Generator Plus a Welder or Engine drive Welder/Generator? Part 1

What should you use? A generator plus welder or an engine drive combo welder/generator? 

The average portable repair business in times past pulled up to the job site with a full service truck along with a nice engine drive welder mounted to the bed with at least 100 to 1000 feet of welding cable. It would be equipped with Oxy/Acetylene to handle the cutting aspect and a smattering of grinders, drills, and hammers locked up somewhere on the service body.  Today, it is not uncommon for a guy to pull up in a small pickup, unload a generator, and wheel it close to the item to be welded.  From there, he’ll pull out a few tools out of his truckbox and grab a small inverter welder and some relatively short cables off the floorboard on the passenger’s side and proceed with the repair.   The inverter welder of course will be powered by the generator.   While this type of portable welding repair business may not seem as professional as pulling in with a fully tricked out welding truck, it has become a common sight in many urban and rural areas.   It’s not that you’ll find these guys on Month long or 6 month long welding jobs or on any pipeline job but you do find them where a quick in and out repair is needed or where the customer may be looking for more of a bargain priced repair.   What do these guys know that no one else does?  Are they making money? Are they staying busy?  Is this a convenient way to run a welding repair business?  Is this a viable and professional alternative?  All these questions are valid.  Over the next few installments of this blog, we’ll take a look at the advantages, and disadvantages of having each type of setup and try to answer these questions.  Surely there is something to it right?

Look for the follow up to this artible soon in Part 2.

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