Off Grid Welding : 3 Techniques for On-the-Go Trail Repairs

[@4wdtennessee459]

Merlin’s old school garage has a video of how to convert an alternator to where you have 110 power or can weld. It’s the setup he uses on towmater.

[@otatime2655]

Saw that video considering to do it with my FJ

[@jaywebb3105]

That Merlin is pretty sharp on a lot of stuff. He's quite a character...lol

[@dylanromine4101]

After seeing this im conviced merlins idea was created by tearing apart a premier welder

[@4wdtennessee459]

It will be the way I go if I can comprehend what to do lol

[@dylanromine4101]

@@4wdtennessee459 i just bought all the parts to build that setup

[@mridaho7871]

Don't be too hard on Josh, I was stuck in that traffic for 7 hours along with him. Those Shriners were crazy, the green one did close to 20 mph in its 1/8 mile run. You should keep a variety of rods in your box so you can pick the best for the job you're doing. 4 or 5 of each should do.

[@psg6314]

I did the two batteries welding for my uncle he is 87 and said he would never had thought about using the batteries great video keep up the good work God bless from GA and stay safe

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Spool gun might welding is a good Option for Trail welding

[@frankmeszaros1357]

An alternator has diods built in making it DC. Back in the 1950's they used a generator creating AC, converted it toDCuseing in external unit on the inner fender or firewall.

[@rocklanderoffroad]

Great video, my buddy and I have been discussing welders here lately! Only a REAL friend rolls over and goes back to sleep!!! Love it The DR P was pure class

[@bleepinjeep]

Right on!

[@freeidaho-videos]

Good video idea and execution. The battery welders should carry different diameter welding rods to help mitigate the non-adjustable nature of welding with batteries. 7018 is a great choice for strength, especially on alloy steels but is hard to start, and sticks to the weld a lot. Technique can overcome this, but it is still hard to start. As a welder I have always winced a bit when people say this "it isn't pretty, but it is strong." This is a crutch to keep them from feeling bad. Anyone that has had their welds tested for strength knows differently. The consistency of weld depth, penetration, width, and metal wetting is what makes a weld strong, and coincidently makes it pretty too. This could be a topic for another video. "Ugly but strong welds???" The Premier Power Welder is a top notch device, however there are ways to get basically the same thing by converting an alternator for a little bit in parts. I think Merlin's annoying garage has put out a video on this topic, as have others. A youtube search will easily find these. Thanks for the video.

[@walterharvey2613]

I have welded in the woods with acetylene with coat hangers, great content.

[@davesargent6163]

even when i'm not too keen on the subject matter, you and colt always seem to produce great content. thanks!

[@bleepinjeep]

Glad you enjoy it! Thanks

[@browning7750]

Glad to see the wonderful & beloved TSA is exemplifying the utmost security and integrity by confiscating Colt's masterpiece! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@bleepinjeep]

It's unfortunate because it had the support to hold up to the hammer test.

[@redfred9913]

Great video. Think I like Colt’s best, cost wise/get you off the trail wise.

[@welndmn]

If bleepy wants to come out to California I’ve got 2, a ready welder and a homemade portable mig that uses wheel chair batteries

[@jakequaempts5234]

Merlin’s old school garage did a video on welding and converting your alternator

[@fullswing2315]

Awesome video! We carry a Lagace welder with us, I like it because it's wire feed with controllable wire speed. Hooks up to 2 batteries as well, but they also sell a step up transformer option so you could use only one battery. 400 for welder alone or 550 with transformer. I do not have the transformer so I can't speak on that but would have been cool if that was in this comparison. I welded my failed 3 link cross member back on one time using it and was able to finish the trail and drive about 40 hwy miles back home......life saver!

[@lagacewelders2236]

Thank you I appreciate your support and yes it would have been wonderful if one of mine was in this comparison video

[@fullswing2315]

@lagacewelders2236 Absolutely! Your trail welder has saved me and multiple others, great setup!

