finding a price for a Miller Dialarc HF

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Providence Academy is a private Christian school that is selling some items that were donated.  In this case it's a Miller Dialarc HF and we don't know much about it.  We're told it works and that it's worth $3000 and also told $1500.It's a behemoth taking up space but more than that is the difference in prices, which means a lot of supplies for the Pre-kindergarten, high school science equipment and even scholarships.  Can you help us find that happy price between a quick sell & good selling price?Is there a way to find the model year?Thank you so much.There's a 5' argon tank too.Providence Innovation Academy is a Private LDS Based, Preschool-High School in St. George, UT Attached Images
Reply:Was it ever used? It looks like new! I don't think you'd get anywhere near $3000 for it but with everything included plus the undercarriage $1500 seems in the ball park. It's an early 1987 machine with the older style spool gun and a foot pedal for TIG welding.
Reply:I've seen good working condition machines sell for between $600-900. Yours is a very clean example, plus it has the spoolgun and cylinder plus a lot of lead. Asking $1500 wouldn't be unreasonable in some areas. Here on the east coast with the prevalence of older machines on the market from sales of defunct businesses, $1500 would be high. You might get it, but it would sit for quite some time. You'd have to find the right buyer.$3000 is what something like that new would have run and is unreasonable in the used market. Even pristine machines used typically sell for 1/2 of what they sell for new, and that is for current machines. Older machines the value drops from there based on supply and demand.I'd price it at $1500 and see what happens. You can always go down in price. $1200 might move the unit faster, but still give you a good return. If the machine isn't selling, you might split off the spoolgun and sell that separate on Ebay. That may bring you a couple hundred by itself. I'd have to see the actual model on that to know what other things other people would need to go with it to use it on other machines. Lets say $150-200 might be reasonable for the spoolgun by itself..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I agree with DSW and that should be a Spoolmatic 2 seeing as the Dialarc is a CC output machine.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:The spool gun would need the control in order to work with that machine. I'm betting it was just tossed on the pile when it got donated.A grand for the whole thing should move it fast. It's worth more, but the market sucks right now so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a whole lot more than that. I personally would separate the gun and cylinder from the machine and sell them individually. I can understand wanting to move it all as one lot too.Machine is a 1987 manufacture.Good luck with it.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749The spool gun would need the control in order to work with that machine. I'm betting it was just tossed on the pile when it got donated.
Reply:There's nothing to really connect them to if it's a SM 2. They would be connected via the terminal strip in the machine if so equipped. They would need the WC 3 control to run it in CC, best of my knowledge anyways. The SM 2 has two control wires coming out of it, for motor and contactor control.Just going on a hunch, but if you look at the fifth picture, you'll see what looks to be a metal Amphenol connector up near the TIG torch. We know it wouldn't be for the pedal on this particular machine. I also see the factory rubber banding they wrapped the spool gun cords together with when they manufactured these units. By the looks of it  it's banded around the wire connected to the Amphenol connector. My best guess is its a Spoolmatic 1 gun with a metal 4 pin Amphenol connector on it.Personally, I would recommend taking some time to untangle all the leads, wrap them up nicely and take pictures of it afterwards. Clean, well organized machinery sells itself. I personally find it difficult to pay the upper end of a machines general resale value if it looks like the seller just wheeled it off his truck after auction and didn't spend any time to go thru everything and make it look good before putting it up for sale.IMHO of courseLast edited by 7A749; 06-15-2015 at 02:17 PM.
Reply:You're right - if the machine is completely "stock" but being a VS gun it wouldn't take much to make it work if the PO knew how to do it.  It's pretty much the same as an AH20-E gun.However, I wouldn't be surprised if your presumption that it was just tossed in was what really happened.  That or the donor for got to add it or PA just forgot to put the weld control in with the photo shoot.Would be nice to know which gun it is though just to satisfy ones curiosity.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:My money is on an SM 1.At least from observation. Now, I've been wrong before () but that's what it looks like to me anyways
Reply:Holy WOW!  Thank you for the information and replies.  I'll check it out some more and get to work on those suggestions.
Reply:It would be nice to know where this machine will be for sale......there may be a member that could use a nice machine and help a deserving school.
Reply:Originally Posted by vwguy3It would be nice to know where this machine will be for sale......there may be a member that could use a nice machine and help a deserving school.
Reply:Originally Posted by vwguy3It would be nice to know where this machine will be for sale......there may be a member that could use a nice machine and help a deserving school.
Reply:Exact same welder that I have. Gave $1000 worth of work, nothing out of pocket. Got the machine, 300cf "K" private owner tank of Argon, 2 50' welding leads, 25' Tig torch,25 ' ground lead, Cooler for the torch, 50 lbs of Tig wire.
Reply:With all due respect, how about you forget the sale and teach a few kids to weld? They don't have to be pipe welders. This could be an art class item also.
Reply:In my area you wouldn't get $1000.00 for it. A quick look on CL shows a number of HF millers that have been for sale for a long time under $1000.00.
Reply:Originally Posted by gundog77With all due respect, how about you forget the sale and teach a few kids to weld? They don't have to be pipe welders. This could be an art class item also.
Reply:It would be so nice to use this in welding class. I got a welding cert. in high school myself and used it several times.  Made a fantastic smoker from a 55gal drum.  We have an old Subaru car dealership as a building, we sold 8 car lifts, the kind that put the car in the air and other equipment that would make one drool. But alas it's expensive to run a school and we just started last fall.  We're opening pre-k this year and need more science equipment.  With the changes in higher education we're also working on bachelor degrees and getting kids a BS/BA etc before they're 18, some will some won't quite make that but it's very doable.  Especially with as much info is available at our finger tips and as smart as these kids are at using that info.  It's crazy.It's amazing how the world is changing.Thank you very much for all your help, there's someone looking at it this morning.
Reply:Ever ID the type of spool gun on it?
Reply:I've been watching this one on Craigslist.  It's in St George Utah.  One nearly identical just sold here in Reno, Nevada two days before I made the call for $575.00.  It did not have the spool gun but it did have the argon bottle.DanI hope that when i'm dead and gone, people will remember me and think; "Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money!"
Reply:Well a buyer drove 4hrs from SLC, UT and bought it and a bunch of other stuff we wanted to get rid of.  There's a sad part to this which is I discovered the argon tank was missing and found out it was sold.  I heard those can cost $300, I don't know how much gas was in it but it did have some.I pulled that beast of a welding system some 50 yrds up a steep driveway to plug it in any of several 220 outlets hanging from a ceiling, servicing a shirt printing set up in the upper garage.  What are the chances a 220 plug won't fit an outlet. 99% it would seem.  So w/o testing it, w/o the argon tank the buyer got it for $550.  It's a tough call.
Reply:You had no use for the machine and you found a buyer.......I think you did just fine.
Reply:Yep, for sure.  We got to count our blessings which reminds me to thank all of you for the help and education. This will help fund some science equipment or scholarships.
Reply:Thank you for taking the time to let us know the outcome..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan