So last Thursday the starter on my Honda air compressor died, at minus thirty Celsius... I was less than impressed at this! I did eventually get it going with the pull chord and got through the day. What really wound me up is that I saw the starter was on it's way out so bought a new one but didn't fit it as it was cold and was still working at the time... Anyway after that ordeal I got on the phone and ordered a Miller 302 Airpak to replace my trailblazer and separate Honda air compressor. My question to the knowledgeable collective is; Mounted on the top side of a service truck, would you use a cover for the unit? I'm currently in a harsh mining environment with coal dust, snow, and all manor or pain. I've heard folk say that with a cover they sweat and will fail prematurely? Without one, sure, the damp and dust gets in but goes away. So what is the answer? I'd really like to look after this investment the best I can!
Good question ? All my welders are mounted behind the truck cab on a deck between the bed . With exception once in awhile will set a unit on the back of the bed . http://www.heavytruckforums.com/showthread.php?263-Some-Holmes-750-action&p=1903&viewfull=1#post1903 We never cover any of the welder units . The trucks do get parked under roof when not in use . If I was to do a top mount on a service bed like you are would probably be inclined to cover the welder to shield " salt spray " off the road to and from the job in winter months . Or if the truck sets out side all the time .
We have a 302, ordered a cover a few weeks after we put it on the truck. Had good intentions of using it religiously, but good intentions and reality are sometimes quite far apart. Usually, when you're done using it you are in a hurry to get back to work, and since you have to let the exhaust cool off before you put it on anyway, the cover gets thrown in the backseat and there it sits. The covers fit very well, with it on properly nothing can really get under it. Congrats on the decision to get one. We wouldn't trade ours for anything, unless we wanted something bigger. We don't do any carbon arc, very little plasma cutting (we have a Spectrum 875), and have never bothered to mount a storage tank for the compressor. It will run any half-inch impact pretty much steady, and a three-quarter to an extent. We don't have a dryer on ours, I would strongly suggest one. Also, it's done it since new, when it's really cold out, you have to set the switch to jumpstart to kick the engine RPM up or it won't do it automatically on the 28 or 31 CFM air settings. One more thing, the compressor uses Mobil1 synthetic ATF, and the filters are only available through Miller. If you do a lot of jump starting, you will really appreciate the battery charger. We did not spend $400 for the Miller charging cables, instead we sourced the Anderson plug, and built our own with 2/0 welder cable. Spent around $150, and have 30' jumpers. The charger can be a bit problematic if you have a less than good battery, it senses battery condition and won't charge semi-good batteries very well. Good thing is the jumpstarter will light up most anything even if the batteries aren't the best.
I have had a heavy cotton canvas cover (about 30 bucks from tractor supply) on my old hobart for 4 years now and have had no issues with underside condensation...it has kept the weather and road salt out of the unit and I don't mind taking the time to uncover / recover the welder. Regards, bob
Miller has a cover but a lot of guys go to an upholstery shop and have custom covers made for welders. This way you can have an opening for the exhaust, air, front panel, etc. so you can leave the cover on when it's real cold. Kind of like a truck winter front where you can close off as much or as little as you need.
something I saw a few weeks back on a new service truck was they has built a aluminum box around the welder with doors that were hinged to open up with latches on it, front opened but had the quick connect ends that hung out the bottom. looked like it would keep the sticky fingers away also!!
Like FSERVICE said. You could put it on slides as well so it would come out for services. Mine is a little different set up but has a hydraulic table that slides out of the box. Really like it because it stays inside and out of the elements. Does have some drawbacks, can't be too close to anything on that side or it won't slide out. Can be ran inside the compartment but builds a lot of heat and not much ventilation for engine intake air
I've gone through several of the miller covers you slip on when not in use, my main reason was to keep snow and ice out of the welder when not in use, in my opinion they are a complete waste of time, money and effort, wind as you drive rips them apart in no time. My welder sits on top of one of my top boxes, completely exposed and out in the open, makes service and maintenance nice, but there is nothing to protect it either. The cover I liked the best was a homemade unit, the guy built the box larger than the welder, had both sides on hinges, and all the rest of the panels had slides you slid in, were held in place with one bolt on each panel and it took a few minutes to slide all the slides out and then it was designed so you could take any cover off the welder with no issues of the frame getting in the way, didn't have a camera with me that day to take a photo of it, but he showed it to me and how it worked, really slick and his was made of galvanized steel to boot, nothing to paint, fatigue crack or rust. If I recall, it had louvers of sorts that were also adjustable in the sides, so in the summer he opened them up and left them alone, and in the winter he shut them down so it kept some heat in and not over heat the welder. If I recall, he also had about four bolts that you took out and the entire homemade cover assembly came off leaving just the welder sit exposed.