best welder to begin

[whitt-g]

i.m looking at screwfix option Impax IM-Mig150/20/150 150A MIG Welder 240V.(£229 ) to be used for farm maintenance maybe a little telehandler buckert welding. is this going to be a good one or shall i look furthur.

their write up reads:

Powerful yet flexible gas/gasless MIG welder with variable power setting and fan-cooled inner. Suitable for general site use, automotive repairs and more accurate fabrication. Use solid wire and gas shielding or flux-cored wire. Supplied in gasless format. Gas kit available separately.

• Welding Current Range 40-105A
• Includes 0.8mm Flux-Cored Wire for Gasless Operation
• Weldable Thickness 0-4mm
• Open Circuit 32V
• 230V Input Power
• Air-Cooled
• 20% Duty Cycle at 105A
• Electrode Range 1.6-4mm
• View more information

Product contents:
IM-MIG 150/20/150, cable, welding torch, earthing clamp, hand-held welding mask and chipping hammer.

Specifications:
240V. W x L x H: 250 x 420 x 310mm. Weight 20kg. Plug not supplied.

 

[rtbcomp]

Welcome to the forum, I've reduced the font a bit to make it more readable!

 

[daleyd]

Definitely look further, its not even a 150 amp machine, despite it being labelled as a "150"!

It seems the max current is 105 amps, which wouldn't be suitable for much, let alone any farm work.

I'm no expert in farm type work but to my mind you'd be better off with a small inverter arc welder rather than a mig, much more portable, able to weld thicker material, no need for gas and can be used outside.

Have you done any welding before? What's your total budget? What material will you mainly be welding?

These are all questions you should be asking.

 

[steviec_lj]

Farm work, especially digger buckets, well to be honest 99% of stuff on a farm would be better suited to Arc welding.

I'm also confused as to what the Impax machine thinks it is, a 150A Mig welder, with a maximum output of 105A, but an electrode thickness of 1.6 - 4mm.

You'd be better off looking on eBay, Gumtree, Preloved, this sites very own Classifieds area for a second hand machine.

Personally, I've grown up using a Seigen MiniMig130 and a Sealey SuperMig170 and never had a problem. Uncle has used Clarke welders since day one and never had a problem.

For the same money as the Screwfix deal, you can get a brand new Clarke from Machine Mart; https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/010112180

 

[Bill Edwards]

NO!
Don't buy that welder for farm work, it won't do anything other than thin sheet metal.

If you want a MIG welder that will weld telehandler buckets you probably need something in the region of 230 amps, maybe 250. This puts you into big, expensive industrial stuff.

For light weight farm stuff you may find a 150 MIG to work, but it's only really suitable for steel up to 6mm. And as I say, buckets would be a no-no.

For farm work I suggest a stick welder nearly every time. It's no use for thin metal under 2/3 mm thick but mostly this isn't needed on farms.
What it will do, unlike a MIG, is cope with dirty metal (still should be cleaned, but you can't always get it perfect on a farm and a MIG hates dirt, rust and paint).
It'll also work outside whereas any breeze will blow the gas away on a MIG.
Much more portable, they're lighter and you don't have to drag gas bottles round.
You can weld just about any thickness of metal with about 140 amps. You may have to make a few passes/runs but it can be done and make a perfectly strong joint. Low powered MIG's don't get enough heat in no matter how you do it.


If getting a stick welder there are basic 'buzzbox' welders which work but won't be much use for welding buckets as they overheat very easily.
Oil cooled welders are great, nicer to use and can run all day. Sometimes you can get them cheaply, but they weigh a lot and aren't to me moved much!
Get an inverter welder such as http://www.weldequip.com/parweld-xti160.htm, they weight very little, have a good duty cycle and have come down in price.

Or, these have recently cropped up and look to be an excellent buy: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161552010833?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2661&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I'd buy one if I needed one, the only thing to consider with inverter welders is that like anything electronic they can break, so you may wish to consider one with a warranty such as the Parweld.

 

[Kent]

Pretty much as Bill said! All the old farms that "did a bit" themselves had a oil cooled stick plant going back 20 years back, now they have some wimpy little MIG. An odd farmer can weld very decent but frankly many shouldn't stretch themselves past say a cracked gate on a lambing pen.
I don't get the spec given as a MIG set don't use electrodes until its a multi function MIG / MMA.
If you don't have anything but a 13amp plug in your going to struggle to get more than 120 amp as a workable duty with any set mind you which means 3.2mm rods max

 

[brightspark]

all the farms ive worked on in the last 45 years have oilcooled 180amp oxfords and pickhills and gas welding gear self taught and most are bloody good at it /quite a few have mig as well now because there farm insurance wont cover oxy acet gas welding bottles so they only use oxy propane for heating

 

[Bill Edwards]

Well brightspark you must have been to some rare farms.
Like kent most farmers I come across aren't very good at welding.

Oxy welding seems dead really few places seem to use it for anything other than heating and cutting