Where to Cut

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Say you had a given length of welding cable 50 ft.  Where would you cut it to make optimum welding leads?  And why?  If not equal which one would be the stinger?Century MIG 145Harris Cutting OutfitParker Plasma tech 40Everlast 200 ACDC TIG Pulsed
Reply:If the welder is to be used in a shop environment I would cut the ground long enough to easily reach the welding table, assuming that you use one, and leave the longer section for the stinger allowing you to work around the table. If the welder is mobile then I would cut 50/50. JMO.StephenMillermatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200Miller 30A SpoolgunHypertherm Powermax 30Etc., etc., etc.............Cancer Sucks!
Reply:I would go 30' stinger with the rest for ground . With the length of the ground now being the limiting factor you could clamp the ground onto your project and have the extra 10' of length on the stinger to still move around the project. Remember you do lose length on your leads when you have to go around, or up and over objects.
Reply:One other option would be to cut the length into 3 sections ( or more) and use Tweeco connectors. It is more expensive to do it this way. The nice thing is that this allows you to use say a 10' ground lead and then a 15' stinger  with a 25' extension for a total of 40' of stinger. Or you could only use the 10' and 15' and leave the extra 25' coiled up out of the way. It also makes it easy to add more later, say if you need an extra 15' of ground for a project, or another 10' of lead. You can also use a lighter length of lead at the stinger that's more flexible and lighter to carry. I think my stinger is 15' of #2 and the rest is all in odd lengths 10-30' in length of 2/0 I got used with a few Tweeco connectors. The ground is 10' of 1/0 IIRC simply because it was an odd size in the bunch. The same cables will work with my Tunderbolt at the shop, the Syncrowave at the house or the Bobcat if needed..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If this is your only leads I would do like Jay O said 30' 20'. If you already have leads and this is extra, there are connectors you can get to put sections of leads together like extension cords. In which case I would go 50/50. With this set up you could add 25' to the stinger and 25' to the ground, or use all 50 ' on the stinger if needed. My rig has 45' on the stinger and 20' on the ground, I have the connectors already and plan on getting 100' of 1/0 lead and cut it in equal lenghts. Just waiting for the price of copper to go down some first or try to find some used in good shape. My LWS sometimes sell good used lead from their rental units, it's just a matter of finding out when they are selling it. There is alot of pipeline work going on in this area so it doesn't last long when they are selling.DSW's idea is what I'm talking about but I only want 2 50' pieces. That should give me all the extra reach I'll ever need.Last edited by Bistineau; 11-19-2011 at 08:45 AM.
Reply:If you might use these leads for something besides stick welding I don't think you really gave enough details to get a good response.  I would guess this lead is for the 200 ac dc tig.  If you intend on connecting the end of the lead to the area the power cable of the torch is and then have the length of the tig torch to consider.  If you need a ground clamp, an electrode holder, and a lug with a bolt hole for your various possibilities that would figure in as well.  At times when I am stringing stuff together I use the lead with the electrode holder attached to a little steel bar with a copper mig tip or 3/16 electrode stub brazed on as the ground in the mig or tig process.  Just clamp it to the work.  At any rate two arm lenghts or 12 feet would be the minimum unless it is just a short connector for a lug or quick connect of one type to some other sort of connector.Last edited by fran...k.; 11-19-2011 at 09:37 AM.
Reply:cut the ground lead as short as possible, keep the rest for the stinger
Reply:Here's a bright idea. Keep the 50', and go buy another 50' of the same size lead.  I got 50' cables on every machine in the shop and 150-200' of lead on each welder in the field.   Trust me you want it. 50' of lead is cheap.  You will kick yourself for only having two 25' lengths of cables to work with.  Been there and done that.  All my mig welders / wire feeders all have 20' guns on them verses the standard 15' guns they come with.  Why? cause no matter how close you get the welder to the project its still never enough.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers
Reply:Look on Ebay for bundles of odd lengths of cable/lead. Never thought of it from the aspect of quick connecting. I have 20/20 on one shop welder 15/20 0n the second shop welder and 20/30 on my mobile rig. The Mig gun is always too short!drujinin
Reply:In my world I always use a whip (one size smaller cable) for my stinger, I use the flex cable 25', so I would leave both the same and add a whip, this also lesens the wieght you will fight while welding. Very few people need the full size cable all the way to the holder. On the ground you do. Just my 2 cents.A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:I agree with the idea of using a whip cable instead of putting a stinger on the end of big welding lead.  I have always used a whip (at least since the late 70's ) and once you use one you will also agree they are important. lolMy experience with balanced leads has "made me" believe that balanced leads are important.  I know you're not welding xray gas lines like I do for a living, but I'm sure you want the best from your machine that you can get, so IMO balanced leads is important to you too, just as they are to me.Find and download a cable chart that shows the OHMs resistance pre-foot of welding lead.  Get yourself a section of about 10' or so feet of #2 whip cable and attach it to the end of your hot lead.  Using that chart then calculate where to cut your 50' of heavy welding lead so that each lead is equal in resistance.  This means you must count the resistance per foot of your whip cable in on the length of your hot lead.  It will be somewhat shorter than the ground.Or you can do as others say and cut it where its convenient,  as I also did for over 30 years, but my friend, based on my testing data, you will be wrong.  Balanced leads is the best way.  I'll vouch for that. lol  No matter what kind of machine you're using because I've tried it on various machines and it's always proved itself to me.  Balance your leads and you will be glad.  Unbalanced and you can tell it, if you know what the hell you're looking at that is.  Good luck manLaterLast edited by slowhand; 11-22-2011 at 07:08 PM.
Reply:What is the shortest whip does OSHA allow with quick connecters  J.R.Bauer
Reply:Osha has no care about how short your whip is  You can put the connector right on the end of the stinger if it makes you happyVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Thank you I had heard the splice had to be over 10 feet from the stinger but was not sure thank you Dualie. J.R.Bauer
Reply:The shop used to have all heavy cable and 600 amp stingers, that sucked. So, we had them make up short lengths of 8' of  #4 with a 200amp stinger on one end and copper bolt on lug on the other. The lug that would normally be bolted to the stud on a engine drive. This way you could stick the lug in the big stinger and use the lightweight one.
Reply:Thanks for that informationJ.R.Bauer
Reply:I like  my stinger to be about twice as long as my ground. I can always move around project that way. If your 50' was just an example I would divide 1/3 ground 2/3 stinger.  I agree that multiple lengths are very convenient to use, it sucks to haul bigger, longer cable up a ladder if needed. lighter whip for stinger fantastic way to do it.
Reply:I bought several hundred feet of 1/0 and 2/0 of royal excelene from ac/dc electrical parts. This guy is on ebay and has all sizes and lengths. He was cheaper than everyone else at the time. bout 2 bucks a foot for 100' spool. Free shipping.Arcon Workhorse 300MSPowcon 400SMTPowcon SM400 x 2Powcon SM3001968 SA200 Redface1978 SA250 DieselMiller Super 32P FeederPre 1927 American 14" High Duty LatheK&T Milwaukee 2H Horizontal MillBryan
Reply:Keep it 50' and buy another.
Reply:Keep it at least 50' you can only make it longer with quick disconnects and you could buy several feet of lead with the money they will cost. J.R.Bauer
Reply:I like the 30 stinger 20 ground for shop use. Cut it and let's go make some sparks!