Basic Questions- Hobart 125 EZ and 140

[Jim from CT]

Hello all,

Never welded before, but a new trailer axle needs these pesky spring spacers welded, so off I go to Tractor Supply, where I skip past the campbelll hausfeld machines and see the Hobart 125EZ.

319.00 later I'm out the door. I get home, open the box, read the whole manual, and go for a couple of practice welds. I set the welder to the highest setting, given the material, and made a pretty good job of welding a scrap trailer shackle to the old axle, and even managed to smoothly weld my initials into the old axle with little spatter.

So, I feel pretty good about my ability to do the repairs that have piled up - my 4 way wedge for the log splitter needs the hold down tacked back together and a bead run along the front, my lawnmower deck needs a brackett reattached, the tongue on my garden trailer needs some gussets where it is cracked.

THEN I read all the stuff in this forum and realize how little I know about all this, and I immediately wonder if I didn't make a mistake by not buying the 140 ( which is the top of my price range at around $469). TSC has a 30 day no hassle return policy so....

I wonder if any of you would be kind enough to share some knowlegde:

1) If I have mild steel material that is thicker than the rated capacity of the 125 what happens?

e.g. If I want to weld a 1/4 inch bracket to a four foot thick steel block will it? or what about a very short weld on two pieces of 1/2 inch thick steel? How does this whole capacity thing really work - It's clear that if the max capacity that the 125 is listed for is 3/16 then its not likely to completely fail at 7/32 - but just what will happen is my question?


2) I don't see myself ever welding stainless, and my jobs will alway's be "outdoors" wind-wise. I envision working on a rusty old pickup, both galvanized and steel trailers and all sorts of lawn tools, along with the odd piece of aluminum lawn furniture. Since aluminum is outside the capabiilty of the 125, are there other options that I should have considered? will the 140 handle aluminum, and what must I buy in addiotion to the machine ( and what does the stuff cost?)

3) For what I have to do, do I really care about not being alble to set the voltage and wire speed independently?


Thanks for any information in advance

[Sully2]

I wonder if any of you would be kind enough to share some knowlegde:

1) If I have mild steel material that is thicker than the rated capacity of the 125 what happens?

Even with a good weld prep...your VERY limited in material thickness you can make work.

e.g. If I want to weld a 1/4 inch bracket to a four foot thick steel block will it? or what about a very short weld on two pieces of 1/2 inch thick steel? How does this whole capacity thing really work - It's clear that if the max capacity that the 125 is listed for is 3/16 then its not likely to completely fail at 7/32 - but just what will happen is my question?

You wont get sufficient penetration and EVENTUALLY the weld will fail. First cycle?..3rd cycle??..but sooner or ( not even later) the weld will fail

2) I don't see myself ever welding stainless, and my jobs will alway's be "outdoors" wind-wise. I envision working on a rusty old pickup, both galvanized and steel trailers and all sorts of lawn tools, along with the odd piece of aluminum lawn furniture. Since aluminum is outside the capabiilty of the 125, are there other options that I should have considered? will the 140 handle aluminum, and what must I buy in addiotion to the machine ( and what does the stuff cost?)

3) For what I have to do, do I really care about not being alble to set the voltage and wire speed independently?


Thanks for any information in advance

Cant help ya with the AL...but for everything else...use .030 Fluxcore wire. Return it and get the HH140 instead.

[Mike W]

Hi Jim, I don't own a 120 volt machine. I would move up to a 220 machine for the stuff you are working with. Make some test coupons and cut the weld and polish, etch it, and see what you get. Some big hammer testing would be a good idea.

[crawler]

I would not buy the HH140 at TSC for $469.00
I think you'd get a much better welder with the HH187 from Toolking for much less if you don't mind buying a refurb. HH187 were $519 + 8 shipping.

[keenavv]

I just got HH 187 reconditioned for $515 from ToolKing. It appears to be brand new. See links on this forum for HH187!

[chevyman_de]

Never welded before, but a new trailer axle needs these pesky spring spacers welded....

I think welding on the axle from a trailer that will go on public roads should not be the very first project, no matter what's the equipment.
And yes, considering the heavy gauge parts you mentiond, you should definitely get something more powerful. Maybe you should think about a stick welder instead, they're cheaper than MIGs. You won't get a new MIG welder that fits your budget and your need for amps.

