esabrep got a question for ya

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A friend of mine is looking for a new welder.  I have bragged about my experience with an esab, and now he wants one.  The problem is he can't find one of the older units for sale.  He welds mostly in an outdoor type environment and uses innershield.  The minimum wire size is 1/16.  Can the 280 pro push this wire?  I know the machine has the power, and the whip will not be a problem.  The specs on the website say no.  What is the limiting factor?  The wire feeder?  Can't you just change out your drive rolls and go?
Reply:What all diameters is he wanting to do?  I would be concerned about the drive motor feeding the unit.  It definatley has the amps to do it, but that is a big wire to push.  I will do some checking and let you know.
Reply:Scott,Compared to the wire drive assembly that my Migmaster 250 contains (dual driven) or the Migmaster 275, the wire drive assembly on the 280 looks to be a down grade (single driven).ESAB Migmaster 250 Hobart Ironman 230Multimatic 215TWECO Fabricator 181i & 211iHH125EZ - nice little fluxcore only unitMaxstar 150 STH - very nice
Reply:If he's gonna weld outdoors consider a power supply and a suitcase feeder, not necessarily new.I run a Hobart Hefty feeder off my ESAB 450i cvcc (they will do single phase but check any specific model under consideration by downloading the manual) and it beats the heck out of pushing a self-contained MIG. (I use the original Digipulse feeder with the feed set to zero and the trigger contacts jumped to set amps.)The power supply sits in the shop, while the feeder moves freely.
Reply:Originally Posted by DanScott,Compared to the wire drive assembly that my Migmaster 250 contains (dual driven) or the Migmaster 275, the wire drive assembly on the 280 looks to be a down grade (single driven).
Reply:Mr. Young,Does it need to be a compact unit?  If so, look for a Migmaster 275. There are still a few out there.  I have a distributor in my area (NC) that has a brand new one on the floor. They had 4 but only have 1 left.If not, ESAB has a new line of 3 phase, tapped transformer machines (250 and 275 are both tapped) that have feeders equiped with 4 gear driven rollers in them.  They have a 320amp, a 410amp, and a 510amp version.You can easily change the polarity on the front for self shielded wires. The feeder has a spool enlosure to keep it out of the elements and the enclose case for the feeder and power supply are rated IP23 which is 45 degree driving rain.Very, Very competitively priced.  The 320amp version runs around $3,000.Hope this helps,Michael.Welding is my hobby, I just happen to get paid for it!
Reply:Hey. I found this on their website.http://products.esabna.com/index.php...page_email.pdfWelding is my hobby, I just happen to get paid for it!
Reply:Originally Posted by farmallIf he's gonna weld outdoors consider a power supply and a suitcase feeder, not necessarily new.
Reply:Originally Posted by Scott Youngthe best drive roll set up in my opinion is the miller 4 roll drive system.  I love that setup.
Reply:Here's a feeder, but being limited to Euro gun connections is a negative in the US.http://products.esabna.com/EN/home/a...ilefeed_300avs