heath robinson

Dermal dentricles... Not that sharks are vicious, but their skin's made of tiny teeth! Don't think chequer plate has quite the same effect. There's another one on there somewhere, a 110 where it's the top half that's covered in chequer plate. You could get the both, and make a hybrid defender/disco that's 100% chequer plate... And 100% taste-free.

Not directly related, but maybe this is the thread to ask in, why do you not see Tracta joints in our gear? Being in the process of replacing one on our Daf 4x4 I've been forcibly introduced to it, and it seems like a candidate for a Lee-type axle. Seems like a wide-angle, high strength alternative to CVs or UJs. I'm sure there's a good reason, but I can't think of it, or anyone more likely than you lot to be able to enlighten me.

I like the "6x6".... But actually 6x4 This, alternatively, has little or no chequer plate, and doesn't look too bad... Until you open the doors! Then the violent orange of those seats clashes with the bile-green of my vomit. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400423871403?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D400423871403%26_rdc%3D1

I don't know that even britpart could manage a 39.5-toothed gear...

No, I was comparing the Stazworks thing with the Pro-tools/JMR type things, as $800 (plus import etc. obviously. And I suppose accounting for the plummeting pound) for a hydraulic bender of that kind is quite competitive. You'd have to make a few alterations and a stand etc. to make it directly comparable, but I'd rather that than shell out the £1200 for the alternative. Anyway, probably best left for a different thread, when they send me more info.

Yeah, but I thought that sticking it on a post at 90 degrees like a pro-tools bender might solve that. At $800 it seemed worth asking for some more info, I'll be interested to see what they have to say.

I'm fairly sure that g and m tools must never, ever be mentioned again for the sake of my wallet and my sanity.

As a slight diversion, stazworks tube benders sound quite good.

Echoing Mr Wabbit's sentiments, what kind of pumps are they? I may be interested in one if it's big enough, and fits a ZF spicer box.

I think (from looking at one in my local welding shop) that almost any scratch-start gear will fit any appropriate welder, so long as the dinse plug on the cable fits the socket, and the torch has a gas flow/cutof control, and the amp rating matches up. As the gas doesn't go through the welder, all the welder knows of it is when the tip makes contact with the work piece. There are generic torches, regulators and the rest, that'll fit any scratch start rig, not that I'd recommend them over a known make, I just mean that you don't have to buy a Parweld torch just because you have a Parweld box. Looking at weldequip's offerings, it strikes me that a quick call to them or MigTig&Arc oryour local suppliers or whoever could sort you out with a torch to suit both you and your box. All the different backs, tips, flexi-heads etc. aren't things I understand, but I reckon someone might be along presently to enlighten us, with a bit of luck. I think that if I come to getting one, I'll give the guys I got the welder from a ring, and compare it to the weldequip one. That seems to be the best priced reputable one so far.

That I just don't understand. What's in there? And what happened to the rear arches?

"Could do with a few finishing touches"... I suppose that's one way to put it!

Hi all. Anyone know of a good value steel supplier in Somerset, around and abouts Yeovil/Sherborne, or one that'll deliver at a descent rate? I need about 18m of both 25mm square box and 25mm x 50mm, all 3mm wall, and about 7m of 6mm x 12ish mm flat bar. Cheers, Jake

Quick report, I went down to Inverter Fusion today, and got a 180MA from them (100% duty cycle at 160a at 40 degrees c! Essentially, at about 25 centigrade, it has a 100% duty cycle flat out). I have to say, nice guys, great service, and the whole lot (welder and heavy duty 400a cables etc) with a box of 7013 2.5mm rods and a box of 6013 4mm rods, for just less than the price of the welder alone from Mig Tig & Arc before postage. Not that Gary wasn't helpful mind. It's really nice to have bought something like this from a local company not just because they're local, but because it's the best tool for the job. Having spent the day overloading my car with some loverly oak, several hundred meters of beautiful canvas and a welder and rods, I haven't had time to fire it up yet, and tomorrow I need to pick friends from heathrow tomorrow, and have a spoon making workshop (leave it...) on Sunday, so I ain't going to get a chance to fire it up until Monday! Grrr. Dan, I spoke to a mate who owns a 175SE, and has used a Parweld 160, and he completely disagreed with me, and confirmed what you're thinking. The Parweld works better, harder, for longer, by his estimation. And for under £200 it's not to be sniffed at. Jake

Having looked at that Thermal Arc, I think that that would be a better bet than the 160, but it's probably much of a muchness. May have a bit better top end performance, but I've not used one to compare.

