don't think I can justify that without being on it every day the weather made things do-able). Lifespan and repairs figured in I don't think its very viable to go big unless you follow that line of work only, which I don't wish to versatility is primary to my business at present

 

[octo0072000]

Yep, I know a little of them (reformed Land Rover nut) Land Rover Special vehicles dept was a place I should have loved to work in years back, they made lots of cool stuff

that's the problem you are never reformed you still remember all the fun in the mud
but never the bad times

 

[Kent]

that's the problem you are never reformed you still remember all the fun in the mud
but never the bad times

The only days I don't have to drive through a muddy field I am away on holiday or sick in bed. There is an unused Lightweight sitting gathering moss at a property near me, I keep thinking of giving them a knock but never will as time moves on and I drive a JAP pickup these days and don't fancy driving more than a few miles in an old landy no more. I suppose I am like the ex-smoker who becomes a virulent anti-smoker

 

[s410man]

Land Rover did a welder on the series one 80inch models copied for Dunsfold collection


Series I 80-inch Welder (1948-1953)
The Land Rover Mobile Welder was introduced as a separate model with its own chassis number sequences, and spanned both 1.6-litre and 2-litre production. Rover considered it would be an important model, and even equipped the very first Show vehicle (pre-production L.05, at the Amsterdam Show in April 1948) as a welder. However, in practice sales were very slow, and only 113 were sold in five years of production. The Welder was basically a standard 80-inch Land Rover, equipped with a centre power take-off which drove a Lincoln arc welder mounted within the body. Those built before summer 1951 had the 1.6-litre engine, and the 1952-1953 models had 2-litre engines.

i think that was the one were there were oxy acetylene bottles munted in tha back for cutting

remember seeing it on a land rover special vehicles video years ago but never seen a real one

is there one in the dunsfold collection?

 

[octo0072000]

i think that was the one were there were oxy acetylene bottles munted in tha back for cutting

remember seeing it on a land rover special vehicles video years ago but never seen a real one

is there one in the dunsfold collection?

cant see one in the collection only 113 sold/made in 5 years so very rare i found a few pictures but not of an original one

 

[Justme]

im thinking now of maybe a small power inverter wired in for all hand tools upto a 9 inch grinder

What will be the power source?
How long do you envisage using a 9" grinder for?
A quick google shows 9" ers to use 1.6 to 2.4kW

Even just one hours use is 2.4kWh. In 12v battery terms thats 200ah. That would need 4 X 100ah to supply so you dont use more than 50% of capacity (using more take lots of life of the battery). Also worth noting that drawing 200amps from a 400ah battery is asking for trouble. Recharging a FLA (floaded lead acid) battery take energy (think 1.4 times what you have taken out) & time. The time is the killer. No matter how big the charger or alternator it will still take 8-10 hours plus to fully recharge the bats. Failing to fully recharge reduces total capacity quickly.

We live off grid & the reality of living using an inverter & battery system is very different to what the numbers would have you think.

Our inverter can do 3kVa, the battery bank is over 4000ah at 12v (48kWh so ten times the minimum size you would need) & weighs in at 1800kg.

Our total daily usage is around 3kWh per day.

 

[Kent]

Been delving into this a bit more for myself. Two options have been narrowed down to a petrol driven MOSA magi weld 200amp MMA DC set with 110v for tools £1700 list or a genny from either Honda at £2900 6.5 KVA or Pramac at £600 6.0 KVA again with outlets but the Honda don't do 110v so transformer required both AVR equiped.
Now I can throw away 4 pramac before I reach the price of a Honda but the genny option adds a fair bit of weight but gives extra versatility for using lager tools and different welding types / sets

Was also offere a 300amp MMA set that came in at 6k mark, lets face it that's a lot of big stuff that's away from power. So I don't think that's a goer for me it would take ages to get the investment back

 

[Rig Pig]

Been delving into this a bit more for myself. Two options have been narrowed down to a petrol driven MOSA magi weld 200amp MMA DC set with 110v for tools £1700 list or a genny from either Honda at £2900 6.5 KVA or Pramac at £600 6.0 KVA again with outlets but the Honda don't do 110v so transformer required both AVR equiped.
Now I can throw away 4 pramac before I reach the price of a Honda but the genny option adds a fair bit of weight but gives extra versatility for using lager tools and different welding types / sets

Was also offere a 300amp MMA set that came in at 6k mark, lets face it that's a lot of big stuff that's away from power. So I don't think that's a goer for me it would take ages to get the investment back

Second hand welder generators pop up for sale for sensible money from time to time, I'm sniffing around an old Miller Roughneck at the moment.