Welding Rig Pictures

[Rvannatta]

GMC Top kick 4500, Duramax. hopefully I will finish the bed this summer I have aluminum underbody boxes that I plan on welding into aluminum side skirts.

That looks like a good combination. The trendy thing is to wire the back seat area for 110 vlt power. and you set up your office there with the computer with all the blueprints on it, and have a small galley with a coffee pot and a microwave.

[calweld]

with a coffee pot and a microwave.

Don't need it. A guy I know puts his burrito or sandwich on the exhaust manifold of his machine a little while before lunch, by lunchtime it is nice and toasty

The Caterpillar mechanics around here go one better. They have refrigerators and microwaves built right into their service boxes, on the newest trucks anyway.

[Weldinman]

Here are a couple of pic from a Truck I built 10 yrs ago still in operation 92 ford 450 Look close and you will see a miller air pak tucked in there you can do most anything with that welder.I wanted a usefull truck but one that looked good I still get comments and jobs from this truck when it shows up on the job.So build it good and they will come .

[Rvannatta]

Here are a couple of pic from a Truck I built 10 yrs ago still in operation 92 ford 450 Look close and you will see a miller air pak tucked in there you can do most anything with that welder.I wanted a usefull truck but one that looked good I still get comments and jobs from this truck when it shows up on the job.So build it good and they will come .

Looks good. Which Miller Air Pak is it. I did think that they were all 500 amp machines, but recently I was at a sale that had some older AIR Paks that were about a 300 amp machine. I thought about buying one because you always need air, but I couldn't get a good feeling for the Air performance. I like air above 100 PSI to rattle the guts of my impact wrenches, and I had the impression that the Air pak wouldn't go there.

I backed away when I couldn't confirm that the air was as robust as I wanted and it didn't have the high AC output that I wanted to drive a plasma cutter.

[Coalsmoke]

That looks like a good combination. The trendy thing is to wire the back seat area for 110 vlt power. and you set up your office there with the computer with all the blueprints on it, and have a small galley with a coffee pot and a microwave.

don't forget to stretch it another 24" and add in a sleeper bunk

[Weldinman]

Air Pak is 89 model has 40 cfm at 90 tops out at 125 -130lbs more than enough for 1/2 & 3/4 " guns always use ingersoll-rand.I have run 2 plasma cutters off this machine one 50 amp (keep at 40) cuts 5/8 at that amp and another 40 amp works with no problems carbon ark is cats meow for cutting through most welds or hard bucket stuff. New Air Paks have more killowatts and better air but **** of a thing to change oil filters on, and fuel fill is on top dum idea in my opinion. My machine rated 500 amps only had to use when cutting with 3/8 carbons, air tends to freeze up in winter have an atuomatic dump set up to drain at 10lb pressure changes helps alot. Any way its done good by me. Also thaws pipes likity split to make extra money in winter.
later

Looks good. Which Miller Air Pak is it. I did think that they were all 500 amp machines, but recently I was at a sale that had some older AIR Paks that were about a 300 amp machine. I thought about buying one because you always need air, but I couldn't get a good feeling for the Air performance. I like air above 100 PSI to rattle the guts of my impact wrenches, and I had the impression that the Air pak wouldn't go there.

I backed away when I couldn't confirm that the air was as robust as I wanted and it didn't have the high AC output that I wanted to drive a plasma cutter.

[Rvannatta]

There is good and bad about the fuel tank on top.

1) they are easier to get to if the unit is in confined space (maybe).
2) If you don't blow your self up by spilling fuel on the hot manifold, you have a better chance of getting the engine started again when you run out of fuel
as the gravity fuel systems tend to be self piming, but this is only a good thing when are trying to start and engine that hasrun out of fuel. It is not a good thing if the engine develops an internal fuel leak and drains the fuel tank into the crankcase when the engine is not being used. Maybe call it "increased risk of diesel dilution of crankcase oil"

--- a 125-30 lbs is plenty of pressure. I often use a 1 1/2" drive impact wrench

Air Pak is 89 model has 40 cfm at 90 tops out at 125 -130lbs more than enough for 1/2 & 3/4 " guns always use ingersoll-rand.I have run 2 plasma cutters off this machine one 50 amp (keep at 40) cuts 5/8 at that amp and another 40 amp works with no problems carbon ark is cats meow for cutting through most welds or hard bucket stuff. New Air Paks have more killowatts and better air but **** of a thing to change oil filters on, and fuel fill is on top dum idea in my opinion. My machine rated 500 amps only had to use when cutting with 3/8 carbons, air tends to freeze up in winter have an atuomatic dump set up to drain at 10lb pressure changes helps alot. Any way its done good by me. Also thaws pipes likity split to make extra money in winter.
later

[Coalsmoke]

I personally like the fiull spout being accessable from the top and the tank under the rest of the machine for center of gravity. When in a somewhat confined space, you can actually use a jerry can to fill the machine with the fill spout up top. An old boss had an old machine with the fill spout down below, impossible to fill with the jerry can, had to siphon out gas from the jerry can to the tank or fill at a service station. Royal PITA.

