Unhappy with PRO 300D

Date 11-20-2010 02:10

A few months ago I needed a new machine. I had a Ranger 250 that was not big enough for the jobs I started doing so I was happy when it went up in smoke. My company gave me a budget of 10k for a new machine. I rented a Vantage 300, and a Pro 300D. I liked the control and arc of the Vantage but the Miller was very close though. I had a f-250 at the time so I decided on the Miller based on size and that the arc was also very good. Since then I have missed my Ranger if that tells you anything. The only good looking bead I have run with it was the first one. I constantly fight with the heat. The "pre-set arc control" is a joke. I can get it set about right one day and never touch the dial and the nextday it is back to square one. With the Vantage or even the Ranger 250 all my beads were nice and flat. Now all I can seem to run is convex. I cant control under-cut even with the machine way cold. I am a welder that trys to make every bead look better than the last so this kills me. The worst part is a month after I got this machine they let me pick out a new truck (F-350) and set it up so I could have had the Vantage. I am stuck with this machine now so I hope it is something that can be fixed. Before I bought it I heard nothing but praise. Even after I rented one for a week I was still conviced it was equal to a Vantage. I just want to know if anyone else has had any problems. If there can be lemon cars. Maybe there are lemon welders too. This is not the machine I rented.

By stanantonio Date 11-20-2010 08:40

If I were you and I was stuck with a miller, I would pour deisel all over it and light it on fire and claim it as a insurance loss. Then take that money and go buy a licoln. Lmao

By joe pirie (***)

Date 11-21-2010 15:45

i don't believe diesel will ignite unless compressed. better fill ur up with unlead by mistake
and let her blow lol

By ctacker (****)

Date 11-22-2010 17:41

not true, one of my old bosses got lit up while smoking and filling his truck, spent a year recovering from burns over 60% of his body!

By joe pirie (***)

Date 11-23-2010 00:06

i watched a welder put a lit cutting torch into a five gallon bucket of diesel and he couldn't
ignite it. I was hiding behind his rig lol

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 11-23-2010 01:00

The fumes are the explosive part, liquid is harder to light. A fine spray makes one hell of a fire.

By Johnny Walker (***)

Date 11-20-2010 14:48

Check your leads and connections to the machine ! Are u useing a remote? If so you may have a wire broken a little that's what was wrong with my Vantage it welded like poop for a few days I've had it 3 years and loved it bout got rid of it glad I fixed it finally! A buddy had a pro 300 he hated it tho then traded it back to welding store with a little boot for a Lincoln 300D it's a good machine!!

By Robert48 (**)

Date 11-20-2010 13:35

Maybe. I know that when I ordered it it was built as ordered because of the slow economy. I have encountered several loose bolts including the auto idle linkage bolt. i am going to look for a repair center to have it checked out.

By Tommyjoking (****)

Date 11-20-2010 13:55

From the sound of it you got one built on a Monday or a Friday, probably Monday. With your description of the welds something is way wrong with the power output conditioning....bad cap, SCR, poor connections in/from the generator...something. If you had the rental for a week and liked it, your machine has a defect....hope you can get it worked out under warranty.

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 11-23-2010 03:14

Ah yes, the classic Monday or Friday machine....or cars like I used to run into. Maybe they started on Friday and finished it on Monday....or worse yet Saturday morning after an all night bender! If it's new I'd be ringin' some phones man, the power of a ticked off consumer in this economy is a powerful thing, just ask Dodge about me. I'd call the folks that sold it to ya, Miller's phone.....

http://www.millerwelds.com/service/contactus.html

Up under the contact us part, phone number, ring ring and "I've got a complaint". Do it a few minutes after they open, nobody likes hearing this kind of stuff first thing Friday morning....again, ask Dodge about me. I bet the Monday morning after a long weekend would be even better!

By Robert48 (**)

Date 11-26-2010 03:44

I am running through a set of Eco reels. There are alot of conections in that set up that could be bad. Come to think of it I have not welded with it any other way. It seems to be worse on bigger rod. By worse I mean alot of arc blow and spatter even burning on the low side of the rods peramiters. Has anyone else used these reels?

By J Hall

Date 11-26-2010 13:34

I think you found your problem. Especially if you are leaving some cable on the reels. Try hooking your leads directly to the machine and see what happens.
I've read that a steel reel will cause odd feedback to the electronics in the newer machines.

By cwf07

Date 11-27-2010 03:16

Hey Robert you need to post pictures of the ringer. And by the looks of your welds your machine was running pretty good.

By Robert48 (**)

Date 11-29-2010 22:13

I'll post some pics tomorrow when we lift it. Maybe all of the pics will be of it in one piece.