winch bumper build

[Bill Edwards]

160 amps is far too high for a 3.2mm rod, try 120 and tweak from there!

I would suggest using a 3.2mm rod for this job. Have a bit of practice if possible and you should be fine. Fillet welds are harder but a 3.2 is a good size, you can pretty much jam it in there and be ok.

 

[ned]

Nice one Bill, specifics are always good, appreciate it.

Am thinking hard about the little R-Tech Sarto linked too, I've wanted a little arc for a while now, to carry on a plane to my Girlfriends parents place in Greece and get constructive there. It's tiny, really light, affordable and has a warranty. Anyone say neigh?

http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/arc-welder-r-tech-pro-arc135/

 

[arther dailey]

So there you go Ned ,ready for another go tomoz ! yes I am sorted for mig and like you down to inverter stick to get, probably go for the parweld as the option of lift tig, but not definate on that, if you get the r tech let us know how it goes. great value it seems to me. Arther

 

[skotl]

Nice one Bill, specifics are always good, appreciate it.

Am thinking hard about the little R-Tech Sarto linked too, I've wanted a little arc for a while now, to carry on a plane to my Girlfriends parents place in Greece and get constructive there. It's tiny, really light, affordable and has a warranty. Anyone say neigh?

http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/arc-welder-r-tech-pro-arc135/

Hard to say no at that price.

Dunno whether you'll be able to get it on a plan as hand luggage, though - not because it's dangerous but because the airline folks won't have a clue what it is and how to assess the risk. I've had to check in computer components in the past because they didn't want me taking them into the cabin

 

[Turbo]

That's a top quality welder you have, must have been expensive new! I have the IFL 160a inverter stick welder and it could weld heavy plate all day long without stopping. I think it boasts a near 100% duty cycle at 160a, a testament to the quality of the electronics.

Unfortunately the electronics are not idiot proof. I had it on the bench one day, got the cable wrapped around my foot and when I moved the welder fell to the floor and died! Phoned IFL and they suggested that a repair would likely be near the cost of a new welder, so it was a £350 mistake!

Your welder should handle 4mm rods but you might find 3.2mm easier to control. Something I could suggest is to tilt your bottom plate by 45 degrees so that the joint you are welding is the lowest point in a vee. It makes it easier to get an even weld on both plates plus gravity is helping the molten metal flow into the joint rather than pulling it onto the bottom plate.

 

[ned]

Ah yes, thats a good tip alright, I remember that now, good stuff. Terrible news about your welder man, that's a dinky looking little one too, and good suggestion also. The guys at IFL were really nice to me.... I actually broke mine a week out of the 2 year warranty, and mentioned that to them on the phone, and they said, 'dont worry we'll sort you out', so they charged me very little to replace a board on the unit, 30 pounds. Its a bit different getting to to them from Ireland, more pricey, but, I was just glad to have it back.

Have been messing around in photoshop trying to come up with a design for the front. these are all a bit crap. I want to lose weight from the plate on the front. Chances are I'll fit it and then start evaluating what will look good or is a natural flow with what is already there.

The mount was warped when I fitted it.

I had to jack it apart and then ratchet strap it together a few times to get it to fit right.

Done now and am happy. I figure the plasma could warp the plate, do ye think, or is there enough heat in it?

 

[arther dailey]

That's a top quality welder you have, must have been expensive new! I have the IFL 160a inverter stick welder and it could weld heavy plate all day long without stopping. I think it boasts a near 100% duty cycle at 160a, a testament to the quality of the electronics.

Unfortunately the electronics are not idiot proof. I had it on the bench one day, got the cable wrapped around my foot and when I moved the welder fell to the floor and died! Phoned IFL and they suggested that a repair would likely be near the cost of a new welder, so it was a £350 mistake!

Your welder should handle 4mm rods but you might find 3.2mm easier to control. Something I could suggest is to tilt your bottom plate by 45 degrees so that the joint you are welding is the lowest point in a vee. It makes it easier to get an even weld on both plates plus gravity is helping the molten metal flow into the joint rather than pulling it onto the bottom plate.

Turbo ,that tilt tip is really good,Fermanagh eh, my dad was born in eniskillen .must get over one day.

