lincoln welders

[Earl Q]

Has anyone had luck using the Lincoln pro MIG 140 or 18O. I'm in the market for a small welder.

[tech413]

I've never used on presonally, but I know several people that have them and the say nothing but good about them. At work we have a Lincoln 250 amp MIG that is awesome. If you go with one of the good brands (ie. Miller, Lincoln etc.) you propably wont have any problems.

Adam

[Earl Q]

Eventually I'll get something more powerful...I don't plan on laying down gorilla welds...Thanks for the advice.

[element]

Same here, I have a lincoln mig pak 10 that runs off a regular 115 volt outlet. It runs flawlessly but it has limitations ,EX 1/4 inch or less with .35 wire. If your going to weld thick stuff id say go with a stick welder.

[Quenchcrack]

Earl, I use a Lincoln Pro Cor 110. It is a flux core welder that can be converted to full mig but why bother? I use it a lot more than my AC 225. If you are welding thicker stuff, pre-heat it and it will penetrate better.

[John McPherson]

Both Lincoln and Miller sell 115 volt units that run off of any US standard household plugs and heavy gauge extention cords (the 140's) and 230 volt units that need dryer type outlets and special extention cords.(the 180's). With the 180's, you are tied to a shop, or you need a decent sized portable generator/welder. Of course, you could start with one of the little MIG units, and then buy a G/W for stick welding, they do compliment each other.

Both types will run .025" gas-shielded solid wire or .035" flux core wire interchangably with a little reconfiguring, which takes about 5-10 minutes with practice. The 180's will also run .045 flux core.

140's have a mid-range duty cycle of 20% (@90A/20V). 180's have a mid-range duty cycle of 30% (@130A/20V), but that mid-range is the 140's high end.

Pushed to the max, the 140's duty cycle drops to about 5-10%. That means you can only weld wide open for 30 seconds, and then it has to cool for 9 1/2 minutes, or you will cook the innards (technican term).

Both are considered to be autobody, sheet metal or tack welders, not meant for continuous heavy use. Neither will do high end stuff like Pulse or Spray Arc. But they will accept a spool gun to do aluminum welding.

Does this help, or just muddy the waters?

[unkle spike]

I wire my shop for 220, bought a Hobart 180 and never looked back. I didn't want to buy a welder and look to replace it with a bigger one later. The 180 is no longer made by Hobart, they moved up to the 187 with 7 settings rather than 4, and the 210. Both of these are 30% Duty Cycle at 140 amps. I used my provided roll of flux core once, and bought a tank of gas and changed over. For the price well worth it, does all I need to.

[Earl Q]

That definitely helps fellas.

I don't plan on heavy welding. I haven't run a 30 sec weld in a while. I have ends if I need a bigger machine, but I like portability. My shop is not wired at all as of yet. Extension cords are beginning to be a pain, but I can deal with until I have the dough to wire my shop.

I guess you got to crawl before you can walk.

Thanks for the input guys.

[toolgypsy]

I have a buddy who tigs aluminum all day in a fab shop and he bought a 180 and loves it,says it welds like butta but he wishes he would have put out the extra hundred for the welding shop lincoln because it has variable amperage and voltage


miller dialarc
millermatic 35
miller spoolmate 200 and spoolmatic 1
yellow inverter painted miller blue

Edited March 31, 2009 by toolgypsy

[Jerry Miller]

I have the lincoln 180 i love it i weld for a living it i great on lite stuff you can get the flex cord wire at Lowe's a 10 lb. roll is around $40 for .035 for larger stuff i get my Ln-25 out hope this helps

[ejones]

I do have a pro mig 140 that I use a lot. It has its limitations, but it owes me nothing because it has worked flawlessly for almost three years. I have even fabbed two 1/4" plate steel bumpers with it! For 1/4" you will need to run .035 flux core though. I bought it for portability, but I have put it through its paces and it just keeps going. All of this and I have only reached the thermal overload protection twice.

[meancoyote]

I have a 180c with the spool gun, it is very good for the money. The wire drive is all metal. Its welds all day with no problems.

[archiphile]

I too have the 180c it is good for smaller stuff I would say 5/16" is the max with CO2 and .035 hard wire. I do not like it's performance with the gas-less flux. I have been a professional welder for 12 yrs. I will say that you should get 220 and above, don't bother with the 110 models.

just my .2 cents.

[yeold1]

Hello all,
I'll just add my cent and a half also. About 12 years ago or so, Lincoln use to produce the SP 125 plus, now I believe it has evolved into the 140. The 125 was an absolutely fabulous machine. Along with my co-workers, we utilized two 125's along with heavier machines, to fabricate a 70' tall structure for a national theme park on the west coast. Those machines never gave an ounce of trouble, not once. We also had the Miller 130 at the same time, which had nowhere near the power the 125's had. I enjoyed that machine so much I had to purchase one for my shop. I regretted the day I sold it to a friend of mine. I now own the 135. Don't get me wrong, most of my portable equipment is Miller, I like both manufacturers, but it just depends on what process. Just my half a cent...

[welder19]

110v welders are fine, I've welded 1/2" with mine, just have to make more than one pass, it's better to use a bigger welder but it works. I do recomend solid wire with gas versus flux core wire, solid wire makes a much cleaner weld.

welder19

[bigjohn]

For the first two or three years starting out in this business. I was limited to using a Lincoln sp-100
mig welder. That little unit made large quantities of ladder racks and bumpers. It also put enough cash in the war chest to buy a much bigger unit. I was very pleased with it's performance. I've switched over to Miller welders all around the shop. Sadly that Lincoln was stolen from the old shop eight or nine years ago....... Be sure it comes with a gas solenoid for shielding. I wouldn't bother with flux cored wire. Happy Welding

[DaveJ]

I have a a Lincoln at home and have used them over the years in the larger models. I have found Lincoln to be a great unit

[hammerkid]

I have a Lincoln 3200hd Mig I bought from Homedepot few yrs ago. It had the converison kit inculeded. I used flux core for about a yr. before buying a 80cu. ft. bottle. I have welded up to 3/8" ( preheated it). Its been a GREAT lil machine. Its a 115. In few months I plan on upgrading to a Hobart 210 Ironman.

[Demonknight]

I have a Lincoln Pro Mig 175, the 220v NASCAR model, and besides being a heavy little mutha it welds just great. I`m not a big Lincoln fan but i have to admit Lincoln does know a thing or two about wire welders. Most comparable brands weld pretty much the same when their new, but when it comes time that something does break or go wrong, you better hope like hell its a Miller.