[@lagacewelders2236]

@@fullswing2315 well I am happy to hear that and I definitely appreciate your support

[@toniperez5406]

Karnage and Fast Weld have fully portable wire feed welders with their own batteries that give you about 20 minutes of weld time . We used my Fast Weld one to re attach 2 lower control arm brackets and drove the Jeep off the trail

[@chipprice1174]

I have a Ready Welder. It's similar to the spool gun that was shown in the video, but with more functions. "If" you a 6V battery, and a gas bottle, you can weld aluminum, or steel. It is set up to run Flux, or with a bottle, you can mig weld. With either one 12V or a 12V and a 6V battery, you can weld pretty much any thickness of aluminum. With the amperage of multiple batteries, you can run any thickness of steel, at least anything you'd find on a trail rig. I have two extensions, those and the ~10'' of the initial welder set up, I can weld nearly 50' from my Jeep (with out removing my batteries and just disconnecting them and putting them in series) The gas bottle is small, and has to connect to the main spool gun/10' lead from power source. Most of what I have done repairs on has been flux core .035 wire. Upside, can weld anything for the most part, Downside, carry extra tips as flux tends to mess them up, and also carry a torch tip cleaning tool(for the tips) And once one person knows you have a welder, you become very popular of rides.

[@DB-yj3qc]

And up to 3 or 4 12v batteries. It's what I went with decades ago, even bought a second one.

[@robertryan3263]

Karnage welder ftw. I love mine.

[@MattBrownbill]

Just got to make sure it was charged from when it was last used. But, yeah, they do look very good.

[@joeobremski5331]

@@MattBrownbill that is my recommended storage procedure. When I'm cleaning up my rig to park it after a run: clean out the cooler, recharge the welder if it was used, restock tools consumables (zip ties, bailing wire, quarts of fluid that might have been used) and general maintenance (checking bolts, common parts that loosen/wear out). I like to park the rig ready to go because if an emergency rescue comes up I may not have time to do it all before I leave.

[@jtjwrangler]

Karnage welder is around a grand but completely portable with built in battery and leads to hook 2 batteries to if needed longer weld time

[@MrMrsregor]

Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to check it out. I have the “ready welder” but like the idea of the built in battery

[@thousandoaksauto1696]

Matt, Colt, Josh, that was Fun - awesome!!! Matt, that was very innovative, interesting & didn't expect that ending, always have to test the results! Cool Man, Thanks.

[@bleepinjeep]

Glad you enjoyed it! What should we try next?

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I belive the best option is the premier power welder especially since you can add a Spool gun if you can afford the cost

[@edwardsimmons3721]

I really like this challenge. Always something going wrong while on the trails. Thanks.

[@bleepinjeep]

You bet

[@22trident45]

Good video it really helps one think about emergency fixes.

[@forreststrong797]

Ive looked at a lot of welding solutions and the premier is really nice except I have a special alternator that I like so I don't want to use their alternator, I do have room for a 2nd alternator and I thought about that. Also I'm not good at stick welding, I know stick is probably the best for offroad conditions but I really am not good with stick. I think the karnage welder looks really good thats actually currently my top choice. Eventually I'm going to buy some sort of onboard or portable welding setup. I also dislike Flux core welding but I feel like Flux core is much easier for me to deal with than stick. I want a good setup, I didn't purchase one yet because last time I went to buy one I was really having a hard time making up my mind on what I wanted I almost purchased the karnage that's my top pick. But I decided to hold off and really think about which welder setup i want. I like my current alternator I don't want to replace it so if I ran the premier I'd need to run their alternator as a 2nd alternator. I could easily fit a 2nd alternator but I just don't need it and it's one more thing to possibly fail and I work really hard to keep my rig ultra reliable. I also don't like stick welding so that also works towards ruling out the premier. I really like how the premier is ran off the vehicle and you have some adjustment and it's only limited by how long you can run the engine. Im going to shop around again and see what I can find. I'd love to hear what others are using for onboard welding plus recommendations.

