Best way to sell entire 6 x 18 enclosed welding trailer?

[Butch37]

My father is no longer able to weld having put in over 45 years perfecting the trade. His welding trailer with 35 yr old welder,(works great) tanks, hoses, shelving (basically EVERYTHING someone would need to start their own side business) is sitting in the yard and it kills him everyday walking by because it is not being used.

Location of trailer is suburbs of Minneapolis, MN. Tried to put it on craigslist in the past without any interest, but will try again while in town.


Any suggestions how to get word out to those who would appreciate the accumulation of tools over a lifetime. I now regret that I never took interest while growing up, and am a little overwhelmed to think I could learn as 50 yr. old female.

Thank you for any help.

[user 9328330]

Hey Butch37, assuming you truly do want to help him sell this as opposed to keeping it in the family for you or anyone else, here's what might work.

I would take lots of clear, bright pictures of the contents of the trailer, and I'd get descriptions from him of what everything is. If you want, you can post that information in this thread and we can help you organize it and figure out maybe how best to advertise it. Some pieces may sell best individually and some will only sell when grouped together or thrown in with a larger lot. Brand, model, and condition of tools really make a difference when it comes to value. The trailer itself may be worth a lot or may be worth nothing at all. But we'll try to help you out as best we can.

Edited to add that if he's wanting to sell, in general it's best to sell sooner rather than later...engine-driven welders don't like to sit for long before they don't run as well as they once did, especially older carbureted models. Batteries die, gas goes bad, etc. Same for cordless power tool batteries. Consumables like welding rods can start rusting, vehicles / trailers get flat tires, rot/rust issues, inspections go out of date....you get the picture. I've known a couple business owners who couldn't work anymore, but also couldn't bear to sell, and once they finally did decide to sell (or their family did), the equipment's value was all but gone. It was sad to see.

Final Edit: Be absolutely sure that selling this is what's best. You mentioned something about learning to use this equipment seeming overwhelming, but if there's any part of you that truly wants to learn, and if your Dad doesn't absolutely have to have this money, then you have a link to his past here whose family value far outweighs it's financial value. Unless he's a very unusual part-timer, he likely has mid-grade tools and equipment which are now outdated enough that they aren't going to have a lot of residual value. But if you sell them and then realize 5 years from now that you really want to weld, replacing these tools with modern mid-grade equipment could easily cost 10x what you get for these in this sale. Just playing devil's advocate for a minute.

Your age and gender are not barriers to learning to weld, and neither is older equipment; but metal fabrication isn't everyone's thing and that's perfectly fine. I'm not trying to push you in any direction, just fleshing out both sides as I see it.

[cwby]

Another option would be to contact a good auction company & let them sell it it at a consignment auction. A good auctioneer can look at it & tell you about what it will bring.

[Butch37]

Thanks, where is Snyder Texas? I actually live in McKinney and thought about taking it down there - maybe a better chance to sell since the area is full of construction...But the trailer needs new tires and not sure I want the hassle of the drive..

[cwby]

Snyder is between Lubbock & Abilene TX. About 5 hours west of DFW metroplex.

[bead-boy]

Craigslist is too local for something like that where you want to reach a broader market. You should post the craigslist add in the surrounding states and maybe even Canada (although the hassle of import tax/paperwork makes it less desirable). Also post it in Facebook Market Place. And this forums buy/sell page. Good descriptions and pictures are important.

[farmall]

and am a little overwhelmed to think I could learn as 50 yr. old female.

In fact you could, either by starting with a community college welding course (we trained many females, who often have superior fine motor coordination which is why they were used in both world wars to assemble fuzes and instruments) or by (if your father is willing) setting up a practice area and starting from scratch to include you reading welding textbooks. The reason for that is academics usefully supplement physical training. Welding is matter of repeating fine movements precisely until they become instinct, but anyone can learn with persistence. Even if you don't take it over to make money if you're into DIY welding is incredibly useful and the equipment is paid for so why not? It's easier to teach adults than unfocused children.

