stick welder and generator

[Russ79]

I am looking to get a small stick welder for the occasional welding job- I already have a wire welder but looking for something to handle bigger jobs. I don't have 220 at my house, except what is running the a/c unit and dryer, but I have several generators. Rather than going to the expense of have a separate 220 outlet put in for this I thought why not use what I have. Can I run a stick welder off a generator and what size generator would work best.

[Ag 96]

Yes you can if the generator is big enough. My Lincoln crackerbox will run off my 7500 but doesn’t really like to start a bead, so I bought one of the little 110/220 inverter stock welders to use on pens and fences. Works pretty good and is nice and portable, although the generator isn’t all that portable, despite the wheels.

[txpitdog]

I defer to more educated responses, but I “think” it would work up to a point. Your generator would need to put out enough amps to drive the welder, and at lower settings it is probably going to work. Depending on your generator there may be a point where it cannot handle the draw from the welder so you may be limited in how high you can run the welder.

I have a 6800w generator with a 30A 220v circuit on it. Theoretically it will run my MIG welder but I haven’t tried it.

[Hogmauler]

Back in the day I had a cable made and simply ran it to the dryer hook up. Don’t know where yours is but my washer and dryer are right by the back door leading to the garage. Worked fine as long as I wasn’t running a bunch of appliances simultaneously.

[Ag 96]

https://www.amazon.com/ARC-160D-Inverter-Voltage-Welding-Soldering/dp/B06W5K3414/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=amico+160+welder&qid=1618577006&sprefix=amico+16&sr=8-3

Here’s the one I bought. Works really good off the generator, although I don’t expect it to last for years. For the price, though, I can’t complain. I did replace the stinger and ground clamp though because they were just junky.

[cbarnes]

I have a Titan 8500 generator, and I run an ESAB 180 amp stick welder with it. https://bakersgas.com/products/esab-700500070
Works great

[scott123456789]

The cracker box AC welders(Lincoln 225, Hobart, Miller Thunderbolt) push 50-60 amps when running so you are needing 10000+ watts to run.


However if you run down an inverter DC only welder they only draw 30 amps so they could be run well with a smaller welder. I run the Miller maxstar but there is a Hobart and Lincoln options or cheaper knock offs.