Today I bought a generator to power my welder since I don't have a 220 plug close by. The plug for the 220 on the generator is a 4 prong an my welder is 3. So Im thinking of making an adaptor for it anyone know how to do this? Or would it be easier to change the outlet on the generator? And how could I do tht?
If memory serves that means that its rated for different amps ie 50 vs 80 I do not recommend making an adapter for this.
it may or may not mean diff amps... it could be that the 4 plug has two hots neutrel and ground while the three has two hots with a ground... if thats the case you can adapt it to fit.. the 4 wire has the neutrel as extra saftey
I did some more diggin yesterday. 4 prong is 2 hot 1 ground 1 neutral. I read I can make tge cord adapter by not using a neutral
Well, tie the ground and the neutral together on the three prong. The National Electric Code people adopted the 4 wire setup as a safety precaution. The neutral is an "extra" grounding conductor. It used to be that the conduit and bonding wire would carry the unbalanced load in a circumstance that required it. They decided that it would be safer to have the unbalanced load carried in a separate conductor, hence the neutral. And, the neutral is only neutral if the load on the two hot legs is even, ie. 30amps/30amps. If the load on the two hots are different, say 20 amps/ 30amps, then the neutral will carry the other 10 amps of load back to the power source.
