My new (to me) XMT 304 CC/CV, going on the truck

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Well I didn't end up buying the new truck, but I did pick up a new to me welder for the old truck.   Found a guy selling a 2002 XMT 304 CC/CV for a good price in (supposedly) good working condition, so I checked it out, welded some stick with it and so far it works great. It has a really long power cord on it, about 50 feet I think, which will be cool for using it from the truck.  I'll be keeping it permanently on the truck, to be powered by the Bobcat.   The XMT will give me dc tig and spoolgun capability from the truck that I can't do now with just the Bobcat.  I already ordered a WC24 for it so I can hook up the Spoolmatic.  I'll be picking up an air cooled tig torch and a foot pedal for it in the future.  The XMT didn't come with a gas solenoid/valve in it, so I'll be researching if I can put one in or if I will need a torch with a gas valve.  I know the XMT 350 has a gas valve option that can be purchased from Miller and field installed but not sure if the XMT 304 has that available or not.Hopefully all the functions work, I was only able to test it with stick.   My XR and Cobramatics don't have the right kind of 14 pin connectors on them to hook up to the XMT and my Spoolmatic was missing the WC24 to hook it up and neither of my tig torches have a gas valve, so I just cycled through the menus and saw that the display appeared to be working for each mode selection and it stick welded fine with both 6011 and 7018.The seller brought over a very old and beat up Hobart Hefty voltage sensing feeder that we hooked up to the XMT but the feeder had some dead short problem inside it that kept blowing the wire drive motor fuse so I didn't buy the feeder.   It was in pretty sad shape anyways.So anyways, here she is...MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Nice. If you don't mind, can I ask what you paid? I'd love to have one. Looked at a nice almost new one on Craigs list recently. Seller wanted $1600. I just don't have that kind of cash right now for a machine I don't absolutely need this minute. Saw another older one on fleabay for $1250 IIRC.
Reply:Great! I will be keen to hear of your expansions! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Doug, I sent you a PM.Danny, it will be a bit before I get it all going, but I'm sure I'll be asking questions as I go along.   The WC24 should be here some time this week.-Glen.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Thanks saw it and replied.
Reply:Well I called and got the official answer from Miller about the gas solenoid/valve question and the answer is that the XMT 304 does not have any circuitry inside it for operating a gas soleniod and Miller does not offer a gas soleniod/valve kit for the 304 at all, only for the 350.   I will have to use a tig torch with a manual gas valve on the torch.Out of curiousity or future need to know, I also asked about using the Optima pulser on the 304 with a Suitcase feeder and Miller said the Optima will work with the 304 and both the Suitcase RC as well as the Suitcase VS, so I can use either feeder with the Optima, if I end up wanting to pulse mig with the XMT at some point down the road.So,  bad news on the gas valve, good news on the pulser.  So the next things on the future shopping list for the XMT are a foot pedal, an air cooled tig torch with a gas valve, and a suitcase feeder.Last edited by DesertRider33; 02-25-2009 at 01:10 PM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Man, there are some serious tool junkies on this forum!!"Now, with this added to my equipment list, I can do this and that, but if I add a ......, and/or a ......, I'll be able to do this too and that too!" It's a vicious, but very enjoyable, cycle!!  Nice score DR33!Rex
Reply:Originally Posted by rode2rouenMan, there are some serious tool junkies on this forum!!"Now, with this added to my equipment list, I can do this and that, but if I add a ......, and/or a ......, I'll be able to do this too and that too!" It's a vicious, but very enjoyable, cycle!!  Nice score DR33!Rex
Reply:nice,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Reply:Rex, yep, tools have always been an addiction for me, since I was a kid.  Danny, your XMT is beautiful, like it just came out of the wrapper!My friend came over yesterday and we hooked up his Suitcase 12VS to the XMT and welded with .045 dual shield and .030 flux core and then some 7018.   We just ran beads on scrap with the wire and both units welded fine.  The arc control adjustment works fine too.  It was my first time welding with a voltage sensing feeder.  It does weld differently than a remote control feeder.  I've welded with XMT's before with bench-top rc feeders.  Seems like varying the stickout length affects the wire speed and arc length with the VS.  I'm not really sure on the theory behind how they work, it just felt different to me.   I don't know that I'm all that excited about vs feeders, though it did weld fine and I'm sure I could get used to using one.  I think I may opt for the Suitcase RC instead of the VS, since the XMT does have remote capability.  Downside is the cost.  