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Ok, I snagged a Bobcat 225G, and it's great! I still have need for wire feed though, and my POS MIG rig is a 90 amp, 20% duty cycle, 120vac Century knock off. The wire feed mech works fine, as well as the Tweco gun that came with it. Here's the question:Is there any reason that I can't/shouldn't use the Bobcat as the power source for the MIG welder? (staying within reason regarding power that the Tweco can handle).The idea would be to disconnect the main power transformer tap from the feed mech and patch in power from the Bobcat. All the heat settings would be made at the Bobcat, and the wire feed settings would be used on the MIG welder. The MIG cheapo welder doesn't have a contactor, so I'm used to the gun being hot. No change there.The more I think about this, the more sense it makes to me. But I figure that if there a snag anywhere in this plan, you guys will know about it,Thanks in advance! (Love that Bobcat now that she's running properly.)
Reply:wow I thought I was the only one to think of crazy $hit like this... don't know enough about it to answer your question though....
Reply:Hey there Eyeball!Nice to find another kindred mind here. (or is is kindled?)Really, all I'm trying to accomplish is to turn my MIG welder into a remote wire feeder.(At least I think I am anyway...)
Reply:I too am curious about this as well as I just snagged a 2004 225G NT with only 200 hours on it, stored in a heated shop and covered with the miller vinyl cover.. Looks / Runs brand new. Got home at 3 am with it.. Quite happy. Curious how the mig set up even works with this and what can be bought to mig straight from the machine.
Reply:Well, no one blew a gasket over this idea, so this weekend, I'm going to wire it up and see what happens, or doesn't happen. If this works, it will save me a barrel of money, at least for now.If there are any present who would object to this experiment, please state your concerns!-andy-
Reply:Most probably just chose to ignore this. I did. I just see way too many problems and issues to even begin.At best it sounds like a ton of work for little to no gain. If the torch is on a 90amp 20% Duty cycle, POS machine, it's probably not going to handle much more, even if the whole mess works. I'm sure some one with an electronics background could probably cobble something together, but why bother. You'll still end up with a machine thats limited in wire size ( big issue as you up the amps/volts), limited in amps, is probably a PITA to use as a portable unit with stuff hanging out of the box, and you'll still have to plug the mig into the aux power on the Bobcat anyways to run the feed mechanism.Use the mig as is plugged unto the aux power of the Bobcat and be done. If you want more power, look for a used small 180 amp 220v machine like Lincoln and Hobart sells. That or get a used VS feeder off Ebay / CL..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:Hi DSW, It's the Duty cycle that I'm trying to address. Not looking for more power, or larger wire.I emptied my pockets when I purchased the Bobcat.The cart I'm building will have a rack on top to hold outboard gear such as the MIG, or later, a feeder, and also a TIG/MultiProcess unit even later. I'm saving up for an HTP MTS 160, but that's probably a year or two away.Thanks for your opinion though, that's exactly what I was looking for.
Reply:Without typing practically the same thing all over again, I'll just say I second everything DSW said.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:My mig is a 200 amp max machine. My M10 gun that came with it will run on 200 amps with it. However plug that gun into a feeder attached to an XMT 304, and run 200 amps continuous and the gun will melt fairly quickly. I could probably run it at 250 amps for a very brief time and not damage it, but how would that help me? That's part of duty cycle as much as the transformer is. On cheap machines, theres usually very little waste in things that are over built.It's no different than you installing 150' long #6 leads on your Bobcat and stick welding. You can probably use 1/16" rod all day at 50 amps, but try and weld at 200 amps and the leads will melt probably before you get thru 2 or 3 rods..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:Hi DSW, Regarding the XMT304 at 200 amps, will it melt the Gun due to the output waveform being squarewave versus rectified sine?Thank you for the advice, I have no plans to run the Tweco gun past 90 amps.The output of the Bobcat and the MIG welder look the same, pulsating DC.Thanks again to all, for all the excellent information.-andy-
Reply:Nope, running 200 amps at like 10% duty cycle vs running 200 amps at 100% duty cycle. It's not really a 200 amp gun, it's probably a 150 amp gun, yet my machine will run 200 amps for brief periods. I've got a spare tweeco gun thats litterealy partially melted from being run at too high in amps/duty cycle. I was given it for free if I wanted it for my extra feeder. If I can dig it out I'll take a pict..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:Ah. Now I understand. Thanks again for the clarification.-andy-
Reply:Originally Posted by RedneckJazzHi DSW, Regarding the XMT304 at 200 amps, will it melt the Gun due to the output waveform being squarewave versus rectified sine?Thank you for the advice, I have no plans to run the Tweco gun past 90 amps.The output of the Bobcat and the MIG welder look the same, pulsating DC.Thanks again to all, for all the excellent information.-andy-
Reply:Must have some monstrous filter capacitors in that thing to filter out ripple at those current levels.By the way, your advice has been well used. After reading, and reading, and researching, it became clear that while my idea would work, it would be largely a waste due to the light duty feeder mech and gun. So, I hunted down a gently used Miller Super S-32p feeder with gun. I should be all set. Spent money I dont have, but sometimes safety and the right tool are more important than a bit of debt.Thanks for steering me properly.-andy-
Reply:You got a good setup now there with that S32 feeder, much better than what you had planned before. Should be good to go on anything structural with the right fluxcore wire for the task.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:38:26