6300 watt generator for 50 amp welder?

npaden · Mar 14, 2008

I'm always checking craigslist for stuff and there is a 6300w craftsman generator with electric start on there for $600 which seems like a pretty good deal. It has a 220v outlet but it is only a 20 amp outlet. Is there anyway to work it so that I could run my 50 amp 220v welder on it or should I just forget about that idea? I had thought that would be a great option for using the welder on tractor projects so I could just take the welder to the tractor or implement instead of having to pull everything into the barn.

Thanks in advance.

Nathan

petegoud · Mar 14, 2008

You might be able to wire it up to run your welder, buy ONLY for extremely light welding. If you happen to crank it up over the 20 amps you'll blow it's circuit breakers if your lucky. You might even fry the whole thing. I would recommend spending a few hundred more and picking up a unit that runs off your PTO, say 12,000 watts. You'll be able to do a lot more with that setup. That together with the whole tractor/generator setup will mean it's just too large for friends to put it in the back of their pickups to borrow. A gas powered generator will also burn through fuel about twice as fast as a diesel setup.

RonMar · Mar 14, 2008

Well that sounds kind of weird. 6300W divided by 240V = 26A. With a 20A breaker on the 240 circuit, that generater can't even deliver it's rated output. Are you sure that isn't a 5KW generator with a 6300W surge(which would again be iffy with that 20A breaker)? Most likley, the surge load when you strike an arc would pop that 20A breaker, even on a low weld amperage setting.

Racer71 · Mar 14, 2008

npaden,

Your not even close at 20 amps.

gerard · Mar 14, 2008

My votes a no. I have an 8000w surge, 6500 watt continuos generator and I tried to do what you just described with my AC225 stick welder. Now I have a 30 amp outlet on the generator, run my whole house including a 220 volt well with no problem, but the welder was asking too much. I'd be ok on some really light stuff but couldn't really use any rod greater than 3/32.

texasjohn · Mar 14, 2008

Well, I have a 220V Miller 175 mig welder... and a Coleman generator 5500Watts continuous, 6500 surge. 20 amp breaker on the 220V outlet.

It welds just fine for me.... I'll admit that I've not tried to crank the welder to the max and kill the generator, but so far it's done all I've needed to do. I carefully looked at the Watts/amps needed and provided at various welding voltages. As I recall when I did the calculations, max amps required at 220 volts required by the welder at max setting was something like 19.5 amps... sure, close to the breaker max... but not quite there...

There have been a couple of threads on this topic in the past... there are others that have tried, successfully, to run welders on 5500 watt generators.

You didn't say if you have a tombstone stick or a mig welder....

As you can see, others experiences vary

RonMar · Mar 14, 2008

A MIG is a way different animal from a Stick welder. Completely different energy delivery scheme, and can be run on considerably less power.

npaden · Mar 14, 2008

Per the specs this is a 6300W continuous rated with a 9000W surge.

I would be trying to use a stick welder. Sounds like it wouldn't work.

I still may end up looking at it, I currently have a 3000W pull start generator and there have been a few outages where I was out of town and the wife couldn't pull it hard enough to get it started.

MUDONTHETIRES · Mar 15, 2008

Nathan,

I have a 5550 watt generator with a 8550 surge that has a 120/240 volt 30 amp receptacle. With the advice of some fine folks on this website, I was able to construct a 50 amp box with a cord that has a 30 amp connector attached. See the pic below. This setup allowed me to begin learning how to weld. I now have power in my barn but before that, the generator was my only source of welding power. I have a Lincoln AC225. Although not intended for that kind of use and the 30amp breaker trips from time to time with continuous welding, it still works with low amp welding or very quick welding tasks. It's very handy in a pinch when you're out in the field and you need portable welding power.

texasjohn · Mar 15, 2008

npaden..... for that generator, it's a good price... and if you can beat them down, it's getting into the bargin category.... that generator, if you have the true specs, is rather pricy.... particularly for an electric start... better act, if you are going to do so... before somebody else does.

If you actually seek a larger electic start generator, I predict you will either pay a LOT more $$ or wait a long time for a bargin to come along.