Buy Used MIG Welders For Sale

Used MIG Welders. When shopping for a MIG welder why not give some thought to used MIG welders. It is possible to find perfectly operating used MIG welders that are half the cost of new MIG welders for sale and that will provide many years of productive operation. My number one suggestion when buying used MIG welders or any MIG welders for that matter is to purchase the major brands such as Miller MIG welders, and Lincoln MIG welders. The reason is that the major manufacturers spend a lot of money on research and development and their products are the best. Yes, other manufacturers build MIG welders and yes, there are cheaper welders but you do get what you pay for and when you buy cheap tools you will end up buying twice.

MIG welders consist of three main parts, the power source, the wire drive, and the torch. When buying used MIG welders these main components should be inspected for operation, damage, and appearance.

The power source is just a big power supply. Some are better than others with arc starting circuits, voltage regulation, current regulation, and overload protection. The power source may also supply power to the wire drive assembly, and most all power supplies have a circuit to control a cooling fan. A good quality used MIG welder power source will have an easy to strike arc and will easily maintain a steady arc after the wire feed begins. For used MIG welders that have an intermittent arc, an arc that is hard to start, or an unsteady arc, the problem could be the wire drive and not the power source. A sticking wire feed, or bad wire can cause intermittent and unsteady arc problems. The appearance of the welder may be a clue as to how well the machine was maintained.

The wire drive has a variable speed motor, and drive wheels that grip the wire in order to push the welding wire through the torch wire feed housing and out the torch nozzle. The wire drive on used MIG welders should push the wire smoothly at a constant rate. A mark of a good quality MIG welder is that the welding arc remains constant and smooth when the wire drive motor starts and stops. You shouldn’t notice any change at all in the welding arc when the wire drive motor turns on. The arc should remain smooth and steady. The rollers are replaceable items that wear with use. Inspect the wire drive rollers for grooves and wear. The wire drive motor on cheap MIG welders is usually small and prone to erratic wire movement.

The torch assembly consists of the torch and a hose and wire feed housing through which the welding wire, and inert gas passes. The wire is routed out the torch nozzle; the inert gas surrounds the arc and molten puddle in a protective envelope of inert gas. The wire feed housing on used MIG welders should be inspected for abrasions, cuts, and kinks that may indicate the wire feed sheath inside may be damaged. The welding wire must slide easily and smoothly through the wire feed housing. The torch trigger should be easy to pull. Hard spots, sticking, binding indicate wear or damage that needs to be corrected. In most cases the entire torch is replaced but some torches are repairable. The torch nozzle is a consumable item that should be kept on hand and replaced at regular intervals.