The economy just tanked and the worst way to sell used gear is as a package because no one sane would pay above what would leave them enough room to at least double their money on what they flip to pay for what they keep. I buy equipment for my personal shop and love recessions but sellers don't for obvious reasons.

tbone550 is wise.

[user 9328330]

Hey Butch,

I see your ad is up in the for sale section here. It's a good start, but if you hope to get $5k for that, you're going to need more detail. When I look at that ad casually, I see one side of a trailer that looks kinda old and busted, I see a really, really old Trailblazer from back when they were liquid-cooled, and it's in rough shape, I find myself wondering if it runs... I see a couple hundred bucks' worth of leads, I see a bunch of tires for some reason (I guess they're trailer spares), and I notice some tanks hiding in the background. I barely see an air compressor. If I look harder though, I see what appears to be a Miller power source of some type (Dialarc? Syncrowave?) but it's turned around backwards and I can't identify it, I see what looks like, maybe, a suitcase wire feeder, and I see a bunch of closed drawers. Are they full of stuff I want? Or are they empty?

If you want to get $5k out of this, I think you're going to need to work harder at the sale. It maybe can be done. But for example, if I were trying to advertise my F350 for sale, here's something like what I'd put. See if you can come up with these sorts of things for your Dad's trailer with his help.

2000 Ford F350, 5.4L V8, 259k miles, 2WD. Complete suspension rebuild at 213k miles, runs good and no problems other than A/C currently doesn't work. 8' Reading service body with factory-built torch compartment (rare in single-rear-wheel width body), tailgate upgraded to central-latch style. Rear work deck of 3/8" plate, built-in Reed 4" vise, deck is cut for vertical clearance for items clamped in vise jaws. 2" receiver hitch, wired for 7-round trailer plugs.

Miller Trailblazer 325 welder (2013) w/ 1185 hrs, starts and runs excellent, no issues, doesn't use oil between changes. Oil always changed with Mobil 1 10W30 Synthetic at 100 hour intervals. 325A max welding output, 12,000W generating capacity w/ (4) 110V outlets, (1) 220V outlet. Capable of powering DC stick, TIG, and wire-fed processes. Has optional Excel power which will provide 2000W power at engine idle. Fuel-injected.

Miller Suitcase 12RC wire feeder. Accepts 12" welding spools, has 15' Bernard gun, has Koike QD for shielding gas attachment.

Miller Suitcase 8RC wire feeder. Accepts 8" welding spools, has 15' Roughneck gun, used currently for flux-core wire but will accept shielding gas.

Miller Multimatic 200 welder. Runs from 110V or 220V outlets, capable of MIG, stick, or TIG welding. Accepts 8" spools of wire internally. Includes machine-specific Bernard MIG gun and stick / ground leads.

50' Miller 14-pin extension cord, for powering Suitcase feeders or spoolguns from the Trailblazer welder.

100' of 2/0 welding leads, good shape, with large Tweco QD's.

30' of 2/0 stinger and ground leads.

50' 110V extension cord.
25' shielding gas hose w/ Koike QD's on each end.
Small CO2 tank with flowmeter and Koike QD.
Smith torch, medium duty w/ 60' of Grade T hose, set up for oxy-propane fuel.
Small BBQ tank for torch (you'll need to provide an Oxygen tank; mine was leased).
(10) Vise-Grip finger-grips.
(10) assorted sliding-bar F-clamps.
(2) fire extinguishers, both in date spec.
Craftsman 191-pc toolset.
Milwaukee metal-cutting circular saw.
(2) Metabo 4.5" grinders.
(1) Metabo 4.5" flathead grinder.
(1) Metabo 18V cordless die grinder.
(2) Milwaukee 18V cordless 4.5" grinders.
Milwaukee 18V drill, sawzall, 1/2" impact gun, work lantern, flashlight, and blower.
(5) Milwaukee 18V batteries from XC to HD 9.0 AH, (2) Metabo 18V 5.2 AH batts.
Various prybars, hammers, bullpins.
Various consumables for above-listed MIG guns.
Fabrication tools including squares, centerpunches, marking and measuring tools, angle finders, etc.
Leather welding jacket and bib / pants.
Green cotton light-duty grinding jacket.
Jackson NexGen welding hood (works good), clear face shield, knee pads, various welding / work gloves and other PPE.
Welding rods from 3/32 to 5/32 in 10 lb cans, generally Lincoln Excalibur and Lincoln Fleetweld.
Various Smith medium-duty torch tips, strikers, etc for support of torch.
Garmin GPS system.
Milwaukee 12V tire inflator and battery.
Small automotive screw-type bottle jacks for work positioning.
(2) 48" straight edges.
(12) Vise-Grip light-duty sliding bar plastic clamps.
(2) welding blankets, 6' x 8'.
(2) arc shields, 6' x 8'.
Other small tools associated with a turnkey welding business.

