Calling John McCracken . . . . . . .

[Markopolo]

Sorry John, I Might have misspoke myself.....I wasn't refering to the engine, but rather the welding performance......

Wasn't it yourself that said Lincoln was "puffing" the new chopper machines at your last convention ?

[jpill]

To be perfectly honest with you Marko that machine does look almost to good to be true. I would want to run it on high idle for about ten minutes and then burn a handful of rod on several different settings before throwing in my bid.

I mean there is nothing wrong with the old girl being all gussied up to go to a party, but I would just as soon see the old whore in all her glory dressed in work clothes with a few oil runs here and there.

Jeff

[DDA52]

A trick my old shop used when selling oil burners was to put gear oil in the crank case....stopped the smoking for a little while. All you had to do was smell the oil...gear oil stinks....can't do that online.

Marko, just go visit the Franzirosa...once past the gaurds, you will be taken care of. At least you would know what you'd be getting.

[Sberry]

Marko, next time you are up hunting it will be fall and I will be slowed down,,, you can sit out here for a couple days with a box of lo-hi and get it out of your system,,, ha. The 200 is great for someone that needs one but notice what I carry on my truck, Franz uses a Bobcat while the 200 sits in the weeds.

[JTMcC.]

Originally Posted by Markopolo

Sorry John, I Might have misspoke myself.....I wasn't refering to the engine, but rather the welding performance......

Wasn't it yourself that said Lincoln was "puffing" the new chopper machines at your last convention ?

The welding performance is no match either from any alternator, unless it's modified via chopper.

And yes Lincoln is pushing the Vantage 300 to the pipeline world, but there is a large difference between a vantage 300 and the 2 cylinder machines you mentioned.

Real welding machines with real industrial engines are a far cry from the lawn mower type powered machines. Two seperate and distinct classes that can't properly be compared.

Those 2 cylinder alternators are fine for people that don't know the difference, and they are just right for people who only weld every once in a while on junk iron, or people who need auxillary power generation with a bit of welding capability built in. But they are in the toy catagory for serious welding work. They are the "110 volt migs" of the engine drive class. Fine in their place, but very limited.

JTMcC.

[DDA52]

Originally Posted by JTMcC.

Those 2 cylinder alternators are fine for people that don't know the difference, and they are just right for people who only weld every once in a while on junk iron, or people who need auxillary power generation with a bit of welding capability built in. But they are in the toy catagory for serious welding work. They are the "110 volt migs" of the engine drive class. Fine in their place, but very limited.

JTMcC.

Spoken like a true pipeliner. I would call structural /precast way more than hobby work. If I get a chance, I'll take a pic of a structural job I go by. There are maybe 6/7 Bobcats or Tb's on the deck. They need a little more than a 110v mig. I'm thinking. If the welder was such a miserable piece of junk, I don't think we'd be using them. In my world, if you make a bad weld, you and someone else dies and dies quickly. Weld off 40-60,000 lb panels with a little MIG? Never. With a Bobcat or Ranger...everyday.

Try a better analogy next time.

[Franz]

If only JT had told me sooner. Here I bought mine cause it's propane powered, and I can take it inside of a building instead of pulling a few hundred feet of cable. Then again, I have never pounded on the Bobcat all day the way JT does his machine, so I really don't know how long a Bobcat would hold up doing that.
BTW, I've probably used the generator function a total of half an hour in the time I've owned the machine. When I need a generator I need a real generator.

[JTMcC.]

Bobcats and trailblazer class machines are for part time welding, period. They have a 50 hour oil change interval, right? That means I have to stop working and change my oil every 4 days some weeks. Come on. We would be replacing the 2 cylinder motors every year, come on again. And stopping at least once a day to add fuel. None of this is acceptable in an industrial machine.
I've welded my share of structural steel and I garantee you running 232 wire all day will almost overcome a 300 amp diesel machine, no one in their right mind would use a 2 cyl. class machine for this work.
Light duty, intermittant welding is what those machines are capable of. And there is a lot of that work out there and a lot of those machines doing it. But they are very limited.

JTMcC.

[Sberry]

I have a little Weldanpower 6000 AC/DC 210 that I finally gave up trying to kill. I finally had to repaint it since it wouldnt quit. I have ran it day in and day out on more than one occasion, not like a pipeliner would but it welds well. The hobbiest or even the small shop or part timer just doesnt weld enough to carry around a monster machine. The work doesnt demand it, the hours dont. Everyone except the pipers that has one (maybe a few exceptions) have them parked, they finally rust up or get sold usually for half what they paid for them. If you dont have another genset it is a good 2 for 1 tool as far as I can see.

[DDA52]

I have used a Bobcat running 175a Dc all day for six months straight. I do know of several companies that exceed that regularly. Oil change at 100 hours on the new ones if you please. I changed mine once a week on the weekend. It takes 10 minutes...not that big of a deal. Add fuel during the day? You've never used one I see. My 8 gal tank would last at least 12 hour running straight out. I know this because my idle solenoid wire came off and that is how long a full tank lasted. The new tanks are even bigger. With proper PM, those engines will last upwards of 4k hours. I know the Lincs are better, but to say the little ones are not capable of running hard day in anday out is just not an informed opinion. And comparing them to a 110v mig is assinine. They will run 5/32 7018 all day long and not blink. Can't do that with a little "mig". 100% duty cycle means just that....run it till you drop.