Which 240 volt Mig welder?

I have a Millermatic 251 and have had it for ten years with out any problems.
The Millermatic 252 is the newer welder from Miller. I have not used a spoole gun on the 251 but it welds steel very well. I run .030 and .035 wire and 25/75% mix of Co2 and Argon gas.

I have been looking at upgrading to a mig from my DC stick and also considered the 180 size range. But, I think I would be sorry in the long run. Northern Tool is usually a little high on their prices, but right now they have the Hobart Ironman 230 + a 20' spool gun ($600) + free shipping for $1669. THAT is one heck of a deal. I think I feel my credit card beginning to melt. Tom

BIG_RED said:

I appreciate the input on staying away from hobby stuff, but I think these are fairly serious "hobbyist" welders. They're obviously not intended for an assembly line, but not really tinker-toys either. I have seen Miller 211's (fraternal twin of the HH210) in a body shop (although in your defense, there was larger welding equipment present as well). In my mind, what I'm looking at will be good enough (probably overkill) for what I need, and I could spend the $500 price difference on other tools/toys.

But in the interest of being open minded and facilitating me learning something - Which machine(s) do you think would be a good choice for a guy who likes to fab truck accessories and restore cars in his home garage?

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don't get me wrong though- those hobby type welders are great(except when people who don't know anything about them have them)
they are usually more than most need, and do the job very well

i've used both miller and lincolns smaller welders and they have never disappointed me, and i've used some of their best welders too- they both do the same job(unless you want to get fancy or technical but this is for hobbiests)

Lets talk about thin sheet metal like your floor and rocker panels, etc. I've found the "infinite voltage control" on my Miller 211 to be a good feature when welding thin body patches. Its nice to be able to dial the voltage back just a smidgen when you find yourself burning through thin spots. Something to consider over welders with a finite number of set voltage settings.

Yes, the plan with the spoolgun is to make battery boxes and rust-proofed floors. 1/8" or thicker material for both jobs. I would like to get into TIG eventually, but it's just not in the cards moneywise right now.

I wish I had the means for a millermatic 250 series machine. However I don't think I'll be there for a few years and I need a welder sooner than that.

Good point on the "infinitely variable" voltage control being helpful on sheet metal. But, once again, the price difference on a HH210 vs MM211 is pretty big.. Something to think about for sure though - great point.

I'll check cyberweld out too. Thanks guys, you're always my go-to for advice like this, and you've all proven once again that SS has a great practical knowledge base. Well done.

Unless your making aluminum battery boxes, you dont need the spool gun. {aluminum wire is hard to push } An 1/8" thick floor is pretty thick, not sure what duece floors are but that seems thick. Even if it is 1/8" you dont need the spool gun for mild steel.
Only reason I'm saying that is I hate for you to spend the money on something you dont need. But if your going to make aluminum battery boxes or aluminum floor repairs then yes, spool gun is good. TIG is awesome, especially on thin material and aluminum. But its a bit slower and a steeper learning curve. The majority if not all work on the MV's can be tackled with MIG. Just 2 cents worth.

I am planning on making aluminum battery boxes. And potentially an aluminum floor for the M1009. If I did my floor, I would do it in 1/8" or thicker aluminum with fully boxed steel supports sealed on the ends (to be virtually rust proofed). Thinner aluminum would probably change shape (sag) when it's loaded with junk. I would love to get into TIG, but I don't have the cash for it. I would agree that 99% of what I would ever consider doing to my MV could be done with a large MIG welder and a spoolgun. Thanks for the help!

I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be waking up this old thread, but I just thought I should share - I bought a Mig Welder!!!

I bought a Hobart 210 MVP. I love it. Attached picture is of my "temporary welding cart" that I used to do some exhaust work. My new cart isn't finished yet. Will likely post up a thread about my setup later. Thanks a lot for the input guys - very much appreciated!

BIG_RED said:

I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be waking up this old thread, but I just thought I should share - I bought a Mig Welder!!!

I bought a Hobart 210 MVP. I love it. Attached picture is of my "temporary welding cart" that I used to do some exhaust work. My new cart isn't finished yet. Will likely post up a thread about my setup later. Thanks a lot for the input guys - very much appreciated!

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Or you could just add it to this thread and keep all the information in one thread .

porkysplace said:

Or you could just add it to this thread and keep all the information in one thread .

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Okay that works too. I thinking it might be worth making a new thread since the topic has changed from "what do I buy?" to "here's what I bought and what I'm doing with it". I suppose you're right though. Thanks for the advice. Will do.

I have an older Lincoln sp130t this is the same machine as the 180 they just changed there numbering system. My machine is amps at rated duty cycle. Now they rate them at max amps. It has been a great machine for about 20 years.