Used Welder - How many hrs?

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in the market for a used welder - is there a threshold on hours? or is there something else to look at when buying one--- may be trying at auction so all I may know is that if it runs/idles/welds....thanks
Reply:There's just way too many variables to answer that question... What sort of machine are you looking for? Generator welders usaually have a given life to the motor etc. How long they last depends on the machine model, power type (gas vs diesel), actual engine as some have more than one engine option on say the gas engine model and so on. These also usually have an hour meter on them, asuming they work, or have not been replaced. Like a car or truck, they usually have a given life and then things start going bad one after the other.Older transformer migs, stic and tig machines seldom have hour meters, so you will have to take someonse word for how much they were used. The newer inverers sometimes have arc strike counters or hour meters, but that may not tell you everything. Someone who does a ton of tacks with a machine will have a high arc strike count, but may have almost no hours on the machine. On the other hand a machine run in production may have  few arc strikes, but tons of weld time if they do big long welds. Some machines count hours based on when the machine is on, not necessarily welding. A machine that sits an idles may have loads of hours, but very few arc strikes.Condition usually plays a biger role at auctions where you can't test the machine. How clean is it? is it beat, or has it been well cared for? Private auction or a general sale? I have seen some companies that will take a few minutes to clean a machine before a sale. Look and see if it looks like it was real grimey and someone cleaned it up for the sale. Auctions are a cr@p shoot. Get a good idea on what a machine used should sell for, and then lower your max price, figureing that you may need to spend some money fixing things. The last auction I was at they had a nice tig with a cooler. They had wrapped the leads so you couldn't seethe  tig torch well. I dug it out and the torch was all melted. That told me either the guy forgot to turn on the cooler and toasted the torch, or there was an issue with the cooler. Since it hadn't been replaced, that also told me they didn't really use the tig all that much, and probably ran stick with it after they cooked the torch. They also had a huge 400 amp + stick machine and a couple of  air arc's. You can bet that they probably ran a fair amount of gouging with both the big machine and that tig and that tends to beat on machines.Rental machines are another area to watch out for. Many private users will take care of their machines to a limited extent. It's an investment for them and down time due to repairs costs them work. Rentals on the other hand usually get beat on. If it goes down, you call the rental place and get another machine. It's not yours so use it as hard as you want is the usual theory with most guys..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:Looking for an arc/stick (generator) welder--- probably only gas---I have been around the older Lincoln Rangers and some of the newer Millers---I saw a Miller (series?) 8000 watt at auction that didnt have an hour meter that ran/welded/idled, but the whole face board was rubbed to the point where you couldnt read anything - literally---couple of guys just "had" to have it and it sold for $950.understand the condition comment as that is a case by case basis -- but just in case I stumble across one with an hour meter....