[@bleepinjeep]

Well here was 3 options, then there’s the karnage, and a diy alternator welder. I think that’s about it other than bringing a generator and true welder

[@forreststrong797]

@@bleepinjeep yes these are great options I love how easy it can be with limited gear to weld on the trail. I'm just sorta picky. I have had so many problems with parts store alternators over the years so I got a alternator from DC power with a billet case and I freaking love that thing. There used to be a local guy who had a small wrecking yard and he'd also rebuild starters and alternators and I could go to him to put me together a quality alternator or upgrades but that place is long gone so I was using part store alternators new or reman and they were such junk. I've been so happy with DC power alternator and talking to those guys I really want to keep my alternator so that kinda rules out the premier. I'm sure premier offers a quality alternator but with my want to keep my current alternator and me not being a good stick welder it's pushing me in other directions. I suppose I would probably just practice with stick if that was the only obstacle. But anyways I'm willing to spend the money for a nice setup I do a lot of repairs for other people usually and I also just want something that's easy and user friendly I think the karnage is probably what I'll get I like that it's completely portable and battery powered for short use but you can hook it up to battery's and I have dual battery's in my rig. I also like that the karnage is not a spool gun ive had problems messing with those. Then karnage offers a mount/holder for the case to store it in the jeep which is great im all about making sure my gear is secured in the jeep. Karnage offers cables to hook up to batteries with an Anderson connector but I think I'd make my own cables with actual terminals instead of their jumper cable type clamps for a good connection like shown in the video that seems like a great idea i can imagine those jumper clamps could get finicky under load. I think I can make the karnage work for my needs and I'll probably go that route. But it's interesting searching for other options and seeing what people use or make themselves. I was even looking at portable welders not necessarily made for the offroad market. I was also thinking since I have a power tank maybe I could put together some sort of setup that uses co2 for shielding gas instead of Flux core I've never used straight co2 before I usually use an argon mix and I don't know a whole lot about welding and different gasses and everything. But from what I read Flux core or stick is preferred on the trail because it can be used in nasty windy conditions plus I don't want to get too complicated, the co2 was just an interesting thought since it's already there. I know it would be tough or nearly impossible to match the performance of my modern miller machine at home running on 220 but I'd like to make it as easy as possible for myself out on the trail.

[@bryan_9288]

If you wanna easy way to control the RPMs on the wj. I use the super chips F5 tuner. It lets you adjust the idel speed very easily in 100rpm increments all the way up to 2000 if I remember correctly. I use mine when im winching alot or heavy loads. Just a suggestion.

[@bleepinjeep]

Thanks for the tip! Using that tuner, what input device do you have to control the rpm?

[@bryan_9288]

@@bleepinjeep it just plugs into the OBD port, and it just a little hand held deal. Its no bigger then and old school ipod. I keep mine in the glove box. You only need it pluged in when using it. Then when your done just unplug it and throw it back in the glove box.

[@garychaiken808]

Thank you. But you should do a part two and go visit Merlin’s old school garage. He shows how to use an alternator. 😊

[@oldinuselesshancox5194]

Greetings from the other side of this gem we've FUBAR, thanks for Excellent post, Always good ta see some different ways 🤔 if that disk was concave could be little overlanding fire thingy 🤙🖖

[@BubbasBikeBarn]

That WJ has a rev limiter you can pin out on the PCM that is kicked on while in neutral or park. You would have to do the same if he every swapped to a manual transmission. Had to do this to a 79 Toyota truck when adapting a Tacoma 5 speed to a Lexus 1uz v8. Otherwise, the computer would only let it rev to like 3500 because it thought it still had an automatic that was in park or neutral. I like how Merlin modifies his alternators to do a similar thing as the Premier welder. I did this with my 98 Suburban tow pig, along with a duel battery setup under the hood.

[@bleepinjeep]

Good to know thanks!

[@Derf1313]

Ya mean you wouldn't drag an old Contental trailer mounted welder into the woods?!? What have I been doing?!? Lol!! Good comparisons & knowledge... Thanx !

