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Bridgeport at auction tips

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bellaireroad

Aluminum
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
I ’m going to look at a Bridgeport that’s up at auction in about a week. I’m not looking for a project, have too many already. It will be used at home for hobby stuff .

Any good online resources that tell you what to look for before buying? I have absolutely no experience with milling machines.

It is listed as a series 1 with X axis rapid feed and Sargon DRO, it looks clean in the pics, but of course that means nothing.

Assuming it is in good shape, what’s the low/high price range on these? Thanks


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You've seen the pics, we haven't.
Prices are all over the place and it really depends on how many of you are there that want the mill and have money. Without seeing the mill and looking at the ways, it's really hard to give a price. If the vise is a BP, it's worth it's weight in scrap. Sargon is probably not the most sought after DRO either.

So, if it's in "good shape", somewhere around $2K at the bottom end. A real nice machine can go for $7K or more.
JR
 
Do you know the serial number? Then you can look up the model year.

The serial number is behind the Y crank handle on the knee. It can be covered by the sliding guards. If so, then crank the table towards the column and the guards will move towards the column too and the number will appear. You can print a list of serial numbers and bring it with you to the auction.

Bridgeport

How Old Is My Bridgeport Milling Machine? – Blue Chip Machine Shop
 
IMHO i would not be too concerned about age, the far more relivent one is condition. thats what makes - brakes a Bridgeport. Running it under power is also another good test, generally the heads wear far far faster than the actual tables movements. That said, its pretty easy to fix a head - rebuild one, first time around a day - 2 days will easily see you done.

One thing i would stress and thats tooling, mill tooling adds up fast and you end up wanting a fair bit of it and you need the budget for it. I have well over 5x what i paid for my Bridgeport in tooling.
 
just a couple tips. Check the ways. If you can still see flaking all the way across, then you're in great shape, but it's not likely. Just look out for chrome ways that are toast. Very hard to fix. I've been seeing decent mills with DRO and power feed going for $2-3K
 
I am sitting here amazed at the price for an auction mill... and then remember when we go for them, we are looking for the boat anchors no one wants cause we just rebuild them lol

I do know we see alot that when its a machinery auction or they promote the machines for the auction, people pay at the top end or overpay for the machines. We see alot more success getting good mills at good prices when the machine isnt the forefront of the auction.

Another thing to look at is why is it being auctioned? Liquidation? Is it a private auction after someone passed? We had a company do about 4 auctions as they were moving to another plant. Obviously they kept the good stuff for themselves and got rid of the junk. But cleaned the junk up to look pretty (lipstick on a pig, as @JR likes to say).

Jon
H&W Machine Repair
 
Don't expect to score a deal at the auction, especially if you have no experience.The ones I went to always had the usual visitors who drove the price up with test bids. It was not common to see a real clean machine. Usually they are used up. Reminds me of garage sales.

I look at it as a learning experience.
 
Here's a tip: don't engage in a competition to pay the most of anyone in attendance for the mill. When the bid increments themselves outstrip what you though you would pay for the machine in the first place, walk away. No shame in recognizing a bad deal.
 
HWElecRepair said:
I am sitting here amazed at the price for an auction mill... and then remember when we go for them, we are looking for the boat anchors no one wants cause we just rebuild them lol

I do know we see alot that when its a machinery auction or they promote the machines for the auction, people pay at the top end or overpay for the machines. We see alot more success getting good mills at good prices when the machine isnt the forefront of the auction.

Another thing to look at is why is it being auctioned? Liquidation? Is it a private auction after someone passed? We had a company do about 4 auctions as they were moving to another plant. Obviously they kept the good stuff for themselves and got rid of the junk. But cleaned the junk up to look pretty (lipstick on a pig, as @JR likes to say).

Jon
H&W Machine Repair
Click to expand...

That’s a good point, which I wondered about as well . Not sure what the circumstances are, but I have seen several equipment auctions recently where the company was financially healthy and “trimming the herd”. I suspected it has to do with tax write offs (due to depreciation) running out, and getting a new piece of equipment to take its place. But that’s just a guess


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Chip Chester said:
Here's a tip: don't engage in a competition to pay the most of anyone in attendance for the mill. When the bid increments themselves outstrip what you though you would pay for the machine in the first place, walk away. No shame in recognizing a bad deal.
Click to expand...

Yep, I always set a top price to pay, and figure in taxes and auctioneer fees into it, and don’t let emotions get involved. There is always another deal around the corner.
Last week I was looking at a welder that was 5 years old and used in a production facility. Brand new it retails for 2500.
I was in at 1500 including fees. It ended up selling for 2100 with fees. So someone bought a 5 year old welder, and could have gotten a brand new one (with warranty) for 400 dollars more.

That’s why I asked about prices on the bridgeport, to set a top end if I bid on it


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bellaireroad said:
Not sure what the circumstances are, but I have seen several equipment auctions recently where the company was financially healthy and “trimming the herd”. I suspected it has to do with tax write offs (due to depreciation) running out, and getting a new piece of equipment to take its place.
Click to expand...

We used to have a "junk" auction every year. They decided that was too much work and just find a dealer to buy everything now. I've also worked for companies that when you write a proposal for money, you claim you're going to speed up production or reduce head count. Some companies are really serious about checking on that and the old machine better be gone. Except for depreciation, there are no tax bennifits from buying a new machine. Very few machines get "replaced". If you don't get "bigger, better, and faster" you're going backwards and won't be able to compete much longer.

BTW, for grins and giggles, I used search tempest and looked for BPs. In Texas/ Oklahoma, I found 3. Cheapest was an $1,800 J-head and a rough one at that, lots of rust. No 2 Js, just old beat up J heads. The "nice" one was $3,100.
JR
 
Tips on what not to do at auction:

Stand by the machine and when someone else looks at it don't say "What a nice Machine" Or say to the other guys I hope it goes cheap as I want it. Don't ask the auctioneer before the bidding if he can load it after you buy it. If you pull a trailer park down the block and not up next to the loading dock.

Things to do at the auction. Stand near the back of the crowd and don't bid first. Many time auctioneers "pull bids "out of the rafters" they call it meaning That guy behind you bid on it, when there isn't a guy behind you. When you walk by it say something like, what a piece of dung or I heard it run and it sounds like dung. LOL....have fun :-)
 
From my experience, unless the auction is very lightly attended, the price for a BP always goes too high in a Texas auction.

I did a little googling the other night to find this auction, because I could use a BP too, but did not find it, so you might get lucky. No worries though, I found something else less common that has been on my wishlist, so I am going for it this week.
 
dalmatiangirl61 said:
From my experience, unless the auction is very lightly attended, the price for a BP always goes too high in a Texas auction.

I did a little googling the other night to find this auction, because I could use a BP too, but did not find it, so you might get lucky. No worries though, I found something else less common that has been on my wishlist, so I am going for it this week.
Click to expand...

If you are interested in it, PM me and I’ll send you the link


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