Generating Increased Profit Margins
Construction work, by its very nature, is a business of uncertainty. Contractors, especially smaller ones, rarely know what their next job is going to involve. So rather than worry about whether their equipment is up to the task, they purchase equipment that they know is capable of handling whatever job gets thrown at them.
That has often meant relying on large, heavy and expensive four-cylinder diesel-driven welding generators. While certainly up to the task, these generators often have hidden costs associated with them — specifically, the size and cost of the truck required to carry them. A smaller, gasoline-driven generator could save a contractor a considerable amount of money by allowing him to purchase a lighter-duty work truck.
Would you consider purchasing a smaller gasoline-driven welding generator instead of a diesel-driven model if it could allow your company to use smaller work trucks and still handle your welding and power needs? What other factors should do you think need to be considered when deciding on buying a generator? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
For more information on how twin-cylinder gas-powered welding generators stack up against diesels, click here to read what three West Coast construction experts recently had to say.
Average (Not Rated)
June 27th, 2007 at 9:13 am
what do you recomend for light field work that needs heavy power supplies and what do thingk of the range depending on the cost ?please reply me at my email addres above
June 27th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I think depending on what kind of work u r doing I.E heavy equipment repair ,general fab ect if u do lots of air arcing then u need to have a decent size machine that will take the load and u can use big gouging rod .. i have a 302 and it will gouge but on a limited size .. it works very well with 5/32 but 1/4 is pushing it pretty hard my service truck is a gas engine 2500hd and it fits the bill for my requiremnents but if i were to do more pipelining then i would definatly be going to a deisel .. it is easier to get fuel for deisels then gas as everything in the patch is deisel and when fuel is free then it is hard to say no ..
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 pm
To save money in the long haul, buy Miller it can stand up to any task. As far as size goes I would rather look at amperage than look for it. With an Airpak you do not look for amperage.
Huot Inc.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:51 am
I will be replacing my Ranger 8 with a 302 as it it the only machine on the market that will do the minimum. That minimum being 5/64 coreshield 8 out of a VS wirefeeder.
August 5th, 2007 at 5:56 am
I’ve been told by some that many places won’t allow Millers “in the patch” and only allow Lincoln EDW’s. I wonder if anyone can confirm this. I have a Hobart Champion 10,000 that I absolutely love for SMAW and Aux 120VAC; my only problem with it is the Aux 220VAC is a little weak…whenever I plug the Lincoln PT185 into it and get above 100Amps, it gives me about 5 minutes of torch time and then the breaker kicks off and the EDW has to be shut down for 5 to 10 minutes to cool it down before the breaker will reset. I originally purchased the Champ10k because of its low initial cost (purchase price), light weight (+/- 500 lbs), and because it runs on the same 87 Octane gasoline that the Dodge Dakota work truck it rides in does.
September 4th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
If they wont allow a miller on a site leave fast I wonder about those folks