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I currently have a Lincoln 10000 Ranger and would like to do Mig welding.Is this an entirely separate setup I need to get or can it be added to my present welder?Sorry, just an 'ol rancher.Thanks in advance
Reply:I don't personally have any experience with the ranger 10000, but I would imagine you could add a wire feeder without a problem.  At the very least, you could get a voltage sensing suitcase that would do what you needed.http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentseries.asp?browse=102|706|Above is a list of the current offerings from lincoln in the area of wire feeders.  The LN25 is a very versitile suitcase welder that will work with pretty much any welding power source.  If you have an external control connection, you might be able to get something with more features.  Check for "wire feeders" on ebay.  There are always a couple of dozen used ones there, and sometimes they go for really good prices...in addition, there are also wire bird feeders that pop up...don't buy one of those...unless you have a bird, of course.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:It will work fine with a LN-25 or hobart hefty.  Your machine has a CV tap, so it will make a nice partner for a suitcase wire feedere.  They are not voltage sensing, they are powered by the + from the welder and ground.  That is what the extra wire is for.  It pickes up the NEG so it can run the motor inside that drives your wire.Go for it, you won't regret it.  I have had an LN-25 for 20 years and all I ran it on for most of that time is a lincoln weldmanpower G7, now a ranger 250. Sweet and smooth.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:As Dave said, an LN-25 or any VS(voltage sensing) feeder will do.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Thank you all for your input.  Sorry for not having responded sooner.  John
Reply:I'm still not real clear on this.  My welder is a Lincoln GXT Ranger and I would like to get a mig to weld lighter gauge stuff.  The LN-25 has to be powered by the Welder, correct?  The reason I ask is I watched a guy weld on my vehicle tail pipe and he had a stand alone  unit (mig?) of some sort with a tank.   Do I not need a tank of some sort?  Is the LN-25 the cheapest way to go for me?  Sorry for all the questions.Thanks
Reply:If you plan to use solid wire & gas you do not want a voltage sensing feeder, you want one that will marry in with the cv circuit of the machine.
Reply:We have Ranger 9(older unit) and the only mig option is a suit case welder.  So I checked out the Lincoln GXT Ranger on the lincoln site and it is the same.  But I noticed somethink kinda interesting, you can buy an optional plasma kit that will cut though 9/16 steel.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:Boy, I sure need to get educated on this stuff.  Suitcase welder?  Is that good/bad?  I bought the welder last year and have only welded a couple fence posts but thought a mig might be useful.  Seems I have more money then sense.  Thanks
Reply:If you have a local welding supplier (LWS) that is Lincoln certified and carries their equipment, hit their store and check out their options. Most times the sales people aren't as knowledgable as the folks here but at least you can touch, feel and see in person the equipement we are talking about. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:For more info on wirefeeders that will work with you Raner 10 -  see the following link, on the right hand side of the page almost to the bottom - see wire feeder option -just click on the underlined red numbers and read for yourselfhttp://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...et.asp?p=45583 Myself I like the LN-25 and as for that comment on hard wire -  there is a switch inside to select what kind of power supply is feeding it juct set it to CV and make sure the ranger is set to CV I've not had and problems - I've even run several successfull AWS welding procedure qualifications test 1G & 3G that were welded with the LN-25 and my Ranger 8Martin MC Weld TechAWS-CWIAWS-CWEwww.linkedin.com/pub/martin-cramer/20/b36/940/
Reply:This is just a suggestion, but if you are only gonna be using it for part time odd jobs, then I would suggest scrapping the idea of a separate feeder.  Buy a pro-mig 180 or equivalent 240 Volt machine and just plug it into the welder's 240 receptacle.   I looked at suitcase feeders, and controls for my machines and I came out way cheaper just buying a small case 240 volt mig and throwing it on the truck when I needed it.  The rest of the time you can put it in the shop and use it there.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I'm with Hammock.What are you going to be MIG welding?  This makes all the difference.  Everyone's answer has the possibility of being the best advice, but we don't know yet.Might be all you need is a much less expensive 120V wirefeeder all-in-one for doing the stuff that's too thin for the Stick welding from the engine-drive.  And then you can power it from shore power or generator power.