[@mikecostello9671]

I installed a thumb wheel with some threads on the gas pedal in my CJ7 to hold a high idle for winching etc. Just like the knob on that WJ but in the vehicle. Nice welds lol

[@rtmsound1877]

If you do this again, you should add the Karnage Welder to the mix.

[@kwahyttam]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

[@StormbornJKU]

I’ve done stick welding for all of about 5 hours total. It’s not easy but not hard. I’ll likely never have a welder on the trail, but if I did I’d probably just do the cheapest option to get me back home and then fix things from there lol

[@bleepinjeep]

Ya, the cheap option is cheap and works but you still have to carry the right tools to make it happen

[@Hardlines_FullsendRc]

You guys need to get move videos out and tell people to go vote for you. You guys are falling behind,LETS GOOO PEOPLE ITS EASY TO VOTE!

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

there is a self contained mig box that has a battery built in (karnage welders) that's probably the most portable but also pricey.

[@rebootkid]

That's what I was thinking about. Karnage ain't cheap, but it seems to be the best option if you're taking a 'throw money at it' approach.

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

@@rebootkid yep its the most user friendly, I was personally thinking of taking the merlins old-school garage approach but I have a wj so the computer idle issue worries me . Maybe I can add a stand alone alternator?

[@bleepinjeep]

Ya we saw that at EJS this year and it seemed to work pretty good but was a bit pricey and they werent keen on letting me try it out for a video😆

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

@@bleepinjeep yea it's cheaper to buy a harbor frieght mig and generator lol 😂 I don't know why they wouldn't trust you guys with their welder though not like you guys ever stress test anything.

[@DeanJohnson67]

how about ?? Karnage Welder ? thoughts

[@jake-mv5oi]

Was hoping they'd show that. Seems like it has the best of all of them.

[@bleepinjeep]

I talked to them at EJS as it seemed like a nice option but they wouldn't sponsor one for the video, I don't know anybody with one, and I was too cheap to buy one 😩

[@Bumblebee4788]

#2 for the win

[@johnnykirkland611]

Good morning from N.E. Oklahoma love ya'll's video's

[@bleepinjeep]

Hey there!

very interesting video

[@bleepinjeep]

Si

[@anthonyraines5951]

Im kinda diggin that spool gun... And the TSA is a Joke

[@bleepinjeep]

they let me bring it in unwelded, just not after it was shaped more like a hammer

[@bc.epicadventures9567]

great video. ive never seen 3 ways to weld on the trail

[@bleepinjeep]

Thanks 👍

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

I should probably practice my stick welding in case I need to do this on the trails.

[@michaelturnblom]

Make sure the welding table won't catch on fire after you leave. Won't take long to burn woods down.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I would of went back to sleep if I was called at 2am

[@jameskendrick573]

Thanks Matt I needed that for real

[@geriatricginger]

Shame TSA kept it.. they certainly didn't earn it.

[@wiresmith2398]

They would have to be worth anything at all to earn anything. They aren't

[@abnpthfdr2934]

TSA would fuck up a wet dream!!! Best illusion of safety, ever!!!

[@4xBro69]

Hey @bleepinjeep some vehicles you can use the cruise control buttons whilst in park with park brake on to increase throttle. I know my 96 zj can do it and some work truck dodge diesels too in my experience!

[@bleepinjeep]

We will have to try that

[@aldymcpndg14]

I'm wondering if we can attach an ampere controller in line with the battery to control its amp.

[@samwalker3441]

When using the Premier, make sure that you are idling when you turn on switch for either 110 VDC or welding, If you don't, you significantly increase the chances of blowing out the voltage regulator.

[@bleepinjeep]

Good to know!

[@DB-yj3qc]

When you order one pick up a spare, years ago it was a recommendation to do that.

