Stick Welder Cord

[Smokin Pistol]

Hey,
How come my Hobart 235AC/DC Stickwelder has a power cord made of 12/3 wire and a 50Amp plug. I need to put it on a 50Amp breaker. Why the small 12 gage wire for the cord??

Thanks!

[Sberry]

At the distance of the cord there is very little voltage drop. If you are making a cord I tend to like number 8 but 10 is legal with that machine too. The wiring for it is related to its duty cycle and the machine has its own thermal protection so the breakers main function becomes short circuit interuption more than thermal protection for the feed wire. In the event of a short it will pull hundreds, sometimes even thousands of amps and open the breaker. There are several threads here dealing with this issue of machine wiring. In the manual it says you are allowed to use up to 87ft of number 12 to feed it, but that is cerainly a minimum standard and way too light for my tastes especially if using cable like romex in walls. 10 minimum, 8 good, 6 best for 50A to reduce voltage drop from the panel.

[Hobart Expert Rock]

SMOKING PISTOL........Sherry is right on most of what he is saying. However the units in question do not have Thermal Protection..............

Be Safe.......................Rock..
SSCOTT@MILLERWELDS.COM

[Sberry]

Well,, thats my first mistake of the day,, ha, I guess I get confused reading so many of these sheets,,, thats why you are there then, to keep us straight. It must provide thermal by burning up the trans then,, hahahaha