The Rig Is the Business
You know how to weld. The question is how to pack everything you need onto a truck and make money with it every day. A rig that's set up right means you're not making extra trips, not hunting for tools on a job site, and not losing hours to problems you could've solved at the build stage.
Every rig is different. A guy running pipeline in the Permian Basin has a different setup than someone doing structural repair and custom fab in the suburbs. But the decisions are the same — truck, machine, layout, consumables. Here's how to think about each one.
The Truck
You already know you need a 1-ton — F-350/F-450, Ram 3500, Chevy 3500. Diesel. The real decisions are more specific than that.
Flatbed vs. pickup bed. If you're serious about mobile work, flatbed. Not even close. You get more usable square footage, you can mount your machine, bottles, and boxes exactly where you want them, and you can fab your own setup to match how you actually work. A good steel flatbed runs $3,000–$6,000 installed, or you build it yourself. A stock pickup bed limits your layout and you'll outgrow it fast.
Mileage and condition. A truck with 80K–120K on a diesel powertrain has a lot of life left if it was maintained. Look at the frame first — surface rust is fine, structural rot is a walk-away. Check the bed/chassis mounting points if you're adding a flatbed. A solid used dually runs $20,000–$35,000. New is $45,000–$65,000 and up.
The stuff people forget: Working AC — you're in this cab all summer. A good charging system — you're running lights, a phone, maybe a tablet for invoicing. And tires. Dually tires aren't cheap, and bald tires on a truck carrying 3,000+ lbs of equipment aren't a gamble worth taking.
The Machine
You've run enough welders to know what you like. The decision is which engine-drive fits your work mix.
Lincoln SA-200 — If you're mostly running stick and you want a machine that'll outlive you, this is it. $3,000–$7,000 used. Parts are everywhere. No multi-process capability, but for pipeline and structural stick work, nothing else sounds like an SA-200.
Miller Trailblazer 325 — The Swiss army knife. Stick, MIG, TIG, and enough generator output to run your grinder and lights. $5,000–$7,000 used, $10,000–$13,000 new. If you're doing a mix of fab, repair, and structural, this is probably the move.
Lincoln Ranger 330MPX — Comparable to the Trailblazer. Multi-process, solid generator, good dealer network. $4,500–$6,500 used.
Miller Big Blue / Lincoln Vantage — 400+ amps, diesel-driven, built for heavy work. $15,000–$25,000 used. If you're pulling pipeline jobs or heavy structural contracts, this is what you need. For general mobile work, it's more machine than most jobs require.
The real question is match. Buy the machine that fits 80% of your work. If you land a job that needs more, rent up for that job. Don't carry $25K in iron on the truck for a job that comes twice a year.
Gas and Consumables Layout
You know what you burn. The question is how you carry it.
- Argon (TIG, MIG shielding) — 330 CF bottle, $250–$350 to own, $30–$50 per refill
- 75/25 mix (MIG on steel) — same bottle setup
- Oxy-acetylene (cutting) — two bottles, $200–$400 for the set
- Stick rod — 6010, 6011, 7018 minimum. Keep 7024 if you run a lot of flat/horizontal. $30–$60 per 50-lb box
- MIG wire — ER70S-6 for steel. 4043 or 5356 for aluminum if you run it. $30–$80 per spool
Bottle placement matters more than people think. Upright, chained, oxygen separated from fuel gas — you know the rules. But think about access too. If you're pulling argon three times a day, don't bury it behind the toolbox. Build the rack so the bottles you use most are the easiest to reach and swap.
Tools and Layout
You've got your own preferences here. But a working rig should have a system, not a pile.
What earns its space:
- 4.5" angle grinder — you'll touch this more than the welder some days
- Portable band saw or chop saw
- Plasma cutter — not mandatory, but once you have one you won't go back
- Oxy-acetylene torch set
- Clamps. More clamps. C-clamps, locking pliers, welding magnets, pipe clamps. The job that goes sideways is the one where you didn't have the right clamp.
- Tape, squares, levels, soapstone, paint markers
- Chipping hammers, wire brushes, ball peens, pry bars
- Socket set, wrenches, pliers — the stuff you'd have in any shop
What separates a good rig from a mediocre one is organization. Every tool should have a spot. Toolboxes, side boxes, or custom mounts — whatever works for you. But if you're spending 10 minutes per job digging through a pile in the bed, that's money you're leaving on the table every single day.
Safety gear that lives on the truck permanently: Auto-darkening helmet, multiple pairs of gloves (they wear out), FR clothing, safety glasses, ear pro, and at least two 10-lb ABC fire extinguishers. Mounted, accessible, not buried. You're throwing sparks on job sites next to grass, vehicles, and buildings. This isn't optional.
What a Rig Actually Costs
Three realistic tiers:
Working rig, tight budget: $20,000–$30,000
- Solid used 1-ton: $15,000–$22,000
- Used multi-process engine-drive: $3,000–$6,000
- Tools, gas, consumables: $2,000–$4,000
- You can take most jobs. You'll upgrade as you go.
Dialed-in rig: $40,000–$60,000
- Good used truck with flatbed: $25,000–$35,000
- Trailblazer or Ranger class machine: $5,000–$10,000
- Full tool loadout, plasma, bottles, storage: $8,000–$12,000
- This handles 90% of mobile welding work.
Full send: $75,000–$110,000+
- New or low-mile truck: $45,000–$65,000
- Premium engine-drive: $12,000–$25,000
- Plasma, band saw, full consumable stock, custom flatbed and storage: $15,000–$25,000
- This is a rig that's been refined over years of knowing exactly what you need.
Mistakes That Cost You Money
Wrong machine for the work. A Big Blue sitting on the truck doing residential handrail repairs is $20K of idle iron. Match the machine to your actual job mix.
No flatbed. You can make a pickup bed work for a while. But every welder who switches to a flatbed says the same thing — should've done it sooner.
Disorganized layout. Time on the job site looking for a fitting, a clamp, or the right rod is time you're not billing. The rig should work like a shop — everything in reach, everything in its place.
Deferred truck maintenance. The truck is the business. A blown transmission, a dead alternator, a bald tire blowout on the highway — any of these takes you off the road. Oil changes, filters, tires, brakes. Stay ahead of it.
One fire extinguisher. Carry two. Minimum. Mounted where you can grab them without thinking.
Build It for How You Work
Every welder's rig ends up different because every welder's work is different. The best rigs aren't the most expensive — they're the ones built by someone who knows exactly what they need on every job and set it up so it's all within arm's reach.
The rig evolves. Let it.