[@antiricergt]

Just learned that you are literally up the road from me. I’m in lenoir city TN so you are like 20 mins from me. I go to Kingston all the time. Seeing your videos gets me motivated to finish my 94 YJ. The transmission went out and I got rebuilt and I installed it. My dad got sick and passed away and I lost interest in the Jeep. I Need to put the radiator back in and couple odds and ends. I have a 2.5 auto with a 4in lift with 33.12.50s. I plan on doing a 5.3 Ls. I really need a building this rain and thunderstorms that we have almost every day isn’t helping stuff. Ps you need to do a YJ build! If you want you can 5.3 Swap mine for me 😅.

[@bleepinjeep]

Ya the rain has been legit this year!

[@pexandra]

Try adding about 2-3 metres of 2.5mm fencing wire in series to control welding curr

[@pexandra]

Control welding current. Works well and allows 20 to 40 mm bursts of perfect deep penetration welds before needing to cool the wire and the rod

[@jmit5650]

Colt have you every tried using 6010 or 6011 welding rods?

[@NMTrue]

....some funnee....ShL+.....& great informaiton!

[@Wheelingoffthewrench]

Gotta make things that fit in flat rate boxes. If it fits it ships

[@genedwg6689]

Did you see that welding at the off road wrecker games? BSF used the same techniques

[@bleepinjeep]

BSF used batteries, everyone else was pretty much using the Premier

[@kashmircuda]

the new Bun has wire speed now

[@jasonswiger5202]

Colt try 3/32 rodes instead of the 1/8

[@Stretch87035]

You should have asked Merlon to shownyou his welding setup. He uses his alternator to weld and nothing else. The alternator was adapted to weld by Merlon himself.

[@praack4563]

what a video- just to show that Mountain Dew loses out to Doctor Pepper!

[@bleepinjeep]

Mtn dew always loses!

[@OldDirtGuy]

I guy has to wonder if you could make a box with three motorcycle batteries in it to weld with. You could even set up a charge lead in your vehicle for to a single parallel plug for the batteries in the box so it was always ready. The whole thing would weigh as much or less than one car battery.

[@MattBrownbill]

150 amps sounds about right. I have a 150 mA parasitic drain on my Jeep that stops it starting after a week lol. Isn't electronics fun?

[@yumahawg]

i'm sure you could have taken over an air craft with that trophy

[@bleepinjeep]

But would I have??

[@traildevil67]

The power that enters your house in north America is 220v btw. You split it in the main box to 110v.

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

Actually it 2 wires each at 110 equating to 220 when they are tied together with a double pull breaker.

[@bleepinjeep]

the war of voltages is getting intense!

[@markifi]

where would we be without the transportation security administration

[@Brandon-ln8ze]

With the premier power welder having to have to vehicle running, would i still be able to weld on my vehicle the welder is in without shorting anything out?

[@scottyh72]

Yes. You just have to watch polarity.

[@bleepinjeep]

Yes, we always get comments about welding to vehicles…. I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to have the ground attached to the same metal you are welding on. Don’t make the electricity go through bushings, gears, bearings, or other wires. It takes the path of least resistance.

[@ramirocuentas5999]

I've a better option and cheaper tan the premier, with a inverter stick welder and a 10000w car inverter you can do better welds ,control heat off the welding and also use the power of the inverter for more devices

[@robertdavis6708]

Colt find an old welder and harvest the arc stabilizer from it. That sticking BS would drive me nuts.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

The nerd stuff 😂😂

[@jameskendrick573]

I hope that wasn't a late night bathroom accident 😂😂😂😂with that wrist

[@norcoredneck]

Should have calibrated your test bench with a full can of Dr Pepper.

[@bleepinjeep]

lol, sounds messy!

[@chopperchuck]

FYI the spool gun welder is flux core not MIG, Also its not a good idea to weld over flux core welds

[@katreniaclark]

Thank You Matt. Colt, Sorry about your "trophy" .

[@slickrock1371]

No mention, or link for the onx offroad challenge?

[@bleepinjeep]

I thought you guys had that memorized by now 🙁

[@slickrock1371]

The link makes it convenient, and we need to be reminded even when you put out a video. Now, you're in second place. When is the vote over?

