Picked up a newish welder Miller Trailblazer 302g

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For a while now I've been looking for a welder to use primarily for power, and as a possible backup for my primary ( SA 200).  As you all know, the SA 200 is great @ welding but short on auxillary power.Picked up this machine used on craigslist w/ 600 hours for a very nice price.Body is in decent shape, latches work, no leaks, and idles and welds like it should.4 120 outlets1 240 outletCV and remoteThe place I purchased it from still has a couple trailblazers left, and a couple Lincoln 300d.All very reasonably priced.Going to start searching for a suitcase welder now..Here is a picture for now, as I just pulled it out of the truck.I'll shoot some video of it welding etc., when the weather breaks a little.And give a comparison verse the SA and against some of the other machines I've. Attached ImagesLast edited by jsm11; 01-30-2011 at 04:45 PM.1981 Lincoln SA 200Miller Trailblazer 302gMiller 211 Mig Welder w/ AutosetI'm learning to stick metal together
Reply:That's nice! And your Kayaks are Miller too!?Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:I would like to hear the results as well when you compare the TB to the Sa welder there is another discusion going else where, and there is always more than 1 opinion.ThanksRon
Reply:Originally Posted by Ron PadillaI would like to hear the results as well when you compare the TB to the Sa welder there is another discusion going else where, and there is always more than 1 opinion.ThanksRon
Reply:Update,Welded some pipe up today with the Trailblazer and it's pretty damn good.I welded out 5 sections of 6" Schedule 40 today. All uphill.I used the Trailblazer on the last section. The SA 200 on the first 4.37.5* bevelNickel LandingLoose and sloppy *** fitup on this section that was narrow, and wide.Sometimes smaller than 3/32's and much larger than an 1/8th.6010 root ran nice and pulled the walls together nicely.I had an extremely poor fitup and I turned the power down to 52 at one point and it was no worries.The rod stayed lit, and allowed the puddle to cool behind me enough to fill the gap.I also had the heat up to around 70 at one point on a very tight section. It punched through the walls, and did it's job.I ran a hot pass w/ 7018 @ 75I ran the filler @ 85And I ran the cap at a blistering yet very controllable 97It ran the 7018 flawlessly and I had no undercut or anything else funny.No disappointments here.Keep in mind I'm newer to the game and haven't welded with every machine under the sun.Comparison between the SA 200 and the Trailblazer 302g.They both run the 6010 nice and controllable.I do not have to adjust the heat as much on the SA...Simply plow. Could be a familiarity issue.The SA seems to run the the 6010 a little softer if that makes sense.I will try adjusting the arc setting/qualities on the Trailblazer to see if I can make it softer next time.I had the dial clicked all the way to the right hand side.Moving it some to the left may soften the arc some?In regard to the 7018 Hot Pass, Filler, and Cap....Hot pass ~ Again, not quite as soft. And not quite as much fill as the SA. Fill easily remedied next time by going a little slower.Filler ~ I don't run a filler with the SA. Filler on the Miller was as expected.Cap is the biggest difference in the two machines.The SA Holds the heat, and is just so flawless.The Trailblazer welds good, and will weld pipe.But, it's just not as smooth or as soft.I have welded with: Miller Big 40 Diesel and found it to be trash. Miller BIG 40 -- is a big let down....JUNK! Miller Bobcat and found it to be lacking all around. Certainly not a pipe machine. Certainly entry level.Lincoln Ranger 225g and found it to be trash.Hobart engine drive is right there with the Bobcat IMO.Thermal Arc Raider -- Was a nice machine for structural. Never used it on Pipe.Lincoln SAE 400 -- Welds like a raped ape.....To large for practical usage though IMO.You can really feel the rod push on the 400.Lincoln Sa-200 IS THE CAT'S MEOW!Buttery smooth, and ultra reliable machine.Miller Trailblazer -- Cat's Meow.I have not been on the higher end big DIESEL machines for any appreciable amount of time.So I cannot comment on those.In closing, the MILLER 302g is a very nice machine.Gas use on the machine is plenty fair.I LOVE the digital meters. They are accurate, and I have no idea why every machine is not made in the same way.It is the best all around engine drive I have yet to experience.I would love to lay my hands on one of the high end NEW Miller welders.It won't replace my SA because there is still a lot of bias against blue by the old crowd.The Lincoln is a classic for a reason.There is very little reason if any that it couldn't though.....IMOI now see why Miller is catching or even already passed Lincoln.Last edited by jsm11; 02-04-2011 at 05:24 PM.1981 Lincoln SA 200Miller Trailblazer 302gMiller 211 Mig Welder w/ AutosetI'm learning to stick metal together
Reply:I like the trail blazer but Im not a big fan of air cooled motors. The sa 200 is a great welder. I have a feeling you got a hold of a bad big 40.I have had a few sa200's aswell in the past. I have a old 1975 big 40 with the f163 in my truck now  that welds as slick as any of the sa200 I have ever ran (stick and tig) . But mine is old. I dont have a clue about the new big 40 . But every arm is different. Lots of people love those vantage welders but Im not a fan of them they tig good but I feel with stick welding it very choppy( must be that chopper technology LOL just kiding)Last edited by welderinwv; 04-26-2013 at 07:57 AM.
Reply:I havn't noticed a whole lot of difference when I play withe the arc force dial (I assume yours is has one, the other trailblazers do)  I run a heavier S32P VS suitcase off mine. Miller say's you can't tell the difference at the arc between their VS suitcases and the ones with the 14pin remote, but welders here say otherwise.  Miller is making some smaller lighter suitcases now.  I still havn't really figured out the differnt DC tig functions.  They seem to act the same, except pulsed tig, which is very narrow and colder.  I don't have a lot of DC tig experience though. I saw a lot of the S32 VS suitcases on ebay for around $500.
Reply:I found the pulsed tig to leave a very narrow, loud bead.  Not sure what it is for, because it pulses fast, like 100 times a second or so.  I have seen pulse tig at more like 1 or 2 a second, but yes the trailblazer has that on the dial. I believe it is for thin controlled beads mabye the kind you see on stair hand rails.  Not sure yet.    I assume you meant AC generator.  I find it to be superior to most portables, especially in its price range.  I'm sure a water cooled honda would put out a purer sine wave, but I run the essential circuits on two commercial store panels with a 8000W bobcat and the new traiblaizer 275.  There are a lot of electronics, computers and complicated phone systems in it and it seems to work fine at full load.    The DC tig modes on the trailblazer 275 are:Three TIG modes for optimized arc performance — Auto-Stop™, Auto-Crater™ and Pulse    The only AC TIG option is to hook up a stand alone machine to the aux power.Last edited by blackbart; 04-28-2013 at 04:56 PM.
Reply:Yeah, my dial is different, sorry for the misleading info
Reply:I did, however find my suitcase S 32PVS ran smoother off the trailblazer than the Bobcat, but I think the aux power would be the same on the new bobcat,302,or 275 for a stand alone tig.
Reply:That would be due to a three-phase weld output (TB) vs. single-phase (Bobcat).MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:yes my feeder has the contactor and gas setup, but I have yet to try mig on the trailblazer.  It wasn't horrible on the bobcat, but I have been told it works much better on the trailblazer,