mm 180 really weld over 1/4in?

[hytekredneck]

i was looking at the mm180 spec and seen that it can weld 5/16? is the with mig or flux wire? i look at lincoln 180 to compare and it says it can only weld up to 3/16. the mm180 welding cap. is a big diff to the lincoln. thanks

[tacmig]

Not sure how all the hype about weld thickness became such a staple? If you are talking about penatration, than that's a different ball game. For example I have welded grid hangers on 3" I-beams with my MM175. If I used the thickness scale, I would have made soup of the 1/4" hangers! All welds are differ and call for proper penatration of the base material to get a structural bond that meets that requirement. So to me, when someone asks if they can weld 1/4", 1/2" or whatever, I ask what are you welding and what type of weld i.e. lap, joint etc. So to answer you question: yes & no. But I do want to help if I can, so I will ask you what is your base material properties and bond material properties along with the type of weld? Is it a critical or non-critical bond? If I can't help I know that there is a lot of talent here that can..

Thanks,

TacMig

[hytekredneck]

not welding with it yet, i was looking at buying mm180 or the new handler 210 and just wanted to get the most juice for my green backs. thanks for the help though.

[tacmig]

The 180 is a great machine, but for a little x-tra $$, the 210 gives you more options to work with. Bigger is not always better but it will give you the power you need when the situation calls for it which may not be an option for the smaller machine. I hope I didn't burst a bubble with my first reply, that was not my intent. Weld amp/volts & wire speed along with a few other details determine depth, but depth is also a factor based on the paticular purpose of the weld/bond. So I guess in short, the 210 will give you the ability to bond deeper into base material than the 180 making it a more practical choice in the long run assuming this purchase is based on variety and future projects. By the way, once you're hooked there is no going back so be warned and warn all those you hold dear, that the house will never be the same once you start welding! Go 4 the 210! It does all that of the 180 and more..

Good Luck..

TacMig

not welding with it yet, i was looking at buying mm180 or the new handler 210 and just wanted to get the most juice for my green backs. thanks for the help though.

[Craig in Denver]

So I guess in short (LOL), the 210 will give you the ability to bond deeper into base material than the 180 making it a more practical choice in the long run assuming this purchase is based on variety and future projects. By the way, once you're hooked there is no going back so be warned and warn all those you hold dear, that the house will never be the same once you start welding! Go 4 the 210! It does all that of the 180 and more..
Good Luck..
TacMig

If I had known this when I started welding, I would have started drugs instead. They cost less and would be easier to cure.

[shorerider16]

Thickness ratings are overated. (Pun intended) Theoretically you could weld together 1 inch plate with a properly prepped, open root, v-butt. As was already mentioned it all comes down to what type of joint you are trying to weld. If you are looking to compare two machines, compare there output and duty cycle.

[Bobcatter]

I have the MM 175 and use it for weekend projects. I have welded lots of 1/4 mild steel with no problems. It always does it's job if I do mine. My heaviest job was to deal with an old bucket for my Bobcat. It had some cracks in the top edge (probably used with a chain to pull objects in its past) in the 3/8 inch plate. Ground a V in it and filled it in for a butt joint. Has held up for over a year. I put teeth on that bucket and I just went out to check: 1/2 inch cutting edge on the bucket, the teeth (1 1/2 inch wide, 3/4 inch high) fit over them like a U sideways. So, I guess that would be a Tee weld with a 1 1/2 inch piece on a 1/2 inch piece. Welded both sides on the top, just a small tab on the bottom that i did not weld. As previous posts said, just take your time and you will get the penetration. My test on these welds was to pound on it with the sledge hammer. No problem. I was proud that these teeth held up to a re-do of a gravel driveway; dug and moved about 30 ton of old driveway and buried shale.

The other thought during that project was that I was so into doing the teeth that I never thought about the "duty cycle". Naturally, I was stopping and starting, checking my welds, etc., so I am not claiming I ran it for an hour or anything - just that the duty cycle never entered the equation.

So, what are your goals? 1/2 inch plate is heavy, how much will you really use? How will you move it around? I would not hesitate to weld it for a project. If I was building a bridge - will I wouldn't, I don't have the skill. I too thought about the MM210, but in my case I didn't want to spend the dollars. In my case, it has worked out well, and I am just as glad I saved those dollars for ..... all the other "addiction materials" you will CRAVE to get your FIX !

[kcstott]

Heed all the above advice. Good stuff no doubt
But as far as a machines thickness rates are concerned you need to realize what the manufactures base their specs on.
If your machine calls out a 5/16" thickness single capability keep in mind this is clean low carbon steel, weld prepped (i.e. beveled properly with proper gap)
butt joint in idea conditions (i.e. a small test plate) with a skilled welder at the gun.
Take any one of those thing away or diminish it in any way and now you are fighting an uphill battle. People seem to think that when a machine is said to be able to weld what ever thickness that it should be able to do it no matter what. Well it just ain't so. BTW I'm generalizing here not pointing fingers.
Welding is a very dynamic process a lot of things are going on at the same time and the machine can only do so much.

[Synchroman]

I have a Lincoln SP 175 plus. I weld 1/4 " mild steel with it part of the time. I happen to run it with straight CO2 and that increases the penetration quite a bit.

I'm quite sure that the MM180 will do 1/4" plate as well, especially on CO2. It's a very nice machine. The 5/16" rating would ordinarily be an FCAW rating, though. Personally, I don't like the stuff but it has its place, like outside for fence work when it's windy.

One thing that helps is to have a nice hot eletrical supply for your welder. I never move my welders. I also have a Miller Syncrowave 200. Both welders are run in my shop (one at a time of course) from a 20 foot 8-3 extension cord. This is fed from a wall panel from conduit with four # 6 conductors in it. That in turn comes from the house panel with four very large cables. With 240 VAC on tap, there is no shortage of juice. If you were to run it from a 30 amp dryer circuit, I think it would limit the upper portion of your performance somewhat.

I do agree with the posters above who recommend a larger machine if you are going to be doing 1/4" or larger quite a bit. In my case, the Lincoln 175 MIG and the Miller 200 TIG are right for me due to the fact that 90% of my hobby shop work is smaller than 1/4", mostly 1/8" or 3/16", so I'm right where I want to be.

With some good solid wire, some good power and some good CO2 or C25, 1/4" will be no problem for your machine.