need help

[AfarmernamedBob]

im fixing my trailer with my welder and my welder cables get hot. i just put on new ones and i cant use them for more than 5 minits before i cant hold them anymore. it got so hot last time i droped it and the lights went out. i think my welder is brocken. anyone did this before?

[DSW]

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.

Are the leads the same size as the ones you replaced? A smaller gauge lead might cause them to heat up depending on how may amps you are running. Are the conecters on good and solid? If the connections are not tight you would get resistance and heat.

Some basic info might also help. What welder is it, type, model and so on? How many amps are you running? How long are the leads? I am assuming this is a stick machine. Is this a new problem or did you have this problem with the old leads? The more info we can get from you the better we can answer your questions.

Good luck.

[AfarmernamedBob]

this one is a little shorter than the other one. my nieghbor took his back so i had to get new ones. its a miller thats why i came here. i think its 15 or 20 feet. i cut off the clamps and screwed on the weld leads like before but it gets hot. its fat like the old one but the black and red wrap around it isnt as flexable. how do i know the gauge?

[hankj]

Look on the insulation. You should find the wire gauge printed there somewhere. 2AWG or maybe 4AWG would be typical for a small stick machine. For a 225 amp, I'd expect to see 1AWG on short leads and 1/0 on long ones.

If the leads are getting too hot to hold on to, they are too small of a wire gauge.

Hank

[AfarmernamedBob]

this one says 6 but its good for big rig batterys that are 700 amps. the welder still wont work. i turn on the breaker and it turns off again.

[Craig in Denver]

Sounds like your polarity is reversed. I think you reversed the ground clamp and stinger leads. Just guessing.

[AfarmernamedBob]

went and checked it and the red is in the plus and the black is in the minis. the black is clamped to the trailer and the red is still on the ground in the mud were i dropped it when it got hot. ha ha. the rod is still good not broke either. the welder is still plugged in like it always is. every thing is normal but it wont turn on anymore. i can use it geting hot just not use it as long but it wont turn on. i need the trailer.

[willy]

Just a guess, but where the leads plug into the welder, check to make sure it is not grounding out against the case of the welder. A simple way to check this is to hook a test light or Ohm Meter to the positive lead and to the case of the machine. If you get a light or continuity, there is a problem somewhere there - Be sure to disconnect power first

Good Luck and let us know what you find out!

[kcstott]

this one says 6 but its good for big rig batterys that are 700 amps. the welder still wont work. i turn on the breaker and it turns off again.

700 cranking amps doesn't translate to 700 continuous welding amps.

Still sounds like the wire are to small. and now you probably blew an internal fuse after dropping the rod in the stinger in the mud. And NO you rod is not OK even if it did break it picked up some water from the mud and unless you used it with in minutes of dropping it, It's done through it away.

Now here are my questions
Is the welder a ac/dc welder? and is it set to DC?
What amperage are you running?
What size and type rod are you using?
What is the thickness of the part?
and what model welder is it?

These will all help us make a better guess at what is going on.
Kerry

[AfarmernamedBob]

i went and bougt a new cable today and cut off the clamps. this one is bigger than the other one by alot. best one napa had. put the stinger and ground clamp on and it still gets hot but not as bad. welder came on after i took the rod out of the mud puddle like you said. put on new rod even thouh other one wasnt broke. breaker will stay on now. i think it was shorting out in the water. my dog was sitting next to me yesterday when i was welding like he always does and made a funny noise and ran away when i droped the rod in the puddle. he still wont come out from under the porch. thanks for the help. i think i can get the trailer done now a little at a time. i wish the niegbor didn't need his cables back to jump his tractor becaus those worked the best.

[DSW]

FYI Jumper cables, which it sounds like you bought, are not really designed to be used as welding leads. Most likely those cables are still too small for welding. Investing in a good pair of WELDING LEADS would probably be a good idea in the long run. They are not cheap because of the amount of copper in a 1/0 or larger cable.

Glad to see that you got it up and running again. Good luck.

[BamaBob]

my dog was sitting next to me yesterday when i was welding like he always does and made a funny noise and ran away when i droped the rod in the puddle. he still wont come out from under the porch

Still hasn't posted welder type, amps or anything specific. If this post is for real, and not a prank, I want to express a couple of concerns:

1. AfarmernamedBob does not seem to be aware of even the most basic elements of welding safety (welding in proximity to a puddle, welding using jumper cables as leads, etc.)

2. AfarmernamedBob is welding on a trailer.

I hope this post is a prank.

If not, please AfarmernamedBob, hire the repairs to your trailer out to a qualified welder, and take some time to learn about welding and welding safety so you can weld without endangering yourself and your dog. Not that you can't do it yourself, but its just not the right project to start on, IMHO. Also, based on the shoddy nature of my own first welds, I'm concerned that your "repaired" trailer could hurt someone later.

I hope the dog is ok. Dogs are extremely sensitive to electric shock.

[hurricunning]

i went and bougt a new cable today and cut off the clamps. this one is bigger than the other one by alot. best one napa had. put the stinger and ground clamp on and it still gets hot but not as bad. welder came on after i took the rod out of the mud puddle like you said. put on new rod even thouh other one wasnt broke. breaker will stay on now. i think it was shorting out in the water. my dog was sitting next to me yesterday when i was welding like he always does and made a funny noise and ran away when i droped the rod in the puddle. he still wont come out from under the porch. thanks for the help. i think i can get the trailer done now a little at a time. i wish the niegbor didn't need his cables back to jump his tractor becaus those worked the best.

I wouldn't advise this guy on how to do any welding on that trailer. Sounds like somebody is trying to have a little fun with y'all...

[hurricunning]

...I hope this post is a prank...

Well said, Bob

[dabar39]

I too hope this is nothing more than someone trying to have fun at you alls expense. If not, and this is a true post, this guy should not own a welder let alone be in the same state as one, and certainly should not be working on a trailer of any sort.

Come on guys, give me some more crap for saying welders should not be made available to the general public with out some sort of training!