New to me XMT 350/LN25 combo

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Just picked up a 2 year old XMT 350 cc/cv and a Lincoln LN 25 suitcase. I have been shopping XMT's for a while but got discouraged when i was how much wire feeders were. Found a combo deal from a local guy well under $2k for the pair so I jumped on it.   I have been fabricating stuff for years(stillplayswithtrucks) with oxy/acetaline torch/grinder/lincoln SP100 FC and it has been OK. I recently got a Miller 180 Mig welder and it was not that much better than my SP100 and I always go the the SP100 first (had it for 15+ yrs). I would like to get my combo going soon for mig welding w/gas soon and set up for tig later to do some chromoly stuff and AL if I can ever get off the $$ for the pusler unit. When I picked upt the 350/ln25 I demoed it on stick and then some wire fed and it all functioned. I will drop it off at my local Roberts Oxygen to get the other features tested soon.   I need to get a shopping list together for missing items for my combo....  The good;          XMT 350 cc/cv Power Source only ( no tig gas valve installed)          LN 25 w/ .045 driveroll and .035-.045 guide    The bad:          No manuals          No cables          No Mig Gun (he needed to keep his to sell/demo 2 other LN 25s)          No flowmeter/regulator          No tig stuff at all           I would like:           mig gun capable to mig up to 1/2" steel           decent flowmeter to possibly use for mig and tig gasses?           What to get for cables ( most cost effective and best utility)           TIG torch/footpedal ( do i need to get water cooled?)            No idea what else I might need to get going......              I appreciate any input on optimizing this setup for racecar fabrication. I mostly fabricate from 120 wall DOM. I would like to build a new truck next year and plan on making a 1/4'-3/8" wall subframe with all 2" 120 wall DOM and some chromolly goodies. I don't mind spending money on "must haves" when the "juice is worth the squeeze".   I knew I needed some help when I went looking @ Mig guns and had no clue how many different options there were and I started to glaze over. I wound up drinking been and watching a movie instead........LouBroncolou RacingGrace Electrical Services,LLCMiller 625 PlasmaLincoln xp100 Miller 180 MigMiller XMT 350 cc/cvLincoln LN25
Reply:Get yourself one Lincoln K2652-2 Magnum Pro gunget one K466-1 connector kitand get a couple KP44-3545-15 liners---this will handle the MIG gun part of the equation. Then you will need some gas hose and a flowmeter/regulator, which will work with MIG and TIG.  As for the TIG stuff, you'll get better advice from the TIG experts on here, I don't do much TIG and what I do, I use pretty much caveman gear.  Don't forget a drive roll kit if you plan on changing wire size----the .035 one is KP653-035S for solid wire and C for cored wire.  For the cables and connectors, pretty much self explanatory and personal preference.--Matt6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:Keep in mind that is a DC unit so you can't use it to TIG aluminum. Also it is touch-start, no HF. AFAIK, the pulser available for the XMTs is for MIG, not TIG.I have the Magnum Pro gun, and also an Abicor Binzel Alpha 2, not quite as heavy-duty (250A) but much lighter and more flexible.I would recommend a flow meter (floating-ball type) as opposed to a flow gauge because they are more accurate and they tell you at a glance if you actually have gas flow. Mine is a Smith, around $120.Water-cooled TIG torches are nice if you weld thick stuff but add a lot more money and bulk to your set-up. You may want to put that off till you get a dedicated TIG machine.You can download the manuals from Miller's and Lincoln's sites. Typing in the serial #'s will insure that you get the correct manual for your machine.You've got some good gear there, both are industry-standard workhorse. Just take it slow, get what you need when you need it and you'll be fine.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:I don't know anything about the ln25. Is it a vs feeder?If so, I would sell the ln25 and get a miller feeder such as rc12, s22p12, if you don't need a suitcase, s22a, s60 series (I've seen ln25s fetch good money so you should be out none for this swap)With the purchase of a miller feeder you can get a Bernard mig gun off eBay new for about $100.You can pick ip used victor or Harris flowmeters for about $30 on eBay.You cannot tig aluminum with the xmt easily. Don't bother. No ac or high frequent. You would have to dc + with pure helium ( from what I've read, it's not easy on thin stuff)Miller optima (pulsed attachment for mig) use on eBay for about $500150 amp Air cooler tig torches can be had on eBay for around $50 used be sure and get one with a valve in the handleA foot pedal can be had for about $125 usedAll prices are iircAaron
