Plugging a 240 mig into a generator

[Jesse masterson]

By the way , those lil champion generators from tsc are excellent ! Easy to start and cheap price

 

[Sodo]

$300 from Tractor Supply gets you a 3500/4000 watt Champion with this feature: Champion Power Equipment 3500W/4000W Portable Generator - Tractor Supply Co. (Champion model 46598 ).
Aaron Z

Aaron I don't see where you get this information that the Champion has such a feature. Tractor Supply lists output amperage as 20/30v (which I suppose means 20/30 amps).

By the way , those lil champion generators from tsc are excellent ! Easy to start and cheap price

With regards to the topic of this thread, (BY THE NUMBERS only) the 3500/4000W champion (which Aaron says has the special feature to direct full power to its 120v outlets) should have enough output to run a MIG welder at 1/8" thickness settings, and possibly 3/16" settings. This is my opinion ONLY from comparing experience using a 3200/4000W Honda pair on 3/16" welding thickness presets.

With this 3500/4000w Champion generator, (if it does combine outputs to the 120v) should make no difference using a 120v MIG or 240v MIG. Total welding power is limited by the generator output. In reality, until someone replies with genuine experience, it would not be a good idea to purchase this eqpt, to weld with, on "the numbers".

The Champion 7500/9000 looks interesting, at $809!

 

[aczlan]

Aaron I don't see where you get this information that the Champion has such a feature. Tractor Supply lists output amperage as 20/30v (which I suppose means 20/30 amps).

I was first told by a champion repair tech when I bought a generator that they had for sale, but if you look at the picture, it has a 120/240 switch (between the twist lock and RV plugs) and if you click on the "View Product Manual" link on the "More Information" tab of the TSC site, page 10 of the PDF manual says:

(4) 120 /240 V 30 A Twist-Lock - protected by a 15 A push-to-reset circuit breaker on each 120 Volt leg of the receptacle. This receptacle powers 240 Volt AC, 60 Hz, single phase loads requiring up to 14.6 A or 3500 Watts of power. If an L14-30P plug is wired for only one 120 Volt leg
(3-wire connection) then this receptacle powers 120 Volt AC, 60 Hz, single phase loads requiring up to 15 A or 1800 Watts of power.
(5) Voltage switch – Choose between 120V or 240V
(6) 120 V 30 A Recreational Vehicle (RV) Receptacle – This receptacle powers 120 Volt AC, 60 Hz, single phase loads requiring up to 3500 watts of power.

Aaron Z

 

[big bubba]

I run a 180Amp MIG off a 3500W generator, it works but worked better when I ran it off a 5000W generator.

You will be much happier if you go ahead and bite the bullet to do what needs to be done to install a 240V plug on grid power though. It will be cheaper in the long run and will work better.

i agree w/STx unless you're going mobile, install the (grid) receptacle. how long a run is it from the circuit breaker? get the right gauge wire for the run, & you're all set. & you'd have your existing gen for a squeeze ... best regards