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air compressor

ThaMule

ThaMule

Mursenary
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ok, i am wanting to get an air compressor that will be able to handle anythign i need to use on my truck without cutting on to refill every 15 minutes. Places around where i live are sears, lowes and home depot. So post up what you guys consider and bad a$$ air compressor cause that is what i am going to get.
 
I'll give you my two cents worth. A lot of the stuff you will find at the big box stores is for the average homeowner who wants to air up his tires and brag to his neigbors that he has an air compressor.

If you want to use air tools and spray paint, you should get a two stage cast iron compressor with a minimum of 40 gallon tank. The two stage compressor will allow a cutout pressure in the range of 165 PSI. The high pressure combined with a large tank will give you more air between cycles.

The other thing to consider is once the compressor kicks on, how fast will it refill the tank? Displacement is just as important in an air compressor as it is in an engine. A small displacement compressor running at high speed will give high CFPM numbers, but will be very noisy and will not live a long life. A good indication of the displacement will be the diameter of the pulley on the compressor head. The larger the diameter, the larger the displacement. Electric motors are made with standard RPMs, so the speed of the compressor head is determined by the pulley.

In my opinion, I would look for a good used unit made by one of the leading industrial brands. Alot of these units are available because companies are going to the newer rotary technology that is more efficient. A twenty percent efficiency gain is important if you run a compressor many hours a day, but for us in the hobby, it is not a factor. Also, the major companies offer rebuild parts so you can keep the machine going virtually forever. I recently completely overhauled my Curtis compressor with parts purchased locally for less than three hundred dollars.

Sorry for being so long winded, but buying a compressor is a long term investment. Spend the next 10-20 years enjoying the machine, not putting up with it. Spend your money on a good cast iron two stage unit, stay away fron the cheap aluminum high speed junk.
 
ok here are some brands that i came up with. Devair, Quincy, campbell hausfeld, eaton, and curtis. There is a quincy distributor about a hour from my house. Which is better splash lube or pressure lube and what is the difference? Its looking like it will be around 1200-1800 for one of these with an 80 gal tank, 5 hp, 175 psi, two stage. does that range sound about right?
 
B4 you buy anything give Matt(owner) at Eaton Compressor a call and let him enlighten you on compressors. I don't own one of Matt's compressors but I will some day. Matt will talk to you and answer all of your questions. Worth the call prior to making a purchase.
 
ThaMule said:
ok here are some brands that i came up with. Devair, Quincy, campbell hausfeld, eaton, and curtis. There is a quincy distributor about a hour from my house. Which is better splash lube or pressure lube and what is the difference? Its looking like it will be around 1200-1800 for one of these with an 80 gal tank, 5 hp, 175 psi, two stage. does that range sound about right?
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First of all, pressure lube is always better because the oil can be pumped to where it is needed. Splash is just that. It goes where it wants. The other problem is splash is dependant somewhat on the oil level. We should all check the oil level daily like the manual says, but who does?

As to the brand, I've not heard of DeVair. With Quincy, they were originally built in Quincy Illinois and were a very good compressor. In fact, the compressor I owned before buying the Curtis I now have was a Quincy. It was a good compressor, but swallowed a valve that went through the first stage piston. After checking the internet, I called their office in St. Louis and found that they had been bought by an overseas company. The guy I talked to was a long time employee and very good. He gave me the number of a distributor in my area, but admitted that the new units were nothing like the older ones. When I contacted the distributor, I found that the cost to repair the unit was more than replacement cost. The reason for this missive is that you need to check on where your machine is made and what are replacement parts costs.

Cambell-Housfeld is sold mostly at home improvement stores, not that that is bad, but I haven't seen any cast iron units. Ingersol Rand, Gardner Denver, Curtis Toledo, and Eagle are all good names still made in the USA. Just check your local area for a dealer. These dealers can give you a idea what replacement parts cost, and many times have used or rebuilt units available.

Another thing to look at is that a lot of industrial units are 3 phase. You probably don't have this available. Any good size unit will require 240 VAC, but make sure it is single phase.
 
i have worked with 3 phase before when i was in the army. some of the portable buildings we had were 3 phase, so i knew that 3 phase would not work in my home. I definitly want something american. looks like i am leaning towards eaton, curtis or ingersol rand. I'm gonna call and talk with all of them cause i like people with good customer service.

I appreciate all the info guys.
 
