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.
Attached Thumbnails
I bought a small light-duty 110V stick welder, and it works fine for light work, but I really miss the clean welds that MIG gives you. My next welder will be one like yours.
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Thanks for the pics. I got a MIG a couple of years ago to rebuild my FJ40. Man once you learn how to melt metal you feel like you can do anything! I do, however need more practice.
If you ever make sliders please keep us informed. I'd like to follow along.
I gotta take a class or something....I'm would love to know what you guys know.
Can you make the same style thread on the other two tools? pipe bender and notcher?
Thanks for the read and pics.
Poker, check into your local High Schools or Tech Schools about welding courses. They are generally pretty cheap and a great place to get some hands on experience. Welding is a learned skill and once you get the basics down you will be surprised how much you can do.
I plan on doing a thread on both the pipe benter and tube notcher in the future. Right now my I am pretty busy with work and taking care of horses. I'll have more time once the weather breaks and the grass starts growing.
Thanks for the pics. I got a MIG a couple of years ago to rebuild my FJ40. Man once you learn how to melt metal you feel like you can do anything! I do, however need more practice.
If you ever make sliders please keep us informed. I'd like to follow along.
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Isn't that the truth. I learned to weld in Tech School during High School and have used it throughout my life. There is something primal about melting metal together that just satisfies the soul. Weird huh.
Once you get the mind set that you can do anything you tend to look at things in a completely different light. Bumpers, sliders, roof racks, light bars, strut guards, custom trailers etc all seem to become easy.
A bumper that would cost you $700 can be built in your own garage for less than $300 easy and the pride in doing it yourself can not be measured in $$$.
If you want to see what can be done, check out Cowboy4X4's work.
I went to school for welding and got all my certifications from hobart. I'm freaking awesome at welding. yet i stopped doing it and I do not have a welder now. I need to save up and pick up myself a nice TIG welder. I agree for the choice of MILLER i love them. I dont really like Lincoln to much.
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[2006 Yamaha R6]
[2008 Trail Team Edition] Tiochfaidh Ár Lá
[The first member to rock the Trail teams]
Being an old stick weldor, I wasn't too sure about the mig welders. Well, I bit the bullet and purchased a Miller 251 about a year ago. Man, I didn't know what I had been missing, this machine rocks! Running a argon and co2 mix with .035 solid wire there is little to no splatter or slag to chip off. Just brush with a wire brush and you are ready to paint. It welds up to 1/2" in a single pass. Miller Mig is the way to go.
My next purchase is going to be a Tig for the thin stuff. I hope it impresses me as much as the mig. Just watching weldors using the Tig it appears to be a lot like oxy/acel welding, just a little prettier.
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