Miller X-Treeme and FC-1260 guns

Date 03-20-2012 22:12

I haven't been happy with the miller FC-1260 gun. If there's any problem with the contact tip, or if the wire doesn't arc and burn nicely, the liner pushes through the cable. The two ends of this gun have braded wires that allow the liner to kink. Granted I bought my suitcase used and the gun was stiff. I replaced the liner with a profax liner due to availability and cost. Ended up going through three of these liners in 6 months. I ordered a new 1260LM, compatable with the LN's. I was considering the Bernard, but I like the idea of walking in to any welding supply and getting any consumables readily and easily.

Aside from the hi/low wire feed switch not working on the suitcase. I've come to preffer the x-treeme over the LN's. But if the uncovered wires are the source of this problem, miller needs to look into a newer model for themselves. Anyone else experience or seen this happen?

By yojimbo (***)

Date 03-21-2012 13:50

Had similar problems on a recent job using the General Contractors Xtreme feeder. Not positive it was the same gun but he was using 5/64 Coreshield 8 and his guys loved the stuff for it's productivity although I never thought the welds were all that good. Anyway, my LN set up running Outershield wasn't going to cut it when we got to doing the outside install on the steel and he told me to just use one of thier feeders. Similar wire feed issues. You had to put pliers to the wire and pull it at the contact tip to take out any slack and then trim it before arc time. If not, the wire would ball up and snag in the rolls. Since it wasn't my equipment I, 1] didn't want to be using it in any case, and 2] certainly didnt want to be repairing it or making it worse. It seemed like it was a liner/gun thing and they were Miller guns I believe, and gave me more headaches than my LN-25 ever did. I recently used a Bernard gun to do a 1" unlimited FCAW qualification and I didn't like the balance or the limited access to consumables. I like the Miller's new suitcases for strength and water tightness, but I'm sticking with the Lincoln/Tweeko gun and feeder.

By Dualie

Date 03-24-2012 03:41

for the self shielded t-8 wires as an owner i like the cost and ease of replacement of the profax guns but as a welder i like how much better the older Lincoln guns with the non replaceable liner fed the wire when brand new. I only run the .072 T-8 wires through them so thats all i can comment on.

For the .052 outershield wires the bernard guns have served me very well.

By Blaster (***)

Date 03-24-2012 19:29 Edited 03-24-2012 19:40

My experience with 1260s was I bought 3 and every one had the trigger switch go TU in a matter of houirs. I received new swtiches under warranty and 1 or 2 of them also went TU some hours later. I got torqued, took them off, and haven't used them since.

I don't like the Miller/Bernard gassed guns either. I use Tweco No3 and sometimes No4 guns. However since they went to Mexico their quality control seems to be crap too. The last 4 or so I bought had their trigger switch wires all break off their terminals within minutes to hours of going into service. At least it was easy enough to fix, rather than being an internal switch problem.

I have had other issues with Miller's suitcases like one with the electronic meters working fine on DCEP but not working on DCEN, one or two with inidcated wire speed substantially off the measured WFS, and some where the standard wire electrode bails rubbed the insides of the suitcase door. The voltage sensing clip wire also likes to break off inside the insulation were in goes into the handle of the voltage sensing clip.

Personally my favorite shelf-shielded wire feeder is the LN 25 with their standard iron gun (I forget the nomenclature). They tend to work right and last for an admirable period.... although with Lincoln's current affinity for manufacturing in China I imagine their product quality will probably go into the crapper soon enough.