Is this welder capable of attaching sliders

[AntiVenom]

Northern Industrial ST80i Inverter-Based Stick Welder with TIG Option — 115 Volt, 20 - 90 Amp | Arc Welders| Northern Tool + Equipment

thoughts? too light weight?

i have buddy that has a bigger maching i can use, but he is a few hours away. thought this might be nice to have around the garage for smaller projects anyway. it'd be nice if it would get my sliders on too.

 

[fourwd1]

Assuming you are making sliders of sufficient stock to actually work, as opposed to ones that are made of thinner stock mainly for show, No (or barely).

 

[Jeremy556]

Assuming you are making sliders of sufficient stock to actually work, as opposed to ones that are made of thinner stock mainly for show, No (or barely).

I'm pretty sure he means to attach some already built sliders to his frame.
I know exactly dick about welding, but have been thinking about picking up something like this for small projects, and things like welding on sliders...

 

[KidVermicious]

For a beginner, no, that's not enough welder. A skilled fabricator who took his time with prep could get away with using that welder, but I wouldn't recommend it for the OP, not even to attach prebuilt sliders.

You really want something capable of welding at least 1/4in.

 

[fourwd1]

I'm pretty sure he means to attach some already built sliders to his frame.
I know exactly dick about welding, but have been thinking about picking up something like this for small projects, and things like welding on sliders...

Either way, unless it's stuff for show, a welder like that isn't up to the job of handling the gauge of metal heavy enough for real duty offroad armor.

And once you start building stuff, you'll get into it more and be kicking yourself in the butt for not buying the proper equipment at the beginning.

A sort of rule of thumb is if it runs on 115VAC it's simply for light duty stuff.
And that's just a wire welder. If you're even halfway serious beginner you want a MIG set up (or stick welder if you're hard core )

A good 220VAC 175A or so MIG setup is a reasonable starter rig that should handle just about everything you'd ever need. It's about 3 times more $$ than what you're looking at, but a lot cheaper to buy it right the first time.

 

[drabbits]

Save your money, that's over $200 (including S/H) you can use toward a welder that will do nearly everything a garage diy'r will every need. Plan on spending at least $500 on a used welder. For now spend the gas money and use your buddies or pay someone locally with beer money.....

 

[GhostRing]

Don't mess with stick/TIG for a first welder, especially a low-end one.

A 110 MIG like a Lincoln, Miller/Hobart will weld 1/8" single pass and up to 1/4"
with good prep and multiple pass. Don't waste your time with a flux core only box. Make sure it has the ability to also accept gas. Short duty cycle is usually main drawback, but for home use it will be fine. Keep the power cord short.

Just remember though, that is one small part of the equation...factor in gloves, mask,
grinder, saw, consumables, etc. it adds up. Totally worth it, but don't delude
yourself thinking it's "cheaper to do it yourself."

 

[Jeremy556]

Either way, unless it's stuff for show, a welder like that isn't up to the job of handling the gauge of metal heavy enough for real duty offroad armor.

And once you start building stuff, you'll get into it more and be kicking yourself in the butt for not buying the proper equipment at the beginning.

A sort of rule of thumb is if it runs on 115VAC it's simply for light duty stuff.
And that's just a wire welder. If you're even halfway serious beginner you want a MIG set up (or stick welder if you're hard core )

A good 220VAC 175A or so MIG setup is a reasonable starter rig that should handle just about everything you'd ever need. It's about 3 times more $$ than what you're looking at, but a lot cheaper to buy it right the first time.

Great info. I have kicked myself enough times along the learning curve at this point to rather skip that step, and spend whatever (within reason) is needed to do the jobs I want to do. Any recommendations on a good beginners setup?
I am about to build a garage/shop and need to have this, the 2 post lift, air system, etc. planned out in short order :juggle:

 

[4x4mike]

That machine is too light and won't do the job for your sliders. Search around used in your area for a wire feed like was mentioned above. If you're limited to 120v look for the highest amperage you can afford. Not all 120 machines are alike and I'd go with a Lincoln, Miller or Hobart that can do flux core and MIG. Amperages will probably start around 90 amps and go up to 130-135 or so, the higher the amperage the more the machine will likely cost. Make sure your circuit can support the machine as well.

