Miller welder

[radman1]

Not sure where to put this post. Saw a Miller 302 Trailblazer welder with Kohler motor for sale. 266 hours, 1.5-2 years old on a 4x6 steel trailer. The seller is asking $2300. Price seems good but I don't know anything about this welder. I have a Miller 250 mig welder and works fine but I had no experience with a stick welder until this weekend. The idea of portable welder is interesting because I can't always fix things in my shop and 10000 watts of portable power could be handy. This weekend, I borrowed a 30 year old, portable DC welder with 200 cu ford motor and welded a broken rod on a windmill and fixed a broken piece on an irrigation pivot. Never could have done that in my shop. DC stick was kind of cool to watch compared to MIG. Can actually see the arc jump from the rod to the metal -kind of like a short lightening bolt.

Any tips on portable welders? Any info on the Miller 302 would be appreciated.

 

[Tom_Veatch]

You could also try posting your question over on the Miller discussion forum. Should be a lot of experience with the Trailblazer there.

 

[Baby Grand]

Radman-

I have a TB302. It's a fine machine and you should be very satisfied with the performance and the price you paid - that's a very good price. I'm in the process of designing a 3ph mount with wheels so I can move mine around the garage/driveway by hand or take it out back on the tractor. I like the idea of being able to take my electric tools, compressor, etc, far, far away from the nearest outlet. This should be a real time saver when I start work on upgrading the open sided shed in the woods. Also nice to have as a standby power source for the house - I had a transfer switch installed when I upgraded from plug fuses to breakers.

I've spent many hours welding burner assemblies and furnace boxes for ships and hospitals, dumpsters for the waste hauling industry, and truck bodies for oil field and lumber rigs. I've used both stick and MIG a lot and prefer using the stick whenever I can. Mind you, I'm not saying it's better ... just that I prefer the time spent welding with a stick machine. I hope you find the same, puttin' the puddle to the metal,

Jim

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Make sure that the maintenance records are up to date on the engine. The Miller TB may be the best engine driven welder out there. I've got a TB 251NT ('99) model that has the Onan engine. Most of the Bobcats/TBs don't require much beside oil/filter changes for at least 3000 hours (my Miller dealer said 4500 hrs on their rental units). BobG in VA

 

[radman1]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[cdhd2001]

I bought the slightly smaller Miller Wildcat 200 Welder/generator brand new for $2,600. The Miller you are looking at lists for $4,000 new by itself.

I love my Miller!

 

[radman1]

Well, it turns out the deal is a scam. The ad says he lives locally but it turns out he is currently in the UK bla, bla, bla.

 

[George2615]

Check with your local welding supply house. Some sell factory reconditioned welders. My local store sold me a reconditioned Miller Bobcat 250NT with 19 hrs. on it for under $2500 with new cables and clamps and a two year warranty. That was about 3 years ago. Has about 90 hrs. now with no problems. I use it for misc. welding and as a backup Generator for the house.

 

[radman1]

George2615

That is a good idea.

 

[4shorts]

You can't go wrong with a Miller. My shop has all Miller gear. I put a new Trailblazer in service last year and it's been fantastic. I built a custom trailer to pull it around as well. The 302 has a duel in generating system that will put our plenty of power as well. I'm more than pleased with it.