Welder Extension Cord? Or?

I need a bit of guidance. Lincoln 225 AC welder. For safety and so it is more useful, I need to get it out away a bit from where the outlet is located.

25 feet is the goal. Extension cord from the welder to the outlet? Or Extend the welding cables? So which should I do?

I would prefer longer welding cables, but that looks much more expensive. The welder cord is rated for 50 amps. Many extension cords say 50 amp plugs of course, but then wire rated for 40 amps.

Thank you experts!

best way would be to move the outlet

I have an Welder extension cord made for my Welders rating. I got it through an Electrician

Moving the outlet is not a good option. I want to get the welder action to extend outside of the barn.

I will ask around of a couple local electricians.

Thanks guys!

I had a similar situation in my garage, I went and bought some 8 gauge s/o cord and the proper 220 cord ends and made my own 50' extension cord. Just make sure you get s/o cord because it is flexible and you can roll it up easier but size it accordingly to your welder. My garage is finished so moving the receptacle without the wire being exposed wasn't and option. As long as the wire is sized correctly it would be the same as moving the receptacle anyway. I think i had about $75 in making the cord a few years ago, but who knows what it would be in todays prices.

I agree with Snyde but I ran 6 gauge when I wired the 50 amp welder outlet in my shop.

Just get the appropriately sized wire and put the male and female ends on it.

Haven't bought any wire in a long time so based on what i used to know an extension cord of 8 or 10 size should work if you want to make your own the one on your welder isn't that heavy but only a couple feet long on the output side of your welder cables would have to be heavier

Big cords work. I have a couple in my shop I use.

Osky

# 8 ga cu. is generally rated at 40 amps
# 6 ga. cu is generally rated at 50 amps

# 6 ga. Extension cord is expensive, heavy , and bulky ...
That's why many go with a # 8 ga. Cord .

Your welder would never draw a full 50 amps anyway , or it would trip the 50 amp breaker ..
#8 guage cord is fine .... you can buy a pre made cord , sometimes cheaper than making one yourself..

Look at the plug on your welder , it may require a 3 wire cord or a 4 wire cord ...
Probably a 3 wire. 250 volt / with ground ( no neutral ) cord

Menards. Make your own.
just

Do This 25' of # 6 gage wire with NEMA 6-50 amp plug

I get SOOW cord 3 wire or 5 wire off ebay or local.

I would rig it for quick connect welding leads. I have ran hundreds of feet to weld a location at on the job.

i had the same welder given to me a few years back, after pricing new leads gave it to man son to scrap it.
dang longer lead cost more than the welder.
8 Gauge so cord would work but i would like 6 gauge better, i always go for overkill lol

I just bought a 50 ft 8 ga 220 extension cord for my welder. but havent used it yet. $212!!!!! but cheaper than buying wire and ends.

I have the same welder, and caught 25 ft 0f 6 ga, 3wire with ground, spool end on sale at a Cheapo Dept and made my own works great. I screwed the female plug to a piece of 2x8 to keep it off the ground.

I made a 40 foot extension for my 240 outlet. I used a #6 gauge trailing cable from an underground mine roof bolting machine. They have a thick but flexible weatherproof jacketing.

You see these cables used a lot by traveling carnivals to power their amusement rides.

I would purchase 10/3 SO cord. With out getting into great detail on code articles that pertain to welders specifically and duty cycles of the welders. Your welder should never over heat a 10/3 cord. You can search NEC welder article 630. Lots of bids on commercial welder shops have been lost due to people over sizing wire for welder drops.

I made an extension cord for my welders so I could reach anywhere in my shop. No problems at all.

Thanks for the additional info. Ordered a 25’ extension cord - cheapest solution.

Not sure if this helps or not but I had a similar dilemma . The outlet for my welder is in part of shop where I do woodworking and is enclosed so -no ventilation and a fire hazard. I chose to put a PVC sleeve in the wall with a clean outs on each side so You can seal it back up when not being used. This way I can use my welder outside in the unfinished portion of the shed without having doors open or running the leads under the garage door which is a pain in the winter time and lets all the heat out of heated side of shop.

Good idea!
Welding in the barn is just too great of a fire hazard.
The extension cord will get everything outside.
Actually the welding can wait for nice weather.

For a dedicated welder application, the NEC allows for up to 200% (double) the breaker size you would normally use on your welder. So for instance you might be able to put a 40A breaker in the panel connected to a 12ga wire running to the welder outlet. There are rules to this, I think it is NEC Article 630 if you would like to review it.

One thing is for sure, as long as your extension cord wire size is at least as big as the actual cord on your welder, you are fine.

This^^^

Except SO cord generally has a lower amp rating than regular THHN... Kind of like Romex. The jacket doesn't allow as much heat dissipation so it gets derated some.

I've never done an amp draw on a welder while it's running... But I am willing to bet that it wouldn't come close to drawing 50 amps unless it's on the full 225. You'll get a bit of inrush current when you first strike the arc but it will quickly settle down to a much lower amp draw.

And with a 20% duty cycle it doesn't even come close to a continuous load. You'll smoke the windings in the welder before you set an 8 ga extension cord on fire.

Use the 8ga cord and run the welder like it's intended to be used and you'll be fine.

Mike

25 ft 6 gauge 50 amp extension cord on eBay for $75.