I'm going down to the Inverter Fusion factory in Honiton, to wave fistfuls of cash at them and see what kind of deal I can get. It's the same gear that Gary at Mig Tig and Arc suggested, but i though that as the factory was just down the road i might get an even better deal. Although Gary was by a little margin the cheapest I could find on line. I'm currently looking at their 180MA box, which is more than I intended to spend, but it really is made in Britain, and better yet made in the southwest, it has a high duty cycle, a good reputation, and I've seen one of these that's been used and abused by a foundry in chard, and although it was astounding battered and looked fit for the bin, it worked immaculately. The only reason I didn't have it in the running before was that I couldn't read the face plate... I tried the Parweld 160, and for most stuff, it's exceptional. Small, well made, really good little lump, and only £190 here - http://www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/welding/Parweld-XTI-160-MMA-Inverter-XTI160MMA.html. If the spectre of some really heavy plate welding hadn't reared it's head, I'd have bought it I think.

Is that the lump in the early L322s? Having done a bit of work on the TD6 rangies, I have to say that I'm not bowled over by their construction or performance, and neither is my much more knowledgeable mechanic mate. They're none too efficient, and a bit carp for a big vehicle. The performance of the L322 that we replaced the turbo on a few days back was pretty lack-lustre with the new one on, and the MPG was fairly pants for a modern diesel. The 3.5 Beemer in the more modern cars though... Wow. Yes please. 340bhp and 550lb/ft with just a chip!

Cummings 6bt and accompanying ZF 5speed? Sounds good, can hit 300bhp/1500lb/ft with little more than a change of injector tips and a few turns on the fuel pump screw, and a Daf 45 can be had for less than a grand in bad nick with a good engine and box, and the truck can be weighed in for a fair few bob. I know, it's big an heavy, and not a straight fit, and blah blah blah, but the noise it makes alone is enough to make me feel indecent! Coat. Hat. Gloves. Scarf. Door.

If you find a reputable seller, there's nothing wrong with second hand. We bought a £350 300tdi off fleabay which we put in, drove for a few days, then the head gasket went. The seller payed for the replacement head gasket, and even a bit for my time to fit it! He sounded genuinely shocked that it'd gone. The engine has survived a couple of years of horrid abuse at the hands of imbeciles (as a festival runabout) and pulling overloaded trailers, towed in deep mud, had the tits thrashed right off it to catch trains, planes and boats, and generally not been looked after very well, and is still going strong. I'm not advocating this behaviour (my mechanical sympathies feel very bad for it, in fact), I'm just trying to say that second hand isn't necessarily bad news. If you could find one that you (or a trusted grease-monkey) could have a look at, and maybe even hear running, you're away. You may be lucky, a post in the Wanted section on here might get you something reliable at a good price. It's amazing what folks like us keep in our sheds for little or no reason! Fitting took two days, two oily bodgers, a slightly worrying home-spun engine lift, and many cups of tea and biscuits. Anyway, hope that helps, Jake

Thanks, I've dropped him a line. It actually seems relatively hard to find an MMA welder with a high duty cycle for a 4mm rod. There's a 200A one on eblag (Chinese parts, English company) that claims a 100% duty cycle at 153A, with a 2 year warantie, and what reviews I can find seem good, but it is essentially Chinese. Cheap enough to almost be worth a punt, at £229. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271138436055?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 The other one I've been peering at is the Parweld XTi 160 (seems identical to Gary's thermal arc 161s, without the 110V ability), as my local welding shop recommended them, and said they've used one (older model) as their backup/loan welder for about 7yrs without a single issue! Also has a touch-start tig function. That I found on the bay for under £220 delivered, and it has a 60% cycle at 155A. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PARWELD-XTI-160-MMA-INVERTER-ARC-WELDER-TIG-WELDER-/281022458687?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item416e3e6b3f

Looks like it would need a bit of careful fitting to stop muddy water rotting things out. But a good design.

Have you ever seen www.kickstarter.com ? Maybe we could do something like that. Just an idea.

Looks like it wants a gurt aircraft engine in there!

I like the sound of them, if you can get the design strong and tidy, and keep the price reasonable (which I don't doubt), then I'd think there's definitely a market. Can you keep easy access to the fill and drain plugs without the whole thing filling up with gunk? Keeping the flange covered is always good, if only for modesty's sake...

Power isn't an issue, it's going onto what I'm quietly confident is the largest mobile solar rig in the country... I really wanted a few recommendations of makes, eBay has a bewildering array. Forkrentfitter, I may be being a berk, but I can't find a BOC site that has a welder on it. Any further clues? Thanks guys.