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[NCFJ]

MIG Welder

One tool that you will be happy you sprung for is a welder. In this case we will be talking about a Miller, Millermatic 175. This unit is a wire feed MIG Welder 220V 19.5 AMP. It is capable of welding ¼” steel, enough to build a bumper, sliders, install 2” receivers etc. I plan on building front and rear bumpers when the time comes, next Fall is looking good.

I bought the welder about 6 years ago when I lived in the FL Keys. I needed a 2” receiver and brush guard on the front of my ¾ ton PU. Could not find them together and each unit used the same mounting point, so I asked a local Welding business for a price to cut them apart and put it back together. They would need the truck there with them. Well long story short, I purchased the welder, a hydraulic 16 ton pipe bender from Grizzly Tools, and a Pipe notcher that mounts on a drill press. The cost for the three tools and all the steel to make the push bar in the photos below was $200 more than the cost of the push bar, 2” Receiver and welder guy together. I figured buying the welder was the way to go.

This is not a production welder. It will weld ¼” steel at a 30% duty cycle. 3 minutes on, 7 off. So you can weld up anything for your needs, but if going into bumper production is your goal, you will want something bigger. Not a bad mock up welder if you do happen to want to go for a bigger machine farther down the line. I see a TIG welder somewhere in my future as well.

More photos to follow

I made the front bumper on the Yamaha Grizzly shown as well. The stock unit only survived one encounter with a tree at Tellico. I also made the 2” Receiver for the Grizzly as well. I’ve used the welder on my boat and flat bed trailers, made tool box mounts for the PU, and a light bar for the FJ using this welder. I don’t recall what I paid for it, sorry.
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