[J hall]

Weldinman,
I also have a '89 model Airpak. How many time have you had to work on the compressor head?
Jeff

[Rvannatta]

I personally like the fiull spout being accessable from the top and the tank under the rest of the machine for center of gravity. When in a somewhat confined space, you can actually use a jerry can to fill the machine with the fill spout up top. An old boss had an old machine with the fill spout down below, impossible to fill with the jerry can, had to siphon out gas from the jerry can to the tank or fill at a service station. Royal PITA.

Both our Miller Big 40 and the Vantage 400 have top side tanks.

our Bobcat has a bottom tank. What seems bizzare on it is that
the Bobcat has a side exhaust and the end of the exhaust pipe is almost directly above the gas cap. It has always struck me as an inherently dangerous combination, particularly if someone can't resist checking the fuel and or fueling the machine when running or hot.

[Coalsmoke]

Both our Miller Big 40 and the Vantage 400 have top side tanks.

our Bobcat has a bottom tank. What seems bizzare on it is that
the Bobcat has a side exhaust and the end of the exhaust pipe is almost directly above the gas cap. It has always struck me as an inherently dangerous combination, particularly if someone can't resist checking the fuel and or fueling the machine when running or hot.

I would like to know what the engineer's thoughts were for such a blatantly dangerous combination. At least if it were diesel it would be less of a risk, but with a gas jobber, I'm shocked that anyone would build a system like that.

[Rvannatta]

I would like to know what the engineer's thoughts were for such a blatantly dangerous combination. At least if it were diesel it would be less of a risk, but with a gas jobber, I'm shocked that anyone would build a system like that.

It does seem strange, but you can see what I am talking about in the attacheded photo. The gas cap is right above the orange tag.

[Coalsmoke]

RV, it does seem wierd, i wonder if one could get a replacement tractor tube-muffler and make a few minor alterations and put the muffler coming out the other side. Mind you, maybe it is made like that so anyone foolish enough to try and fill the machine while running will get discouraged by the blast of hot exhaust.

[calweld]

Funny how short everybody's memory is. The portables I grew up with -- the old miller/airco machines with the original cast iron onans and the plug-in adjustments -- all had the gas tank directly on top of the engine right in front of two small mufflers pointing straight up. It was a small tank, so it had to be refilled often through the day . . . I can't remember where the tank was on the lincolns of the same vintage, but by the early/mid 80's they had them right on top of the engine also. Always thought it was neat how gasoline sizzled and evaporated so quick when spilled on hot surfaces . . . oh to be young and dumb again . . .

[Rvannatta]

Funny how short everybody's memory is. The portables I grew up with -- the old miller/airco machines with the original cast iron onans and the plug-in adjustments -- all had the gas tank directly on top of the engine right in front of two small mufflers pointing straight up. It was a small tank, so it had to be refilled often through the day . . . I can't remember where the tank was on the lincolns of the same vintage, but by the early/mid 80's they had them right on top of the engine also. Always thought it was neat how gasoline sizzled and evaporated so quick when spilled on hot surfaces . . . oh to be young and dumb again . . .

the older small lincolns used an off the shelf Briggs and Stratton so it was pretty much the same way.

We had a Hobart for a time, and it used a 2 cylinder Wisconsin, and it had
as was standard for the 2 cylinder Wisconson--- a saddle bag gas tank on the side of the engine away from the manifolds.

More frightning were the V-4 Winconsins. We had a welder for a while with one, a nice welder except for the crank on the end to start it... but what scared me silly was one we had on combine. the engine was up on top the combine, and of course combines only are used on hot dry afternoons and the thing wouldn't run all afternoon without running out of gas.

Worse, it was crank start and wouldn't start easily when hot, so if you shut it down to gas it, it took 30 minutes of swearing and cranking to get it going again. It would start with a couple of pulls when cold--- never understood this). All this implied that at about 3 p.m. on hot august afternoons
you were standing on top of a combine pouring a jerry can of gas into
a really hot air cooled engine, which was usually running because the thought of trying to crank it back to life was so appalling.