Disco welding

[Al90]

Due to rust in the wrong places my Discovery has no MOT.
I've made up repair panels to weld in but my lockup is 30meters from the house.
Is this too long for an extension cable ? I'll be using a Clarke 90EN on 1.2mm steel.
Don't want to break the welder or burn the house down.
Any advice would be great.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[malcolm]

I would have thought you would be OK. Make sure the extension is fully unwound to avoid heat build up. I've run my welders from a 50m extension in the past.

You'll get a voltage drop which will reduce power at the welder a little - the thicker the wire in the extension lead the lower the voltage drop.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hi Alan, welcome to the forum.
You might struggle with a 'normal' type extension lead over that distance. Better to get some 2.5mm2 'arctic' type cable and make yourself a heavy duty lead. Using a thinner extension lead with a welder could create too much volt-drop.

 

[brightspark]

Hi Alan, welcome to the forum.
You might struggle with a 'normal' type extension lead over that distance. Better to get some 2.5mm2 'arctic' type cable and make yourself a heavy duty lead. Using a thinner extension lead with a welder could create too much volt-drop.

most extension leads are 1.5mm as wozza says make one up 2.5mm and u will be sorted

 

[Al90]

Thanks for the quick reply it has lifted my spirits.
The quote from the garage was £500 for welding and £500 for the mechanical repairs...ouch. Both B/C posts have gone at the sills, D post at the wheel arch and the rear cant rail-usual disco rust.
Glad I found this excellent site.

Alan

 

[Justme]

Is a 90amp mig going to weld 1.2mm to the 2 or 3 mm chassis? Would be ok for the body work.

 

[Al90]

The repairs are all body work and will be 1.2mm repairs to 1mm & 1.2mm panels.
Unusually for a Landrover that spends all it's time by the sea the chassis is in mint condition.
Sea water, cow poo and a poor accident repair have taken their toll on the body though. Condensation from wet diving and sailing gear has killed several of my cars over the years with Landrovers being the only ones economically repairable.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

look out for a caravan power lead and change the 'blue' plugs to a standard 3-pin and maybe a double socket...then you can plug a grinder or lead-light in too.

They tend to be bright orange so a bit safer as you can see them, they're 2.5mm and generally up to 30 meters. Around £25 new or £10 second hand....try a caravan breakers, or suppliers as they'll tend to strip out any trade-ins and sell bits off.

If you're stuck for one I have one here for £8 but postage would be around a tenner as it weighs about 4.5 Kgms.

Regards
Peter

 

[Disco_Mark]

As Peter said, I found i was cheaper to go and buy a caravan lead from our local caravan place (and I use the blue plugs anyway) than it was to buy the same amount of 2.5mm cable and the plug and socket!