The other day I decided that since I have been spending all my money on the house and the family lately that I deserved something nice for myself. I have been wanting a roll cage for my 6x6 for awhile, so I thought instead of paying $800 for a factory built one I would buy a welder and do it myself. This way my investment will be the same but I'll have a nice welder afterwards.
Anyhow, I don't have 240 in my garage or room in the panel to add a breaker so I had to go with a 120v model. After reading a lot of reviews I went with this baby:
It's a Lincoln Pro-MIG 140. I got it at Lowes. I read a number of reviews that said it will weld thicker material than a lot of other 120v welders and I have to say I believe it. My first project was my beat down shopping cart/ welding cart conversion and she did great! I used 2 1/4" exhaust clamps for hanging the leads on the back and with it turned up it had great penetration and layed some very nice looking welds. Compared to the bigger Millers I've spent some time on down at the Sheetmetal Workers training school it seems a whole lot more forgiving and just as good on the smaller stuff that I'll be welding. Compared to the old Craftsman 120v MIG that a buddy used to let me use it blows it out of the water. Now to get some 1.625 x .120 steel tube and 1.50x 2.00 angle for my roll cage project!
Joe
1971 F100 flareside 8ft
1964 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country wagon
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 cummins
2005 Ford Ranger
Great welder. Vicki got me one of those about 6 months ago. I love it. That is great use of a shopping cart. Very creative.
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thanks you just gave me an idea how to install my crossover toolbox on my bed without drilling holes in it. i will use some exhaust u bolts to make a j bolt to clamp it to the bed.
Mancar1 wrote:Great welder. Vicki got me one of those about 6 months ago. I love it. That is great use of a shopping cart. Very creative.
Glad to hear you like yours. As for the shopping cart, the little jerks that run around my neighborhood like to snag them and push each other down hills in them. This one just happened to show up a block away and had been hit and damaged by a car, so it was a perfect fit for my use. It's smaller than a normal cart and fits the welder perfect! Just a trim here, bend there, weld here and there and voila! Saved me $80 for a factory made cart for it.
Joe
1971 F100 flareside 8ft
1964 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country wagon
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 cummins
2005 Ford Ranger
fordman wrote:thanks you just gave me an idea how to install my crossover toolbox on my bed without drilling holes in it. i will use some exhaust u bolts to make a j bolt to clamp it to the bed.
Glad I could help.
Joe
1971 F100 flareside 8ft
1964 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country wagon
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 cummins
2005 Ford Ranger
i really like that shopping cart man! that's awesome.i've gotta copy that idea for my little lincoln weldpack 100 (pretty much the same welder as yours,just about a decade older) pickin it up and dragging it around the shop or out into the driveway is getting pretty weak.
- still got my first first car 20+yrs later : 69 f100 sorta kinda pretending its a Mercury M100 w/a 70 f350 sport custom cab (factory buckets) 67 grille with 69 ranger cooneyes 68 merc box and hood,some supercool fiberglass fenders i scored way back when, 76 f150 disc brake frontend..currently running a 90 5.0HO 4bbl/c4 auto & 3.50 posi...originally a 360/c6 f100 Ranger with dealer added towpack (incl. kelsey hays trailer brake),boxside toolbox,behind the seat stowage & belly tank...only original parts left on 'er are the frame,rear end,rear springs,and rear bumper...
Thanks guys! I can't wait to use it some more. A trip to the sculpture park today really makes me want to build some sort of metal art stuff for the yard... though, what I consider art and what the neighbors consider art may be two different things!
Joe
1971 F100 flareside 8ft
1964 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country wagon
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 cummins
2005 Ford Ranger
Sounds like you really like the new welder, hope you have fun with it . After getting a welder of my own I always try to find reasons to use it for something. Happy welding .
As for the yard art I'd go with something similar to the sculptures you find in front of muffler shops like this :
Casey 16 years old with a 40 year old truck (well almost) 1971 F-100302, T-18 4 speed, 3:55 rear, & an Edelbrock sticker on the ashtray. "Don't worry about what you become, just make sure that you're successful at what you do."- Mr. English "Value what you DO have over that which you don't."- Forrestbump "Wanting can sometimes be better than having, never stop dreaming... it's what keeps us all going."- Forrestbump 1984 Toyota 4x4: 22-R, 5-speed, 3" suspension lift, 35's and 5:29's
. After getting a welder of my own I always try to find reasons to use it for something. Happy welding 
