MIG welding capable Generator

Can anyone recommend a ’generator’ that can handle 180/200 amp MIG welder able to handle approximately 240v/16amp supply or approximately 4000W. Needs to be able to handle the load and function while being charged from the mains. we live remotely and the mains supply is poor, when trying to weld the voltage drop is to large so need the generator to act as a buffer.

If there is nothing on the market- any detailed designs available?

Thanks
Jay

Jay, I want to help since machining/welding is what I do,
But I have a feeling you are a little lost, so that makes me a lot lost...

ur20v said:

Can anyone recommend a ’generator’ that can handle 180/200 amp MIG welder able to handle approximately 240v/16amp supply or approximately 4000W.

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There are several (petroleum) engine driven & electric motor driven generators capable of 200 amps, and a lot more.

Needs to be able to handle the load and function while being charged from the mains. we live remotely and the mains supply is poor, when trying to weld the voltage drop is to large so need the generator to act as a buffer.

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So you are looking for something that will synchronize with grid power, smooth it out and add to it when needed?

Doesn't exist I know of...
You are either 'On Grid', or you are 'Off Grid'.

Excess solar power *Can* be put back on the grid, it's called 'Grid Intertie',
But every time the grid skips a beat grid intertie has to kick out and resyncronize before it can reconnect, and that's no where near fast enough to catch glitches in the grid.

What you are talking about, as far as I can tell, is a HUGE un-inturruptable power supply.

If there is nothing on the market- any detailed designs available?

Thanks
Jay

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I'm sure there is something, but I have no idea where to find it.
Huge computer farms would have to have what you are talking about,
But they are actually finding it more efficient to do solar, charge batteries, and run off inverters.

What I do is run the small stuff off panels/batteries, and fire up the big engine generator/welded for the really heavy stuff.

ur20v said:

Can anyone recommend a ’generator’ that can handle 180/200 amp MIG welder able to handle approximately 240v/16amp supply or approximately 4000W. Needs to be able to handle the load and function while being charged from the mains. we live remotely and the mains supply is poor, when trying to weld the voltage drop is to large so need the generator to act as a buffer.

If there is nothing on the market- any detailed designs available?

Thanks
Jay

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My 175/210 mig needs a 30 amp feed... I don’t think your 180/210 will operate on 16amps... you could always build one from a mpp 48v... they output 5KW... that would be about 20amps or you could get a 6KW aims or similar... you will need a lot of batteries to do it... and it’ll be large to say the least.

Thanks guys.

I don’t want a grid tied generator, but mentioned this as I want to being able to charge from the grid as I don’t want solar...yet. Also I don’t need to be able to weld for hours at a time so battery capacity doesn’t need to be massive. This is for projects around the house, not a fab shop / business.

New 180/200 amp MIG’s I am looking at draw approximately 16 amp’s... I am not talking plug type here but continious supply current, this will be on a 30 amp plug on any system to be able to supply 16amp’s I am sure, I also know the in-rush amp’s at arch strike is much higher.

Lastly know I can get a suitable 6KVA+ petrol or diesel gen set but would prefer a battery/inverter system if available and not cost prohibitive For other projects.

any thoughts?

16A @ 220V? My little 90a mig demands 20A. It wont begin to run on a 2kw generator. FWIW

I run 50a loads for 10-15 minutes all the time on 235ah of lead.

Have you had issues with a welder on your supply before?

I have had several cases of old/bad/corroded wiring/terminals causing problems in old barns/sheds.
AC wiring isn't very well protected against the elements, fog, humidity, time are hard on exposed AC wiring, and 'Common' AC wiring isn't protected against the elements.

Remember the old 'Tombstone' Lincoln 'Buzz Box' welders?
They were transformer welders and the reason every farm had one is because they WORKED.
I'm aware you don't want to run a MIG gun off transformer power, I'm using it as an example.

*IF* you look for a welder with a transformer (opposed to 'Solid State' Rectifier) the 'Drop Out' or 'In Rush' you talk about won't be nearly as much with a transformer instead of rectifier welder.
Copper transformer welders are usually professional models, while 'Consumer' models are Rectifier or Aluminum transformers.
I watch for the older copper transformer models and rebuild them,
There is ALWAYS a waiting list for copper transformer welders, the bigger/heavier the transformer the more professional welders want them...

Just curious, how big of MIG wire are you using to need 160-200 Amps?
Common MIG welding is done at 12-18 volts and 20-30 Amps.
A 65 Amp car alternator can easy burn common MIG wire,
There are little 'Bird Shit' MIG guns that run off a 12 Volt car battery...

It's up to what you want to do,
If the power supply is spotty, I would do a visual inspection for problems, a bunch of that can be cleaned up for free.
A corroded up 30 Amp outlet is a $30 fix, and trust me, I've seen hundreds that fertlizer, moisture, crud have corroded up so badly you would be lucky to light a bulb off them...
*IF* it's an old barn/shop, like 70s or older, it might very well be too small of supply wiring/fuse/breaker box.
People were still putting 60 amp supplies in barns/shops/garages in the 70s...
Add 50 years of corrosion, and 60 amps becomes 20 amps.

Visual inspection cost nothing, just have a look to see if you see bright/shiny copper in your outlets/breaker box...

2 Honda EU3300si generators paralleled would get'r done for sure. A pair of 2200's may also be just enough. You could alternate gensets when charging to balance runtime.
A 3300 can be paralleled with a 2200 or 3 2200's can be paralleled as well. I used the banana receptacles to a 2 breaker box to make my parallel "cable" That way both gensets are shipping out juice on a dedicated line vs unit 1 sending it to unit 2 & unit 2 shipping it out to the load. I avoided the companion model that way.
For grounds I used a 15 amp plug on each generator with only the ground pin connected.

I am planning to buy a new ESAB smart welder again, so no issues with corrosion etc.

Some of the projects will be in the bottom field so no chance of just running an extension lead over that distance and welding 3-4mm thick steel. But I do plan to install a dedicated 30A socket on its own circuit ready.