ground cord for Lincoln 180

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Totally new to welding and fell upon a wicked deal on a brand new Lincoln 180. Only thing is that its missing the ground cord and clamp. Figured acquiring one from Lincoln would cost me an arm and a leg. Found some generics on eBay for $70 shipped to Canada. My question is does quality come into play with ground cords/clamps? Any other places I should be looking at other then eBay for something reasonably priced?
Reply:The machine's connection to "ground" is half your welding circuit, the one you rarely think about but nevertheless consumes power, so sure, quality comes into play. Make sure your cable is heavy enough to carry your welding current without significant voltage drop and that your clamp is a good one (e.g. Tweco). Your cable will probably be the more expensive of the two pieces but unless you need a "long" connection, $70 seems high here.XMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Looking at a tweco fgc300 clamp, since the Lincoln tops out at 180a. Max wire is 3/0, so assuming #3 wire is the largest it will accept. What gauge wire is the ground usually?Last edited by djfob; 07-09-2013 at 08:00 PM.
Reply:Depends primarily on the length. Here's a neat calculatorhttp://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.htmlXMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Looks like I'll be going with a 1/0 cable
Reply:The work lead and clamp for a powermig 180 lists for $51.72Part number S11609-30  From Lincoln. The 200 amp sheet metal clamp has copper plating in the right places for good welding.The weld cable is smaller than #1
Reply:Originally Posted by djfobLooks like I'll be going with a 1/0 cable
Reply:10 foot #2 with TWECO 200A clamp $32. Just need to swap out the DINSE plug for a lug or whatever the Lincoln requires.http://store.cyberweld.com/twgrclcaasno.html"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldendum10 foot #2 with TWECO 200A clamp $32. Just need to swap out the DINSE plug for a lug or whatever the Lincoln requires.http://store.cyberweld.com/twgrclcaasno.html
Reply:Cable is fairly cheap at weldingsupply.com (the link is below), they let you buy any length you want and they have a range of cable sizes and your ground clamps too:  https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/br...alogs.pl?UNDEF
Reply:Thanks for the link!From my research it looks like I have to crimp or solder the wire to the lugs. Don't have a crimper that size and don't think my low wattage solder gun will cut it. Any tips?
Reply:Originally Posted by djfobThanks for the link!From my research it looks like I have to crimp or solder the wire to the lugs. Don't have a crimper that size and don't think my low wattage solder gun will cut it. Any tips?
Reply:That looks like a great alternative to a pricier full size crimper. Has anyone tried these hammer lugs? under $10. The hammer crimp tool is $40 shipped to Canada on eBay.http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/H...Lugs/8072571.p
Reply:That hammer-operated crimper looks to be a clone of one that LENCO (I think it is) sells.  The lugs with the hammer tit look promising.  You want to crimp properly, not solder."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldendum10 foot #2 with TWECO 200A clamp $32. Just need to swap out the DINSE plug for a lug or whatever the Lincoln requires.http://store.cyberweld.com/twgrclcaasno.html
Reply:This is where Princess Auto comes in really handy. I needed a ground cable for my Dialarc 250 and I just so happened to be in Princess Auto when I saw their selection of welding cable  and I bought 25 feet of 2/0 relatively cheap. I also have a 180c and it uses a 6AWG ground cable about 12 ft. long, you could use the #4 wire @ $1.99/ft, look here:http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/W...-170-115-120.cA selection of clamps are here:http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/A...-170-115-105.cLugs are here, both hammer crimp and regular crimp (I have used a hammer crimp and it's still holding up well). You could use used a drift punch, large nail set, C-clamp, vise, curved jaw VG's or a combination of them to crimp the non-hammer type (you could also pull a fast one and "test" their welding cable crimper in the store to set the crimp). I've also used this one for smaller cable and it too, is still working well:http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/L...-170-115-130.cFor about $50 (including tax and cheaper if you wait for the appropriate sale) you could have yourself set up with a ground cable at 15 ft. in length. Don't know where you are, but there should be a Princess Auto close or if not, they will ship it to you. Hope this helps!!  Last edited by bearston; 07-20-2013 at 11:06 PM.When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:What is the price at the local welding supply?Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Take it to your nearest Napa store or auto parts store they will do it they make battery cable all the time. J.R.Bauer
Reply:I would recommend putting a miller arc welding lead receptacle on there and picking up an arc welder grounding cable and call it good.The miller receptacle should cost less than $20 and you should be able to buy a ground lead from any person who welds or welding shop.My plasma cutter and mig have miller arc welder receptacles on their grounds now, its pretty nice.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder