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This welder do what I'm looking for?

A

aeidian

New member
It's a harbor freight Chicago Electric brand

170 Amp MIG/Flux Wire Welder

I need to weld in a 3" high flow cat and make a bung for the o2. There are some odds and ends I need to do on my truck as well. I can't afford anything much more than this, so I question you more experienced if you think it's worth it. I've been told I need to get something that has gas, and this says it has hookups. Do I need to use gas for exhaust work like this?
 


I use the flux core wire (0.035"). The welds look like poop but who cares...strong enough for an exhaust system.

Yea that MIG will work fine.
 
Wouldn't having a shop be lower cost?

I'm not saying don't get it. I found a nice Lincoln on Craigslist and I'm starting to get decent at it. But it takes a bit of practice to get there.

BTW, I saw that welder said 240V input.
 
BillBoost37 said:
Wouldn't having a shop be lower cost?

I'm not saying don't get it. I found a nice Lincoln on Craigslist and I'm starting to get decent at it. But it takes a bit of practice to get there.

BTW, I saw that welder said 240V input.
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It's a monster!
 
I toss that out because most folks don't ahve 220V line in their garage. It kinda sucks doing work on the ground by the basement window where the dryer is located.
 


The cheaper 90 amp 100 dollar jobber will work on exhaust also. Itll plug in and work from an extension cord as well.

If spending a few hundred whats another hundred to buy a quality machine that will last you your lifetime?

Using flux will piss you off with leaks and ****ty looking welds.
Thats all the 100 dollar one will ever do, atleast the 170 amper says you can add gas.

Buy a used name brand setup, buy one without gas for now and save the money to be able to lay clean welds if the need arises.

I can tell you I love my Hobart i bought new. Doing dozens of exhaust mods and other odds and ends has paid for itself many times over.
 
I have sufficient access to a 220v to use it for what I want. I thought about just having a shop do it but I'm a do it yourself kind of guy and I'll value it more if I do it. I welded in high school with stick welders about 13 years ago but everyone tells me those are dinosaurs now, so I have to get up to speed. That one I linked seems like a good middle of the road to get back in with and still be able to accomplish what I want to do.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2
 
IDK man. Stick welding is a viable, cheap option for welding anything over 1/2". Some of the newer ones will weld smaller stuff.

I love TIG but completely suck at it.

The MIG is the way to go for us amateurs. Once you get the right feed and voltage you can fly.
 
This would be a nice garage welder...but that is it. t. , this welder is good for what you are doing with your exhaust. Me personally, I would stick weld the exhaust. And I disagree with up to 1/4 material. The general rule of thiumb is 1 amp for every one thousands of material (1/4"=.250" so 250 amps) at least for a good penetrating weld. 220V input is the way to go. I suggest a 10lbs spool of er70s-6 wire, but you will also need a bottle of 75/25 for a shielding gas. I wouldn't go the flux core route.
 


ok heres my .02 that welder will do everything you need to do and more. I have the 120 amp model and it works well (I used to weld for a living) you can make flux core look ok with a lot of practice but it rots out quicker. weld with gas its cleaner looks better and will not smoke you out as quick. (I use flux core for junk welding) make sure you have the propper wire and gas for what you are welding(Harbor Freight does not know what you need) find a welding supply shop locally and let them know what you are doing they will be able to get you the right stuff. dont bother with the 20 cubic foot bottle they sell you will only get about 45 or so minutes of welding out of the bottle once again welding supply place. I have 60 Cubic foot bottles its the minimum I would use. and finally buy a welding instruction book and lots of scrap and practice lots with machine settings etc(being able to properly set the machine up is almost half the battle). once again just my .02
 
papaspanky said:
ok heres my .02 that welder will do everything you need to do and more. I have the 120 amp model and it works well (I used to weld for a living) you can make flux core look ok with a lot of practice but it rots out quicker. weld with gas its cleaner looks better and will not smoke you out as quick. (I use flux core for junk welding) make sure you have the propper wire and gas for what you are welding(Harbor Freight does not know what you need) find a welding supply shop locally and let them know what you are doing they will be able to get you the right stuff. dont bother with the 20 cubic foot bottle they sell you will only get about 45 or so minutes of welding out of the bottle once again welding supply place. I have 60 Cubic foot bottles its the minimum I would use. and finally buy a welding instruction book and lots of scrap and practice lots with machine settings etc(being able to properly set the machine up is almost half the battle). once again just my .02
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Great advice. If you did this for a living then your opinion is worth more than 2 cents dude.
 


I build Nuclear Submarines.I 'm not sure what book you read but in the real world 250 amps for 1/4" material is dpuble what you need so I hope you can run fast.I always thought 70s-6 came in a 12 lb spool at least where I work it does.
 
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papaspanky said:
ok heres my .02 that welder will do everything you need to do and more. I have the 120 amp model and it works well (I used to weld for a living) you can make flux core look ok with a lot of practice but it rots out quicker. weld with gas its cleaner looks better and will not smoke you out as quick. (I use flux core for junk welding) make sure you have the propper wire and gas for what you are welding(Harbor Freight does not know what you need) find a welding supply shop locally and let them know what you are doing they will be able to get you the right stuff. dont bother with the 20 cubic foot bottle they sell you will only get about 45 or so minutes of welding out of the bottle once again welding supply place. I have 60 Cubic foot bottles its the minimum I would use. and finally buy a welding instruction book and lots of scrap and practice lots with machine settings etc(being able to properly set the machine up is almost half the battle). once again just my .02
Click to expand...

So yes to the welder choice, no to getting the wire/gas from harbor freight, correct?
 
The only flux core wire I'll use is Lincoln Electric. It's cheap, readily available and seems to work better than the other brands.
 
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