M101 trailer w/welder & generator.

[brute4c]

I have a line on an M101, no side racks or top bows as far as I know so far...AND a Hobart welder and generator run by a gasoline inline 6.

So far all I have is these pics and a friends report...and a guess at the price which is good as far as I can figure from the pics...

If the trailer is solid and if the welder/generator works, it would be nice to have.
Lotta if's...

Judging by the pics below, what do you guys think the trailer alone and the welder/generator/motor in working condition alone are worth?

Thanks in advance!

[Barrman]

M101A1 in basic condition is $150-$300 on GL. Maybe up to $500 for one with all the sides, bows and top. $500+ in shown condition on E-Bay.

Generator/welder minimum 5K watts 110V is going to be in the $500-$1000 range if it runs. That one just might be higher watts and 220V. If it is 220 then you have something worth $1000 or so by itself.

The bad news is that generator is going to burn 2-4 gallons of gas per hour running. How long would you need it in a power out situation?

[brute4c]

WOW! Thats great info Mr. Barr!

Dont think the fuel consumption would be good for a power outage...thats a lot of gas...unless its the dead cold of winter and I fire it up just enough to let the furnace bring the house up to temp every so often....boy I woulda never guessed...

That welder should be pretty stout...assuming its working...better than my 90 amp wire feed...

Can I run the welder off the 220 in my shop? Should be able to right?


So as long as the trailer is decent and the welder works and can run off my shop power, then if I can get it all for $750-$800 its a good deal?

Or I would need the generator to be working to really get in that price range?

[kwai]

That is a monster welder/generator. You could weld a battleship with that thing.
A miller bobcat is about 1/3 that size.
The trailer is worth 200-300 tops. As Barrman said you can get better condition from GL for that price. Without significant rewiring I don't think you could run the welder without running the generator.

[Barrman]

If the generator and welder don't work, then you are looking at a $200 trailer (depending on tires, hand brakes, rust and wheel bearings) and maybe $200 worth of scrap copper and steel.

does it have the welding leads? Those are in the $1.00/foot price range right now. Also, running a bead with a portable welder is waaayyyy different than with a plug in unit. You kind of have to scratch it a few times to get the rpm's up or just stay in one spot with the rod until full power is reached. Then you can weld like normal. But, if you stop for more than a second, you have to wait for it to wind back up again before you are making full welds again.

In other words, run a bead with it on thick metal, plug in a grinder or drill and test out the generator part before you buy.

If it works right, you can make your money back offering a portable welding service. Pipe fences, mail box stands, car ports, security window bars, etc... Show up with the M715 pulling the 101 and go to work.

[amphi]

WOW! Can I run the welder off the 220 in my shop? Should be able to right?

No!

The welding portion is connected to a DC generator and cannot be run from AC current.

[brute4c]

Thanks for the info guys!! I am going to look at it tomorrow...sounds like I might want to keep the trailer, depending on condition, and sell or junk the gen/welder, depending on condition...

You guys are a valuale asset...where else can one get all there questions answered so quickly and thoroughly...THANKS!!!

[gimpyrobb]

That will be a WAY bigger generator than 5k. I have a hobart 5kw, it is run by a wisconsin 2 cyl. It is a welder too, don't remeber what the current is. Jon, if you get the trailer/genset, I may bring up a band saw(and maybe some cash) to trade. Let me know what you decide.

[brute4c]

It is gone...out of my price range...unfortunately.

I was so excited for a couple days...

[randygar]

Agreed - that is way bigger than 5KW. 5KW is a single, not an I6!

Where I live, the generator/welder is probably worth $500 if it works - it'd be worth five times that if it were diesel. It's quite old, but there's a good chance it works or will work with minor repairs, as they were built to last. Bring a good test load (as many 500W shoplights and 1500W space heaters as you can borrow - make sure you have at least one light, as they're the easiest way to check the regulation - just watch the brightness - should be the same as if it were plugged into the wall, and not excessively flicker), see if it fires up, and make an offer based on that.

I only see a mechanical rpm governor, no idle-down controls, so you shouldn't have any issues with starting beads - the rpm should stay solid at 3600 or 1800, whichever it runs at.

Check if it has welding leads - the local scrapyard charged me $3/lb for some two months ago (spent $50 to get some 25ft-ish ones, so $1/foot... more than I paid for the welder!), and factor this into the price - for a semi-portable welder like that, you'll want at least a hundred feet for each lead, and it'll need to be heavier gauge wire due to the length, so figure just scrap leads would be $250 if you have to buy them - try to make sure they're included!

If it doesn't have leads, bring some of your own, and make sure it's at least outputting something... or just some wire you can see if it makes a nice spark with.

--Randy