Operation

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SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Read and understand this entire section before oper- ating your POWERARC® 5500.

WARNING

Do not attempt to use this equipment until you have thoroughly read all the operation and maintenance man- uals supplied with your machine. They include impor- tant safety precautions; detailed engine starting, operat- ing, and maintenance instructions; and parts lists.

ELECTRIC SHOCK can kill.

• Do not touch electrically live parts or elec- trodes with your skin or wet clothing.

•Insulate yourself from the work and ground.

•Always wear dry insulating gloves.

FUMES AND GASES can be dangerous.

• Keep your head out of fumes.

• Use ventilation or exhaust to remove fumes from breathing zone.

WELDING SPARKS can cause fire or explosion.

• Keep flammable material away.

•Do not weld on containers that have held combustibles.

ARC RAYS can burn.

• Wear eye, ear, and body protection.

ENGINE EXHAUST can kill.

• Use in open, well ventilated areas or vent exhaust to the outside.

• Do not stack anything on or near the engine.

MOVING PARTS can injure.

• Do not operate this equipment with any of its doors open or guards off.

• Stop the engine before servicing it.

• Keep away from moving parts.

Only qualified personnel should install, use, or ser- vice this equipment.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The POWERARC® 5500 is a generator/welder designed for home use and other non-commercial applications. As a generator it can supply up to 4,000 continuous watts (or 5,500 surge watts) of 120/240 volt, single-phase AC power. As a welder it provides 125 amps of AC constant current for welding with AC stick electrodes. A single dial provides continuous adjustment of welding output. The machine is lightweight, portable, and can be lifted by two people.

The Lincoln warranty covers the POWERARC® 5500 (excluding the engine) for 3 years from the date of pur- chase. The engine is covered by the engine manufactur- er’s warranty policy.

RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS

GENERATOR

The POWERARC® 5500 gives AC generator output for medium use, non-commercial demands. For more details

on operating the generator, see GENERATOR OPERA- TION in the OPERATION section of this manual.

WELDER

The POWERARC® 5500 provides excellent constant cur- rent AC welding output for stick (SMAW) welding. For more details on using the machine as a welder, see WELDING OPERATION in the OPERATION section of this manual.

OPERATIONAL FEATURES AND CONTROLS

The POWERARC® 5500 was designed for simplicity. Therefore, it has very few operating controls. A single dial on the control panel lets you select either generator or welding use. For welding, the same dial selects con- tinuous current output over the machine’s 70 to 125 amp range.

The gasoline engine controls include a recoil starter, choke, and rotary stop switch. See ENGINE OPERA- TION in the OPERATION section of this manual and the engine owner’s manual for details about starting, running, stopping, and breaking in the gasoline engine.

WELDING CAPABILITY

The POWERARC® 5500 is rated 125 amps, 20 volts at 30% duty cycle on a ten-minute basis. This means that you can load the welder to 125 amps for three minutes out of every ten-minute period. The machine is also capable of higher duty cycles at lower output currents. You can load the welder to 100 amps for six minutes out of ten for a 60% duty cycle.

The current is continuously variable from 70 to 125 amps AC. The POWERARC® 5500 can weld with all 3/32 and most 1/8 inch diameter Lincoln AC elec- trodes.