which machine to buy

[rebel36]

I trying to figure out which machine to purchase. the Lincoln Vantage 300 Welder or the miller pipepro 304. I have never welded with either of them. I have a job waiting for me on the pipeline. I just not sure how big of a welder i need. I think the Vantage cause it has the same features as the miller but just not sure. and the lincoln is $3000 less thanks for any help.

[crawler]

I thought all of the pipeliners used SA200 welders.

[JTMcC]

I've run both, on pipelines and know quite a few people with one or the other.

The Miller PipePro will fill and cap downhill line pipe really well. They don't handle tight space on beads as well. But keep in mind there is a significant number of PipePro's on the right of way today, maybe even 25 or 30% on 798 jobs, and those guys are doing fine with them. After the "tight space" problem the biggest complaint is the reliability, they have an expensive board that (based on talking to every dude I see with one of these machines) shells out on a lot of machines. Plus they are expensive. But they will sure fill/cap, I know that for a fact. They run at higher rpm than Lincoln engine drives as well. The people I run into with a PipePro on the truck say this, about 50% love them, about 25% like the way the machine welds but complain about reliability, about 25% want their old SA-200 back.

The pipeliners I know that have Vantages are pretty fond of them, I bought a Vantage 400 a few weeks ago and it seems like I'm going to like it on line pipe. Tha Vantages have turned out to be very reliable. Some people don't like the way they weld on line pipe, almost everyone I've talked to that has one on the truck is happy with it. They are quite a bit cheaper. About 75% love them, about 25% want their old SA-200 back.

Not scientific research for sure, but I talk to a lot of P/L welders and that's what I'm a seein and a hearin out there.

Good luck,
JTMcC.

[cruizer]

I trying to figure out which machine to purchase. the Lincoln Vantage 300 Welder or the miller pipepro 304. I have never welded with either of them. I have a job waiting for me on the pipeline. I just not sure how big of a welder i need. I think the Vantage cause it has the same features as the miller but just not sure. and the lincoln is $3000 less thanks for any help.

If your thinking Vantage 300, get the Duetz water cooled engine. far superior to the Kubota, and way more ooofff.