Lead Reels

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Ok guys, I am building a set of lead reels for a skid that I just built up for my BB502D. Here is sort of a build along of the reels. They are not finished but I had a good stat on them today. I am a novice at posting pics so I hope this works.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:I used tractor hitch pins and a simple spring mechanism with a piece of square tubing the same size as my tubing to put a lock on each one of my reels , that way they stay reeled up when there reeled up lol just a couple simple holes on the plate for it to lock into and when i pull it the reels are free to move , i also threaded the end of the shaft and put a spring and bolt tension system on mine , they arent my final design but they work good ! But since ive built these i added a oxygen acet hose reel to the top of it , i have yet to take a picture of it . Yours are looking good ! lets see more pictures when there finished Attached ImagesI forgot how to change this.
Reply:niice work whats on the top reel?
Reply:nice job.  larry.   I like the  Suicide Knobs on lawson.    Lawson is that a blue star???Daye
Reply:The top reel is currently 100 foot of 12/3 ext cord and the welder is a AEAD200LE i use it mostly for ac tig in the field . Leed reel capacity calculator i found online ! http://www.airwinch.com/tools/drum.htmit was very helpful when i designed my reels sorry i forgot to post it earlier !I forgot how to change this.
Reply:Sweet!I need to make some once I have some downtime.  Thanks for postingBuy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Originally Posted by LawsonWeldingLLCI used tractor hitch pins and a simple spring mechanism with a piece of square tubing the same size as my tubing to put a lock on each one of my reels , that way they stay reeled up when there reeled up lol just a couple simple holes on the plate for it to lock into and when i pull it the reels are free to move , i also threaded the end of the shaft and put a spring and bolt tension system on mine , they arent my final design but they work good ! But since ive built these i added a oxygen acet hose reel to the top of it , i have yet to take a picture of it . Yours are looking good ! lets see more pictures when there finished
Reply:Originally Posted by feetfats... if you get one of those extra smart helpers I have seen then he will grab the line and pull for all he is worth and damage that pigtail. You will also have to waste 10 minutes explaining to him why he shouldn't have done that. Those guys are everywhere  so watch out.
Reply:lol @ the helper issue , i have the same problem sometimes with a guy i have helping me , i was 30 foot in the air awhile back on the jlg lift welding , raised my hood and he said fire ( he was on the ground ) , its like seriously instead of grabbin the shovel and taken care of the grass you stand there haha , I did make a locking mechanism i will have to take a picture of it up close , what it is there is ahole in the pin with a roll pin in it , inside the two inch tubing i used there are two pieces of 1/4 " rod welded in there so u pull the pin out turn it 90 degrees and it allows the spool to free wheel ,i also made a piece of plastic about 12 " long that fits in between the lower and second reel to isolate them from one another if i wanted to make it hot all the time and do away with the tweco disconnects but i have plenty of disconnects and havent had any trouble with them yet .I forgot how to change this.
Reply:Ok, I got a little more done in between paying jobs today. I got the second stantion built with the insulator plate and bushings put together. The next thing on the list is handles, base plate, another insulator plate for the base, paint and mount on the skid.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:Its about TIME !  I been waiting. lol   looks great.  The insulator plate is great idea.daye
Reply:Sweet , I like themI forgot how to change this.
Reply:Originally Posted by tigmuskyIts about TIME !  I been waiting. lol   looks great.  The insulator plate is great idea.daye
Reply:What are the sides of the reels made of?  They look like they came off some farm equipment.Great idea, might have to steal some of you ideas for what I'm doing at my shop.Keep up the great work, I'll be watching for more.---No good deed goes unpunished---
Reply:Mebuildit,The sides are 3/16 A-36 plate, the reason they look so smooth on the edges is that I put them on the lathe and turned the OD and ID concentric to each other, no need for that but that is just the machinist in me.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:I didn't get much done on them today, had to take care of the IRS and book keeping, what fun. I did get the handles machined and put on. I hope to get them finished in the next couple of days.LarryLast edited by Larrysmachine; 01-11-2011 at 06:35 PM.Miller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:Well I got the base mounts finished and welded on. (they are croocked because they are not bolted in solid yet.) The top reel is going to be for the stinger, the bottom for the ground. Would you guys ground through the skid or would you go ahead and insulate it like I did the stinger. Its not a big deal all I have to do is build another insulator plate and some bushings.Miller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:I personally would isolate it , but i do alot of portable ac tig work and use high frequency i drew a picture in paint real fast i hope you can understand it , its basically a tube the same size as my main tube on mine with a hitch pin in it and a roll pin that holds the spring under tension when u pull it back and turn it 90 degrees the roll pin is long enough to saddle the two 3/8 rods welded in place and allows my wheels to free wheel . I hope i havent hijacked your thread i think your reels are awesome , ive learned alot from building my set and from how im going to build the next set and how im going to use bronze bushings as opposed to bearings and make my reels live possibly Attached ImagesI forgot how to change this.
