buying a used mig welder from marketplace

[paradigm]

A guy local to me is selling a Lincoln Pro Mig 135 for $150. Not sure on the age of the welder, some googling tells me these things came out 20 years ago.
Anything to watch out for when buying a used Mig welder? I have never welded before; this will be my first time as I attempt to repair / replace floor pans on my 87 GN.

 

[Malibu795]

That will be good for sheet metal and general anything under 1/8-3/16 stuff.. I have a 140 version of that though with plastic drive housing...

Generally the pro mig line comes with aluminum drive housing vs plastic drive housing..
I've been watching for a 180-210 version show up.. missed a few of them 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[paradigm]

That will be good for sheet metal and general anything under 1/8-3/16 stuff.. I have a 140 version of that though with plastic drive housing...

Generally the pro mig line comes with aluminum drive housing vs plastic drive housing..
I've been watching for a 180-210 version show up.. missed a few of them 🤦🏻‍♂️

I was also looking at this chinese amazon welder for $380 which apparently has good reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/YESWELDER-Digital-MIG-205DS-Multiprocess-Aluminum/dp/B07TVCWDGW/?tag=gbody-20

 

[Malibu795]

I was also looking at this chinese amazon welder for $380 which apparently has good reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/YESWELDER-Digital-MIG-205DS-Multiprocess-Aluminum/dp/B07TVCWDGW/?tag=gbody-20

WHats the consumables replacement parts look like?

Generally the vevor/Harbor freight stuff isn't rebuildable like Lincoln/Miller and their lower tier lines Hobart being one of them are.

 

[paradigm]

WHats the consumables replacement parts look like?

Generally the vevor/Harbor freight stuff isn't rebuildable like Lincoln/Miller and their lower tier lines Hobart being one of them are.

I have read for the amateur / occasional use, the made in china stuff is generally fine. One guy said his was working without issue for 5 years of steady use but then the output MOSFETs blew. It doesn't sound like they are too rebuildable, and for $380 I would expect it is pretty much throw away stuff.

I am just concerned that the Lincoln I am looking to buy is close to 20 years old. I hear the Hobart is older Miller internals, and that the Hobart Handler 140 would be good for my needs with the floor, exhaust and other light duty welds.

 

[Malibu795]

Yes Hobart got bought out by miller 10? Years ago, and yes everything gets shuffled down stream when upgrades happen..

My Lincoln 140 is 20+ years old.. nice thing about it.. I can drop it off at a local weld supply shop and have it fixed.

 

[86LK]

A guy local to me is selling a Lincoln Pro Mig 135 for $150. Not sure on the age of the welder, some googling tells me these things came out 20 years ago.
Anything to watch out for when buying a used Mig welder? I have never welded before; this will be my first time as I attempt to repair / replace floor pans on my 87 GN.



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for auto sheet metal this should be fine. anything bigger get a bigger unit

 

[Hurricane77]

That Lincoln shouldn't be too bad. I have a 240V version of the same and it's probably >15 years old. Haven't had any issue with it. Since it's a pretty popular hobby welder, it's easy enough to find consumables and replacement parts for it. But for $150, anything major you're probably not paying too much to fix it.

I would double check if it has the gas conversion kit already installed with regulator etc. That might have been sold as a flux core welder with optional gas conversion kit. I don't see a gas line or regulator in that pic. There's a lot of people out there that don't know the difference between MIG and Flux core welding. You definitely want MIG. So put a couple hundred bucks for a bottle of gas in your budget

 

[paradigm]

That Lincoln shouldn't be too bad. I have a 240V version of the same and it's probably >15 years old. Haven't had any issue with it. Since it's a pretty popular hobby welder, it's easy enough to find consumables and replacement parts for it. But for $150, anything major you're probably not paying too much to fix it.

I would double check if it has the gas conversion kit already installed with regulator etc. That might have been sold as a flux core welder with optional gas conversion kit. I don't see a gas line or regulator in that pic. There's a lot of people out there that don't know the difference between MIG and Flux core welding. You definitely want MIG. So put a couple hundred bucks for a bottle of gas in your budget

It comes with a 0.03" contact tip, I am going to go with 0.023" wire; would the 0.03" tip be fine or I need a smaller tip?




The gas conversion kit was not given to me with the welder. He probably used it for flux core only. He said he used the welder to do the floors on his 67 Firebird.. I am thinking of getting a gas line like this with regulator:

https://www.amazon.com/YESWELDER-Argon-Regulator-Hose-Welder/dp/B08LC41FTD?tag=gbody-20

My wife bought me this welder from Amazon as it has great reviews, but I am thinking I should return it and hold onto the Lincoln instead, and invest in the gas line and right tips for the Lincoln.

https://www.amazon.com/YESWELDER-Digital-MIG-205DS-Multiprocess-Aluminum/dp/B07TVCWDGW?tag=gbody-20

 

[Hurricane77]

For that Lincoln, you can use a 0.030" tip with 0.023, or you can get 0.025 tips. These are consumables and they're cheap. You'll also need to get the right gas nozzle for the tip of the gun. The nozzle that's currently on there is for gasless. Should be something like this

Lincoln Electric MIG Replacement Nozzle for Wire-Feed and Flux-Cored Lincoln Welders KH725 - The Home Depot

Visit the Home Depot to buy MIG Wire Nozzle KH725

www.homedepot.com

Looking at the ProMig 135, I think the regulator you posted should be fine as long as the threads to connect tot he machine are the same. . Some of the Weld Pak models required a kit that included a gas solenoid for controlling the gas flow. But based on google, I think the ProMig 135 already had that.

The YesWelder stuff actually isn't too bad in my limited experience. Haven't used one of their multi process machines like your wife bought you (she sounds like a good one BTW). But I did buy a replacement gun for my Lincoln and I have one of their plasma cutters and I've been pretty satisfied with both products. It actually should be more adjustable in MIG mode than the Lincoln with infinitely variable voltage. Dual voltage is a nice to have if/when you get into welding heavier stuff.