[TheForge] Inverters & MIG Welders

[toni smith]

best way i can think of is using a special switch device that determines
the charge in your main battery and then when your main battery is fully
charged switches to the secondary. personally i would use deep cycle
batteries for it and not just one but up to 3 or 4 of them. i know
someone who has done similar but then he wasn't running a welder from
it, just regular power tools, laptop and caravan lighting etc.. his
truck was basically a mobile workshop that he used to travel throughout
central Queensland making signs for people.

Toni

Washington, Aubrey O. wrote:
> Paul,
> Thanks for your thoughts.  Nothing about electricity/electronics is too basic or too obvious for me!  So, you won't insult me by telling me something others would consider obvious.
>  
> Would there be an advantage to installing a second battery in the truck?  I assume there are right, wrong, and disastrous ways to do that, too.
>  
> I assume that a 3500 watt generator and an inverter rated at 3500 watts are different in some important ways.  Can anyone explain to me what those differences would be?
>  
> Aubrey
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Paul
> Sent: Fri 5/25/2007 9:03 AM
> To: Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Inverters & MIG Welders
>
>
>
> While I don't have any direct experience trying to do this, but since no
> one else has offered any advice, I'll take a shot at it.
>
> Some of these points may be obvious, but since you asked, I'll throw out
> everything that I'd consider.
>
> I'm deliberately being imprecise here, just rough numbers to evaluate if
> it's reasonable...
>
> Even at 130 amps, your truck will turn out less than 2 kilowatts of
> sustained electrical power. Since you'll lose some power in the
> inverter, your 115V output will probably be less than 15 amps.
>
> Your battery can probably provide enough additional power for surges, so
> you may get more, but exactly how much, I don't know. Managing your
> welding duty cycle may make this useable, but I'd add a fuse to the
> battery connection so you don't fry your battery.
>
> Next point, you will likely have to connect an inverter this big
> directly to your battery, and use some #6 or heavier wire, ala heavy
> jumper cables.
>
> I'd also expect an inverter this size to be pretty expensive (at least
> by my definition of expensive) so it won't be a cheap experiment.
>
> I think this would be really taxing your truck's electrical system.
> Let's face it, arc welding is pretty close to a dead short, albeit a
> current limited short.  I've been considering a portable setup, but I
> have a 3500 watt generator (4300 kw peak) and I'm hoping that will work...
>
>
> Paul N.
>
>
> Washington, Aubrey O. wrote:
>   
>> Now that I've got my 115V MIG welder ordered (Millermatic 140), I have another related line of questions for the group.
>>
>> I have a new Toyota Tacoma with the 130A alternator on it.  I've been considering installing a power inverter on the truck so I can run power tools, etc.  Here are my questions:
>>
>> Are there any cautions or dangers involved in installing or using inverters?  Can they damage my truck's electrical system in any way?
>> Inverters come in lots of different wattages.  Is bigger always better? 
>> Is it practical to consider running the MIG welder off the inverter?
>>
>> Thanks for any advice or information.
>>
>> Aubrey
>>
>>
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