farmhand wire welder-- not working correctly??

[usedcarz]

new to forum, so let me know if posted in wrong spot, etc. i'm welding in floor pans on a 67 impala convertible. using a 'farmhand' 125 mig/wire welder i've had for couple years, just haven't used it much. (prefer ole miller stick, if i can get by) using solid core wire and gas. .030
anyway-- this just started this evening,,, everytime the wire makes contact, the wire feed / spool stops, then maybe jerks, and may start again. put on a new spool of wire, since other one looked a little tangled,, same thing. even if not welding, just hold trigger down,, wire may run normally for just a little, then it stops, jerks, then takes off again. don't really matter if i turn speed up or not,, wire feed just stops and re-starts a little quicker.,, like maybe the motor or whatever controls the wire feed mechanism is going bad?? i've adjusted the tensioner, doesn't make any difference.
hate to go out and buy another welder--- something i can check or look for??
or maybe just buy some smaller stick rods and use the miller on a lower amperage?? just regular sheet metal floor pans

[gimpyrobb]

I had a simillar problem, turned out I didn't have the pinch rollers aligned(sp?) with the wire. It could be a bad spot in the motor windings but that doesn't happen often. Where you at in Ohio? I'm in Cincy.

[usedcarz]

i'm in a little town of kenton, just east of lima. pinch rollers are lined up, i've adjusted tension up and down, ran penetrating oil through trigger and wire cable. gonna have to dig in a little deeper i think, before i go out and buy another welder. after this project, prob. another 2 years before i use it again!! sure acts like a bad motor that turns the wire feed. wonder who makes this 'farmhand', tsc special, anyway?

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by usedcarz

...ran penetrating oil through trigger and wire cable.

eeegaackkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


While trying to chase down one problem you just set the stage for a few others. If you do get it running blow as much of the penetrating oil outta there as you can. That's going to haunt you for a short while till you get it all ran through there.

Anyhow, get a little of the wire sticking out, put a slight bend in the end, put it a couple three inches away from a 2x4 and squeeze the trigger. Wire should come out fairly strong and even be able to curl as it feeds. Go ahead and crank the tension up max just for a test. Look at the rollers if it doesn't come out. They, or one, should still spin even if the wire doesn't feed.

Make sure you have all settings at an expected output, wire speed and voltage.

Make sure the reel tension isn't too tight.

If at least the main drive roller stops turning look for a loose lead feeding the motor.


Good luck.

[TEK]

Try taking the whole whip assembly out of curcuit by using a jumper wire at the pin connection. This should isolate the problem. Either trigger/whip or drive system. Oh,like Sandy said, get rid of the oil on the wire! Wire does not like oil. If you feel the need to lube the liner, there are products made specially for that. Also,wire feeds like straight liners. You might pull that one out and check it for kinks. Another thing to check is the tip. Sometimes just the slightest burr will make the wire feed erracticly(?) I use a tip cleaner on mine,not removing any material,just making sure its smooth inside

[usedcarz]

yeah, i knew wd40 in the cable was gonna be another avenue to cross. i blew it out with air best i could, but figured i was just adding fuel to the fire. but anyway!!---went out this am and just clipped wire, and then when i ran trigger, for long periods, or short, motor ran fine. spool of wire turned freely. had one heck of a time pulling wire out of cable/gun, with pair of pliers and then vise grips!. so i knew then something was wrong inside of the cable or gun assy. apparently has a kink in it somewhere, cause the wire was all balled up in the end of the gun assy in the cable, through the plastic, etc., down next to the pinch wheels. so on the way to tsc now to see if they carry trigger and cable assy. (prob. be darn near as much as the whole welder was)
thanks for all the help

[SLS]

"Another thing to check is the tip. Sometimes just the slightest burr will make the wire feed erracticly(?) I use a tip cleaner on mine,not removing any material,just making sure its smooth inside."


That was my problem when I was experiencing the wire 'hanging up'.......a burr in the tip.