[Sully2]

I think welding on the axle from a trailer that will go on public roads should not be the very first project, no matter what's the equipment.
And yes, considering the heavy gauge parts you mentiond, you should definitely get something more powerful. Maybe you should think about a stick welder instead, they're cheaper than MIGs. You won't get a new MIG welder that fits your budget and your need for amps.

Hobart Stickmate might be a very good choice for him. Around here the straight AC model goes for $250...and the AC/DC model is about $395....and thats from TSC....

[hankj]

Hi, Jim.

Welcome to Weld Talk.

I suggest you spend around $30 and buy "Welding Essentials" from your local book store. After a few hours of reading, you'll understand a lot more about welding, including joint preparation, fusion, and penetration of the weld metal into the base metal.

For your applications, I'll agree with the recommendation for SMAW (Stick), considering your budget. You can get a welder that will do all of what you talked about with a due amount of practice. A mediocre stick weld is better than a poor mig weld any day!

Hank

[Jason280]

I also recommend a good welding book, as they are indespensible for new weldors.

Jim, what you don't realize is you've opened up a whole new can of worms buying your first welding machine. One thing I have learned is you can never overbuy, especially with welding machines. A higher amp machine can always be turned down to match the material thickness you are welding, while a small one can never be turned up enough. If I were you, and had a budget of just under $500, I would pick up one of the Lincoln 180 or Hobart 187's off eBay. I've seen them go for under $500 shipped, and that was for a new in box model. Just be aware that if you ever plan on MIG welding, you will need a regulator set and bottle for shield gas.

Back to the 125ez. These are pretty good wire feed machines, if you know their limitations. They can handle a lot of small projects around the house, but you can't ask too much out of them. Personally, I wouldn't recommend spending $150 more on a 140 as I don't think the extra 15 amps is worth it. Some have recommended a good AC/DC arc welder, which can handle a lot thicker material (but the learning curve is considerably different).

[Jim from CT]

I appreciate all the advice.

Just for the record, based on my test on a scrap seat and the old axle - I think I can safely weld the spring seats onto the new one. I produced a good clean bead, with little spatter on my test, and did use the "big hammer" test on the scrap! Plus they're little more than spacers that center the axle on the leaf spring anyhow and they're held in place by the connecting hardware. I wonder if a weld is really necessary for any purpose other than keeping them from falling off when I turn the axle upside down to install it.

What you should be more worried about if you are on the road next to me is that I also need to install new hubs and bearings

I'm not opposed to spending more, and my own advice to myself is buy the biggest/best quality you can afford. Left to my own devices every powertool I own would dim the lights across town when I turn it on.....But that leads me back to one question - just what is the 125ez for then? Put another way - I get that campbell hausfeld might make a machine with no real purpose, but wouldn't think that hobart would?

Under what circumstances would you have all said " no that's plenty"?

[Zrexxer]

I don't see myself ever welding stainless, and my jobs will alway's be "outdoors" wind-wise. I envision working on a rusty old pickup

While the 125EZ was a well-reviewed machine in its class, you've said one thing that makes me think maybe you need the 140 after all. The 125EZ is fluxcore only, and if you're going to be doing rust repair on autobody stuff, you're going to want the option to run solid wire and shielding gas.

[John1]

Jim:

I had a Lincoln 100? years ago and got rid of it and at that same time had a MM Vintage/250Syncho and Plasma.

Missed the 120 volt machine for flux only for all those "smaller" odd jobs/portability I bought th MM 135.

You did not make a mistake.

Keep the 120 machine and buy the larger as you go.

John1

[Jason280]

I have to agree with John. The 125 is extremely portable, and will certainly come in handy for small jobs. I had a 90amp FC machine for a little while, and replaced it with a Lincoln MIG welder. I missed that welder from the day I sold it! I use more FC than MIG, and it is a pain (to me) to have to change wire over for a quick job. Now, I run two wire feed welders. One is my Lincoln MIG and the other is a 125ez. Both serve their purposes, and I won't be getting rid of either.

[Dan]

If this rusty old pick up you mention, translates into sheet metal repair work, or even exhaust repair. I'd definitely return the HH 125EZ, and replace it with the HH 140 , for the HH 140's solid wire potential. The added top end power the HH 140 gives you with fluxcore, just might be beneficial too.