Additional costs are something to think about as well. If you can't or don't want to weld next to the power outlet you're going to need a 10 gauge power cord to at least stretch out of the garage. Flux is fine to begin with and cheaper than running gas. Gas can run $150+ for a tank and fill. Then there are gloves, helmet, grinders, attachments, chop saws, etc.

After awhile you'll look back and see the machine was the easy purchase (although not the cheapest). Take your time and ease into it. If you've got a buddy be patient and hit him up. Watch what he does and ask him questions. It will give you an idea of what you'll want in a rig.

 

[4Running Daily]

Arc is pretty hard to do when you're a beginner. MIG is super easy, spend the money correctly the first time and go MIG.

 

[AntiVenom]

Thanks for all the input guys! You confirmed what I was thinking; I will just pick up a 220V MIG.

 

[SV_Dude]

Thanks for all the input guys! You confirmed what I was thinking; I will just pick up a 220V MIG.

A 220 unit is the better way to go but you can do anything you'll need on a vehicle (up to 1/4" steel) with a good 110 as well. Look into the Hobart handler 140 or the millermatic 140. I just got a millermatic 140 to replace my Hobart 187 (didn't want to run 220 to the garage in a rental house). From everything that I read, the millers and Hobart 110 machines are solid platforms and you can easily upgrade them to run spool guns for welding aluminum.

When shopping for a welder though look at the adjustments on them. Make sure there are several different options for wire speed and voltage. Also one luxury on a good welder is that the adjustment knob won't click into a setting. The knob on a good welder will be able to be left inbetween two different settings so you can use the middle range if needed. I highly recommend the millermatic 140 for almost anything auto related if you're going to use a 110 welder.

 

[Kurtis]

Just going to throw this out there... It's a pretty hefting cost to find you if you like welding or not. You can find a 110VAC welder at harbor freight on sale for $90-100. It won't do large projects and I would never recommend it for sliders but you will at least find out if you like welding or not. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Iroke17]

Wire Welder - Save on this 90 Amp Flux Wire Welder
this is what i use cheep and dose an excellent job im welding 1/8 steel with is and it works great.

 

[GhostRing]

I feel that's a slippery slope though...
A cheapo welder will never behave as nice as a name brand machine.
It will be difficult to control and produce nice results.

Yes, it's the "singer, not the song", but I don't feel the low-end rigs
will give the confidence and enjoyment better tools provide for vehicle fab.

 

[eddiebx]

Great info. I have kicked myself enough times along the learning curve at this point to rather skip that step, and spend whatever (within reason) is needed to do the jobs I want to do. Any recommendations on a good beginners setup?
I am about to build a garage/shop and need to have this, the 2 post lift, air system, etc. planned out in short order :juggle:

I just got this bad boy per [MENTION=74569]SOcalTRAIL[/MENTION]'s recommendation, and you know you can blindly follow his advice on anything fabrication related and not go wrong, lol:



It's 115/230v compatible and can handle something like 3/8" steel, so I doubt any hobbyist will out grow this bad boy.

If you want to save some cash and give up dual voltage capability and a bit of "welding power" (I dunno the technical term for it, lol) check out the Millermatic 140 or 180 instead (one is 115v and the other is 230v). All are pretty great welders from what I've read and from what Shawn told me, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them

 

[fourwd1]

Great info. I have kicked myself enough times along the learning curve at this point to rather skip that step, and spend whatever (within reason) is needed to do the jobs I want to do. Any recommendations on a good beginners setup?
I am about to build a garage/shop and need to have this, the 2 post lift, air system, etc. planned out in short order :juggle:

You can't go wrong with a Hobart or Miller. Hobart is kind of Millers budget line, doesn't have the bells and whistles, but welds just as good. You don't need to get a huge gas bottle, the smaller ones cost about $25 to refill.