welder and cutting torch worth it or no

[78scotts]

I am in search of a welder for repairs in my hog barns. I don't need anything special as the gasses from the hog manure are hard on electrical and metal. I am tired of running over to our shop at my brothers farm to grab the welder and bring it back over to do the repairs. It would be mostly for welding gates and feeders up. I can always use another 220 extension cord around and the extra leads would be nice. And the rest of the stuff I can see finding a home for easy enough at one of our farms. I guess my question is do you guys think its worth the money?


http://stcloud.craigslist.org/tls/4593918811.html

 

[offroadsteve]

I would say that $600 is a decent price for all the gear in that ad, but i'd try to get it for $500. The tombstone is a Ac/DC, which is a step up from what you usually see. The torch setup looks decent, but its hard to tell what kind of torch it is. If its a name brand like Harris or Victor, then I'd definetly be interested.

I would be wary of that "extension cord", it looks like 3 pieces of THHN taped together. it will work, but the wire is not ment for portable use and will generally just be a pain in the ****. I would take the ends off and put them on a good piece of SOOW cord.

 

[Professur]

If you've got O/A, why do you need an electric welder too?

 

[bob15]

That is too much for what is there. The welder can be gotten new at HD and isn't a tombstone welder (Idealarc 250-250 is a tombstone). The jackets, first; will they fit you and then what shape are they in? I had one, but never care for wearing it much. Tiny tanks, for myself, i would consider them almost worthless for oxy set-up. Not sure what the rod is and what shape it's in (if I was to guess, 6010 or 6011).

I would look for a welder like this:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/tls/4572572715.html

 

[78scotts]

If you've got O/A, why do you need an electric welder too?

I can use the arc welder in the barns and the torch in my shop

 

[bobcatdan]

The welder is a tombstone, pretty much the standard issue farm welder for 40 years. Is an idealarc better, yes, but it is higher grade machine most people dont need. The one pictured is an AC/DC which are just under $600 new. That said, if the torch set up is off decent quality and the rest of the stuff fits your needs, $600 is a good price. If the torches are cheap junk, I'd half to really think about.