zook off road trailer AKA Tadpole

[sierrajim]

I've got to get up to steve's soon to drop off some tyres and pick up some diffs, if it's not towable behind your car before welding i can run it up on my car trailer Chris.

[cj!]

Chris, so when are you building a cane toad?

[mightymouse]

I have a cheap arc welder ( bought to be demolished for another scheme... ) and a cheapish gas / gassless MIG.

Don't much like the cheap arc unit much, its a PITA and really doesn't have the capacity to do much at all.
Can't expect much for aroung $100 - and that's what I got.

The CIG mig is good and produces clean welds, but I always wish I had spent a little more money on
a bigger unit as its not up to getting good penetration on thick ( 5mm+ ) plate etc.
Its not its fault, its just that I always want to tackle something bigger than initially thought.

I know its tough to justify the extra $$, but IMO a good MIG is an asset, cheap crap is just that.

[christover1]

I've got to get up to steve's soon to drop off some tyres and pick up some diffs, if it's not towable behind your car before welding i can run it up on my car trailer Chris.

thanx
will definately keep that option in mind.

Suspension hangers only pinned with a 6mm roofing bolt, so don't think I should trust that yet

[christover1]

I have a cheap arc welder
cheap crap is just that.

Yes that always bothers me.
Especially now with the ultra cheap dodgy imports.

[christover1]

Chris, so when are you building a cane toad?

When I can think of something worthy of the name

[christover1]

I think I achieved what I set out to.
I removed one of my triangle braces, and replaced it with the slider bar, should spread the load better than tacking it to the side?
christover

[gwagensteve]

I understand, and I don't want to harp, but 5mm is twice the thickness of the next thickest thing on a sierra - the chassis is 2.5mm thick, and it would take a deft hand to weld that neatly with an arc.

Personally, I wouldn't spend $100 on a welder than can only weld your trailer and stuff all else. there are thousands of stick welders all over australia sitting under benches gathering dust because of what you can't weld with them. They really are for 5mm thicknesses or so. even 3mm can be a challenge. Sticks are for gates and farm work (oh, and 25mm thick pressure piping.... but that's different)

My 2c - buy a slab for whoever welds your trailer (then you don't have to feel guilty about bludging) and just get it done. Keep your ear to the ground - there are lots of cheap migs that won't weld with gas that people want to offload.

Trust me, you will never regret waiting for a Mig.

Steve.

[christover1]

Does gasless mig mean what it says?
Are there any advantages?
Mostly ebay migs are out of range so far, but still looking.
Was tempted by a real old and real huge ABELL 270amp arc for $60 in Croydon, but would need an extra room built for it.
It looked like a 22000watt transformer
I try to avoid theft converter type shops, as I dislike encouraging drug crimes.
Amazingly there is 4 of them type shops across the road from the Meth treatment place

[Webmaster]

Steve is probably best to answer, but gasless has worked for me with everything that I have needed to do. The wire is more expensive, but probably not more than the rental of the gas bottles and gas for the limited amount of use on an annual basis. Different story if you using it every day, gas mig would be better value.