The Suitcase RC is more expensive than the VS and then there is the remote cable to buy, which isn't cheap.  The VS also has the benefit of being able to run straight off the Bobcat without the XMT, or just about any other welder, if need be.  That's alot of versatility.  I'll probly end up buying a cable for the spoolgun anyways though, since the spoolgun is only 15 feet long, so the cable can do dual duty and use with both devices, provided I get the 14-pin 24vac cable that goes between the power source and the WC24, rather than the 10-pin 24vdc cable that goes between the WC24 and the spool gun.  If I get one with the 115vac wires in it too, I could use the cable to power the XR or Cobramatic feeders too... hmm... I'm kinda liking this cable idea. Anyways, enough of my babbling about wires, the point is, it looks like the XMT is working fine, so I'm  happy with it!  MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Did you run the VS on CC or CV?  I've only run one on CC myself. IF I understood completely the explanation, here's how the VS feeder on CC works.Since the machine sets CC rather than CV the feeder adjusts the wire speed to attempt to maintain a constant voltage. This means rather than the nice even feed on a CV feeder the feeder is constantly speeding up and slowing down. The machine extends the wire till it arcs. As it arcs, this changes the voltage as the wire burns back. The machine then increases the wire speed slightly to adjust for the changing voltage in an attempt to match the voltage set. Of course as the wire moves it changes the voltage and the machine reacts to compensate for the change. Since normally in mig/FC increasing the stickout changes the current as the machine keeps the voltage the same, by changing the stickout while maintaining a constant current your voltage will be affected to a greater degree. The farther out your stickout, the more the wire needs to move and therefore the more the machine needs to adjust.This is one of those things I can't explain real well in words and probably didn't do that great a job. I tend to be a more visual person. If I can see it, I can explain it. Theoretical explanations like changing voltage and curent on mig/stick tends to make my mind fuzzy as I try to visualise just whats happening. Someone will probably correct me and explain it better.
Reply:Doug, thanks for your explanation about constant current wire welding.  We had the XMT in 'Voltage Sense Feeder' mode, which is probly constant voltage output, and had the feeder set in constant voltage mode.   It still felt different than an rc feeder, but didn't appear to be acting as erratic as how you describe operating in constant current.   When we welded with the .030 flux core wire, I took the wire straight out of my Passport and put it in his feeder, after changing out his .045 drive rolls and tip for .035 rolls and tip.  The XMT/12VS combo welded noticeably different than my Passport welds with the same wire.  Adjusting the arc control on the XMT, still I couldn't duplicate the Passport's arc and I think it was the voltage sensing feeder's characteristics that were not allowing it.   If I was very careful to hold a very exact stickout length, the wire speed seemed to even out more but still didn't feel like an rc feeder.   Maybe I just need more time with it, or maybe it's not supposed to feel like an rc feeder, maybe it just is what it is.  Anyhow, the feeder is not here anymore so I won't be experimenting with it more anytime soon.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:a manual valve aint that bad.....once you forgot to open it a couple of times!ooohhhh! I knowG
Reply:I think I can get used to a manual gas valve.Well the WC24 arrived at the local weld supplier and I picked it up and hooked up the spool gun to the XMT.  The XMT operates the spool gun fine, so the rc mig mode is working.   It is clear to me that I'm going to have to find some way to reduce the wire speed at the start (run-in control) or increase the voltage at the start (hot start) if I intend to mig aluminum with the spoolgun from the XMT.  Big fat cold start every time.   I've only ever used the gun with aluminum on machines that have a run-in speed control.  I used to use it as a push-pull gun with the XR feeder, which has the run-in adjustment, and as a spool gun on the 350P, which has both run-in and hot-start.When I was reading about the WC24 before I bought it, the Miller information stated that the device has a pc board mounted potentiometer that adjusts the current to the wire drive motor at the start, which to me means it has a run-in speed control.  However, the owner's manual that came with the WC24 didn't say anything about there being any adjustments inside the device and I don't see anything on the outside.  No mention was made about adjusting anything in the instructions.Does anyone have one of these things and know how/where to adjust the run-in speed on it?MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I opened up the WC24 and found 2 possible adjusters in there.  The question is, which one does what and which way to turn the screw... ?MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op