what amp mig welder to buy

[branallan]

Hello new to forum. I have a clarke 130t and I am not sure if it is powerful enough to weld my land rover chassis. The plate will be 3mm thick and the chasis is 2.5mm thick, will the 130 be powerful enough. I am considering buying one of the clarke 160 models since they are doing a vat free weekend. Obviuosly the metal plate will be covering the holes in the chassis.
Cheers

 

[shenion]

Leave a bit of a gap and the 130 can do it fine.

 

[Wozzaaah]

If you were cutting the rot out and butt-joining repair patches in then as Scott says, by leaving a small gap around the edge of the patch your 130 would do it but I expect you're plating over the top of the holes so more power would be better.
If you're considering an upgrade anyway then a 150A machine will have considerably more grunt so yes, the 160 would be a good choice.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum, always nice to have a bit more power and your 130 would sell easily if in good nick.

If it was my choice and the finances were no problem I would upgrade considering there is about a £60 VAT saving

 

[branallan]

I would not be butt welding as the patch would cover over the rust hole. I guess the clarke 160 with 30-150amps would be a safer bet than my 130. I am aslo welding some structural parts of the chassis so want to make sure I get a good penetrating weld. Thanks for your prompt replys and i am of to buy a new welder when vat free days arrive a MM. clarke 160 her I come.

 

[Dr pepper]

Clarke seem to be the better of the diy sets.
Current seems to vary on the manufacturer, look at the spec for the set, my old 180amp set was actually rated at 150amp.
Good quality sets tend to have a more 'honest' rating, my 150a butters set well outperforms my old cheap 180.
I dunno about the clarke sets but certainly sip ones have a few mods on the net on improving the wirefeed, you can make the set more useable with just a bit of an ally strap, might be worth checking out.