Page 21 - HIWT Fall 2012 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

MOTORCYCLE FRAME WELDING

By Elmer Swank,Jr.
CWI/CWE
HIWT Instructor

QUESTION:

I’m building a motorcycle and will have to do
some welding, adding pieces to the frame. Most
of the things I’m adding are 3/8” bar stock. At the
most I would need to weld some ¼” stock. What
would be the best welder for this application? Photo courtesy of Christopher & Jamie Kreitzer
Keep in mind I’m on a tight budget!

RESPONSE:
Most MIG welders of this type have recommended wire feed
It sounds like an interesting project. For that type of and voltage settings on the inside of the cover of the wire

fabrication, I suggest at least a 175-amp gas metal arc welder. feeder compartment. You should have a good, short circuiting
My experience with the smaller machines is that they work transfer with 120 to 130 amps and 19 to 21 volts.
adequately on 1/16” and 1/8” materials, but often lack the
amperage to properly penetrate on ¼” or thicker mild steel. I suggest making some practice welds and bend or break some
samples to check for proper penetration and fusion. The last

I would suggest using ER70S-6 filler wire if you are using mild thing you would want is for one of your welds to break. A
steel, or ER80S-D2 if you are using chrome-moly tubing. The manufacturer would qualify the process and the person doing
wire size should be .035”. The shielding gas can be carbon the welding to insure making quality welds that will be reliable
dioxide or argon/carbon dioxide mixed (75% Ar 25% CO ). and safe.
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