Ah undersized leads...5awg

[Cayle_]

Picked up my neighbor's mid range 225 amp welder and while the machine itself runs fine, I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the leads it came with, like 5 AWG. Seriously? on a machine that’s supposed to push that kind of current? I don’t know what corner of the spec sheet they were reading when they decided that was acceptable, but it feels like someone was trying to save a few pennies on copper. To make things even weirder, I tried taking a look around at the local electrical supply for heavier cable to swap in, and the guy behind the counter looked at me like I’d asked for unicorn wire. Nobody stocks 5 AWG and it’s either 4 or 6, I took it to my neighbor, said he hadn't used it since his dad dumped over some things including that along. I'm just wondering why the manufacturer didn’t just size up to something standard and more appropriate in the first place.

 

[Lewislewis]

Manufacturers using 5 AWG is probably a cost cutting or legacy decision cos they save a bit on copper, and technically it can work on paper if the leads are short and duty cycle is low. Yes, it’s not ideal for sustained high current though, which is why you’re right to upgrade, they probably stuck with it from an old spec rather than updating

 

[customer#1]

I think they just cut costs and assumed most users wouldn’t notice urgh, but it’s a pain when you want proper performance, swapping to 4 or 2 AWG is definitely the way to go

 

[Alan]

Sounds like maybe it was a proprietary thing or just cost cutting gone wrong, anyone here know the actual story behind non standard gauges on welders?