Lincoln 140 Mig Welder

[Kenskip1]

OK, so I am in the process of selecting a welder. I have narrowed it down to the Hobart 140, or the Lincoln 140. I have read many reviews on the pair and thinking about purchasing the Lincoln. My question is, the wire feed on the Lincoln has two sizes. .025 and .035. The reason I ask this is that I have 5 rolls of new .030 Lincoln Flux core wire and am wondering if the .030 will feed through the Lincoln?I also have about a dozen tips in .030. Or will I have to buy one of the other two sizes available?
I have a Longevity Model 100 that works but I wish to make an improvement in my welding projects.Hence the rolls of .030 wire and tips.Thanks, Ken

 

[MoonRise]

RTFM.

The manual and brochure I just checked on the Lincoln PowerMig 140 says that the machine comes with 0.025 and 0.035 contact tips, but comes with drive rolls that cover 0.025, 0.030, 0.035, and 0.045 wire sizes. (not that you would run 0.045 wire through a 140-class MIG machine, but that drive roll is a knurled combo one for 0.030/0.035/0.045 FCAW wire and is also used in the PM180, which does have enough power to run some 0.045 NR-211-MP FCAW wire)

Some of those drive rolls are smooth ones and some are knurled ones (for use with FCAW wire).

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/K2471-2/e723.pdf

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/servicenavigator-public/lincoln3/imt10099.pdf

Looks like you'd just have to get some 0.030 contact tips for the Lincoln.

 

[Kenskip1]

MR, Thank you. This is just the information that I was asking about.Are welding tips interchangeable from one brand to another? Not a big deal but I have a few in .030 from my Longevity.Thanks again, Ken A Piney from New Jersey.

 

[MoonRise]

re: Are contact tips interchangeable?

Not always. They can be different lengths and have different threads that screw the tip into the gas diffuser.

The 'small' Lincoln MIG guns used to use Lincoln or Tweco contact tips with an M6 x 1.0 thread (Tweco 11-series tips, 1 inch OAL with that metric thread).

But the next size up Tweco contact tips (14-series) are 1.5 inch OAL and have a 1/4-28 thread.

Sometimes the Tweco tips are easier to find/buy, sometimes the Lincoln tips are.

Lowes, HD, and Walmart usually (by me anyway) have at least some Lincoln 'small' contact tips in stock. But last time I went through Lowes, they seem to be changing all their welding 'consumables' to their house brand stuff, where they used to have actual Lincoln tips. Still have Lincoln wire and electrodes last I saw. YMMV.

I have no idea what the contact tips from a Longevity are like and what they might (or might not) interchange with.

 

[8man]

I have the Lincoln 140 and like it. I've used .023 wire for body panels using the .025 tip with good success. I recently used .035 wire the .035 tip for some 3/8" and it worked really well. Good little machine.

 

[Kenskip1]

Ok I now have the welder.I put my .030 Flux Core wire in and it seems to feed just fine. The feed wheel has written on it .025 and the other side says .035. Honestly without going back into my garage and looking at this time i am unsure. However it is feeding fine.I plan to order a .030 drive wheel at my local Lowe's tomorrow.Have to locate a gas supplier in my area tomorrow. Thanks for the assistance, Ken

BTW, the .030 contact tips are the same.