Engine driven welder advice

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I've never owned one but have found a need so I'm looking.  Locally there are two at the moment.  One is a Bobcat 225 that's kinda rough looking (been left outdoors uncovered with 1100hrs on it and the other is a Trailblazer 250G that looks new and has 500hrs on it. Obviously the specs on the Bobcat are a bit better than the Trailblazer  but the Bobcat is probably 15yrs old and looks worse than the hours it shows.  Both weld great.I want to also use the unit as a backup generator (hurricanes down this way... and the Bobcat shines with over double the generator output of the Trailblazer.   Bobcat comes with 75ft leads in good shape, the Trailblazer only has 25ft leads They're priced within a 100 bucks of each other.Should I shy away from the older Bobcat with the higher hours?
Reply:Originally Posted by kaferhausObviously the specs on the Bobcat are a bit better than the Trailblazer  but the Bobcat is probably 15yrs old and looks worse than the hours it shows.  Both weld great.I want to also use the unit as a backup generator (hurricanes down this way... and the Bobcat shines with over double the generator output of the Trailblazer.   Bobcat comes with 75ft leads in good shape, the Trailblazer only has 25ft leads
Reply:Good Advice DSW.  I think both of the machines I'm looking at are a bit overpriced anyway, the guy with the Trailblazer seems to be a bit more amenable to "dickering" than the guy with the Bobcat.  While I don't do any outdoor Tig, the Trailblazer's ability to run a feeder easily is a good point.  I've got to get past the lack of aux power though and don't know if I can...Part of my thinking was I'd be able to sell the gen-set I have now and recoup some of the cost of the welder.  The trailblazer won't allow me to do that.So I guess I'll twiddle my thumbs a bit on it....:-)
Reply:you can still TIG off the bobcat. I have a suitcase extreme 12vs feeder on mine and it rocks. When I need any TIG I plug my tig machine into the outlet and go to town. That way I don't have to worry about remote boxes and all that fun stuff.
Reply:How old is the Trailblazer 250? Most Bobbers round here fetch 1000-1200 for Ol 225's.You could scratch TIG off any machine, I just dont know how well it would actually work.. We do it off the Bobcat 250's at work...I think Id rather pay for a newer machine with less hours than older neglected one....Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:Haven't looked up the age yet.  509hrs on it, it's led a charmed life
Reply:Bought the Trail blazer.  It's a 1994 machine.  I have decided to rig it up for Tig as well as Stick so i've ordered a finger tip  remote for it.  Now I've got to buy a longish tig whip as all those in the shop are 10-12ft.  (we don't tig much as it's generally too slow).I about finished with the trailer and should be affixing all the equipment to it in a day or so.
Reply:Guess I'm going to have to learn how to scratch start all over again too..... haven't done that in over 20yrs...LOL