I am in the process of buying a MIG welder and once I've built up my expertise, eventually want to build a driveway gate and a tandem axle trailer. That being said, the trailer obviously requires critical welds, and I want to make sure I have enough power to make sure the weld is penetrating the 1/4" steel correctly, and preferably in a single pass.
The unit I'm focusing on now is the Lincoln Power MIG 215 which is $1,170 at www.weldingsupply.com, the cheapest place I could find. The Lincoln brochure states that the maximum thickness for MIG on mild steel is 5/16" with a footnote stating that they recommend multiple pass welds on 1/2" material.
I had originally considered the SP-175 ($607), but the chart in that brochure states that the maximum gas-shielded MIG welding thickness is 3/16". The SP-175 can weld up to 5/16" with flux-cored, although the footnote states that would require multiple passes. There is no mention of multiple passes on the MIG capability.
The Power MIG 255C ($1,635) and clearly will do the job, based on the brochures comment that the maximum thickness for MIG on mild steel is 1/2" although they again say that they recommend multiple pass welds on 1/2" material.
The question I would like to have answered is - if you are a proficient welder and were making your own trailer out of 1/4" steel, would you do it MIG, and what sized box would you use?
The unit I'm focusing on now is the Lincoln Power MIG 215 which is $1,170 at www.weldingsupply.com, the cheapest place I could find. The Lincoln brochure states that the maximum thickness for MIG on mild steel is 5/16" with a footnote stating that they recommend multiple pass welds on 1/2" material.
I had originally considered the SP-175 ($607), but the chart in that brochure states that the maximum gas-shielded MIG welding thickness is 3/16". The SP-175 can weld up to 5/16" with flux-cored, although the footnote states that would require multiple passes. There is no mention of multiple passes on the MIG capability.
The Power MIG 255C ($1,635) and clearly will do the job, based on the brochures comment that the maximum thickness for MIG on mild steel is 1/2" although they again say that they recommend multiple pass welds on 1/2" material.
The question I would like to have answered is - if you are a proficient welder and were making your own trailer out of 1/4" steel, would you do it MIG, and what sized box would you use?
There is no reason I can think of not to use either one for 1/4" in a trailer application.
