My Welding Cart

[dfrazier]

Hey Everyone. I have been checking out this forum for a couple of months and decided it is time to register. I really enjoy reading all of the posts in here and think it helps me learn a lot. I am also new to welding and just purchased my first mig about 2 1/2 months ago. Don't laugh about it being a cheapie because that is all I can afford right now because I am disabled and on a fixed income. Here is some pics of my creation.

[dfrazier]

And another.

[dfrazier]

And another.

[dfrazier]

And another.

[dfrazier]

And another.

[Paychk]

Welcome to the forum!

just purchased my first mig about 2 1/2 months ago. Don't laugh about it being a cheapie

It isn't what it cost, it is what you can accomplish with it. Besides the most innovative solutions seem to come from someone overcoming a limitation, be it money, space, equipment or even time. That is the best use of a buggy, I've seen in a while. I looks like you have all the major bases covered with your setup. What brand is your machine?

[dfrazier]

Last one.

[dfrazier]

Thanks Paychk

I have a Clarke 180EN 220V running .030 flux core wire.
I see you run CO2. Would CO2 be good on steel as thin as you would find on lawnmower decks? I would eventually like to go to gas and solid wire but the costs of the bottle and gas is keeping me from it right now.

David

[Paychk]

Gas & solid wire will help, but remember any time you try to weld corroded sheetmetal it is an up-hill battle. You touch an arc to it and 9/10 time it just evaporates on you. I'm not real famillar with Clarke but that doesn't mean alot. I think you made a good choice though in the 220V rig, that way you won't outgrow it tomorrow.

[cutter]

David,

I looked at the Clark welders pretty hard before I settled on my Hobart; it would have saved me nearly $150 and my dealer endorsed it pretty strongly based on prior experience - he said they had sold quite a few & none had come back. IIRC, they are made in Italy & the package I looked it came with a flimsy looking cart but at least it would have been a get-by. I finally decided to spend a little more because of the obvious differences in construction and because we never could verify that the Clark had a built-in gas solenoid. I also was influenced by the Miller/Hobart name & this forum, but I thought the Clark had a lot going for it for the money.

[Sberry]

Good setup. You have some good basic stuff there and you can so a lot with that. Clamps, square, grinder and welding machine,,,, you got it going on. I am glad to see I am not the only one with a cart machine and you lowered the center of gravity which is good. I widdened the front wheels but with the lower mounting yours is fine. Real nice, nothing beats having a machine, any one as long as it works. I didnt mean to cut in on your thread with pics,,, but just wanted you to know you are not ALONE,,, ha The cart is a great idea for small machines.

[dfrazier]

Thanks guys for the kind words. I would have loved to get a HH175 or a MM175 but I didn't have the money. I can't complain about the price because I only paid $328.00 for it. I will probably never weld anything over 1/4 inch and I did not want a 110V machine.
David

[Franz]

Shopping carts may yet become the major mode of transport in America if the price of gas keeps going up.
I've been known to remodel one or 20 0f them myself, including the one that hauls firewood from the bottom of my wood chute in the cellar to the wood stove.
The new plastic ones don't seem to offer a lot of potential for modification, unless I can learn to operate the plastic welding torch I own.
It's good to see I ain't the only guy witha fire extinguisher attached to my welder. If you have that rig in a heated area, get yourself a pressurized water extinguisher because they come in real handy welding on auto bodys.

[bjdenommee]

Only Sberry would have his scrap pieces stacked like cord wood, on shelving.

O Sberry saw how you found a new use for the swing arm from your system, I too got stuck with a stiff neck from the thing.

I use mine as a swing arm for my tips and what such, swings over my tig bench.

Nice carts though.

Bernie

[cope]

David, nice setup there. Nothing to be ashamed of with the Clarke. When you can afford to get a cylinder of C-25 gas you will expand your horizon appreciably.

Cutter, the Clarke does have a built in solenoid. They come set up for flux core, just like Miller/Hobart, and convert the same way.