Ready Welder?

[Takotruckin]

I’m considering buying one, should I?

I currently have a 250a mig and a 140a 120v mig.

I would like something for projects around the property where power isn’t easily accessible, stuff like pipe fencing etc where I would run flux core.

I would also like to use it as a spool gun for small aluminum projects and maybe one day an aluminum flat bed for my truck.

Is the ready welder a good idea for these uses?

 

[bgaidan]

Sure.

I have one. It was my first welder when I was renting and didn't have 220v. Built a lot of shit with it. It gets annoying to use as your only welder as you get maybe 15-20 minutes out of a pair of batteries before needing to charge.....but that's also 15 minutes of continuous weld time so it's more than it sounds.

They're perfect for "around the farm" work where you can't get power and don't have a big enough generator. You only need a bottle and regulator to run it on gas too - the rest is built in to the gun, so you're not restricted to flux core if you have a small bottle you can toe around with you.

I tried mine with AL. Didn't go well, but I also didn't know what I was doing. I should really give it another go one of these days.
One good thing you can do if you're using it as a spool gun - you should be able to use one of your mig machines as a power supply and run it off that. I've run mine off of stick machines with good results. Just remember to use the little transformer that's included with it to run the feed motor! (The circuit board and motor don't do well with anything over 48v and will quickly let the smoke out. They come with a little dc wall wart that you disconnect the board from the welding power supply and run it off of the little transformer.)

 

[Benny]

They work great around the farm or out on the trail, but there is better cheaper options for hooking to your mig.

By the time you buy all the extra parts to hook to your mig, you can buy a Chinese knockoff spool gun is that is made for your machine. Mine costed $165 for my miller knockoff to hook to my miller 210. Check ebay.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Same as bgaidan, a ready welder was my first welder before I got 220v. I'm a fan. It doesn't get used much anymore, but it's always in the wheeling rig incase my junk, or more often someone else's junk, needs to be glued back together on the trail.

Haven't used it as a spool gun hooked to my Ironman 210, but that's something I want to try some day.

 

[bgaidan]

They work great around the farm or out on the trail, but there is better cheaper options for hooking to your mig.

By the time you buy all the extra parts to hook to your mig, you can buy a Chinese knockoff spool gun is that is made for your machine. Mine costed $165 for my miller knockoff to hook to my miller 210. Check ebay.

What parts do you have to buy? I've never actually looked in to what you need to do to hook it up to a wire feed machine.

 

[Brimmstone]

Bought one at the local pawn shop years ago. Been riding in my bed box ever since. I’ve never actually used the damn thing

 

[arse_sidewards]

I'd look for an older engine driven welder. Once you get into machines old enough that people who weld for a living don't want them the prices are reasonable.

 

[djljeep]

I bought one from somebody on PBB. My wheeling group combined has half a dozen of them and they work great. 24VDC burns hotter than most 120VAC welders for sure. We've even welded leaf springs to get out of the woods. a couple of the other guys use them to spoolgun aluminum from time to time, but it isnt the primary function for them. My view is if you are just looking for a spool gun, buy a spool gun - cheaper, easier, and made for it. If you are looking for a trail/farm welder to be used now and then as a spool gun then go for it.

We also have a couple guys with premier power welders and one with a self contained battery operated Hobart thing. The hobart is pretty slick, but I think its discontinued. I suppose if you were hypothetically on UA and they gave you a PPW, they work fine and I would take it, but pound for pound ( and $ for $) I'd rather have a readywelder.

 

[Takotruckin]

Well I just ordered a cheap spool gun and I’ll see how that works out for the aluminum portion. I’ll probably decide on the portable portion down the road. Maybe keep an eye out for an engine driven welder for the right price.