This truck and setup are literally ready to go. Add your oxygen tank to the torch set, and the only thing you need are customers. Call or text Jenny at 867-5309 Thanks for your time.



Then there would be clear pictures of each of these things laid out on the ground or concrete in orderly fashion, the welders and wire feeders would have pictures from all sides, and the truck would have pictures from all sides including the interior from both sides and under the hood. Also the underside so that people could see it didn't have rust issues. The pictures would be taken on a sunny day and the background wouldn't be "busy." Something like the woods or a grassy field for the background. Maybe one picture of the truck on a job, the more opened up and "at work," the better.

I know it's a lot of work, but you're asking a lot of money for what appears to be old and well-used equipment, and really it only took me about 20 minutes to type that. However, that's not actually the way I'd sell my truck and that equipment. I might try it for a couple weeks at a relatively high price in case somebody really wanted exactly what I had, but I'd end up using all of those detail pics I took and splitting them off into separate ads. Each large tool with it's consumables, the truck separately, etc. The cordless tools grouped by brand. You see what I'm getting at. I think you'd get the most money splitting things out like that, but there's certainly no harm in trying it this way first.

See if your Dad can help you identify, very exactly, what's in that trailer. Get those drawers open and let's see what's in them, if anything. Tell us if that welder runs, does it use oil, what are it's max amps and what is the generator capacity, is that a wire feeder, if so, which model? And does it work? What's that Miller machine that's turned backwards? Does it run? What air compressor is that, does it run? What SCFM does it put out?

Good luck! Depending on what all is in there, you might get your $5k. I think these ideas might help.

[Butch37]

Wow- Thank you for your time. I understand about adding details - I wasn't sure if people wanted to be bombarded with information or if I needed to keep things short and sweet. Honestly we were hoping for a quick sale just to get rid of it! I'll take your advice and "disassemble" the trailer items. I actually think it will give my dad some satisfaction describing what everything is to me. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to post EVERYTHING on this site without limitations when updating the sale post? Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.

[scsmith42]

Hi Butch,

Great advice in this thread above.

Personally I think that it would sell in a heartbeat in Texas. Some rancher or new welder should be all over that.

If you opt to tow it back yourself, be sure to have the wheel bearings greased and the tires possibly replaced before you hit the road with it.

Best of success to you.

Scott

[user 9328330]

Wow- Thank you for your time. I understand about adding details - I wasn't sure if people wanted to be bombarded with information or if I needed to keep things short and sweet. Honestly we were hoping for a quick sale just to get rid of it! I'll take your advice and "disassemble" the trailer items. I actually think it will give my dad some satisfaction describing what everything is to me. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to post EVERYTHING on this site without limitations when updating the sale post? Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.

Yes, absolutely there will be no limitations, plenty of bandwidth here. You are probably stuck with your first post but you can just reply to it with the details.

When spending thousands, most people really want to know exactly what they're buying for that money. Nobody wants to guess unless the item is sitting right in front of them and they can look at it themselves. I always try to imagine what I'd like to see if I was looking at the thing for sale in person, and then I take pics and descriptions of those parts / features. The good and the bad. I hate to waste my or the potential buyers' time by them showing up expecting something different than what I have.