Combo Generator/Stick Welder machines?

[jwilliams3]

Whats your guys thoughts on these?



I like that they are able to serve in 2 ways.



Thinking about buying one for some fab work.



Opinions? Drawbacks?

 

[mdivincentis]

Miller Trailblazer 302.

They are very smooth, powerful; my favorite of the engine driven units. They have two generators, one for aux. power and one for welding power, which is nice if you are using it for 110v power while welding.

Drawback of the Miller Trailblazer series is cost.



The Miller Bobcat 250 is also a very good, reliable unit. It does not have as many bells and whistles as the Trailblazer, but would probably fill your needs.

Drawback of the Miller Bobcat series is production versatility.



I do not like anything red, so I cannot comment on any of those.



-Matt

 

[WDixon27]

i was in home depot last week and they had one on clearence, was $1100 something down to $700 something, and i am broke :{ they had a couple left it's possible it may not be a local thing, worth a look

 

[DavidBurt]

My father in-law has a Miller on his 92 CTD welding truck. I think the motor is an onan. It has been pretty reliable. Versatility is great drive out in the field to repair machinery, weld, run grinders whatever nice to have the portability option.

Dave

 

[cojhl2]

I am a true red fan. I have a Lincoln 225 built in 1967 driven by Onan. One good welder. Had it for years



The portability is very important to me on the farm. I lift it on and off the pickup with a hoist. Roll it around the shop on a 4 wheel cart built just for it.



The only prob with it it is not diesel powered.

 

[JFaughn]

I've been looking into this also , and was leaning torwards the miller , but it seemed that I could not get one of the 2 cyl oposed set up to do both mig and tig [ I wanted hy frequency also ] the miller like stated earlyer had 10k at the same time you are welding witch I liked and for more could get in diesel , at the time gas about $2,700 , diesel $7,000.

 

[GTop]

Another vote for the TrailBlazer 302.



And yes you can put a high frequency unit on it. It's an AC/DC CC/CV machine.

I use mine for stick and DC tig. I love it. Great machine!

 

[starkmr]

I have a Thermodyne Raider 10,000. It is capable of all processes with the right accessories, is cheaper than either big blue or red and has an excellent reputation for consistency when welding.



I'm just a hobbiest with mine, but bought it on the recoommendation of guys I work with in a heavy shop.





Mike

 

[MKline]

I've always been a big fan of Miller. The Trailblazer is a nice machine but, If you are looking to just mess around from time to time, the Bobcat 225 is more that enough machine. I've used Mine for many hours and it's never let me down.



Check out ebay, They have some pretty good deals if you are willing to drive to pick it up.

 

[E7mack96]

I use a Trailblazer at my shop. It is "da-bomb" You will not be disappointed.



I use a spool gun wth mine for aluminum welding. It makes some beautiful beads.



E7

 

[Ggg]

I have a Bobcat 250 very capable, Kohler engine, S. S. covers. I wish I could have afforded a diesel. If you want to mig weld it will get rather pricey, and any breeze will ruin your shielding. So I just bought a MM250 for mig and run it off the generator or line voltage. The cost was about the same as all the stuff needed to run a 12vs suitcase with gas plus I can bring it into the shop. I do at times wish the generator was larger or even 3 phase. But it is a great machine and I do not regret it. Thermal Dynamics and Lincoln make very good welders as well. Look around prices vary a lot, and there is a big markup.

 

[y-knot]

it's like anything else, you get what you paid for... ... . That said, I too am a "RED" fan, I simply love my Lincoln equipment. I have a Lincoln Sp255 that has worked flawlessly for many years. No birdcages, on jams, and no problems. For me it is the perfect mig welding machine.

I also have a engine driven Miller Bobcat with the Kohler engine, this comb is the best as it get rid of the pesky Onan engine. Only problem i have had was with the electric fuel cut-off, it sticks some times if you don't use it often. I also ordered my Miller with an optional panel board to run a 50A plasma cutter, which I also purchased at the time. Like you I thought about the conveniance of having a on-site generator, one that had enought power to run the house durring bad weather. I purchased a automatic transfer switch, which I installed and used as my back-up generator. I even ran a pipe out and away from the house, and installed a outlet so I could move the generator there so it would not be so noisey in the house and so i didn't have to worry about the fumes, worked out nice, till I moved.

I have had several pieces of Miller equipment, and althought they worked fine, none had the feel of a Lincoln. I sold my Miller Tig set-up, and soon hope to replace it with a Lincoln Precision TIG 375. I used this welder several times and simply love it, it has to be the BEST TIG unit sold.