Dialarc Cart

[SmokinPRanch]

This is a cart I'm designing/fabricating for my Miller Dialarc HF. The bottle and cooling tank frames will be bolted to the cart in case I ever have to remove them to take a side panel off. Although I don't plan on moving it around much I designed around 8" casters. I'm also going to have a 2" square tube in front for a handle if ever needed.

Couple things I'm still working on figuring out...cable racks (the ones shown in the drawing are conceptual...I think maybe they are too close together) and maybe tool storage.

Any thoughts, suggestions or criticism be appreciated.

Al

[con_fuse9]

Looks interesting. One thing, I would make sure the machine still fits through a 36" door frame.

I've seen some of these cars with a longer T-handle to actually pull the thing around.

In my case, the water cooler is on top, just turned sideways.

When you are done, any chance you can PM the drawings. I need to upgrade my cart (which is currently a frame + 4 wheels).

[SmokinPRanch]

I'm gonna put a 2" square tube inset into the frame to attach a handle. (It's in the drawing but hard to see when it was converted to .jpg) Don't plan on having to move it around much.

If I ever did have to get through a small doorway the bottle and cooling tank frames can be unbolted. I did try mounting the cooling tank sideways but it is about 32" long and ends up with a lot of overhang.

I'd be happy to provide the drawings to anyone who is interested. They are done in AutoCAD 2008. Since they're for my own use I just draw and fab but I could make a set of working drawings without much trouble. I can also convert the drawings to another format if you can't open and read AutoCAD files.

Al

[7A749]

Looks good. It will take up some space with the tank on the side. The center of gravity will be high as well. You can put the tanks in the rear & still have good access to the sides of the machine. It looks like the cylinder holder you have will have a lot of strain on the bottom as that is where it's bolted. If you go that route I would weld a good 3/8" or 1/2" tap block plate to the bottom rail so you'll have something really solid to attach it to. A tap block plate is simply a piece of metal with tapped holes in it.

I have liked using larger Phenolic wheels in the back, with swivel casters in the front. This lets the cart have a wider wheelbase & it sits lower as well. It's always best to attach the casters with bolts thru tapped base plates rather than just welding them on. It's a much more professional look. If you don't have a way to tap holes, welding's the next best thing unless you drill the holes thru & use bolts. (Just my thoughts )

The cart below was built to accommodate an S'Wave 250, but the concept will work for most any machine. It also has a drawer underneath for consumables & parts. The cooler is a tower type & sits in the cylinder rack. I always have used the Argon tank off my MIG machine with a quick connect, so the tank in the pic is a spare.

Just something to think about. Lots of possibilities.

[SmokinPRanch]

The reinforcement for the tank frame is a good idea. I've got some 1/2" plate I can add. The tank frame is designed to bolt in 4 places...2 in the horizontal bottom rail and 1 each in the verticals as high up as the 3" angle will allow.

I always bolt my casters on, either D&T or thru bolts/nuts. I try to design around larger, wider casters since the ground I work on is rugged (shop is still gravel base - ag-lime top).

I added the 2x4 rect. tube as caster mounts to move things up a little. Seems be easier to make adjustments if things were a little higher. I may reposition the caster mounts a little to widen the base to allow for the higher c.o.g..

I'd like to mount the bottle in the back to save some width but been avoiding it so as not to restrict air flow of the fan.

I like the storage underneath on your cart. Is that a custom fabbed drawer or a commercial unit? I'll have to add something like that into the design.

Appreciate the suggestions.

Al

[CharleyL]

Is that cylinder on the right your cooler? I think you should consider relocating both that and the argon tank.

To keep my Dialarc narrow so that it fits through doors I made a frame out of scrap 1 X 2 square tubing the same length and width as the welder. It mounts between the Miller wheel assembly and the welder. The argon tank sits on the back of the wheel assembly behind the welder. The frame raises the welder high enough to put the cooler underneath the welder and it makes the welder controls very easy to reach. There is also space in the frame accessible from the right side, to keep the foot pedal and wire, plus room for a shallow drawer that I haven't built yet. Right now that space is holding 2 fishing tackle type plastic boxes for the tungsten and torch parts. This works so well that I may never build the drawer. Along the left side of the welder and frame are the filler wire storage tubes mounted using Unistrut and their conduit hardware. I still need to build some cable hangers, but I haven't settled on a design or location for them yet.

[7A749]

The reinforcement for the tank frame is a good idea. I've got some 1/2" plate I can add. The tank frame is designed to bolt in 4 places...2 in the horizontal bottom rail and 1 each in the verticals as high up as the 3" angle will allow.

I always bolt my casters on, either D&T or thru bolts/nuts. I try to design around larger, wider casters since the ground I work on is rugged (shop is still gravel base - ag-lime top).

I added the 2x4 rect. tube as caster mounts to move things up a little. Seems be easier to make adjustments if things were a little higher. I may reposition the caster mounts a little to widen the base to allow for the higher c.o.g..

I'd like to mount the bottle in the back to save some width but been avoiding it so as not to restrict air flow of the fan.

I like the storage underneath on your cart. Is that a custom fabbed drawer or a commercial unit? I'll have to add something like that into the design.

Appreciate the suggestions.

Al

I bought the drawer. It is Lyon manufacture & was about $45. Since you are pulling it on a gravel floor, just be careful. Get it up too high & you may get it stuck & have it tip on you. The first couple carts I built, I used casters on all four wheel corners, but after making one with the outrigged stationary wheels in the rear, I never looked back.

You could put some offset 10" or 12" X 2 1/2" wheels on the rear & it will all but eliminate any possibility of it tipping. Just that 5" or so added wheelbase will greatly increase the cart's overall stability. That Dialarc HF is a little heavy & I wouldn't go too high on it. Sure, it's stinks having to bend over to make adjustments, but especially on a gravel floor, it could tip easily if you got hung up in a rut or got a stone stuck in the wheels.

Not saying I got it all figured out, but I've built quite a few sets of running gear & have found it to work best for my application.

Here is one I built for an older Miller MIG machine, but has very similar dimensions to your Dialarc. It has some height to it, but not too much. As far as airflow, Miller has been putting cylinders behind machines in front of the fan for decades & I doubt you'll have any issues with cooling or overall airflow.

Good luck with it.