There's a MIG flyin round my workshop!!

I got totally sick and tired of haulin my MIG welder round my shop on its trolley. You know, leads all over the floor, can't reach both sides of the car without draggin the damn thing right to the other side of shop.
So I was at the steel supplier yesterday getting a load of steel for another job and decided to grab some exhaust tubing and do something about it.
So this is what I came up with!

 

While I was in town, I stopped by the fencing store and picked up some ready made hinges to swing it on and some small pulleys to run the gas hose and power lead onto the washing line steel wire. The wire is tensioned with a turn buckle.

 

i know why ,but why? you sure arnt lazy i can tell you made that contraption but why just not wheel it..

 

For the welder to move along the arm I grabbed 4 sealed roller bearings off a skateboard and proceeded to put together a car to carry the welder.
The main frame is a piece of 1/8th wall 4" box that I sliced in half and whacked some lightening holes into it. 4 holes for the "axles" and some 1" tube spacers to hold the wheels at the end of the axles. I cut some chain links and welded them on for the shackles.

 

I had a similar problem but just swapped bigger wheels on the cart instead.
cool contraption though.
TP

 

Great idea. Was considering almost the same thing once but was going to use an old garage door opener to move it back and forth with a remote.

 

your roller wheels make my butthole pucker. i'm picturing that thing falling on my head in the middle of a nice bead and screwing up my stack of coins! the idea is good, the material just doesn't seem strong enough. 3/16 or 1/4 would have been my min. thickness on that part.

BTW, how is that thing swinging over your head, less of a pain in the neck than the 6' wires running on the ground?? I think I'd rather step on stuff than smack my head, and I KNOW I would.

 

Neat Idea.

 

i love it....gets it up out of the way too.

reggie

 

Looks cool, good job

 

The local high school has a welding class and they have several in the air like that , very handy!

 

I'm with revkev6 looks kinda iffy. Don't know if they still make it or not, but when I had my farm I used what they called cannonball track on sliding doors. It's round with a slot in it for the rollers to move along it. The rollers are ball-bearing equipped. Had some doors that weighed over 300# and never had a problem with this kind of track. Just went and Googled it, look here to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.cnbhnp.com/

 

That's cool, hopefully it doesn't fall out of the air one day. Its kind of like an episode of Looney Toons waiting to happen, but awesome nonetheless.

 

"Laziness, the mother of invention"...lol Great idea. Will it reach the whole shop?

 

I've had thoughts like this, and I kick myself for not digging through the rubble of that car wash they tore down a few blocks away the other day...

My idea was to use a car wash boom and longer leads, and leave the welder in a stationary location...

Here's a fabrication place that sells them, as well as a lot of other cool fabbed stuff:
http://www.swfinc.com/car_wash/equipment/booms/360.htm





Granted, they're made for water to go through 'em, but if the pipe used were large enough...

~Jason

 

In the current issue of Speedway News there is a NASCAR shop setup with all the welders suspended from the ceiling. Supposed to get it all out of the way and total access. My shop is small enough I don't need to wheel the welders around unless I'm working outside.

 

man, you've got SOME freetime. haha

 

Linken Mfg,in Oakville,had 2 or 3 like that.

 

sweeeet

 

Thats the Coolest thing ever,hahah. Now just find a way to run a separate line to swing you out a beer.

 

Thanks for your comments guys.
The reason for the size/gauge of materials I used on the "car" is to minimise weight hanging off the end of the swing arm. I have been swinging off the car to make sure its safe, and I aint no midget, if you know what I mean!
As for the comments a bout hitting your head, I have set the machines lowest point above my head height and the dials are all still qute easy to reach.
The comments on the subject of "Why bother!" I custom build trailers for classic boats as a sideline earner and convenience means speed, and that all means I get them finished quicker and get back to working on the HOTROD!
Heres a couple of shots of the trailers.

 

I'd make some safety chains for it (loop around the boom) just in case the trolley fails.

 

every single welder in my new shop is a gantry model with the feeder on a post like the one you made,but the power supply is on the ground ,nice idea though.

 

There are 4 bearings in two wheels of a skateboard-with plenty of stress put on them, carrying atleast half of whatever the rider ways or a little more depending on how their stance is. Carries around 150 pounds with no problem (about 75 pounds on two wheels?) and a welder can't weigh that much.

Still, a neat idea-I've yet to get anything rigged up to haul my welder around the garage. Its got about a 5 foot lead and a 4 foot ground-so you have to move it around quite a bit.

 

I first looked at the thread and though..." hmmm,nothing new there,i saw one in a agricultural engineering place about 30 years ago...In New Zealand!! "...
Kiwis can't fly but the welders can.

 

Ignore the "why bother" comments. Every damn "shop thingy" I ever made saved me time or effort was worth it TO ME. For thsoe who say "why bother" - well THEY shouldn't bother - the rest of us will enjoy your inventiveness.
I do share that "not so fuzzy" feeling on the trolley though. Sure it's probably fine, but the "what if" factor wouldn't cut it for me. However I have a simple "fix" (I know it's not "broke") but what if instead of using the bolts with the overhung load you instead used longer fasteners and tied them together. You could weld 2 of them into a 90 degree angle or even take a piece of all thread and bend it into a 90. Or maybe just take a small square of metal and tap it for two holes 90 degrees apart. It'd strengthen it and become your "safety catch" at the same time. Just thinking out loud.

THAT'S Hot Roddin' - fixing problems with what you got (or can easily get). Real nice job.

 

I dig it, I hate having shit around my feet.

Only suggestion is I would make the height
adjustable, for welding upside down under
the car and changing wire.

 

Geeze Louize you guys, have some faith man! Its not like I made the car out of panel steel!!!.........and after saying that when it all comes crashing down round my ears, I will send some photos from the E.R.

I have told the kids in no uncertain terms that they are not to use the car for lifting the HEMI out of the pickup..........unless they ask youall first!!

If necessity is the mother of invention..........who's the father?

 

I did a similar thing back in the seventies, but didn't hang the welder because it was 5 ft. tall. Ran the wiring over the steel fabrication table.
I also had the cutting torch hoses overhead.
Here is a picture and that was a frame I was making for a 40 Ford sedan delivery. The table was used during work hours to make trailer signs.
Never thought about hanging the welder.
To answer the critics, if keeps you from tripping over cords, and takes the weight of gravity off of your work.

 

It was probably 15 years ago that I worked for a collision shop with a brand new Canada Arm equipped welder. (same folks that make the shuttle's robot arm) Big 250 power supply on the wall and a control panel with wire feeder on the end of a two piece arm. With a 10' set of leads, it had a reach of nearly 35 feet. I've always wanted one of my own. I AM that lazy!