Will a Hobart 125 mig welder be good enough for tractor work? Every
now and then I have need for welding but yet don't wanna spend a lot
on one. In the photo below that work was done with a mig welder. Would
the Hobart 125 be good enough for that? It's a reinforcement plate for the transmission.
Is that a good looking weld and can I expect those kind of results?
Thanks

A Hobart 125 is a great machine for the kind of work you want to do with it. It's intended for the hobbyist who doesn't need to do heavy work. You'll be happy with it.

The small machines are very handy BUT they do have limitations.I laugh when I hear it said that 1/2",for instance,can be welded with a 110v machine.......it may glue it together but it is not a good penetrating weld.For sheet metal and material up to 3/16" a 125 should do just fine.

The Hobart 125 should work out nice. A lot of my first projects, including a 16' trailer, were done by a friend with a no name 110v mig welder then a Lincoln weld pak flux core wire welder. Both got the job done but the gas mig welder did a much nicer looking job than ours with flux wire. If you get into heavier jobs you might also watch the auctions and garage sales for an old stick welder.

I bought a Hobart 140... It has been the best welder I have ever owned. If possible, you might want to step up (in size) a little bit. You never know when you're going to need to weld something thick. I have successfully welded 3/8" steel with the 140 and a little "pre-heating".....

I was just going to mention the same thing Jon. The Hobart 140 looks to be around $120 more but comes ready for gas or flux welding plus has the extra step up in power. Might not be the best price around but its always easy to find stuff on the Northern tool site. Northern tool welder link-

Also when you use a smaller machine and need to weld near the limit of the machine flux cored wire will gain you a little advantage.
Flux core has less material to burn off and that equates to less amperage needed.The flux also gives off CO2 which will help penetration.
By all means if can raid the cookie jar buy the biggest possible machine you can because as soon as you find out what you can fix/build you will need a bigger machine.Auctions are good place to buy machines but be cautious of REALLY old equipment as parts could be hard to get or obsolete.Also be aware of 3 phase machines......a number of times I have had guys offer a machine REAL cheap,why,3 phase.....and they are useless without 3 phase power.

I was just on the local vocational-technical high school web site. They
offer 2 welding classes. One is for basic electric welding and the other
was basic gas welding. I emailed them to get info for their night classes
that start in January. I guess that would be the best place for me to start.
I just don't know whether to take gas or electric. I'm curious what the
classes cost. Sure wish I had my VA educational benefits that I never
used. I coulda bought a welder with them!!
Butch

Oxy/fuel is a good skill to have but electric will be of more value to you.
What ever class you take good luck and try to learn everythinh and anything you can.

Mike I'll probably take the electric welding. I'll probably buy a Hobart
or Lincoln that will accept gas. I have 220 volts in the garage so going
a little bigger won't be a problem. Thanks.

I have a Century (Lincoln) 155amp welder. I can tell you....mine has burned through a lot of material. But I am still learning it all.....lol

You can burn though material? Like the steel you're welding?

Sure can.Steel you can tell by color,aluminum,now that's another story cause it don't change color.
The other bit of advice I'll give ya is when(not if)you get a slag ball down your boot don't bother wastin time tryin to take your boot off cause by the time you do it's all over but the shoutin.

Sure.....you can spot weld with a wire welder.

Turn up the power and burn through a "spot".
Then turn the power down and fill in the hole......

It is not "true" spot welding....but the premise is the same.

If it can be done then I'll do it. I've burnt myself, ran a 1/2" drill bit through
my leg, gone to the emergency room and even wound up in a cast for 24 weeks doing work around the house. And I knew what I was doing was dumb. I was either lazy or said to myself I'll be extra careful!! And do I learn? NO!!