Transporting large oil filled welder

[Jonathan Webb]

Hi,
I'm looking for an oil filled welder and trying to work out transportation.
I gather Oxford 110's weigh about 70kg ish so that will go in the car boot albeit as a heavy lift.

What about the larger 250A beasts like this?
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hoMAAOSwEUdabLPh/s-l1600.jpg

I have a small trailer that will take 300kg or a bit more (old, no rating plate).

Obviously if I need to get a tail lift van, that affects my search area and the price worth paying.

Any experiences with this?
Many thanks

 

[zzr1200]

If you trailer has a drop down/removable rear panel then simply put a 18mm ply base sheet (cut to size) in the bottom of the trailer, if the welder had fitted wheels, you'll need some 4 x 2 or simaliar to lift the unit off its wheels. Then tie the welder down with small ratchet straps.

You'll possibly need some scaffold boards to load the welder, a RT180 can be lifted by 2 people 120kg, a RT250 is about 170kg.

I always ask if the seller has an engine crane or some other form of lifting equipment.

Lifting and moving things is just a matter of planning the event with what you have available.

As for the BOC unit I personally wouldn't buy it unless I could fully test it first, really goes for any welder unless you know the seller. Although saying that I would be more likely to purchase unseen from long term member here.

 

[frank horton]

I would prefer to move any oil cooled welder inside a van or on a pick up bed.......def not a trailer, they bouce to ....have moved a few for myself and u always get a wet oil spot anyway but u do get a smother ride in the back of a van.....

 

[zzr1200]

I would prefer to move any oil cooled welder inside a van or on a pick up bed.......def not a trailer, they bouce to ....have moved a few for myself and u always get a wet oil spot anyway but u do get a smother ride in the back of a van.....

True....but you have to use what's available to hand.....someone in the not to distance past used a very cheap blue tow rope to move something a bit heavier than a oil cooled welder into their workshop............

 

[Jonathan Webb]

zzr1200,
Thanks for taking the time to write that. And the weights.
Good tips about the trailer floor and yes the tailgate drops. I have scaffold boards & ratchet straps :-)

I'm subscribed to the "for sale" thread here in the hope of picking up one from a member. But no joy yet.

I've passed on a BOC one that is untested/untestable but welders are few and far between in my neck of the woods, I'm looking at a 100 mile round trip on the current ones nearest me.

Frank,
I agree a van would be better but it would cost more than the welder... I accept that a machine that's been trashedby a bouncy journey home is more expensive still, but with a deadweight in the trailer it'll bounce less and I can (do) drive appropriately.

 

[brightspark]

with that weight in a trailer they run as smooth as silk. if I ever go anywhere and mine is empty i chuck a couple of bags of sand in to stop it jumping around

 

[gaz1]

for there weights i have this on pc

 

[Jonathan Webb]

For closure, I picked up a rt110 today . Put it in the boot with some lorry strops round it & back out round the towbar & the tailgate just managed to shut.
Thanks for your input.

 

[gaz1]

just to note i have the 110b the one with 4 pins on it

every turn on the dial works as should do though i havent even opened it just weighed it to make sure full of oil and to the required weight



it works with the 13 amp plug no problem other than blowing the fuse on the garage on first turn on of the machine just restart the fuse and go back to unit it shouldnt blow again but if does do same again if blows now you may have to upgrade you fuse to another where it is at moment whilst im welding up there

 

[dannyp]

there will be one close by somewhere in a shed, there is a couple of old oil cooled machenes at work that seem to have gathered in a corner thin ive only ever seen 1 powered up once, ive got 3 or 4 here, 1 of them hoped would do for goudging but it trips the main breacker so mainly used as heavy things.

there will be loads of them about local to you

 

[Jonathan Webb]

there will be one close by somewhere in a shed, there is a couple of old oil cooled machenes at work that seem to have gathered in a corner thin ive only ever seen 1 powered up once, ive got 3 or 4 here, 1 of them hoped would do for goudging but it trips the main breacker so mainly used as heavy things.

there will be loads of them about local to you

Thanks, I've got this now. As you say, they will be lurking everywhere: annoyingly there is one in the corner of a shed at my sailing club, but no-one wanted to take responsibility for selling it and I needed to crack on.

 

[Jonathan Webb]

FWIW, just had a play. I'm not at all an accomplished welder and I would say it was very substantially easier to use than my SIP 140 buzzbox. I've got welds that have the gentle "creases" in them, rather than a string of snot!
I wish I'd looked harder earlier. Still onwards & upwards!

 

[gaz1]

i have a sip 90 arc and the one above even my welds look alot better using the oil welder

also easier to strike the rods up as well

the thing i like about the oil welder can use it all day and it wont cut out like the sip does

 

[Jonathan Webb]

i have a sip 90 arc and the one above even my welds look alot better using the oil welder

also easier to strike the rods up as well

the thing i like about the oil welder can use it all day and it wont cut out like the sip does

The duty cycle was one of my motivations. I don't like to blame my tools for poor work, but it is also true that poor tools don't help you get good results.

 

[brightspark]

i accidentally left my oil cooled switched on for a month I went to use it and it was warm I welded a car trailer I made up and ran it for hours and it hardly got any hotter

 

[gaz1]

any chance of seeing some your welding now by posting a few pics up ?

heres a few of mine

 

[Jonathan Webb]

Not while the weather's like this :-) : my current piece is outside, wrapped up against the elements, being too big to go in my shed. I'm hoping to get back onto it on Wednesday.

If I have time, I might try a side by side comparison.

 

[Jonathan Webb]

Left is the Oxford, right is the buzzbox.
Sods law that it doesn't look too bad. Most of my earlier welds look like snot.l but I've ground those

I didn't have any scrap to try a fillet weld, that would show the difference, although I'm still crap at welding things that matter. This afternoon I've just been trying to grind & fill the voids and messes I've made.

 

[gaz1]

i bet your enjoying that oxford like i am doing

i found i get better welds with it as well

 

[Jonathan Webb]

i bet your enjoying that oxford like i am doing

i found i get better welds with it as well

Yes although I haven't had much time on it yet and I'm tidying up the welds I did before. These are outside corners on 3mm sheet of which the panels don't match as well as I'd like.so the join overlap is rather variable. I've got another 4 feet of remedial work to do before the next phase of welding in the front section which will be fun. Not.
I'll be a lot more careful teplating & cutting out next time.