Welding cable

[moe1942]

I have a cable question for the bread and butter weldors here.

My Bobcat is ready to go except for the cables. I bought 50' of #2 cable yesterday. This may be a dumb question but have any of you found a good length for the ground and work cables. I would think the ground cable should be shorter but by how much.

I think I'll leave it in one piece until I get some feed back.


Thanks

moe1942

[MAC702]

That's an easy one. The answer is a resounding DEPENDS.....

I've done some work where I needed a 20' work lead and a 200' stinger. I've also done work where I needed 100' of each.

You need to know what your typical work is going to be and then have a way to adapt to the nontypical jobs.

Unfortunately, cable isn't cheap. But it's priceless when you need it to get the job done.

The best way to go is have your work clamp on a 20' cable, and your stinger on a really flexible 20' lead. Use quick-disconnects on cables in 50' segments and assemble your leads on site for each particular job. Just make sure you have the right size for the amperage and round-trip distance.

PS, I know it's a hard habit to break, but the "ground" shouldn't be called that, but it's the "work" lead instead. And what you called the "work" lead is your electrode or stinger lead, or it may have some other better description, too.

[moe1942]

Welding cable

Mac,

Thanks for the reply. I had a hunch I would get that answer. You can tell that I am an occasional welder.

I thought that for general welding there might be a rule of thumb, like 60-40 or 70-20. The reason I asked is, I don't have enough experience under my belt to come up with my own conclusion, even though my welding experience goes back 45 years.

If no one else chimes in I think I will go 60-40.

moe1942

[HAWK]

moe1942,

You menioned #2cable. This will suffice for short distances in the 150 amp range. Larger cables can less flexible and harder to manuever, but at least #1 if not 1/0 cable would be the better choice to handle the current. Anchor brand cable is of premium quality and they make a flexible dual sheath welding lead that is of excellent quality. It is super flexible, takes abuse well, and relatively light weight. Take a look in the owners manual and it will list a cable chart showing the proper size cable related to length of cable and amperage ouput. If your cable leads get hot while welding, they are too small.

I do agree with MAC on using 50'lengths with a Tweco LC40 male/female "cam-lock" type connectors on each end. I have 440' of 2/0 cable set up this way. It does well most of the time, but occasionally I find myself renting a few hundred feet of extra lead for some jobs. I think 1/0 is an excellent choice for your purposes. I use the 2/0 to carry the 400+ amps I sometimes require.

[moe1942]

Welding cable

Hawk,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm OK with #2 for my welding needs. I checked the owners manual and #2 is good up to 100' at 200 amps. I have never burned a rod over 150 amps. I was just polling the 100's of years experience here before I cut the 50' lenghth of cable.

I'm too long in the tooth to get into any serious welding. My jobs are small. Just helping the poor folk get by. Most is pro bono. I think that is also known as a hobby. LOL.

I hope all will agree that the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked. I also told my dealer about this site. He's good people. I hope he jumps in and adds his knowledge...

PS: I don't weld anything that would put life and limb in jeopardy...


moe1942

[klsm54]

Since I am just a sales guy, and don't weld for a living or hobby, I'll put my 2 cents in.. ...If I were going to cut that 50' of cable in 2 pieces, I would make a 20' groun....whoops, work lead, and a 30 foot stinger lead. A better idea would be to leave the 50 foot in 1 piece for the stinger and go back and get 30-35 more feet for the work lead.

I also lean towards the heavy side in my thinking on cable. For 50 foot on a Bobcat, I would use #1. Any longer, 1/0. But, since you are limiting your amperage to 150 amps, I am sure the #2 will suffice.

Like I said, I am not a welder, but have set up an awful lot of Bobcats and Trailblazers over the years, and that is what I am basing my cable length ratios on, the normal set-ups. But since every job is different, normal may not always work.The idea of 50' foot sections with connectors is great. Why drag around more cable than you have to? Besides the weight and inconvenience, it is hard on the cable, much cheaper to wear out 1 50 foot section at a time rather than wear out a longer section.

[HAWK]

Re: Welding cable

Originally posted by moe1942
Hawk,

Thanks for the reply.


I hope all will agree that the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked.


moe1942

I agree 100%!

[thehat]

cable

On my welders I run 2/0, 20' on the work,30' on the electrode,then I have 2 stingers set up,1 with 2ga.,1 with 4ga. for the lighter stuff.Both are 10' with Tweco connectors.Then I add 50' when and where I need.

[cope]

Re: Welding cable

Originally posted by moe1942
Mac,

Thanks for the reply. I had a hunch I would get that answer. You can tell that I am an occasional welder.

I thought that for general welding there might be a rule of thumb, like 60-40 or 70-20. The reason I asked is, I don't have enough experience under my belt to come up with my own conclusion, even though my welding experience goes back 45 years.

If no one else chimes in I think I will go 60-40.

moe1942

I have had 100' of #2 for 290 years and cut it 60/40 as a dumb guess. Its worked fine for me. Using a short set up as suggested with extra extensions makes sense; if the cable is in a coil it takes more amperage for the same weld than if the cable is strung out. For field work this may not be a problem but around a shop or garage you may find yourself tripping over the extra lead. Then again, you have enough amperage with that machine that its not an issue.

[HAWK]

moe,

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH:

I run the same amount of cable on both leads. Why? Through the years I have found the need to change the work lead (ground) to different locations to avoid arc blow or just for convenience. I find both leads near each other.

IF ANYTHING.

[cnslmva]

Moe,

Not to be repeating everybody else's advise, I find that they're right 25' work lead, 12' #2 stinger, and 400' more 1/0 in 50' sections all with Tweco quick connects. I haven't found a job yet that I can't make up the needed lengths to get it done!

P.S. HAWK is right I find that most of the time my work and stinger leads are about the same.

Good luck!

[DDA52]

Hey Moe
I'm not gonna repeat anything, I'm just gonna tell you what my Bobus Catus has run its whole life. Ground/work/earth, whatever, 1/0 x 100'recently cut down to 50' x 2 pcs ( threatened to do that for years - finally did it last month - much better ) clamp is a Tweco 500 amp with copper shunt. Stinger - 1/0 x 100' x 2 pcs ( 200' ttl. )a #1 x 100'section with a #1 whip at 10' and Tweco 300 amp rod holder. All sections have a Tweco twist lock. I started out with Alenco twist locks, but had trouble with them coming apart. They explode and generally make a mess when they disconnect under load. Never had that trouble with Tweco's. That was a good setup for the structural work I did. I was always rolling those babies out and up it seemed, but the lenghts were neccessary to reach the high places I was always working in. If I was working in close, I would drop all but the #1, most of the time.

Don



I really need to finish my Bobcat!

[moe1942]

Welding cable (leads)

Thanks to all.

In hind sight I see that my question was like the chicken and egg argument but you still managed to give me some good info to base my decision on. Thanks for reminding me of the right terminology as well.
I have a short set of leads (1/0) that came with my AEA-200-L that I can use on the BobCat if I ever get into heavy amps. Just have to change the twist locks.

Again, thanks for the input. I think I have my youngest son coming here too. He welds for bread and butter. MIG and TIG.


moe1942

[klsm54]

Don't forget the Tweco 2-AF connectors on your output studs of your welder. Makes cable disconnects a breeze. For what a guy pays for cable, no sense leaving it out and exposed to thieves, vandals and the elements...

[moe1942]

Welding cable

klsm54,

The tweco 2-AF connectors are what I was calling twist locks. I have those on the Bobcat.

Guess I could cut down on the confusion if I used the right terms....

Thanks again y'all for all the good input.


moe1942