Now we're getting there, sounds like you're looking at the right machine for you - if you get serious about aluminum later, you can always add the spool gun. AND a bottle of straight argon.
With that in mind, when you fab a cart you may wanna model it after Miller's "dual running gear" option for the MM252 - I got tired of that option on my MM252, 'cause it expects you to hang a 30' spool gun AND the work lead AND a 15' mig gun on ONE lead hanger.
My solution was to put a steel garden hose hanger on the OTHER side of the bottle rack for the spool gun. I like it a LOT better that way. Just make sure that any cart you fab does NOT get in the way of opening the wire feed door; you can thank me later :=)
As I mentioned, my Everlast tig/stick has the same control panel with 9 memory slots - about the ONLY complaint I have about that setup is the lack of NAMING those presets; they're just numbered 1 thru 9. They CAN be used with any process on my power iTig200T, description on yours sounds the same. My solution to that is a small notebook I keep with the machine. I guess an alphanumeric display woulda cost more to include...
Power wise, that machine should have no trouble gluing 1/4 wall tube as fast as you can tack it up - as for clean welds, my MM252 is about the same size but a transformer machine; the following pics are of a pushing jig for bending U shapes from 1/2"x3' FB - jig material is 3/4x3 FB and 1-1/2" cold roll rod. The U shapes are part of a QA mod for the loader on my Case 580B.
Welds are 2 pass, fairly deep root and a wide cover pass, .035" Lincoln L56 wire and C25 gas. around 500 IPM, so right at 250 amps. I didn't have a bottle of 90/10 at the time, so these welds were done short circuit.
Press is the HF 20 ton; it was BARELY able to complete the push, and only with a couple squirts of motor oil on the mouth of the jig.
Anyway, a few pics - BTW, that project STILL isn't done; life really CAN be the **** that happens to ya while yer busy makin' plans
... Steve
... Steve
