How to Choose the Best Welder Cart
Welding equipment is an investment that requires a good amount of gear that you’ll want to protect and use for years. We’re talking safety gear, welding consumables, shielding gases, wire, welding rods, welders’ pliers, magnetic squares, grinding tools…just to name a few.
The best way to protect all that gear and keep it handy when you need it is with a good welding cart.
A welding cart helps keep all your welding related tools in one mobile unit. A good welding cart has cable wraps to manage all the welding cables & hoses. It will have plenty of space for storing cylinders and hand tools. It’s a great investment that will keep you organized and help prevent accidents that could cause product damage or injury.
There are many options for welding carts on the market. Here are important things to consider when making your choice.
Know the physical dimensions of your welder.
One size cart doesn’t fit all welders. Welding equipment manufacturers tend to change the welder footprint when they release new models. Here’s what to look for:
- Measure the dimensions of the welder to make sure it will fit on the cart shelf.
- If you’ll store more than one welder on a cart, measure the headspace between shelves.
- If you have a wire welder, make sure there will be room for the wire compartment door to be opened to reload wire. The door will need to clear the lip of the shelf. An extra inch or two of width may be required.
The Metal Man UWC2XL Universal Welding Cart works with most models. The Metal Man UWC4 Heavy Duty Welding Cart has a larger top panel and extra headspace between the two shelves if you are needing to store multiple welders.
Consider the environment where you’ll be moving the welder.
Your welder cart will be loaded up with your welder, cylinders of shielding gases, and welding tools. In other words, it gets heavy. How easy will it be to move the cart where you need to weld?
If the ground floor is smooth and paved: Garages and shop floors are usually smooth, which makes it easy to push wheeled carts around. Get a cart with good quality wheels that won’t break down over time. Make sure to have casters that turn easily.
But what if you plan to pull your welding equipment outside from time to time? What does the outside surface look like?
If the ground floor is uneven or rough: Is your driveway paved or is it gravel? Will you work on the lawn instead? You’ll be happier with carts that have larger casters and larger back wheels. The UWC4 Heavy Duty Welding Cart comes with large 8-inch diameter wheels and 3-inch front casters. It even has locking front casters which will prevent your rig from running down an incline outside.
Using shielding gas? Make sure your cylinders will fit.
When MIG welding, you’ll need to safely store cylinders of shielding gas. If you weld additional types of metal, you’ll need to store multiple cylinders. Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminum all require a different mix of shielding gases. The good news is most carts have a cylinder storage rack.
- Check the maximum cylinder size so your cylinder will fit without damaging your equipment or creating a tipping hazard.
- Consider how many cylinders you will need to store and what your welding cart can handle.
Metal Man has welding carts that can store up to a maximum cylinder size of 80 cubic feet. Others will store cylinders up to 150 cubic feet. The UWC4 Heavy Duty Universal Welding Cart can store two cylinders up to 150 cubic feet or one cylinder up to 300 cubic feet.
Think about what you need to store now.
You’ve made a good investment in tools–your welder, grinders, welder’s pliers and an auto-darkening welding helmet aren’t cheap. Let’s work to keep them all safe and organized.
Carts like the Metal Man UWC2XL Universal Welding Cart, the TTWC1 Three-Tier Welding Cart, and the UWC4 Heavy Duty Universal Welding Cart feature a bottom shelf that stores and organizes all those welding tools.
Metal Man Welding Cabinets, such as the DWC1 Deluxe Welding Cabinet, EWC2 Mini Welding Cabinet and the TTWC3 Three-Tier Welding Cabinet & Cart have locking storage cabinets or storage drawers.
Think about what you’ll need to store later.
Don’t limit tomorrow’s projects by choosing something that only works for what you do today. Maybe you’ll weld materials that would require another cylinder of gas. Or maybe you’re thinking about getting a plasma cutter to complement your welder.
Get a cart with dual cylinder storage now–it will make everything easier to manage in the future. (The Metal Man UWC4 Heavy Duty Welding Cart is made for exactly this.) Or consider a cart/cabinet combo that can accommodate both a welder and a plasma cutter AND has the cable wraps to help manage all those welding and cutting cables. (For example, the Metal Man TTWC3 Welding Cart & Cabinet.)
Not only do you want the cart to handle your future project needs, you want it to last a long time. Look for a cart that has been coated with a powder coat finish, is made of sturdy metal, and comes with a product warranty.
Choosing a cart seems like a simple task, but consider all your current and future needs to choose the right cart, the first time, that will increase your productivity. As always, if you have any questions or want some more help choosing the right cart for your needs, give us a call. We’re happy to talk to you.