[@slickrock1371]

@@bleepinjeep and now you're losing by nearly 600 votes.

[@michaelteel4917]

Are you using pos ground with the battery style?

[@joeobremski5331]

The wire feed with flux core would be using a positive ground. If you went with a gas option wire feed with solid core wire it would be a negative ground. Stick welding I have no experience with. Someday I may find time to learn stick ;)

[@michaelteel4917]

@@joeobremski5331 with stick it seems to work better with positive ground.

[@markzola8552]

Geeze TSA really confiscated Colt's trophy? How lame. I mean did it really appear to be a national threat? LOL...

[@granitesand78]

It’s 2am… hahahaha

[@kevinito4141]

When you weld vertical you never weld from the top to bottom. You always weld uphill! Js "Pro Tip" lmao but serious tho. Start at the bottom and work your way up!

[@TheRenaissanceBuilder]

Theres allot of misinformation about electricity in this video, but a good video nonetheless

[@bleepinjeep]

were no professionals, just a bunch of country bumpkins!

[@AnotherUnsociableOne]

I’m glad that Josh is not a butthead

[@damienaube9518]

Yes go see Merlin

[@leroywood5383]

Question can I go blind watching welding on my tv?

[@bleepinjeep]

Only if your phone or tv is too close to the eyeballs 👀

[@leroywood5383]

@@bleepinjeep thank you sir

[@tonystambaugh4422]

Why did they take hi

[@OldGuy70s]

Well when Were All Electric, the Battery Welder will be King............lol

[@BLAZIN_B18C1]

🤘🏼💪🏼🇺🇸

[@steven.h0629]

👍😎✊

[@OldGuy70s]

$1200 bk's & uP.......... Use the Batteries or a welder and Gen..........

[@smashthereds414]

Fisherman use a rod , welders use an electrode!!!! And if you really want to learn to weld , ditch the 7018 eloectode and try a skinny 6010 . That should let you know if you even can weld ... Bubblegum!

[@mahbriggs]

LOL! I professionally welded for 45 years, we always called the electrodes "rods."

[@slickrock1371]

Elon claims Twitter will match ad revenue split for video views with content creators at the same rate as KZbin, which is $0.018 per ad view.

[@zachrowe986]

Matt I get that all these tips and way's but the premier power welder for someone who doesn't have $$$ 1800 bucks I think option #2 is best for people that can't buy the premiere

[@bleepinjeep]

Ya, it just depends on your needs and wants I guess. Maybe if you were wanting a high amp alternator anyways for lot os light bars or something then it would make sense as you get 2 fixes for the price of one.

[@Landroverdude101]

Yeah... the Swiss Army trophy.. That looked like something that would cut a pilots throat... Or,,,, serve/set your in-flight drink on... Gotta just laugh at these modern times...

[@lynngraber4194]

Weld un

[@Gantzz321]

wait you tried to take the "trophy" on a plane in your carry-on? WHAT were you thinking?

[@bleepinjeep]

I was thinking, "they let me on with this in pieces, maybe they will let me on with it all welded up... nope"

[@HarryCane305]

Why do you turn the music up SO LOUD? try listening with ear buds.. bud. I have to turn up the volume to hear you, and then you blast music... why?

[@driver-xx2pl]

Lol, you scared the travel safety administration workers, what the ....

[@johnr3937]

Please don't use that background music again. That out of pitch harmony is giving me a headache.

[@timoldenburg2249]

😱 legally you can’t say off road “Olympics” 😂

[@jhaedtler]

Please tell KZbin to turn down the damn music volume! I have to chase the volume control! And for those that want to tell me to get an app, Get a life!

[@donnieburger3721]

sorry i dont get it why spend all that $$$$ building a rig and not put a onboard welder on it just seems nuts to me

[@bleepinjeep]

When you don’t have one, you never need it…. But when you do have one, it’s needed about every ride 😄