Lincoln SP 175 welder
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Katy(Houston), Texas
Lincoln SP 175 welder
I bought the sp175 plus welder used the other day and I went to Home Depot and bought some mig wire. I believe it was the "L56", anyway, I went to put it on the spindle in the welder but it seems like the hole in the wire spool is too small. According to the instructions I printed off from Lincoln it should spin freely on the spindle. By the way this is the 4 inch spool. It does go on but very tightly.
This is my first MIG welder so I'm not familiar with these. Does anyone have any idea what's wrong? I almost ready to start welding everything I can get my hands on...practice makes perfect, right. Anythoughts would be appreciated.
This is my first MIG welder so I'm not familiar with these. Does anyone have any idea what's wrong? I almost ready to start welding everything I can get my hands on...practice makes perfect, right. Anythoughts would be appreciated.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 831
Likes: 16
From: sacramento
Did you get that welder at HD, I didn't think they sold that model. I bought lincoln wire at HD once, and it was all wound up, soon as you let the wire go it turned into a big old mess.
It should spin freely with no resistance, the rollers pull it through. If the wire is tight on the spindle you will get inconsistent feed.
It should spin freely with no resistance, the rollers pull it through. If the wire is tight on the spindle you will get inconsistent feed.
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Katy(Houston), Texas
I didn't buy the welder at HD only the wire. It is definatly tight on the spindle. I'm wondering if I got the wrong wire or if the spool is defective somehow.
Gary, my wire did the same thing when I unhooked it, but I caught it before it really "bird nested" on me.
Gary, my wire did the same thing when I unhooked it, but I caught it before it really "bird nested" on me.
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,591
Likes: 14
From: Pflugerville, tx
You don't want the spool to spin 'freely', as it will birdnest in reverse. (the spool will spin backwards from the wire tension)..
The tensioner on the feed mechanism will pull the wire from the spool, I can 'just' turn mine by hand with the lock nut screwed down.
Now, I have two different MIG welders and they both work the same in this regard, Miller and a Harbor Freight no-name brand.
Sam
The tensioner on the feed mechanism will pull the wire from the spool, I can 'just' turn mine by hand with the lock nut screwed down.
Now, I have two different MIG welders and they both work the same in this regard, Miller and a Harbor Freight no-name brand.
Sam
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 831
Likes: 16
From: sacramento
I guess mine has a little resistance but not much, The resitance only come in as I tighten the spool retainer up. My welder is a hobart 175 so should be the same as the miller. That HD wire was the only one out of 3 diffrent brands I have used That was so tightly wound I took the mess back to HD and have been using other brands since.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Brentwood, TN
My Lincoln 175+ came with the small spools but the spool I bought at HD is the larger diameter and is the Hobart brand. The center of the spool is a larger diameter and has an adapter so it can bolt onto the feed axle. The spool is rather loose but not so much that it gets a backlash. A spool that size weighs quite a bit so I believe that it would be almost impossible for the wire to unwind on its own. Whatever the case it has worked flawlessly for me for over three years now....
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Longwood, fl
Low,
Have the same welder and always go back to the welding distributor to buy my gas and wire supplies and never had a problem. If the spool goes on that is all that matters, what is important is that there is tension once loaded so it does not free spool on you and create a mess as others have mentioned. That is a great machine that you can do alot with and should last you a lifetime. Good luck and happy welding...
Have the same welder and always go back to the welding distributor to buy my gas and wire supplies and never had a problem. If the spool goes on that is all that matters, what is important is that there is tension once loaded so it does not free spool on you and create a mess as others have mentioned. That is a great machine that you can do alot with and should last you a lifetime. Good luck and happy welding...
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Katy(Houston), Texas
When I got home last night I tried to put the spool back on to be sure I would describe it correctly. It went about half way on with some effort then for the second half I had to rotate the spool back and forth (right to left) while pushing it on. Once on it was very tight and impossible to spin freely. I am taking it back to HD and if I can I will try to compare it to another reel or even try it on one of their welders (if they will let me). I will probably end up as joe suggests at a distributer. I'll let you all know how it turnes out.
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Katy(Houston), Texas
Ok, I went back to HD on my way home this evening and I just exchanged the reel for another one. When I got home I went straight to the garage to see if it would fit. It went on with no problems and spins very freely. So the problem was a deffective spool. What are the chances that my first ever purchase of wire would be on a bad spool. Anyway, problems solved. Thanks for everyones input. Now I'll be running 220 in my garage this weekend. The fun continues.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2005
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Odd that your first purchase was defective. We buy our supplies through a welding supply. In fact, thats where we got the mig in the first place. Dad still works in the shop I used to work in, so they bring whatever we need right to him. They fill our bottle of gas as well. Pick up and return. 
I didn't know the small migs those little rolls of wire. Mine has a 10# roll on it. Are the ones everyone is using 110 V or something?
I didn't know the small migs those little rolls of wire. Mine has a 10# roll on it. Are the ones everyone is using 110 V or something?
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,958
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Originally Posted by SunDown
I have a 10 lb spool in my lincoln 135 which is a 110v and a 10lb spool in my millermatic 175 which is a 220v. So they sell 10lb'rs for both...
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: "Islander"
Larger diameter spools feed off better due to the diameter increase which helps the drive rollers for a steady feed. Isn't there a drag adjustment to prevent birds nesting like a German wavy washer between two plain washers or a fiber friction adjustment?
As far as cost buy bigger spools, same with bottles and get owner owned not rentals. I owner own 280 cu/ft bottles for the Miller 350 Synchrowave Tig and Millermatic 251 Mig. Those 4" aluminum wire spools for the 30A spoolgun are expensive, I rewind from a large spool to 4" on the lathe, call me cheap but that's how I could afford these machines.
On the Mig I use 30 pound spools, again cost savings.
You'll enjoy that 175 after you wire in some 230 volt power.
Get spoiled on a instant dark hood.
As far as cost buy bigger spools, same with bottles and get owner owned not rentals. I owner own 280 cu/ft bottles for the Miller 350 Synchrowave Tig and Millermatic 251 Mig. Those 4" aluminum wire spools for the 30A spoolgun are expensive, I rewind from a large spool to 4" on the lathe, call me cheap but that's how I could afford these machines.
On the Mig I use 30 pound spools, again cost savings.
You'll enjoy that 175 after you wire in some 230 volt power.
Get spoiled on a instant dark hood.