Harbor Freight Mig welder for High School Project

My friends son has a welding project for a high school class. With limited experience and funds, he was thinking of building a go-kart or mini bike.

Would one of the Mig welders from Harbor Freight be worth the investment for a one time project ?

Does anyone know where to get a U-Weld it kit for a kart or mini bike, or some other cool project ?

Thanks in advance,

Scott

 

you may be well served by using the search feature on that one!

 

It'll do the job, probably, but you'd be way ahead to spend a little bit more for a name brand 130 or 140 amp welder. I'd go with a Hobart, Miller, or Lincoln. That way, the consumable item such as tips are easy to come by. I have a 140 amp Hobart that I got from Northern Tool several years ago for less than $400 , including shipping and the cart. As I have recently moved up in welders, my small one my be for sale in the near future.....look around, you may find a nice used one near you for less money than a new import.

 

No "name brand " welder 'NEW' is under $400. The harbor freight mig works great. Like many of my hero's from the past have said, "It isn't the tool that sux, its the GUY using the tool that sux."

Make sure he buys 'lincoln' mig wire, the HB mig LOVES lincoln wire...

 

You can buy a decent Eastwood 110v welder for less than $400 . I think they are $299 bare bones but may be wrong . Check them out .
I have seen the welders at the HF store and I know guys use them but they just look so damn cheap and those thin wires scare me . The ground clamp is awful .
I would either go with Eastwood or get a cheap on on C? . You can get some good older welders there that work fine .
I have a Lincoln 100 and welds all my sheet metal just fine . I would use it for almost anything but not for frame work . You need 220v for that !
Just my opinion .

Retro Jim

 

Hey scott..
Call me. I might have an idea.

 

x2 on buying a well known name.. i picked up a hobart 140 for 275 bucks on CL and it was pretty much like new... put up a "wanted.. mig welder" ad and you will be suprised how many calls you will get.. i got 4-5 calls on the first day, and all were pretty good deals... make sure to keep into consideration the cost of a quality helmet, wire, consumables and gas too.. stuff really starts to add up when you are trying to just get into welding

 

I started out with a HF MIG welder, and did a number of projects with it. It worked OK, but I'd never weld anything that I felt was critical to my safety with one. I finally gave it to my son in law to play with and bought a Miller 140. Difference is day and night.

 

Check out Northern tool online, you will see that you are wrong...There are a few, they have gone up since I bought mine, but you can still buy a gas ready welder for under $400..free shipping too....

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...irefeed-welding+wirefeed-welders_0_0_P-Price?

 

If you are short on money, gas weld it. a HF hobby kit is $100. O/A torches are very versatile, and no shop class is complete without acetylene balloon bombs.

 

True....

 

If you finish building the go-kart, you WILL start building more stuff. And you will use the welder again. Guaranteed.

 

its almost money wasted not to get one that will be with you for a while and has all the gas gauges with it to start.... look for a used 110v lincoln or a returned item at Home depot

 

Btt

 

I'm a high school "shop" teacher.. and I cringe when students tell me that they want to build a go kart.. or minibike..

not that I dislike either or that I think either is a bad project.. as I have one of the MOST Ridiculous minibikes ever constructed..

when I ask.. if they have wheels, tires, axles bearings an engine, controls, brake parts. etc.. to make it happen.. i usually get the blank stare.. and because I require that they submit a plan outlining all of the above. I force the student to realize that the $500 they will spend on a decent project could be $500 spent on a real CAR.

after which.. they usually aren't so interested in building a gokart anymore..

none of this has a damn thing to do with buying a good welder..

but Picasso didn't paint with a chip brush..

 

Agreed! Spend the extra, if you never use it again you will be able to sell it. And maybe, just maybe, you should start with a stick machine so you can have some appreciation for a good weld...lol

.

 

Thanks H.A.M.B.ers for the great feedback and ideas, going to check Craigslist and Northern.

Could use some more project ideas, something Cool ??

Thanks again

 

Check your local welding store they might have a good used one.

 

Craigslist was my suggestion too. And hit up some local auctions and pawn shops. You can get a nice name brand MIG for less than the HF mig at a pawn shop.

 

$500 for go-cart parts? Are they made of gold? c'mon, you can build a cheap go-cart or minibike for about $150, cheaper if you look hard enough. I used a 3hp motor from an edger I bought at the local habitat restore for $20, $10 inflatable wheels from Tractor supply and a $30 clutch off ebay. the rest was made from scrap (I also never throw anything away). Heck, you can buy a new 6-hp side-shaft from HF for $200 and still get in under 350. I am sure they don't have scrap parts lying around though, most kids haven't spent the last 20 years collecting junk like we have.

I will say this though- you can a lot more stupid stuff in a go-cart legally than you can in a car.........

 

serch craigslist. you can probally get a old lincoln for cheaper or the same price as a harbor fraight pos unit . and the plus you ll have it to use for life intead of half of a mini bike or a quarter of a go cart project .

 

Hey Scott,
maybe find a cheap or broken mini bike and make a new frame using all the other parts from it.
also you can pick up a good lincoln welder, my friend picked on up (weld pack 120 i think) for $250 with flux core wire. we were looking at some parts he had for sale and ended up buying his welder also.

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/2221128897.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/mcy/2237249135.html
then buy a edger motor.....

another idea what about putting a small motor in a old schwinn, kinda like a whizzer.

 

One more BTT for project ideas !!!!!

 

Build a nice BBQ Pit.......

 

Or a little trailer? Teardrop?

 

Heck yeah! you can make a really cool grill outta a 55 gal oil drum! its great for when you have some guys over and your burnin some hot dogs, burgers, and brats!

 

Build a bar-b-q out of a 55 gallon drum. legs,handle, twin grates a piano hindge on the back. very inexpensive, and very useable when you are done. Also pretty simple to do and learn how to weld before you jepardize someones safety with inexperience welding. As for the welder, I too would look for a slightly used lincoln weld pack 110, or 125 they can do most of what you will want for less than 250.00

Dorksrock: just beat me to the punch!

 

Thats exactly how I did mine, except I used some regular gate hinges because I had them lying around on hand. Imma see if I can scrounge up a pic of mine... I think I have one.

 

http://gokartsusa.com/gokartkits.aspx

here are some projects along the lines of a go kart. or you could use the pictures that are shown to bend the tubing and metal yourself and build your own go kart as my dad and i did long ago. i definitely appreciated a project like this, which eventually sparked an interest in old cars in me. which is why im on here.

 

I'll Probably get burned for saying this but I bought one when I was in high school to weld in quarter panels and a floor pan on my willys wagon. It works but I had to install an electric fan to improve the cooling and keep it from shutting its self off every 5min. if you have tech school nearby you check with them to see if the are selling off any of their older welders. they usually sell them fairly cheap. even a used Miller or Lincoln would be better than the harbor freight crap.


Harbor freight = Cheap Chinese CRAP do not buy !!!!!!