I don't want to open a can of worms with PsRumors, but I have looked at the Eaton web site. Most people think of Eaton/Yale & Towne when they see the name Eaton. I see no connection between Eaton and Eaton/Yale. The web site says they are located in the town of Eaton Ohio and are a manufacturer of air compressors. I find this a little suspect when you see that most of the principles of the company share the same last name. I suspect that they are an importer of private branded equipment. This may be a very good company and sell a good product, but I would look into the company very carefully before investing in one of their units. Just my opinion. I already own a compressor I am very happy with and have no axe to grind.
 
FWIW, I have a dayton 30gal that was given to me 10yrs ago, and it was at least 10yrs old then. Aside from draining it occasionally, it has never failed once. Even though it cycles somewhat often (every 10-15mins or so with heavy impact use) it is fairly quiet and 100% reliable.

If I ever found another one for sale, I would pick it up in a second.

DSC02448.jpg
 
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If you're not running an 85.1cfm @175psi, 25HP 460volt compressor like this, just head back into the house because you don't know what you're doing.:haha: :haha:


Seriously, go with a 40+ gallon tank and a compressor that puts out idealy 15+cfm. I wouldn't buy anything that is less than about 11cfm or so.

Someone mentioned sandblasting....:haha: I hook all three of my air compressors together when I use my sandblaster, and my compressors aren't little toys. My 4 piston in my service truck is around 17cfm, shop compressor is 12 or so, and my third is 10cfm. I takes 39cfm to comfortably run my little sand blaster.
 
rjfguitar said:
1592044B_lg.gif


If you're not running an 85.1cfm @175psi, 25HP 460volt compressor like this, just head back into the house because you don't know what you're doing.:haha: :haha:


Seriously, go with a 40+ gallon tank and a compressor that puts out idealy 15+cfm. I wouldn't buy anything that is less than about 11cfm or so.

Someone mentioned sandblasting....:haha: I hook all three of my air compressors together when I use my sandblaster, and my compressors aren't little toys. My 4 piston in my service truck is around 17cfm, shop compressor is 12 or so, and my third is 10cfm. I takes 39cfm to comfortably run my little sand blaster.
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Okay, my moms calling I'm gonna run back home(tail between legs).
 
X2.....i think i am going to end up getting a ingersol rand or a curtis. i just have to get home first and find a place that sells them around home.
 
I have a friend that works for IR in White House, but I priced them at Tractor Supply in Springfield for less than he could get me one for.
 
dremu said:
What the FARK are you sandblasting, small third world countries??

-- A
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Trailers, equipment, crap like that. Not just a little tiny steering arm or something and I'm done. I usually blast for a couple hours at a time so I need full 120psi to blast properly and an air supply that is going to hold 120psi non stop.

It takes a lot of air to blast like that. Doing small stuff is easy, just fill the compressor, hit the item being blasted, and before you're out of air you're done. But, blasting a 48ft trailer is a different story. 500lbs of sand and a ton of air. The cats scope out my whole yard in front of the shop after a day of blasting...:D
 
rjfguitar said:
Trailers, equipment, crap like that. Not just a little tiny steering arm or something and I'm done. I usually blast for a couple hours at a time so I need full 120psi to blast properly and an air supply that is going to hold 120psi non stop.

It takes a lot of air to blast like that. Doing small stuff is easy, just fill the compressor, hit the item being blasted, and before you're out of air you're done. But, blasting a 48ft trailer is a different story. 500lbs of sand and a ton of air. The cats scope out my whole yard in front of the shop after a day of blasting...:D
Click to expand...

'Swhat I figgered ... yeah, I only ever motor mount shells or whatever, once did a BBC oilpan ... that took a while :crazy: waiting on the compressor occasionally.

-- A
 
there is a TSC, rural king and an Airgas here that i am going to go too. airgas carries all three major welding brands as well. gonna pick me up a good welder too
 
Dealing with Airgas is a good Idea. They are a national company, so if you move you can still get tanks filled and parts for your equipment. I have lived in the midwest where TSC is located and they seem to be an OK company. But they are not nation wide. There are no TSCs out here on the west coast.

As for welders, I'm partial to Miller, but Lincoln is a good brand also. Just be sure you look at your needs, both present and future and buy something you won't have to replace in a few years. I made the mistake of buying a small Century MIG welder and almost immediately regretted doing it. Nothing is more frustrating than having to spend good money after bad!
 
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