newbie help please!

admin

just bought my first welder. lincoln 175hd mig welder. 030 wire and 030 tip.my buddy has the same welder, he has been using it for years in multiple homes and has never had problems. I got everything the same, including a 40 foot cable to make sure i can get around the whole garage. i hooked it up today and started playing around after only ten minutes of welding the welder stopped working. Its like the wire would get hot but it would not penetrate and wouldnt melt the steel. Some have told me that they have seen this happen after prolonged use of a welder without giving it breaks but not after just a few minutes. After it cools down its ready to go for another ten minutes or so. I am running it off my 30 amp dryer hookup. Some have told me this is not sufficient and i need a 50 amp hookup, but my buddy has been using his off 30 amp for years. Can anyone help me get to welding?!?!?any help would be greatly appreciated.
Reply:duty cycle, did you read any directions?
Reply:What are you using for a 40 ft cable? might be dropping a lot of voltage there and making the unit work harder to put the required voltage at the gun. Not uncommon to see voltage 10% different from one hose to another, so if the new place is on the low end 220 volts and the old place was 250 it could well hurt performance esp when adding in a long cord. If you're not tripping the breaker in the pannel a 50 amp plug circuit won't give you more power than a 30 amp plug.Last edited by Timberwolf; 05-25-2009 at 02:13 PM.Lincoln PT185 TIGLincoln 175 MIGLincoln 240 amp AC StickLind Needle Arc plasma welderPlasma cutter, soon???
Reply:Have you tried swapping out your buddy's 40-foot cord?  Or trying his machine with your cord, to see if you can isolate the problem?
Reply:I bet your cord is too skinny.   I use 8-ga 3-wire 300-volt SO cord and the Passport and Millermatic 175 both run fine on 240v and 50' distance.   I have a 6-ga 4-wire 600-volt cord on the XMT and it runs fine on 240v at that distance as well.  This is running off the Bobcat or the shop, both work fine.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Is the machine new or used?? Is the cooling fan working on the machine? If it's used, take the cover off of it and blow out the cobwebs inside it and clean it up.Make sure the fan is pulling a good stream of air and the blades are clean.You have a overheating problem some where.Master Manipulator of Molten Metal  Matt. 5-14  14"You are the light of the world.  Therefore Ladies and Gentlemen.....let there be light!  The welder creed: 'Mo heat, 'mo rod and 'mo money!Old school AWS member '96.