Reply:Ebay is a good place to buy a mig gun, so is welding depot .com.   I bought a tweeco knock off and a  400 amp bernard knock off for cheap.   Consumables there are dirt cheap too.For TIG, i can run one stick of filler before the air cooled torch gets too hot to hold on to.    I have a watercooled wp20.  I love it.  Torch and cooler were about $600.  I have been using them for years.  Have funDavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:While I do prefer Miller suitcase feeders, because I have one, it's great, and I have a bunch of drive rolls for it. However, the Lincoln LN25 is probably the most popular suitcase in construction, tried and true, diehard, ya can't hurt them! I prefer a suitcase over a shop model because you can take it out in the field, or inside of a dump trailer, etc. You can use it as far away as you have lead and hose, unless you're running flux core.As far as leads, I use mostly 3/32", 1/8" & 5/32" rod and .035 & .045 wire, so I use 1/0 lead. It will cover all of that easily. And I have 50' sections of lead with quick connectors.Congrats, you got one heck of a deal there!!!"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Thanks for all the replies. I will be looking into the several mig guns listed. I never thought anything about flexability and weight until it was mentioned. That may lead me to go with a 250 amp gun because of some of the tight spaces working on rollcages and subframes with lots of interference objects around them. What is the max material I can weld with a 250 amp gun? Off to look on ebay and welding depot now......LouBroncolou RacingGrace Electrical Services,LLCMiller 625 PlasmaLincoln xp100 Miller 180 MigMiller XMT 350 cc/cvLincoln LN25
Reply:You can weld anything you want with a 250A gun---till it gets too hot to hold on to, or melts down.  Seriously though, unless you are holding the trigger for hours at a time, 250A will be more than sufficient even for heavy welding.  I regularly weld 4-6 inch material, (multiple passes) 600 ipm .045 wire,  (300-325 amps), 30-32 volts for several minutes at a time with a 250 Amp gun on an LN-25-----not condoning it, just saying if you can hold on to it and are willing to use a little discretion, you can do it.6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:Originally Posted by BroncolouJust picked up a 2 year old XMT 350 cc/cv and a Lincoln LN 25 suitcase.
Reply:Profax Lincoln 250 Amp .040-.045 15' MIG Welding Gun #LN250-4045-15  $150 ShippedBe aware that Lincoln uses a different back end on the guns for the LN25 vs. the Powermig, etc. This is the correct gun for the LN25. The other one has a part number that starts with "LP." Ask me how I found this out. This Profax gun uses Tweco consumables, which are universally available and inexpensive. This gun uses 1/2" nozzles which are much better for confined spaces.You might consider changing from .045 to .035 or even smaller if most of your welding is done on roll cages, frames, etc for race cars. You probably won't encounter anything over 1/8 or 3/16" too often. You can still weld as thick as you want if you make enough passes. To weld 1/2" you would need to make multiple passes anyway with .045 but you would cuss the burnthrough on the thinner stuff.Set all your cables up with twist lock connectors both at the machine and at the other end. This will make it easy to switch polarity or switch between the different processes. Here's a Profax Flowmeter Regulator for $50 shipped. It'll work with C25 for mig or Argon for tig. You will also need at least a 25' hose for the wire feeder. That will give you a 40' reach when combined with the 15' mig gun.Weller 15W
Reply:Thanks. I called harris to make sure I would get the right conn for my LN 25. Gonna start with the tweco 250 amp knockoff. I have drive rolls and consumables coming too. Thanks guys. Cant wait to see comfortable I can  get with this combo.  I leave for my last race in Oliver springs TN on wed night. Hopefully there is no welding i need to do when I get home, ie;repairs.......  Thanks again.LouBroncolou RacingGrace Electrical Services,LLCMiller 625 PlasmaLincoln xp100 Miller 180 MigMiller XMT 350 cc/cvLincoln LN25