Reply:I got the LN-25 to go on my 250 ranger and it works great.  I was curious if the old lincoln "tombstone" would pull it but it won't I guess because it's cc instead of cv.  If you opt for a standalone machine to plug up to the 10,000 don't go very big or it won't pull it.  The guy at the welding supply store told me mine would pull a powermig 255 but when you cranked the unit up it would shut off.  That's why I took it back and got the LN-25, that's what it's made for.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Just a few notes.  My Lincoln wirematic 250 which is a 220 volt MIG that draws 30 or so amps will NOT run from my gas powered welder 220 volt outlet because the power is not clean enough to power it.  An LN-25 will run MIG for anything you want to weld up to the capacity of your machine.  I have 2 LN-25s and use em all the time.Just so you know, an LN-25 or its equivalent is a suitcase welder.  It is a wire feeder that needs a CV power source that your machine has.  If you are welding small stuff with the mig, then a 110 volt mig will work off your machine very well.  Mine works better off the gas powered welder than it does plugged into a regular household outlet.  This is because there is more power available to the machine.   Its still limited to 100 amps of output.  Read less than 3/16" stuff.If you do go for the suitcase welder which needs a bottle like any other mig, you will learn to love it.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Lots of good information here.  So basically, I could get a smaller, cheaper 110v or 220v that would plug in anywhere or I could get something like the LN-25 which is a much better unit that plugs into the GXT to get better regulated voltage.  And also that whichever MIG model I choose, it would require an external air tank.
Reply:yes if you want to run (mig) then you will need an external tank.  For running Flux cored wire you do not need one.  It all comes down to what you will be using the machine for, and how much you want to spend.  David, That suprises me.  I have pulled my Lincoln squarewave 175 off of an engine drive several times, and even pulled my power mig 255 off of one a couple times with no problems.  However I didn't run much over 21Volts I think.    That is something to think about with the larger machines, but I think if using the 180 amp or less (small case) migs then he should have no problem at all.  atleast I haven't with my Lincoln 175T  mig.  Here is something to think about as well.  The GXT with a tig module is impressive....  It's actually the reason I bought mine.  If you are only looking for something to do light gauge materials you can hook a tig module to the GXT with a foot pedal and do really thin materials even Aluminum without much trouble.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by zubin6220Lots of good information here.  So basically, I could get a smaller, cheaper 110v or 220v that would plug in anywhere or I could get something like the LN-25 which is a much better unit that plugs into the GXT to get better regulated voltage.  And also that whichever MIG model I choose, it would require an external air tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by zubin6220Lots of good information here.  So basically, I could get a smaller, cheaper 110v or 220v that would plug in anywhere or I could get something like the LN-25 which is a much better unit that plugs into the GXT to get better regulated voltage.  And also that whichever MIG model I choose, it would require an external air tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingDavid, That surprises me.  I have pulled my Lincoln squarewave 175 off of an engine drive several times, and even pulled my power mig 255 off of one a couple times with no problems.
Reply:David i believe the Powermig is a transformer machine.  That was my thought.  If the OP is only going to use the wire as a supplement to the stick for welding thinner materials I think the small migs would be the way to go.  Now on the other hand if he is wanting a mig setup capable of the full range of his machine then the seperate feeder is the way to go.   As stated earlier, It all depends on his usage.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_Welding   As stated earlier, It all depends on his usage.
Reply:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------I got the LN-25 to go on my 250 ranger and it works great. I was curious if the old lincoln "tombstone" would pull it but it won't I guess because it's cc instead of cv. There is a switch inside the LN-25 to change back and forth between the cc (VV) and cv. the self shielded fluxcores don't run as sweet but it works.I'm biased Own both Miller sp23 and the LN25. and the red (really it's grey) has proven easier to set up in ahurry and performed well with every tihing that I've tried. Note haven't done aluminum with ti I like tig and oxy-fuel for that (mostly 'cause thats what I learned with)Martin MC Weld TechAWS-CWIAWS-CWEwww.linkedin.com/pub/martin-cramer/20/b36/940/
Reply:I take the little Millermatic 175 MIG welder out on the truck sometimes and power it from the Bobcat 250NT (10K watts) and the Bobcat runs it fine.   As it should... the Bobcat allegedly makes 44 amps of 240v power and the Millermatic only needs <20 amps to run on max...  The Bobcat should be similar in output to a Lincoln Ranger 10K or GXT, I would think. At some time in the hopefully near future I'm planning to buy a Millermatic Passport 'suitcase' MIG to keep on the truck and leave the MM175 in the shop.   I like that Passport, it's about the size of a suitcase feeder-only machine but it has it's own powersource and cost about the same as a Miller Suitcase feeder.   I don't need any more than 180 amps on MIG from the truck anyways.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:You will LOVE the Passport. But try to upgrade the gun.  It's an adequate gun, but has a fragile trigger wiring system and is prone to failure.  Get the Bernard upgrade even if you have to sell the M10 gun.  Same gun that's on the MM175, though.