Clarke MIG 196 No-Gas/Gas

[Mrrcarney]

hi guys

I have posted a few things asking for advice on what welder to get

well after machine mart not having the machine I want in stock I bought this as I need it for this weekend

a bit underpowered but I hope it will be ok

I am a mechanic and have welded stick for years but wanted something for car body work and light fabrication

my project is a *****chonk quad 200cc that blew a hole in the piston I have a 250cc honda lump out a 1979 wet dream (superdream) so the frame needs extending and giving it a little more strength also an exhaust making up

after that I want to build a trailer for it to get it from my house to beach ect

now my situation is

welding outside so gas will blow away
so no gas

welding 1-5mm steel and very max 6mm for the engine cage and mounts

and 4-5mm angle for the trailer

what do you guys think about the 196 (180 amp) but Its broken it wont feed wire so they had one in stock I need it for today (Saturday) if I take it back they will exchange it for the lower 180 (150) amp model or I may part with more cash for a bigger welder and for a bigger supply

thanks for any advice and sorry for massive post

 

[penfold]

A couple of things; don't base your choice of machine on what they have in stock. The way you've written your post suggests you have to do this work quickly, indeed this weekend; given a motor quad frame or a trailer chassis is safety critical, I would advise against doing anything with either until you've spent several hours practising with whatever welder you buy. Even an experienced welder would have to spend some time getting used to a new machine's characteristics before attempting welds that need to be as strong as possible.

 

[Mrrcarney]

A couple of things; don't base your choice of machine on what they have in stock. The way you've written your post suggests you have to do this work quickly, indeed this weekend; given a motor quad frame or a trailer chassis is safety critical, I would advise against doing anything with either until you've spent several hours practising with whatever welder you buy. Even an experienced welder would have to spend some time getting used to a new machine's characteristics before attempting welds that need to be as strong as possible.

yes I understand what you are saying but I am an experienced welder as I do alot of welding through my profession I just cant afford to pay for a miller or similar machine at the moment I have a week to move the quad from its current location so I want to use the machine all weekend to get used to it and weld the frame up during the week and send it off to powder coat

the trailer is an after thought as I still have my van so wont be needed for some months

and as for the in stock part I was going to buy a 210 amp welder as it was on offer but was sold out so I bought the one they had with the most amps I wont order anything from on-line suppliers as I want local service and they take 3 weeks to get stock in store

thanks and kind regards

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

You won't really notice the difference between a 196 and 210 amp welder any way

 

[Wozzaaah]

^ It's 180A, not 196.

Mrrcarney, don't be tempted to go for the 150A one, it's not man enough for what you want to do.
Minimum of 180A .............or just stick weld it.

 

[wheresmejumper]

hi guys

I have posted a few things asking for advice on what welder to get

well after machine mart not having the machine I want in stock I bought this as I need it for this weekend

a bit underpowered but I hope it will be ok

I am a mechanic and have welded stick for years but wanted something for car body work and light fabrication

my project is a *****chonk quad 200cc that blew a hole in the piston I have a 250cc honda lump out a 1979 wet dream (superdream) so the frame needs extending and giving it a little more strength also an exhaust making up

after that I want to build a trailer for it to get it from my house to beach ect

now my situation is

welding outside so gas will blow away
so no gas

welding 1-5mm steel and very max 6mm for the engine cage and mounts

and 4-5mm angle for the trailer

what do you guys think about the 196 (180 amp) but Its broken it wont feed wire so they had one in stock I need it for today (Saturday) if I take it back they will exchange it for the lower 180 (150) amp model or I may part with more cash for a bigger welder and for a bigger supply

thanks for any advice and sorry for massive post

is that not a tad raciallist?

 

[keith19]

"I am a mechanic and have welded stick for years but wanted something for car body work and light fabrication"

You have checked the specs for the 196, haven't you?

Power settings from 40 – 180 amps. Welds mild steel 5-6mm thickness.
Turbo fan cooling for greater efficiency
Uses 0.6 / 0.8 / 1mm wire.
Fully variable electronic wire speed control.
Thermal overload protection.
Extra tough protective edging
Operates from 230V power supply.

40 Amps on a mig welder of this quality may not be much good for car body work; it is generally advised to go down to a lower setting of 30 Amps or under if it is not a professional machine.

Also have a few doubts about it doing much welding of 6mm steel, unless you have plenty of time between runs. This is one of the newer 'cheapy' Clarke welders, so I don't think we've had reports yet on exactly how good - or bad - they are. Proceed with caution. You don't want to buy something in a hurry that is neither one thing nor the other, and not good for what you want at either end of its output range.

 

[DIY]

hi guys

I have posted a few things asking for advice on what welder to get

well after machine mart not having the machine I want in stock I bought this as I need it for this weekend

a bit underpowered but I hope it will be ok

I am a mechanic and have welded stick for years but wanted something for car body work and light fabrication

my project is a *****chonk quad 200cc that blew a hole in the piston I have a 250cc honda lump out a 1979 wet dream (superdream) so the frame needs extending and giving it a little more strength also an exhaust making up

after that I want to build a trailer for it to get it from my house to beach ect

now my situation is

welding outside so gas will blow away
so no gas

welding 1-5mm steel and very max 6mm for the engine cage and mounts

and 4-5mm angle for the trailer

what do you guys think about the 196 (180 amp) but Its broken it wont feed wire so they had one in stock I need it for today (Saturday) if I take it back they will exchange it for the lower 180 (150) amp model or I may part with more cash for a bigger welder and for a bigger supply

How long did it last