AC Tig with Trailblazer

[jmackey]

I am thinking of purchasing a Trailblazer for backup power and some mobile welding. I already have a Dynasty 200. How is the AC Tig arc on the Trailblazer compared to the Dynasty? Is it worth budgeting for the HF unit and remote to have a little more power and duty cycle?

[fabricator]

It welds fine. I still use the 200 off the generator 90 % of the time. I only keep the 251 on the truck and only use it if I need the extra duty cycle, or a job pops up and I dont have the 200 with me at the time. They put out about the same heat so not much difference there and the 251 makes for a good back up if the dynasty crapped out.

[Sberry]

I know this forum is to sell equipment but if I was springing for a new TB I would get it, run the Dyn from it and see where you are at? Its easy to get something and want to get every bell and whistle that you can add to the thing, not use most of it.
Not that this has to do with tig but recently had occasion to talk to a guy with hew TB on truck, I asked him how he liked it. He said,,, great, only thing I wouldn't do again was spring for a wire feeder which became an expensive weight taking up tool box space.
Its the nature of the question you ask, part time, budget, etc. To a busy professional buying a machine can be a no brainer but where is it worth it the real question? The purchase of the TB is really a long term idea and over time its ownership becomes low and you forget how much you paid while its got a whole whopping hundred hrs on it, in the case of some business it may be worth it and others will wear it out, etc.
I hate to unsell a TB but technology has handed you a gift as a part timer I might be tempted to find a nice 7500 watt gen set, if it met your aux power needs the TB wouldn't do much the Dyn cant. If I found myself making some money or with work I couldn't do then I would look at another machine. Lots of opportunity for use of shore power too vs running from a noisy generator. Take some of the cash saved and buy some good battery tools and the other amendments I needed as I went,
I have bought a few machines, some worked out as planned, some slower, some fast. Some attachments I have bought never got used. Anymore I would be looking to get the right things first instead of last, Ha done it all in that respect.
As a welder generator the TB would be hard to beat, you could hook about any scheme you wanted to it, it will run a good long time under sustained load, starts many motors with ease. They got a lot of power. Its expensive and uses a fair amount of fuel but is robust, has long life. Highly proven and reliable.

[H80N]

I agree with Sberry...
here is a thread that may give you some insight into that question

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/showthread.php?26503-Suggestion-on-a-machine-for-me.-would-appriciate-any-advice.&highlight=trailblazer+dynasty+200dx

It gets pretty heated but think that you will find it informative

I own a Trailblazer/HF251 and a Dynasty 200DX that runs off a generator much of the time... my 2cents worth says save your money.. and get a good generator.... the Dynasty is hands down a better TIG machine....
this is just my opinion from personal experience... others may passionately disagree...

[jmackey]

Thanks, Guys. You've given me a lot to think about.

[Sberry]

I have seen the other thread, some guys have their points. As I said, from the general nature of the fist post it sounded as a guy is weighing this decision and from his last it sounds that way. We don't have full background so those are the lines we need to read between,
In some general sense there is a "right" thing for this guy. If he doesn't have a 175 mig it probably should have been a first unit but since he has a Dyn he really has spent up front for some of the advantages, one big one being he might not have to put a 4500$ generator in front of it.
The view from a busy professional where he already cant get enough hours in a day is going to be different than maintenance types like myself, toss in a little general fab work, takes a long long long time to put a hundred real work hours on a machine. There are exceptions but its not rare to see Bobcats and TB's several years old with few hours.

[jmackey]

The reason I am mainly going to purchase the machine is for use as a backup generator for my home, hunting property, and to use with an RV(needs 50amp service). I have looked at many diesel generators and believe it or not, they are about the same price for that output, but they don't weld. I would believe service and parts availability for the Trailblazer would be better than most. I have a 350p with spoolgun and a Dynasty 200 that cover almost any need to weld around the garage. I was mostly wondering about the quality of the arc, which was covered in the linked thread. Since there isn't a real advantage over the Dynasty, I'm probably going to pass on the HF box.

I appreciate the input.

[Sberry]

The TB is about as good as it gets, you are obviously not deluded,,, buy one. Parts and service will not be a concern as long as you dont let stale gas sit in it. You will never wear it out. They are a very reliable, powerful genset.

[c wagner]

I am thinking of purchasing a Trailblazer for backup power and some mobile welding. I already have a Dynasty 200. How is the AC Tig arc on the Trailblazer compared to the Dynasty? Is it worth budgeting for the HF unit and remote to have a little more power and duty cycle?

The Trailblazers specs
AC: 200 Amps at 25 Volts, 60% Duty Cycle

Dynasty 200 specs
TIG Rated Output 200 A at 18 V, 20% Duty Cycle

Still only get 200 amps either way although there are plenty of times where the 60% duty cycle would come in handy.
The arcs will be considerably different since the Trailblazer is a transformer based machine vs the Dynasty's inverter technology.
I've welded MANY inches of aluminum with a Shopmaster 300 and a HF251, I'd assume it would be very similar to the Trailblazer.
Just checked the Shopmaster specs and here is what I found:
AC 200 Amperes, 28 Volts AC,40% Duty Cycle

[FusionKing]

How is the AC Tig arc on the Trailblazer compared to the Dynasty?
The arc is just fine. Just not like an inverter and lacks all the tuning ability

Is it worth budgeting for the HF unit and remote to have a little more power and duty cycle?

For my biz NO. I use a Dynasty 200 off of a Bobcat when gen power is needed.
Miller says 20% but rates their stuff at a much higher temp than others.
I am on my 3rd 200 DX and have only hit the thermal one time. It was well over 100 degrees that day.
You would need to have a 200 amp job that you simply laid on the throttle all the time to justify the expense. What that might be I wouldn't know.
Generally when you need say 200 amps max to begin with when the heat soaks in you begin to back off a bit. If the Trailblazer did 300 amps of AC arc then it would be a better thing IMO.
When I get jobs my little 200 can't handle then I drag 'em back to the shop where I DO have a little more umph to spare
I have been giving a 7500 watt genset some serious consideration.
Those big blue machines do advertise well in the back of a truck, Nothing says MOBILE WELDING better!! But when you have an inverter with comparable power that weighs 49 pounds and welds like a freeking dream it would take a pretty darn good reason to justify spending another $5000 to weld something once in a while unless you are gonna do a bunch of stick and wire as well.
For just a generator the Bobcat is better. The Trailblazer is a better welder. But the both do a fine job. If you need to weld with remote capability then the Trailblazer is hands down the bargain IMO. YMMV HTH

[c wagner]

Miller says 20% but rates their stuff at a much higher temp than others.
I am on my 3rd 200 DX and have only hit the thermal one time. It was well over 100 degrees that day.

Good point, I melted numerous torch parts on my Dynasty 200 one particular job but never did hit the thermal shut down.