[TheForge] Engine Driven Welders

[Ries Niemi]

I have not used a generator to generate my main shop electricity, but I 
have used a welder/generator quite a bit for welding and power on 
installations. I think it would be quite a good way to go. I have done 
quite a bit of both mig and tig welding with a miller trailblazer, and 
it works great for both. The newer miller and lincoln generator welders 
come all ready to just plug in a tig torch or a wire feeder. You 
usually dont get all of the bells and whistles you would with a 
stationary machine, such as pre and post flow timers, gas solenoids, or 
high frequency. But all of these things can be added if you want to 
spend the money.
For tig welding, we usually just use a scratch start tig torch, with a 
valve right on the torch to start and stop the gas flow. This is cheap- 
torch about 150$, plus flow meter, argon tank, and hose. It works just 
fine on ferrous metals.
If you really do a lot of tig, you can upgrade like I did to a separate 
high freq box, a foot pedal, and a radiator with water cooled torch. 
All of that stuff is mounted on a little cart, and it plugs right into 
the gas drive generator/welder. I can tig anywhere. I also have a 
miller push pull wire feeder that plugs right in- takes full size 
spools of any metal, with 25 feet of gun, so I can go up ladders and 
down stairs from the wirefeeder. This would be handy if you wanted to 
keep the gas drive outside, but weld inside.
One thing you might want to consider- you can buy a generator welder 
that generates 3 phase- if you ever think you may want any 3 phase 
machinery, you could supply it that way. I was in a shop a while ago, 
where he had a big diesel miller outside, and he fired it up whenever 
he wanted to run his 3 phase machine tools.
I have found miller products, with engines by onan  and others, to be 
pretty durable, low maintainence machines. I hear lincolns are good 
too. I would stick with one of those two brands, for parts, service 
availability, and resale value. Built for industry, they are plenty 
tough.

ries