Arc welding with batteries?

Freeride · Sep 11, 2006

Anyone ever done it, and how well does it work? I've used a big AC arc welder and have the hang of it pretty good. So with using 2 12V batteries in series for 24V, how thick can I do? 1/4"? How much welding can I do? Can I do DC+ and DC- ? I have 2 exide orbital blue tops, are those enough?

I had a little incident over the weekend where an onboard welder would have been handy...

Symon623 · Sep 11, 2006

Done it many times with red top Optimas. Never ran em dead, did shock mounts, frames, spring hangers, steering, and even a oil pan once, all trail repairs. Polarity might depend on your rod. I always ran the leads -/ground and +/electrode. Get a good universal rod and you'll be good, I used 6013 I believe. Maybe not the best but it always worked.

Make sure you disconnect the rest of your electrical system before putting into series. I also used good jumper cables instead of actual welding leads. Served as a dual purpose if needed.

Good luck

TreeClimber · Sep 11, 2006

SysWillys said:
Done it many times with red top Optimas. Never ran em dead, did shock mounts, frames, spring hangers, steering, and even a oil pan once, all trail repairs. Polarity might depend on your rod. I always ran the leads -/ground and +/electrode. Get a good universal rod and you'll be good, I used 6013 I believe. Maybe not the best but it always worked.

Make sure you disconnect the rest of your electrical system before putting into series. I also used good jumper cables instead of actual welding leads. Served as a dual purpose if needed.

Good luck

Exactly correct.

I carry jumper cables that I made myself by buying double ought (00) guage wire from the local welding supply, and soldering on an old set of jumper cable ends. They work good (sometimes too good).

What you'll need is two good batteries. A short battery to battery connector. Good cables. Welding rod. and some form of good eye protection.

I'm a decent wire feed welder, but a lousy stick welder. But have watched countless repairs on the trail this way. Including a guy with a TJ, who tore his entire front end bracketry away from the housing in the exact middle of the Golden Spike trail in Moab. Kevin (JPFREAK) welded it back together and it looked great. More importantly, he was able to drive it out when we were done.

Classic example of helping a fellow wheeler out, as he wasn't even from out group. His group left him, because they were going to go back to town to try and find a portable welder.

T

TacOffRd · Sep 11, 2006

Brad (Trailtoy1993) welded his driveshaft back together out at the rocks this weekend with three Red Tops hooked together for 36V and then he wheeled the rest of the day with it.

TB-F · Sep 11, 2006

I have done this many times using 2 bateries with diferent leingth cables to conect the bateries, the idea is longer conecting cable=more resistence=less voltage and vice-versa. I use 7018 1/8 or 3/32 rod and have welded shackel mounts, exhaust, cross-members, shock mounts, and steering pieces. It works ok, I run reverse polarity (ground - electrode +) My favorite onboard welder I have used is the ready welder FCAW spool gun:; that thing screams.

crash2 · Sep 11, 2006

I just use the wire feed

but 24v is perfect :;

426rider · Sep 12, 2006

I tried it once with some cheap, thin rod but it didn't work hardly at all. I now carry 1/8 6011. I haven't tried it again yet but that is the rod I do most of my welding with and I think I would do better with it.

Spolar93 · Sep 12, 2006

cant go wrong with 7018 in either 1/4" or 3/8"

GaryTJ · Sep 12, 2006

works fine but of note... Welding rod does not work well after getting wet. Find a good waterproof container to keep it in your rig.

Freeride · Sep 12, 2006

GaryTJ said:
works fine but of note... Welding rod does not work well after getting wet. Find a good waterproof container to keep it in your rig.

Depends on the rod. 6013 works fine wet. 7018 is a low-hydrogen rod and must be kept in a rod oven before use.

CrustyJeep · Sep 12, 2006

Freeride said:
Depends on the rod. 6013 works fine wet. 7018 is a low-hydrogen rod and must be kept in a rod oven before use.

Was gonna say... You don't want to try to use 7018 tha's been in your rig for last six months...

Spolar93 · Sep 12, 2006

ive had good results after just keeping it in a pvc tube with end caps under my seat.

no excuses · Sep 12, 2006

GaryTJ said:
works fine but of note... Welding rod does not work well after getting wet. Find a good waterproof container to keep it in your rig.

:haha: :haha: I used to use 6011 under water, do not think it can get much wetter then that :flipoff: :redneck: .

kegwilliams · Sep 13, 2006

welding!

i've had the great oppertunity to battery weld a number of times to get home off the trail. I used the dual red top's with the battery cables and i cary the insert glass out of a welding helmet. you can actualy lay a great bead if you can see, but i did have a problem once that i thought you guy's should know. I had a time when the battery cable clamp on the battery arced and it melted half the top post of the battery. that lead melted quick. just a heads up, make sure they are tight. i was going to build some tighter conections on the battery end but have been to buisy/lazy to do anything about it. anyway works well, it has gotten me and my group homw manny a time. some good one's. flatty sheered the sheer pin on rear axle, welded the axle to the hub. drag link broke at the tie rod ends, both sides at once, welded them up and was able to wheel the rest of the wekend 2 days. shock towers and drive lines each a couple of times.

anyway good luck!