looking at getting new stick welder .looking at miller XMT 304 any suggestions wanting stop using engine drives all the time. equipment repair and fab work ,hard facing :
We have the xmt and it is a great machine. We run a suite case off it and stick weld. Have not tried to tig with it yet.
we have an older (5years max) xmt 356? havent had one issue since it showed up, the shop guys havent broken it yet.. its just set up for smaw and gmaw, and gouging.
the welding supply house has a used xmt 350 and suit case feeder but it's a 2008 model says it's only ran one spool of wire. I already have about 4 or 5 wire feeders that I don't use and they want what I can buy a new bare machine for. I am looking at the XMT304 or XMT350cc/cv. I only have single phase at the moment but that will change eventually. I haven't had an electric machine in almost twenty year's they have all been engine drives so just trying to see what everybody is having good luck with.
I've had a XMT 304 for 5-6 years now running on 240 single phase. Beautiful machine. I use it for MIG & stick. I've gouged a bit with it but prefer to use one of my old junk machines for that. I haven't hooked mine up to TIG yet but have used them at other places. It is night and day difference between the 304 and my older 200 Millers and Lincoln stick welders. No "sweet spot" as it works perfectly at any amereage or volts. I'll drag a cord quite a ways before firing up an engine welder. I have no experience but a couple local welding shops noticed a huge difference in current draw after switching to inverter welders. They said the electricity bill went to nearly half vs. the old boxes. 15+/- welders running constantly all day. No AC option but otherwise always my goto machine. I picked it up slightly used with a feeder and cart for $2400.
XMT 350 MPa, great machine, I run stick, tig, dual shield and inner shield. I run off of it a push/ pull wire feeder and LN-25's feeders. Been using it recently to run my bore welder. 240 single phase.
Used to have a 304, not all of them will but look for one that will run single or three phase. Fantastic unit, made me look like a good weldor.
Just bought a pair at work. They are fantastic. The Dynasty TIG is straight up amazing after being used to old transformer machines that won't hold an arc down low. The MPA runs spray and alum with a push-pull gun like no other. On clean steel fab, I have had to forget I ever short-arc migged. Spray is just so much better out of position and runs with virtually no spatter. Greyson
Dynasty only have heard great things about them from guys who fab a lot of one off stuff for deep oceanographic science type work. Maybe next year I will pull the trigger on one, till then just dream about it.
What kind of feeders do you have? We're looking for a good wirefeed for the shop.
In the field the older LN-25 is my choice. I haven't heard anything bad about the Millers, just always have run the Lincoln myself, seems like that's all I see too, says something.
What is the advantage of the MPA over a XMT with pulse box, lower cost?