How did I do?

DT86 · Mar 28, 2013

Alright gentlemen, my dear ol' Dad bought this at an auction on Saturday.

I don't even know if it works. Actually I haven't even got around to bringing it home yet!

Anyway I was wondering if you all could tell me two things...
1) What is the approximate year of this rig?
2) Was $110 in an unknown condition too much? (I told him to stop at $100)

Thanks!

Tony S · Mar 28, 2013

Looks like it was made in first half of 1981.

PILOON · Mar 28, 2013

Well should be heavy duty just looking at it.
Being basically just a big transformer it should weld up anything you can toss at it.
Always possible that the diodes in the DC circuit might be bad but then you still have an AC welder.
As to input for home shop use I hope it is 220 input and not 3 phase, otherwise not a bad deal IMHO.

uglyboywith11fingers · Mar 28, 2013

current version of Miller Dial-Arc 250 lists at over $2500.
Miller - Stick Welders - Dialarc® 250 AC/DC
looks like it is single phase input.

CNC Dan · Mar 28, 2013

should be worth that much in scrap copper from the transformer.

Good news is that it should still work. Looks like its a saturable reactor current control, that would be easy to fix if its not working.
And miller is great for supporting older machines.

DT86 · Mar 28, 2013

Thanks guys for the insight. Sounds like we didn't do too bad!

Tony S said:
Looks like it was made in first half of 1981.

Can you tell that by the serial number or something else?

Arc weld · Mar 29, 2013

Dial-Arc 250's are a very good machine. I think Miller has recently discontinued them though because they aren't in the 2013 catalogue. Maybe because you can get an inverter with an even smoother DC arc for less money. $110 is a steal.:thumbsup: They usually sell for $500 and up used. They are a single phase machine that will need a 60 amp breaker or better. They're the Miller equivalent of the Lincoln Idealarc 250 but the Lincoln usually gets the nod for being the better of the two. I'd take the cover off and clean it out with a blow gun. Miller uses letters to identify the year. H was the 70's and J was the 80's. JA is 1980, JB is 1981, etc. Very good buy! They were made for many years so parts shouldn't be a problem.

Stimw · Mar 29, 2013

I second the suggestion to blow it out with compressed air.
Welders usually sit in dirty conditions and the dust/dirt builds up in them. Add a little moisture and things short out!
Plus they can overheat when dirty.
I have one just like it but mine is blue, I bought it at auction 8 years ago for $60.00 !
They are a solid machine and Miller has sold a bunch of them!