Another Modified Harbor Freight welding cart for Millermatic 211

[pmilin]

I recently purchased a Millermatic 211 and wanted to use the basic harbor freight cart that I had purchased a while ago. The welder itself fits perfectly on the top shelf of the cart; however, there are some problems.

The main problem with the Harbor Freight cart is that the top shelf of the cart is tilted, which causes the welder to interfere with the gas bottle.

The other problem is that the lip on the top shelf prevents the side door of the welder from being opened.

I address both of these issues as well as upgraded the bottle mounting mechanism that comes with the cart.

I put the cart together per the instructions and left the to top shelf off. Since I want to mount the top shelf horizontal I will need to drill new holes in the uprights.



Next I need to straight the back lip of the shelf. The back lip is bent more than 90° to accommodate the tilt. I used my vise for this.



I used my cutoff wheel to cut off the excess length of the uprights and filed smooth.





A little paint to touch up.



I also drilled new holes for the wire holder to mount it lower; thus, not to interfere witht he welder's side door.

 

[pmilin]

Next I will tackle the issue with the side door not opening.

I decided that I would install some standoffs to the bottom of the welder to raise it up a bit. The welder has four raised areas on the bottom with holes pre-drilled. I decided to use some standoffs that I took off the bottom of an old piece of electronic equipment.



Two of the standoffs could be mounted simply by opening the side cover to expose the pre-drilled holes in the bottom.

I had to remove the cover assembly to expose the other two raised areas. I didn't have to take the entire handle off. Only the two outer screws on the handle mount to the welder.



Removed the remaining screws with a nutdriver.



I ran a screw through the standoff and into the pre-drilled on the bottom of the welder and tightened the nut.



All the standoffs are mounted.



Now the door opens without restriction.

 

[pmilin]

The next problem to tackle is a better way to mount the bottle on the cart rather than the chain that comes with the cart. I also wanted to mount the bottle back away from the welder a bit to make it easier to access the regulator and the hose fittings.

I decided to use these rubber bottle clamps that are used to mount fire extinguishers and scuba tanks in rescue vehicles. I got them in the Internet from http://quickfistclamps.com






I used some scrap metal 1" square tubing as the spacer and to mount the quick fist clamps to. I cut to pieces of the tubing to 8" lengths. I will mount one high on the back of the cart and mount the other one about 7" inches up from the bottom of the cart.

I decided to use the existing top shelf bolts on the back of the cart to mount the top spacer.




I used nut-serts in the square tubing to mount the clamps to.



A quick shot of pint to match and mounted them to the cart.



I then mounted the clamps to the spacers.



The bottle is now mounted securely.





I left the wire hanger on the other side mounted in its stock location. This keeps the gun high enough so that its not dragging on the floor.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Really nice job and some great ideas even for MIGs that fit. I think I will steal your Quick Fist idea if you don't mind, I hate the crappy chains.

 

[stage20]

little work goes a long way if it makes it easier to push around and operate the welder.

 

[Ameshel]

Love the idea of putting the welder on standoffs , I found that you might want to upgrade the running gear with bigger wheels ( rolls over power cables ) and support bigger argon bottles.

all so add PVC to hold clamps , hammer ( if welding is not needed a hammer is!)


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[welder4956]

Nice job guys! I especially like the bottle clamps on pmilin's cart and the push handle on Ameshel's cart. I can see some mods coming to mine.

 

[Kirbot]

Very nice build.
Those carts are a great deal with a few modifications.

I just added a handle to mine today.
Sooner or later I want to add bigger wheels and casters.

 

[Boost Creep]

i like the quick fist idea. i've used these for awhile on other things. might have to use em on my cart too. seems way better than chains

 

[Ameshel]

Pmilin thanks for the standoff idea installed some 1" tall rubber feet I had lying around with some 1/4 nuts and washers , love it . Took about 15 minutes on my harbor freight 180 mig unit which I had open anyway will go ahead and do this to my Hobart 140 mig as soon as I pick up more feet. I am kicking my self for not thinking of this years ago. You are the man!


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[Petey156]

Looks good, Anyone ever put 2 cylinders on the HF cart?

 

[bcradio]

I'll be the first nay sayer I guess. I can't understand why all these people who buy nice welders don't build their own carts. So, not impressed till you build yourself one.

 

[Ameshel]

Petey156 I do not think there is room to install 2 cylinder's on this cart without major mods . At that point it makes sense to build exactly what you need. For <$35 and $20 in upgrades you get a very serviceable cart and only need to spend 1 hour of your time as compared to a couple days fabricating you own cart.


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[Ameshel]

Petey156 I do not believe there is room for two cylinders without major mods. I think it would make more sense to build from the ground up in that case. The cart for less then $35 + $20 in parts and a little time Is a very serviceable unit.


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[jmarkwolf]

I just bought a Miller 211 also, and have been fishing for cart ideas when I found this thread.

I was going to buy that cart as well until I noticed that it has a 100LB weight limit.

With the 211 (75LBS) and a bottle (maybe 50LBS) and all the cables, and any tools, etc, it exceeds 100LBS.

Is it stable?

The wheels holding up?

 

[Trey T]

fantastic mod