 

[arther dailey]

Ned, for the front plate what about some chequer plate, nice diamond pattern with a few slots or holes 5mm would be enough to protect it, you could fold the edges and bolt it on so winch is get attable.Arther

 

[Bill Edwards]

The Rtech is at an attractive price, but personally I'd be going for this Parweld http://www.weldequip.com/parweld-xti160.htm

The duty cycle on the Rtech is horrible - 35% at 135 amps, so with a 3.2mm rod you'll be having a lot of tea breaks - it's 100% at that power on the Parweld! I have to assume the Rtech is rated at 20 degrees as it isn't stated.

Plus the cables with the Rtech are only 1.5m long which would be a nightmare, the Parweld has 3m cables.


Interesting to hear different reports on the repair service offered by Inverter Fusion. I love their handbag style welders with the unbeatable duty cycle of damn near 100% flat out but I had to send two in for repair once and to say I felt screwed just doesn't come close to covering it. The quote for one machine was only £80 less than an entirely new machine!

 

[arther dailey]

The Rtech is at an attractive price, but personally I'd be going for this Parweld http://www.weldequip.com/parweld-xti160.htm

The duty cycle on the Rtech is horrible - 35% at 135 amps, so with a 3.2mm rod you'll be having a lot of tea breaks - it's 100% at that power on the Parweld!
Plus the cables with the Rtech are only 1.5m long which would be a nightmare, the Parweld has 3m cables.

Considering one myself how does the parweld stack up against the thermal arc 175 everyone else rates highly?thanks Arther

 

[ned]

morning chaps ) Arthur the idea of welding plate across the front is to further brace the winch mount. To be fair, lol, hahahaha, it is a dubious design, driven by aesthetics rather than common sense, so anything I can do to make it stronger seems like a good idea.

 

[arther dailey]

Stand back and look at it, dont think its needs any more strength ! but yes cross bracing with a plate would rigidize a bit more, if you folded the edges of plate around and bolted the shear on the bolts would be strong enough, trust me. also you could remove easily to use winch wire in awkward position or get at winch for repairs easier. Obviously its down to what you want. looking good so far glad you are getting back on track with it anyways. Arther ps yes decent sized bolts !

 

[ned]

thanks Arthur, finally someone said it looks okay. Wooo! Thats a victory.

 

[arther dailey]

No worries Ned, you have put a lot of work into this truck, just dont sell it before the finish line like your iveco ! I still havent got one yet,ha. one day maybe. its looking good , just keep plugging away. cheers Arther

 

[Turbo]

Interesting to hear different reports on the repair service offered by Inverter Fusion. I love their handbag style welders with the unbeatable duty cycle of damn near 100% flat out but I had to send two in for repair once and to say I felt screwed just doesn't come close to covering it. The quote for one machine was only £80 less than an entirely new machine!

It was the handbag style one I had, excellent machine. I've had it hanging on a rope while I was 20 ft up a ladder welding fishplates on girders, working off 50m of extension cable and it could happily burn 3.2 rods no bother. Yet I managed to break it while bench welding!
IFL did say that if the welder wasn't worth repairing that they would replace it at cost price, which he said would be around £250 plus vat (I think). I never got around to sending it back for repair as I had the oil cooled welder plus I never had the spare cash if it had to be replaced.
Then I bought the used Thermal Arc 150te which can do all the IFL 160ma could do plus it has hf start for proper tig welding!

 

[ned]

interesting one here, its a version of the Parweld XTI 160

http://www.wholesaleweldingsupplies.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=69_649&product_id=1948

I made a face for the bumper. It was the only way forward. I didnt know how to proceed with the wings earlier tonight, but now I have figured it out.

 

[Ton-up]

Ned, only just seen what you wanted to do with the front plate, the slots look good, but you should really have put either a roller or plate type fairlead on the front to guide the cable or rope.
The way it looks in the photos, the cable could easily rub on the plate if anything other than a virtually straight pull.

 

[arther dailey]

Ton-up has made a fair comment there, especially on the vertical sides, lets face it when you get stuck somewhere there is rarely atree right in front for a handy tow.fixable tho, rollers and or cut back further.Arther ps like the styling, nice.

 

[ned]

yep thats right, am going to have to pear it down another bit, away from the fairlead. The plate is pretty close to the fairlead so I wont have to take much more off the plate.

I work during the day and it took me until after 12 last night to get that much done. Its not attached to the mount at this stage, really its just offered up in the photos above. Needs some more time put into it. Am pleased tho, very pleased.

 

[fixerupper]

Yeah it looks good , nice work with the plasma cutter .....I wish I had the room for one I 'd like to have a play ....jeff