Welding cart. All together or separate

[fred d]

I have a Lincoln 180 mig with a bottle, also have a stick welder. And a Oxy/acetylene torch set.

I am strapped for room. And each one takes up its own foot print .

Thinking of building on cart for all 3 items.
Have looked here and other websites for examples

Suggestions-Coments-Concerns

 

[Zeke]

I have one but I can't get a pic for you right now. It's heavy, that's the pitfall. I'd leave the oxy/acet set on it's own cart as small as is safe and combine the other 2 in a stack with the bottle in back. If you make them just right, the 2 carts won't take up any more space than one big heavy one.

 

[PCO6]

I think if you're strapped for room you might find moving a "*********" to where you want to weld a bit cumbersome. I sometimes weld in tight quaters. I've tried to make my welder stands as compact as possible. Collectively they may take up a bit more floor space but it's not much. I prefer to move each one on it's own to where I need it.

You can stack them of course (mig on top of the arc) but I would think that would still be cumbersome (JMO).

 

[fred d]

Thinking of redoing the Oxy/acetylene cart anyways
A bit hard to maneuver the current design
Kind of like a moving dolly with bottles chained to it

 

[e30bradley]

I wouldn't put the o/a setup on the welding cart. Combining the mig and stick machine should be fine. Just make sure each machine gets good airflow.

 

[JoeFin]

Ditch the oxy/ acetylene and get a plasma cutter then build your cart

I know I know .... you can thank me later

Just tell the wife "Joe told me to" when you bring home that new plasma unit

 

[metalmagpie]

You should be storing your O/A rig outside, and your MIG welder inside. Don't put your O/A gear on the same cart as your other welder/welders.

You don't say how large your stick welder is. If it's a little buzzbox (e.g. Miller Thunderbolt or Lincoln tombstone) then mount it low on wheels and roll it under a bench or under some stairs. Your MIG welder should be on a cart with its cylinder. I like to add drawers to a MIG cart. MIG welders have so many little bits -- tips, nozzles, tip cleaners, reels of wire and so on. Drawers really come in handy.

If you simply don't have room for both welders then bite the bullet and sell the one you use the least.

metalmagpie

 

[fred d]

Here is the mig

 

[fred d]

Here is the stick

 

[c4cruiser]

Here is the mig

Not to hijack the thread, but does the bottle seem secure in that cart when you roll it around? I have the same cart for my Lincoln Pro-Mig 140 but no bottle yet. I was thinking about adding some sort of vertical brace (maybe 12 to 18 inches high) for adding support for a bottle.

I also looked at the HF welding cart but it looks like it could be top-heavy with the welder on the top shelf and an 80 lb bottle.

 

[Elmo4895]

You should be storing your O/A rig outside, and your MIG welder inside. Don't put your O/A gear on the same cart as your other welder/welders.

You don't say how large your stick welder is. If it's a little buzzbox (e.g. Miller Thunderbolt or Lincoln tombstone) then mount it low on wheels and roll it under a bench or under some stairs. Your MIG welder should be on a cart with its cylinder. I like to add drawers to a MIG cart. MIG welders have so many little bits -- tips, nozzles, tip cleaners, reels of wire and so on. Drawers really come in handy.

If you simply don't have room for both welders then bite the bullet and sell the one you use the least.

metalmagpie

No need to put the oxy/ acet outside! Turn the valves off when you get through using it!

 

[RossABQ]

....
I also looked at the HF welding cart but it looks like it could be top-heavy with the welder on the top shelf and an 80 lb bottle.

I have the HF cart with an Eastwood MIG on top and their plasma underneath, with a small (20 cf) bottle. That is absolutely its limit, or somewhat beyond. I don't roll it fast, and always hold onto the MIG while rolling. Its stated capacity is 100 lbs, a big bottle would surely put you over that. Without something heavy on the lower shelf, it would be very tipsy.

Like most things HF, a good value but certainly not first class. An inch too narrow for opening the door on the MIG, cheap casters, etc.

 

[fred d]

Not to hijack the thread, but does the bottle seem secure in that cart when you roll it around? I have the same cart for my Lincoln Pro-Mig 140 but no bottle yet. I was thinking about adding some sort of vertical brace (maybe 12 to 18 inches high) for adding support for a bottle.

I also looked at the HF welding cart but it looks like it could be top-heavy with the welder on the top shelf and an 80 lb bottle.

Not an issue with the bottle being unsecured. No need for additional bracing

 

[PanelDeland]

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around a commercially made welder cart. I thought a welder cart was the first project you were supposed to build with your welder to get used to using it. My mig is a Miller but about the same size as the one pictured. The first project was to build a cart for it and a small chopsaw I already had.I roll it from the back of the garage to the door to weld since my garage is under my bed. I plan on adding a stick machine maybe a year or two down the road and will build an all new cart for both at that time. So much of the gear crosses over I just consider consolidating it as a no brainer. And I agree on not mounting the torch/welders on the same cart unless you're building a cart to carry everything to jobsites, then build a trailer.

 

[lotsoftools]

I would definitely keep the welders and the oxy-acetylene on separate carts. One for size, the cart would be just way too big for everything. Second, I tend to do my cutting in a different area than I do my welding. And third, it kind of freaks me out to have electrical machines real close to potentially explosive cylinders. I'm sure the last reason is unfounded, but it still makes me nervous.

 

[Lassen Forge]

You can always do the other thing - strap the O/A tanks to the wall and a long hose (or better, get an OA hose reel) and take the torch to the job, not the whole tank setup. You can thank ME later!

 

[tlmartin84]

Go to a larger mig and ditch the old Lincoln!

I was planning to keep my stick in the shop, but after moving up to a Hobart 210, I don't really see the need for it.

 

[fred d]

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around a commercially made welder cart. I thought a welder cart was the first project you were supposed to build with your welder to get used to using it. My mig is a Miller but about the same size as the one pictured. The first project was to build a cart for it and a small chopsaw I already had.I roll it from the back of the garage to the door to weld since my garage is under my bed. I plan on adding a stick machine maybe a year or two down the road and will build an all new cart for both at that time. So much of the gear crosses over I just consider consolidating it as a no brainer. And I agree on not mounting the torch/welders on the same cart unless you're building a cart to carry everything to jobsites, then build a trailer.

Bought the mig at Lowes clearance for $127 about 4-5 years ago
Got the cart for $12 about the same time

 

[fred d]

Go to a larger mig and ditch the old Lincoln!

I was planning to keep my stick in the shop, but after moving up to a Hobart 210, I don't really see the need for it.

Lincoln 180 is perfect for my current needs

 

[fred d]

You can always do the other thing - strap the O/A tanks to the wall and a long hose (or better, get an OA hose reel) and take the torch to the job, not the whole tank setup. You can thank ME later!

I do like this Idea
Will look into the longer hoses and reel

Great idea

 

[RossABQ]

Personally, I don't like to have the hoses anywhere near where I'm MIG or stick welding. A blob of hot spatter on a hose can make for an exciting time (plus cost of a new hose set).

 

[243]

I recently built a cart for my Lincoln 175 and Hobart Stickmate and the total weight is right at 300 lbs, it rolls okay on 3" rubber over iron casters. I think I would be better off using 1.5" 16ga rather than the 2" 11ga I had on hand.