replacing ground cable on MM 250?

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I am sick of the 10 foot ground cable supplied with my MIG welder. I have a Millermatic 250 in good shape and I also have a nice twenty foot piece of no. 3 welding cable. I'm having real trouble sourcing the crimp-on lugs though. Miller doesn't even call out a part number for the lug that goes over their 1/2" bolt inside the welder where the ground cable is fastened. They call out no. 3 cable, and have a part number for a 10' length, but there is no lug referenced in my manual. I need a crimp-on, hammer-on or solder-on lug to fit no. 3 welding cable, one for each end. The welder end has to fit over a 1/2" stud and the ground clamp end has to fit over a 5/16" stud.Surely I'm not the first guy to ever run into this!metalmagpie
Reply:I get my lugs from the local battery dealer/ alternator rebuild guy. They make up a ton of battery cables for the local quarries and heavy equipment guys in the area as well as for heavy trucks. He has a ton of sizes in stock and is willing to crip them on at no extra charge..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:or your LWS- mine carries them- not sure on the exact size.They even crimped it for me- needed it for my Boat, which I imagine Seattle should have a marine shop that would have what you need.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:fleet farm>Innovations are what i leave behind for History
Reply:I've had decent luck finding good crimp on ground clamps at local auto parts stores. You can also check out http://www.parts-express.com/ as they might have some good quality terminals.Since the OP's question was answered already, might I ask something that's quite similar to this topic?I've got a HH210. Obviously the factory ground clamp is terrible. I replaced it with the Strong Hand Ground Hog (awesome clamp, albeit a bit bulky) Can I replace my ground wire with something of a thicker gauge, or should I keep it the same size? Looking to lengthen it as well.I ask because the Strong Hand clamp is set up for a heavier ground wire than what is on my welder, so I've got the end of the wire stripped longer and folded it over. I don't like that, feels cob-jobbed to me so I'd rather replace the entire wire.Last edited by shaeff; 08-16-2011 at 05:20 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by shaeffSince the OP's question was answered already, might I ask something that's quite similar to this topic?I've got a HH210. Obviously the factory ground clamp is terrible. I replaced it with the Strong Hand Ground Hog (awesome clamp, albeit a bit bulky) Can I replace my ground wire with something of a thicker gauge, or should I keep it the same size? Looking to lengthen it as well.I ask because the Strong Hand clamp is set up for a heavier ground wire than what is on my welder, so I've got the end of the wire stripped longer and folded it over. I don't like that, feels cob-jobbed to me so I'd rather replace the entire wire.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Sure
Reply:I'm the OP. I found the no. 2 x 1/2" lug at NAPA. Had already found a no. 2 x 5/16" lug in my buddy's electrical box. I got the idiot at Praxair to crimp it on, which he did using a Lenco 840 hammer-type crimper. The crimp job looks good, though, close to the way Miller did it. Those crimpers are only $12 on weldingsupply.com - I think I'll order one the next time I order from them. metalmagpie
Reply:Originally Posted by metalmagpieI'm the OP. I found the no. 2 x 1/2" lug at NAPA. Had already found a no. 2 x 5/16" lug in my buddy's electrical box. I got the idiot at Praxair to crimp it on, which he did using a Lenco 840 hammer-type crimper. The crimp job looks good, though, close to the way Miller did it. Those crimpers are only $12 on weldingsupply.com - I think I'll order one the next time I order from them. metalmagpie
Reply:I build my own, go get a piece of copper pipe and beat the end down, then drill the hole, then stick the cable in and crimp it, if you look at the tweco connectors, u will see on the box it says produced from high quality copper pipe.I forgot how to change this.
Reply:I replaced my ground clamp and wire with a 15 foot version and a 500 amp senior ground clamp on my Hobart beta-mig 2510 which I am told is the same as a Millermatic 250. I used 2 gauge instead of 3 gauge because it is what my LWS carried. The 2 gauge also fit the little plastic grommet passing through the front face plate. The LWS had a copper crimp which fit the bolt inside perfectly. I fact I was able to pass the crimp through the front face plate to reinstall the ground wire. Initially I had to pull the ground wire out from the back because the factory crimped lug was too big to pass through the face plate. I sure like having the extra 5 foot length on the ground wire. I am just a hobby welder but it works as well or better than the original ground wire system.
Reply:Originally Posted by LawsonWeldingLLCI build my own, go get a piece of copper pipe and beat the end down, then drill the hole, then stick the cable in and crimp it, if you look at the tweco connectors, u will see on the box it says produced from high quality copper pipe.
Reply:.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:Originally Posted by shaeffI've had decent luck finding good crimp on ground clamps at local auto parts stores. You can also check out http://www.parts-express.com/ as they might have some good quality terminals.Since the OP's question was answered already, might I ask something that's quite similar to this topic?I've got a HH210. Obviously the factory ground clamp is terrible. I replaced it with the Strong Hand Ground Hog (awesome clamp, albeit a bit bulky) Can I replace my ground wire with something of a thicker gauge, or should I keep it the same size? Looking to lengthen it as well.I ask because the Strong Hand clamp is set up for a heavier ground wire than what is on my welder, so I've got the end of the wire stripped longer and folded it over. I don't like that, feels cob-jobbed to me so I'd rather replace the entire wire.
Reply:Too bad you didn't replace the crappy work clamp with the cast brass one. Then you would have had decent performance out of it too.
Reply:Originally Posted by walkerToo bad you didn't replace the crappy work clamp with the cast brass one. Then you would have had decent performance out of it too.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manI do quite a bit of plumbing, particularly sweating copper. And I never thought of that. Thanks for proving I'm a dumb arse!
Reply:Is there a reason nobody solders the lugs on? I've always done that for battery cables and had no trouble out of them unlike some of the crimp on lugs.HH 187Miller Bluestar1EAHP AlphaTig 200X
Reply:Originally Posted by GreyhorseIs there a reason nobody solders the lugs on? I've always done that for battery cables and had no trouble out of them unlike some of the crimp on lugs.