Which welder?

bucket said:

In this case it's something with the drive mechanism itself.

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I would check the rollers. Occasionally over time, especially after much use the grooves in the rollers can slightly enlarge due to wear thereby not maintaining constant and consistent pressure on the wire to pull it through and causing it to slip intermittently. Just a thought....

Paladin said:

I would check the rollers. Occasionally over time, especially after much use the grooves in the rollers can slightly enlarge due to wear thereby not maintaining constant and consistent pressure on the wire to pull it through and causing it to slip intermittently. Just a thought....

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Yep, the rollers are still fine too. The grooves even still have the little grippy knurles in them. I've tried adjusting in more tension for better grip just in case, and also less tension just in case it was adding too much rotational load to the rollers. It's been an issue for a couple years now and no amount of fiddling has changed it. So we just keep that welder on the spare truck and make the new guys use that one, lol.

FNG LOL
Eric

i was in your same situation. i bought the miller 140 auto set and taught myself to weld. it can be done. quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten. you wont lose money on a quality tool.

I have the Lincoln 180 HD and love it. I went with the bigger unit because I was planning on doing some frame welding while constructing a car trailer. Its been rock solid and welds great. You can just adjust the tip and wire size depending on what thickness you will be welding. I run .025" for sheetmetal and thin stuff and .035-.045" for big stuff.

So a little back story... I am no virgin to welding, and certainly not complaining about " crying once ". I have not looked at the Lincoln, I was just a little suspicious of the auto set feature on the Miller, and am not needing anything bigger cause Hobart ac/dc stick will due the rest. I just never had the skills to stick the sheet metal. Give me the miller bobcat, that i no longer own and turn it down and sheet metal was a breeze.
Eric

waterpirate said:

So a little back story... I am no virgin to welding, and certainly not complaining about " crying once ". I have not looked at the Lincoln, I was just a little suspicious of the auto set feature on the Miller, and am not needing anything bigger cause Hobart ac/dc stick will due the rest. I just never had the skills to stick the sheet metal. Give me the miller bobcat, that i no longer own and turn it down and sheet metal was a breeze.
Eric

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You got everyone's opinion, based on the fact you own a stick welder and know what to look for when you hit the metal buy it!

bucket said:

Yep, the rollers are still fine too. The grooves even still have the little grippy knurles in them. I've tried adjusting in more tension for better grip just in case, and also less tension just in case it was adding too much rotational load to the rollers. It's been an issue for a couple years now and no amount of fiddling has changed it. So we just keep that welder on the spare truck and make the new guys use that one, lol.

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I was having the same issue and I put Weld Aid lube pads on my MIG and this problem disappeared. https://www.amazon.com/Weld-Aid-Lube-Matic-Combo-Packs-Various-Available/dp/B06XYR7Z98

luna negra said:

I was having the same issue and I put Weld Aid lube pads on my MIG and this problem disappeared. https://www.amazon.com/Weld-Aid-Lube-Matic-Combo-Packs-Various-Available/dp/B06XYR7Z98

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Interesting!

Newer mig welders are a bit less reliable than older units. That being said, I have a newer dual voltage Hobart and I’m pretty happy with it. I also have an older Lincoln promig140 and it’s great on thin stuff.

I’d like to try one of the HF multi-process jobs. I hear mostly good stuff about them.

C10MixMaster, @bucket,
I'm a welder to and I'm not going to bother to explain how much experience I have unless you want me to go into one of my loooog ass writings, okay. @wanderinthru is partially correct. Usually the motor doesn't go out or have the problems @bucket is talking about, and I know what he's talking about. It's like the wire is surging. There are three or four things that can cause problems and here is what you need to pay attention to. 1. Make sure your drive wheels are kept clean. They can pick up little bits of metal from driving the wire into the liner. If they are allowed to build up on the drive wheels it can cause the wire to slip, and dirt or anything else. 2. There isn't any good way to keep the liner clean. You might remove the wire and maybe blow it out with compressed air, but otherwise just make sure your wire spool is kept clean. Don't leave your welder on the floor where dust and dirt can blow into it or get in somehow. 3. Do invest in a can of the spray that keeps the tip and the cup clean. And buy a bunch of tips. They're cheap and can keep the weld going. Get the proper tools to service the tip and also keeping the cup cleaned out as well. Get the tool to scrap out the cup so the gas comes out smoothly and isn't being partially blocked or interrupted by spatter or that smoky stuff especially from flux cored wires.

If you can afford it @waterpirate, get yourself the regulators for Co2 and Argon gas so you don't have to use flux cored wires. They are filthy and put all kinds of contamination into the weld. They aren't good for anything that doesn't involve hours of clean up, besides all the scratches and dings from banging all the bb's off the area. You may not need the Argon but at least Co2. If your doing plate and doesn't require so much cleaning flux core is great, you can run a lot of current through those wires. When you gain experience you can introduce Oxygen and Argon and then you'd see some beautiful welds from wire. Also if you can afford it get a welder that has a voltage control so you can get the flattening you need and the penetration you want.

@Raider L

Yes, drive wheels are clean, liner is well kept and the tips and nozzle are always kept clear. Tips replaced often. The welder is not kept on the floor, but like I said, does ride around in the back of a truck often. It's had a few spools run through it though, since the problem started.

And just to be clear, I would not call myself a welder. Welding is just a large part of my job for the last 20+ years. Experienced yes, but certainly not a professional welder.

Paladin said:

So grab a 12 pack and play with it!

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Now there's a conversation starter! @Paladin

wanderinthru said:

Seems flux core is more prone to issues than solid wire.

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I wonder of the flux core crushes easier? I know if rollers are too tight these problems can arise. Especially on cheapo little 110 wire feeds.

You mentioned keeping the stinger line straight, this is important and certainly adds to the life of the liner.

shiftpro said:

I wonder of the flux core crushes easier? I know if rollers are too tight these problems can arise. Especially on cheapo little 110 wire feeds.

You mentioned keeping the stinger line straight, this is important and certainly adds to the life of the liner.

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Its just softer. When I'm saying flux core, I'm talking about the dual shield wire, can'r remember the number of what I use off hand. Have little experience with the non gas shielded flux core. What little I have used it is the reason Ive little experience. It sucks.