Reply:I would isolate both leads ground and electrode. That's what I did on my reels that I built last year. Should be easy to find the thread i made for that build. Feel free to copy, that's how I built mine. I think your reels look nicer than mine, you will enjoy using them.IAMAW Local 330Airco 300 AC/DC HeliwelderAirco Dip-Pak 200 with Profax spool gunPowr-Kraft AC225Everlast PowerArc 200stBuffalo Forge No.21 drill pressSpeedglas 9100xxAirco, Oxweld, Purox, Victor torchesLincoln Ranger 8
Reply:OK, I went ahead and isolated everything. They are finished except for spooling up the leads. I went with a friction lock and thrust washer to keep the reels secure while in transport or welding. Thanks for the input and all of the comments.Lawson, no problem hijacking, thats what I like about this forum is the ideas and all of the input other folks have. I will be starting on a bottle rack next for the skid, stay tuned.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:after looking at the pics.  isolate both leads I think is the way to go, if a tool was drop or something less likely for it to ground out.  way nice jobDaye
Reply:On the home made leads how do you all make it so when the lead holder rolls it doesn't twist the line going to the machine up?  We always just threw our leads on hooks and I want to make a set for my trailer give it a better more professional look.Vantage 300 kubota ,miller 304 xmt ,lincoln ln 25 pro , ranger 305 G, plenty of other tools of the trade to make the sparks fly.
Reply:Originally Posted by tigmuskyafter looking at the pics.  isolate both leads I think is the way to go, if a tool was drop or something less likely for it to ground out.  way nice jobDaye
Reply:Originally Posted by GmmandanOn the home made leads how do you all make it so when the lead holder rolls it doesn't twist the line going to the machine up?  We always just threw our leads on hooks and I want to make a set for my trailer give it a better more professional look.
Reply:Well I got the OA bottle rack finished and welded on. Nothing fancy but serves the purpose. The skid is progressing along slowley but surley.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it uphow are you likeing those reel?     What size pipe , how wide and what dia. are the side.You see where i'm going with this.. I like me need to makeyThanks DayePound to fit, paint to match
Reply:Originally Posted by tigmuskyhow are you likeing those reel?     What size pipe , how wide and what dia. are the side.You see where i'm going with this.. I like me need to makeyThanks Daye
Reply:find a way to lock them, or your cables will walk..I modified princess auto air reels to hold my cables and perhaps it was to convenient to work out of, as all of my cables got pulled out and buggered off via some crackhead...a lesson learned and I now take the reels off their base when I'm not using them.  pre-theft and pre skid anchoring, here are pics regarding how I did it.  both reels are isolated from the upright, overkill, but I had the UHMW plastic, rubber hose and plastic washers to do so, so why not?  Pictures of the skid are before mounting (I used turnbuckles on the four corners)In the pictures you can see where the machine connects, and where the lug connects to the lead via a bolt through a plumbing fitting with a nylock to allow it so spin free!  As I no longer leave them on when not being used steady, the spring is optional.  I'm not big on replacing 200' of lead whenever some crackhead needs his fix!Last edited by mb_welder; 02-06-2011 at 04:13 AM.
Reply:nice set up . Mb_welder    200' of leads not cheap!Pound to fit, paint to match
Reply:Originally Posted by mb_welderfind a way to lock them, or your cables will walk...  I'm not big on replacing 200' of lead whenever some crackhead needs his fix!
Reply:Nice work!!I have considered building a set. But have always been told you should lay your lead out not leave it coiled up, it causes heat damage to the leads and causes wierd current issues?????????Just askingthanksMiller 330 A/BP Bernard SS coolerMiller cst 250Miller Big Blue 251DCentury 210 Mig (first welder I bought)Hypertherm PowerMax 800Victor torch setRu Fong 31 MilAtlas lathe
Reply:Originally Posted by toolmanNice work!!I have considered building a set. But have always been told you should lay your lead out not leave it coiled up, it causes heat damage to the leads and causes wierd current issues?????????Just askingthanks
Reply:Originally Posted by tigmuskyhow are you likeing those reel?     What size pipe , how wide and what dia. are the side.You see where i'm going with this.. I like me need to makeyThanks Daye
Reply:Originally Posted by LarrysmachineDaye,I love them, I will post some measurements this afternoon on some of the parts.Larry
Reply:Nice design mb_welder. Defiantly interested in Larry's design as well. Great ideas!
Reply:Originally Posted by LarrysmachineI used 5" sch 40 10" long for the center, end plates were 3/16" thick 11.5" diameter. for the hub I used 1.5 diameter pipe and for the axle and used 1.25 diameter pipe. All sch 40.I welded a 3/4 nut in the end of the 1.25 pipe for the lock down bolt. I used 660 BZ for the bushings (machined to fit). The stantions were 2X2X1/4 and the isolators were machined from nylon. I used teflon and PEEK for the bolt bushings (left over material)I have some nice pics of the parts and assembly on my computer, soon as I figure out how to resize them I could PM them to who wants them.Larry
Reply:Originally Posted by oxygen454x2 I like the design! Does the wires get spun around from the male plug end? Or do you wait till its unrolled then plug the male end in?
Reply:MB_WelderI like your botttle rack, I thought about doing one like that but went the easy way and made a vertical one.LarryMiller XMT 304 CC/CVSyncrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255XTTermalDynamics 52Lincoln 305GComlpete machine shop to back it up
Reply:I thought a built in well was the way to go, after paying 350 for my Leads Reel system. I removed the spare tire and started cutting. Waa Laa... Nice clean look and more room for tools. I added 2 receiver mounts in to the box so the leads can be fished out of these holes when working off the bed. Has a false grate bottom so the dirt wont build up inside.Classic 1D 200SAE 30086 SA 200Hyperthem 45Jancy Mag Force O/A Victor-GossCable's remote2-12" Mathey Dearman bevelersLN 25Miller Auto Set 211Wendy's Pancake/Jackson PipelinerNew Holland LS 180Great story man....tell it again!