What should I get?

[J&J]

I have a 302 Trailblazer as my power source on my service truck. I want to get set up for TIG to be used primarily on stainless applications in vineyards, brewery's, and dairy tank and equipment repairs and fabrication.
What set-up do you recommend that would work best and still be mobile/portable?

Thanks!

[Bob Miller]

200 dx

There are two ways to go. 1) Dynasty 200 DX, small, light, and has all the bells and whistles. Cost more.
2) Get a HF-251 High Freq. box, no bells or... cost less.
Before there was the 200 DX there was the HF-251.
Both will do the job.
My choice is the 200 DX.
Either way you'll need a long gas hose, or small bottle.
DX -You'll need a long extension cord.
HF-251- Long cables.
The 200 DX does Al. If you don't need Al, then the Maxstar, DC only.
Good Luck,
Bob

[Miller John]

I have a 302 Trailblazer as my power source on my service truck. I want to get set up for TIG to be used primarily on stainless applications in vineyards, brewery's, and dairy tank and equipment repairs and fabrication.
What set-up do you recommend that would work best and still be mobile/portable?

Thanks!

Hi Bob,
Is all of your work outdoors, or some indoors?
I ask because you could get a 2 piece TIG torch that connects to your Trailblazer and a gas bottle and do DC TIG all day. The Lift Arc and Auto Crater functions of the Trailblazer are great and Auto-Crater does not need a remote. For some of the work that you're doing, a remote control that attaches to the TIG torch would likely be very beneficial.
Another option if you were doing both outdoor work and indoor work would be to get a Maxstar 150 ro 200. You could run those off of the Trailblazers generator power or the shop power where you are working. Both of those machines can run up to 100 amps from 120 VAC, 20 Amp power, so an extension cord from your engine drive makes those already very portable machines even more portable.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other or more specific questions.

Thanks Bob,

[Portable Welder]

The cheapest way to get started is a air cooled tig torch and a small bottle of argon if your only doing stainless or regular steel You'll spend a couple hundred for the torch and about the same for a 120 cfm argon tank, The draw back is that you have to set your amps or heat at the machine which done me fine for several years.
To do aluminum Yes the HF-251 hi freq. box is the cheapest way to get started but is not as good as the dynasty 200 DX.

I have a maxstar 150 STL for doing stainess which is great because I can turn the power up and down without running out to the truck this unit costs about
$ 1300.00 not including the bottle.

If you need to do both aluminum and stainless by far the best choice would be the dynasty 200 DX ( That is provided you have a newer trail blazer that puts out 10,000 watts of power, some of the older ones only put out 4000 watts )

Good luck on which ever one you go with.

I personally have the 115volt 150 STL which plugs into a normal house plug that does stainless tig which has a premium arc and when I need to do portable aluminum I run my Dynasty 300 DX off my Pipe pro that kicks out 12,000 watts of 230 volts single phase power.