I would recommend to start reading the manual to learn about the machine capabilities.

 

Bobcat is a good engine drive for general work. It will run a suitcase mig directly off the welder, or a 220v Mig welder of teh power plugs. It will run TIG, AC or DC pretty good with a HF box. Great for field work, not so great for a garage shop in a dense urban area due to the noise.
I bought one new in 1995, run it until 2018 with no major issues then sold it for 1500.

 

It's good to be motivated to learn, but you're getting ahead of yourself I think. Buying a machine that's meant for a specific purpose like this one isn't a very easy or efficient way to learn. That machine is geared towards professional contractors with mobile rigs who serve medium/heavy construction or shops that have big outdoor projects. It's not a good fit for garages or automotive work and it's overkill for general fabrication in a shop. It also has much higher running and maintenance costs than a machine you plug into the wall. Go look at the recommended maintenance in the user manual for it then compare it with one of the more typical multi-process machines (like a miller multimatic) and see if you still want to get it.

That's not a good machine for TIG either and you need to buy extra equipment to use it with MIG. I think you should learn more about the welding processes yourself before you go purchasing a machine.

If you want something for automotive work, sheet metal thicknesses or fabricating stuff out of square tubing while you teach yourself to weld buy a 120v multi-process machine and use that to practice. Those machines are aimed at hobbyists, general fabrication and light automotive work so they're a better fit. They often come with all the non-consumables and tell you how to weld with the machine as well which is much more useful to someone starting out.

 

Welcome to the forum, gonna be a tough thread

Your limitations on 120v power to your peerage is going to make all of it a wee bit more difficult in your fabrication/auto journey.

Tell us more about your place.. as someone else mentioned, running an engine drive for power is not ideal and may cause neighbor problems.

 

ive got a trailblazer on the work truck which i think is just a more powerful version of the bobcat. no way could you use it in a neighborhood. people would complain of the noise instantly if you were using it more than once in a blue moon. plus i think they have to be mounted to something like a truck bed or concrete pad or utility trailer.
if its a super good price you could buy it for future use as a mobile machine for a truck then buy a better suited machine for home use. theres a ton of multi voltage multiprocess machines in every price range

 

Trailblazer is a whole different animal, 3phase welding generator and separate aux. power generator for single phase. Also is set up for remote amperage control with an on-off contactor built in. So with a foot pedal or other compatible remote control you can TIG or run a non-voltage sensing wire feeder, add a HF adaptor and you have remote control AC tig for aluminum. The Bobcat has no remote control features.

 

Great news it is a good welder.

I agree with Oscar read the manual it will help a lot

Most take manual and set on the shelf then call in a tech cry after getting bill😂 .
Then read the manual and find the answers for free.

Dave

I would recommend to start reading the manual to learn about the machine capabilities.

 

Bobcat, (mine is 2006 Bobcat 250) is built for stick welding. You could run scratch start TIG on steel, or use a suitcase feeder to MIG. It'll also serve as a generator to plug in a MIG, or TIG welder.

 

I hope you are not buying it sight unseen on Craig’s list.

 

The 18 volt low end mig voltage is not very good for auto body welding. Most people plug a 120 welder into them,just to get Thin metal ability. Nice stick welding unit Having a large generator around sure is handy.

 

How good is your 120V service and normally there is 240 available unless underground is a problem. A Bobcat is a fine machine but its not for you and that type of work and poor sub for line power in a garage. Costr of fuel would pay for new service quite quick.

 

I got a little one that is Bi,,, goes both ways. Pic really doesnt show it but there is 80cf bottle bracket making it self contained cut grind weld. I got 4 engine drives and would be better off with 1 smaller 1 I used a little. If I was to do this again for hobby or maintenance today would find the smallest thing would run that Esab 180.

 

Have you priced out a suitcase yet? Yea not exactly cheap. My opinion is you probably should have simply wired your garage for 240, running this as a generator is going to be really expensive! If you already bought the bobcat I’d recommend learning stick welding with it I’m a firm believer that you should learn stick welding before anything else. Later you can always sell it and get a plug in mig and run some wire to your garage.

 

Wow just want to first thank every one for all the replies. I took alot of this advice seriously. Decided to go with a Lincoln 140 weld pack. Got it new with a cart for about $650 so saved alot of money in the process. When I learn that some ill start saving up for a nice multi process 220v unit.
I would have loved to just wire my garage for 220v and save for a better machine. But, the breaker box is on the exterior and opposite side of the house. On top of that the wires appear that they run into the ground, not up towards the attic. The house is on a foundation so I don't really know what to make of that.
I have some welder coupons on the way so will be practicing soon. Pretty set on my first project being a nice simple welding table. Looking for it to be 1/8 thick so hopefully the 120v machine will do fine.
Question: where do yall prefer to buy metal from? I like to buy USA stuff when possible but also dont have a **** ton of $$ to throw around.

Matthew

 

Check in you city with a local steel suppliers. Out here the places have a "Cut Off/Remnant" section where you can buy pieces by weight, which is cheaper than buying new.

 

I actually did get paid to weld prepared coupons. Every little job we walk out to the fab shop and hand them a little ticket and they gather them up or we come back later after they saw cut them. Mostly little chunks of plate and strap, tube steel. Made 1 piece we couldn't find in a year I was there..
Had a helper to clean the paint off and hold them in place.

 

I believe the manufacturer of all arc welders call for a dedicated circuit. A dedicated circuit is one cable, or set of conductors run from circuit breaker panel to receptacle for the welder to plug into.

In my experience, a failure mid cable or conductor is limited to damaged goods. Bends too tight, pinched, nail in the wire, abused, are almost always the cause. Otherwise, failures are limited to connections. Most residential wiring is daisy chained. Connections are notoriously shoddy. Each poorly executed connection is a voltage loss point & makes heat.

DO NOT PLUG A WELDER INTO A RECEPTACLE NOT INSTALLED FOR THAT WELDER. YOU COULD BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN.

 

You can do decent auto work with the better 120v MIG machines, I usually recommend 023 wire for such as body work. Regardless which way you go, you should understand that ALL of it will require practice, and reading and studying and... lots more practice. Much like learning to play a musical instrument really well. There's a fair amount of eye/hand and other co-ordination involved as well as timing.

 

2011 I survived a 500 year flood event. I firmly believe the arrogance of US Forest Service engineers altered a 20 year event into a 1000 year event. I haven't been college educated in flood mitigation, but I understand that a STEEP river only is willing to turn 120 degrees in calm water situations.
The aftermath of Engineers, beavers & storm we would have laughed off, I suffered $118500 damage, That figure from a FEMA adjuster, who didn't know what an excavator is!

After the FEMA people took leave, Letters from Feds petered out, it was me. I tried to find paid people, NO ONE WAS AVAILABLE.
I paid my son. He & I rebuilt. No Federal mortgage for $118500 that has to be repaid. We repaired to my satisfaction for about $35,000.

We used the Bobcat to stick weld & power the MIG welder with absolute success.

 

I apologize, wrong generator. I didn't own the Bobcat until the year after. I plugged into a Kohler stationary built for off grid use.