Harbor Freight MIG 180 - new model

[dugndeep]

Let me see if I understand this,you are getting power but just not enough to strike an arc with.

[bradnic]

Let me see if I understand this,you are getting power but just not enough to strike an arc with.

that description fits, except that now the feed motor doesn't turn either. It did only once, fresh out of the box. I returned the first one, then the second one behaved the same way - I could feed the wire once, then when I finished no feed motor and no arc. switch light is on, fan is on, pushing trigger on the gun does nothing.

if it was a power problem why would the wire feed work the first time? I tried 2 different 240 circuits in the house, both functioning normally, no tripped breakers with the welder:

- my dryer circuit (4 prong outlet, connected to welder's 240/50A plug using a dryer electrical cord from home depot and a Leviton outlet box, wired green to ground, red and black to hot pins, white neutral taped

- my garage 240/20A circuit. I changed the plug and power cable on the new welder to match the outlet (2 flat horizontal blades+ground). The new power cable is 10 gauge (thicker than the original power cord of the welder). It is about 12' long, rather than the 6' that welder came with.

you can safely assume I don't know squat, so all comments/suggestions welcome. If I should post this on a different thread please let me know.

thanks

[dugndeep]

That was going to be my second question,maybe try your dryer outlet,but you beat me to it.

[bradnic]

well shoot. how could 2 brand new MIG-180s behave exactly the same way?
and forget tech support. they're not answering the phone, will let you know about email. since I modded the power cable, if it turns out the unit really is defective I'll have to switch it back. I'm really hoping the community here helps me figure out what's going on.

I wouldn't rule out operator error either, but then again I fed the wire through the gun properly. Both welders stopped responding to the gun trigger after having the wire fed for the first time.

[Bluewelders]

If you have a meter,I suppose you could check for 220 at the switch.
Usually they will run the fan and a few lights on 110v.

[bradnic]

I do have a meter. other equipment runs off these circuits fine though. If I can confirm the circuit's not the problem I'm getting my money back.

[bradnic]

Finally got through to the HF tech support line. The tech asked me to open the welder up and look for a loose wire. Hard to believe 2 welders would have the exact same issue.

I'll have a chance to do this later today and will post back.

[bradnic]

Opened her back up - no loose wires that I could see. Returned the unit for a full refund.
Seems like HF cut costs too deep on these. I'd gladly pay $100 more for a reliable unit.

Any suggestions on a better unit out there for $400 or so?

[dugndeep]

Opened her back up - no loose wires that I could see. Returned the unit for a full refund.
Seems like HF cut costs too deep on these. I'd gladly pay $100 more for a reliable unit.

Any suggestions on a better unit out there for $400 or so?

Does it have to be a 220 volt machine? Campbell Hausfeld or Maxus 180,I hate to suggest one and it turn out to be a dud,I think you can get them for $500 or less.Hobart 180 is about $600.I bought the Maxus 125 from Grizzly for $270 delivered to my door and really like it,it welds smooth plus it is mig ready except for the regulator and gas hose.The reason it was so cheap was it was on sale for $250 and also where it weighed under 70 pounds,I just had to pay $20 shipping.But the CH and the Maxus 140 and 180 are a little heavier and come with the regulator and hose kit,shipping is more than $20 for them.

[dugndeep]

Does it have to be a 220 volt machine? Campbell Hausfeld or Maxus 180,I hate to suggest one and it turn out to be a dud,I think you can get them for $500 or less.Hobart 180 is about $600.I bought the Maxus 125 from Grizzly for $270 delivered to my door and really like it,it welds smooth plus it is mig ready except for the regulator and gas hose.The reason it was so cheap was it was on sale for $250 and also where it weighed under 70 pounds,I just had to pay $20 shipping.But the CH and the Maxus 140 and 180 are a little heavier and come with the regulator and hose kit,shipping is more than $20 for them.

Hobart 190 is $650 at TSC.Hobart 140 is about $500.Hobart 125 is about $370.

I was looking for something cheaper when I found the Maxus 125.I just didn't want to go the Harbor Freight route because I knew it would require a little upgrading to make it a better welder.

[dugndeep]

Grizzly has the Maxus 180 on sale for $429 but like mentioned earlier,there will be a freight charge involved because it weighs over 70 pounds.

[Dave1941]

Opened her back up - no loose wires that I could see. Returned the unit for a full refund.
Seems like HF cut costs too deep on these. I'd gladly pay $100 more for a reliable unit.

Any suggestions on a better unit out there for $400 or so?

Wish I had seen this thread before you returned your machine. My money is on the trigger switch. BTDT with my Dual Mig 151 when it was first set up. Wire power fed through the liner and out the end of the swan neck, but would not feed again. Turns out, the lower contact on the switch pulled out of place, probably from stretching the whip while installing the tip and nozzle. Easy fix and prevention of future occurance by addition of a cable tie to keep the wires from moving around inside the gun.

[w6pug]

I think I posted this somewhere else but I can't find it right now so here is some more info on the MIG180 ... I have one - no disappointments yet ...
HF MIG170 and MIG 180 does not have spare parts for the MIG gun. The gas nozzle is threaded at the base. Lincoln part number KH725 nozzle fits perfectly ($8) and Lincoln KH726 Flux Core nozzle ($4), also a perfect fit, is really nice for you guys who do mostly FCAW (like me). These parts are readily available at Home Depot.
The current settings and duty cycles are as follows:
Switch Setting/ Current Value / Duty Cycle%
A. 30A 100%
B. 45A 100%
C. 70A 86%
D. 95A 47%
E. 120A 29%
F. 145A 20%
These are based on tap calculations which is a little understated, because real current and voltage has variables of wire size, length from tip to work and all of that, but this is somewhere to start.
NOTE: 180A RATING IS THE MAXIMUM OBTAINABLE CURRENT BUT 140A IS THE ACTUAL CURRENT WHEN USED AT THE 20% DUTY CYCLE.

[Inkydoggy]

I bought a Lotos 175 MIG off eBay for a little over $400.00 and it comes with a spool gun for that price too. They manufacture all the welders for Eastwood and a few other places. Very same welder and they work great to. They just put different names on them for the others and that is the only difference I see in them. I have had mine now for some time and no problems and I use it about 4 times a week or more. Spool gun works great for aluminum too and it is free with the welder when you buy the thing off eBay.

[davidarlen]

old thread new question

Just traded an old MIG 200 welder in no a new Mig 180 68886 welder anyone familiar with this welder.

[davidarlen]

My old welder was a MIG 200 that was made is Russia the feed control seemed kind of cheap and It did not weld well and I got a lot of bird nests. My Harbor freight is awesome. I turned in two old blue welders and they replaced them with the black models I only had to pay for a two year warrantee. So my new MIG 180 68886 cost me $79.- with a two year service agreement warrantee.

[davidarlen]

For my just bought Mig 180 at Harbor Freight the copper tip is made by Tweco part number WMK21-50. At WestAir it was called nozzle #1 mini Gun 1/2 to twx 2150 student price $5.99.