I bought a hobart 140 about 6mo ago and it does every thing I need it to. It will burn through 1/4 if you let it.

i have a hobart 140 and i love the thing,had it couple years now and its built a few derby cars.

Welders are a lot like motors.... you always want more. In most cases you can always dial down a bigger unit but you cant always make a smaller one bigger.

I dont think there is anything wrong with the unit your buying but try and get as much welder as your wallet will allow. You wont regret it down the road.

Most of the welders that will burn 1/4 are ok. I have used a friends smaller welder before. It works fine. The only problem I have is when welding on high for a long time such as welding on a bumper it shuts off. The duty cycle is just not that great on them. gets pretty aggrivating. I'd say you can go with a smaller welder like that but do a little research and get the best duty cycle you can.

i was just looking at hobarts today (i couldnt tell you the numbers on them) but i did notice that the duty cycle was 100% on them all

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/

 shows 20% duty cycle none of them are 100%

i have a 190 hobart which shows only a 30 % duty cycle but i have used alot and for hours on end and not once has it shut down on me............... I would not be afraid of that,  buddy of mine has a 140 and hes never had his shut down either

Well, anyone use a Lincoln 216?  I am picking mine up Friday.

I have a Lincoln 216. I bought it two summers ago and absolutely love it. I weld everything from sheet metal to "1/2 frequently with mine. You definitely won't want to weld with a 110 any more once you start using it, that's for sure. I actually like it better than the comparable Miller welders but I would not have any problem what so ever owning one of them either.

In conclusion, the 216 is a great welder. Your going to like it.

Well lets try this again. I know i posted once already to this but see it's not here.  I use to own a hobart 140 would kick out all the time when i was welding bumpers. Then i put in a seperate breaker for it and a GFI and it stopped. But i still could not weld for 20 minutes non stop never letting off the trigger.

I currently have a Matco 225 which works great up to 1/2. I am now looking at a Miller 252 or even a bigger one.

i own a 140. it does everything i need it to do. I have never had it shut off on me either. but i have never weldedtoo long without letting off the trigger (i'm not that good).

I used to weld only with my 140 to build cars, but it did shutdown from time to time.  Have since upgraded to a 220v welder and no comparison.  The 140 is just to take to the track now.

love my 140 autoset

Don't get me wrong here guys. I really like the smaller welder. It's easy to dial in and works great. If we are welding doors and sheet metal I auctually prefer it. I dosent kick out at all when welding on a lower setting. But if you have it on high and are welding for an extended period of time it is gonna kick out. You can help this by putting a big fan on it. The better the duty cycle rating is the longer you can weld in an hour. When using that welder and not my bigger miller, I just tend to have a few more beer breaks.

like stated before you were trying to go beond the duty cycle of the welder and as for the wiring the breaker could have been going bad, so it wouldnt handle as much of a load on it.  the outlet wouldnt have made a difference unless it was looked like it was melted or shorted out

I have a miller 211 and have had no problems with it at all. It seams like i can weld all day on it and never have to take extra beer breaks to let the welder catch up. mostly weld on 220 though.

I have a Hobart 140 and its a decent welder for what it is. If you can afford it,  double the money and invest in a used Miller  250 (or comparable)  I see em here and there on craigslist for around $800 to a $1000. I have a MIllermatic 250 and a gas Miller Trailblazer 250, Trust me, you'll be all done and drinkin beer while your buddies are still welding away with there 140s

get a new millermattic!! guarantee u will like it..