welding

if you lengthen the leads on a cracker jack 100 amp,verus running 3 wires from the pole is the outcome the same

Depends on the size of the wire in both
cases

As Jon says depends on what wire you use. If you go from the pole and use 10 gauge wire and run it 100 feet the out come will be bad and may hurt the welder. If on the other hand you go form the pole and use 6 gauge wire it will work just fine. The same holds true for the welding leads if you use real small wire.
My Lincoln welder has 150 foot leads on it and has for decades and it works just fine but the leads are as big around as your index finger. Also form the breaker box the 25 foot lead I have is 6 gauge wire

How much more length do you need? There are extension cords made especially for welders and such. About the longest you'll readily find is 25' long. You don't see super-long leads because it is generally much easier/safer to extend the power input rather than the power output.

You could also get a small generator so that your welder can be more portable.

...Ever hear of JB Weld?? *lol*

Ok, ok...what you may also want to consider is getting a new welder. After MUCH research, I opted for this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HCFOSR6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had a 110 amp HF buzz box for many years, but kept pushing it beyond its limits, so now it simply won't go to rated capacity anymore. It also weighs quite a lot for being a small welder! That's due to the transformer inside. Back when the USA was in its prime, we went the way of transformer-welders. Meanwhile, Europe and most of the rest of the world adopted the newer Inverter Welder technology, which is not only lower cost, but also MUCH lighter!! My little welder (see link) is 200A with a 60% duty cycle, only weighs about 10 lbs., and only cost me $115!! Nope, that's not a misprint - $115.00 total, with Amazon Prime free shipping!!

There was another brand welder that could run on either 120v or 240v and came with an adapter, and the machine would auto-select which voltage you were connected to. However, I went with a slightly more powerful model (I think the other was 110A?) as I have some thicker welds to do later this year.....AFTER skeeter season!! My small generator is enough to power the old buzz box, and can also power this one up to about 110A, but not much more, so I'll have to bring anything heavier to the welder. I have this extension marked (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...le_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) but have not yet ordered it. So far, I'm impressed with the overall quality of this little welder, although I have not yet gotten a new plug that matches my setup here. Anyway, this thing is lightweight enough that it can actually hang from my shoulder if I ever need to get up on a ladder and do some welding. So, am very anxious for skeeter season to end so I can play with my new toy....er, um...tool!! :wink:

Be very careful about those inverter welders
as many of them have a bad rep for
reliability and don't run some rods very
well, especially 7018.

Thanks for the warning Jon - first I'd heard of it. Was able to choose from units made dang near anywhere on the planet, including the Baltic states! :shock: Was interesting to see that the major US makers of welders were also getting into the inverter technology, but for roughly twice the price and up.

I don't do a lot of welding, so if it even gets me through the next year, I'll be thrilled! Also bought Hobart rods, so I know for a fact if anything's not working right, where to lay the blame. :wink:

(quoted from post at 11:18:38 07/15/17) if you lengthen the leads on a cracker jack 100 amp,verus running 3 wires from the pole is the outcome the same

Click to expand...

When I was welding as a pro, Commercial Grain Millwright, I carried 300 ft of leads (600' total), 50' lengths with quick connectors. Was necessary if a crane wasn't available to set the Miller Bobcat topside. Length of leads had very little effect on the welders performance, may of had to turn up the amps by 10 at most. It did delay the engines idle/run response but you got used to that. Won't be an issue on a plug in unit.

When your welder is 150' to 200' below it's the only way

36F30 -- Did you have to set your welder for a higher setting to get the output you wanted? Seems there would have been some amount of line loss there.

Also, did your leads need to be heavier gauge than the standard leads?

(quoted from post at 23:57:02 07/15/17) 36F30 -- Did you have to set your welder for a higher setting to get the output you wanted? Seems there would have been some amount of line loss there.

Also, did your leads need to be heavier gauge than the standard leads?

Click to expand...

leads were 2/0-double ought. But they were pro quality very fine stranded wire. If I was doing 7018 structural with 50' of leads I may be set at 110 amps, adding the other 250' of leads I sometimes had to go to 115 or 120. running 6011 AC didn't really need to change anything but you control your heat with arc length on those. There was very little if no effect on arc strike, not enough to bother me. Like I said the biggest effect was on the automatic throttle on the welder, Sometimes I had to double strike, the first was a short or stick to kick in the throttle then a second normal strike to begin welding. Just a change in procedure.