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Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:58 pm

Those interested in small on-board air check this link:
http://www.jeepaholics.com/tech/OBA2/

Also ever notice house painters run small pancake air compressors?

Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:56 pm

Ol Vocho wrote: A good compressor is like a good wife, it puts out a lot and doesn't yell much. A small, cheap compressor is like a bad wife, it huffs and puffs, screams a lot, doesn't put out much and will probably cost you money down the road.

I'd recommend an IR 7.5 Hp, 80 Gal. Well worth the marriage.

I had an old auto body guy tell me, never buy cheap tools, because you'll have to buy them again and again. You might was well save up and get the best and only buy it once (probably good advice for a marriage too).

Who knew I'd also get Marriage Counsueling from Thesamba.com ja ja. LMAO!

Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:14 am

Wow. So much has changed since I posted about my 30Gallon compressor last May. I now have a 80 gal, 5HP 18CFM @ 175PSI Curtis brand air compressor.

We are still working to rewire the garage for it, and I can't wait to use it. At $1400 shipped with a 5 year warrenty.. you really can't go wrong!

Plus it's a monster.

Sat Nov 03, 2007 11:47 am

I wish that I could afford that model of air compressor. Is it three phase?

Mon Nov 05, 2007 6:44 pm

I ordered the single phase version.

Sun Nov 11, 2007 7:39 pm

I left mine bolted to the pallet and secured the pallet to the floor. Absorbs vibration like a champ.

Sat Nov 17, 2007 5:42 pm

harryset wrote: I left mine bolted to the pallet and secured the pallet to the floor. Absorbs vibration like a champ.

Would have been a good idea. We cut up the pallet... still need to figure out the best way to bolt it. Got some concrete anchors, don't know for sure where to do it.

I also got vibration pads for mine. It extends the 2 year warrenty to a 5 year warrenty on the tank!

Sat Nov 17, 2007 7:45 pm

After thrashing my Campbell Hausfeld air compressor (26 gallon tank, oil bath, belt drive) for the last eight or nine years, I picked up a used air compressor for $400 that was advertised on craigslist. It is a very clean Devillbliss two stage air compressor, single phase, with an 80 gallon tank. It came with two electrical boxes: one with the on/off lever and fuses, and the other gets the thing going and regulates it. No more waiting for my old air compressor to fill up with air when using my disc cutter or sander. All I have to do is figure out how to connect it to my 220 volt outlet. Santa came early, this year. :D
He has it mounted on a small, sturdy pallet and, apparently, never had it attached to the floor. Should I leave it on the pallet without rubber pads but attach it to the floor, or should I remove it from the pallet and mount it on the floor with the rubber pads?

Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:18 pm

I can tell you this Campy. Don't ask any city, county, state, or federal inspector to pass for permit a compressor on a pallet, said pallet bolted to floor, said compressor bolted to pallet. I suggest you not even ask OSHA to validate this installation.
Compressors tend to vibrate. Pallets tend to be cheap wood, cheaply nailed together. That being said, check pallets coming from China, frequently mahogany, sometimes teak. We can chunk chips of their own mahogany at them when they attempt to over run us. Wait a minute, over run who? That trade imbalance that gave them all those dollars, they are about to invest all those saved dollars in American Corporations. How do you guys feel about communist China owning Ford, GM, your areas power company?
The moral of the story? Run down to Walmart and save a few bucks. The few bucks you save will go to communist China. Buy your spouse a Kia. Hell fire, buy her a Ford made in Mexico. Yeah I am not a kook and yes it is too late to alter what is coming.
What can we do? Not much. Eliminate your debts. Plant gardens. Own meat animals. Exercise your right as an American to own firearms. Other nationals, I think it was Keynes that said something to the effect that, "a ripple in the economic pond in America, becomes a financial tsunami elsewhere in the world" WIKI trickle down. Reverse it.

Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:11 pm

My pallet was made out of very strong cedar. The pallet weighed as much as the 80 gal tank.

That being said.. I would bolt it to the ground through vibration pads. Run your lines through a stainless steel flex hose meant for air.

Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:39 pm

The pallet under my big air compressor is a small one and made out of heavy wood, too.

Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:56 pm

Quote: Should I leave it on the pallet without rubber pads but attach it to the floor, or should I remove it from the pallet and mount it on the floor with the rubber pads?

I would discard the pallet and mount it through vibration isolation pads to the floor. I know your compressor is no longer covered by warranty, but the tank manufacturer (probably Manchester) will not honor warranties for tanks not properly mounted. If you can't find the pads or choose not to use them, the manufacturer reccomends that you not snug all of the mounting bolts down tight. Compressor manufacturers are down gauging the tanks to lower costs, making the steel more prone to stress cracking from vibration.

Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:38 am

MJB Weld and Supply and Home Depot have air compressors but I have never seen any rubber pads, there. Who sells rubber pads?
I have a long section of a one inch thick rubber-type material and I was thinking of cutting it into squares, and putting two sections under each leg, and bolting the unit to the garage floor. Would that be alright?
Regarding my dual stage air compressor with an 80 gallon tank and a five hp electric motor, I read on a sticker on the side of the tank that below freezing the air compressor oil should be 20 wt. and above freezing it should be 40 wt. I thought that it might have been a typo and the oil should be 30 wt. when it is above freezing (32 degrees) because why would 30 wt. not have been listed? Also, would it be advisable to put 30 wt. synthetic air compressor oil in its pump? which is what the man I bought it from has in it.

Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:23 pm

I don't know about the oil weights.

The vibration pads should be about an inch thick. Made of rubber on both sides sandwiched between some harder rubber or foam material. I don't think Home Depot is the place to go.. if you have an industrial tool place that might be better. I ordered mine from the manufacturer.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:32 pm

Most of pads made for compressors are about 3" x 3" and have 1/4" of ribbed rubber on top and bottom with 1/2" of cork in the center. They allow the compressor to vibrate at its own frequency without being affected by the mounting surface. The pads also help to quiet the noise a little. You can usually find them at retailers that sell commercial compressors. That being said, most people do not mount the compressors properly. We give away pads with every compressor we sell, but most customers don't bother to use them. They are very inexpensive.

As to oils... I would follow the manufacturers recommendation on the weight of oil. If you want to use synthetic, find the right weight. The most critical thing is keeping oil in the compressor. Most of the failures that we see are cause by a loss of lubricant.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:33 pm

My compressor came with about 40 weight oil. I need to keep it in an unheated area, and I called the manufacturer. They do not recommend going below 20 non detergent. I still get nuisance trips on the breakers when it is below zero in the shop.
Mine is a 7.5hp 14cfm@90psi 60 gal.

Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:23 pm

Russ Wolfe wrote: Mine is a 7.5hp 14cfm@90psi 60 gal.

That doesn't sound right.

I bet you have a 7.5HP peak motor. Running at probably 3HP.

What sized breaker do you have? 220v?

Mine as an example is a 23 Amp motor that runs around 5HP. It generates 20+ CFM @ 90PSI.

Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:02 pm

look for the amp rating on the electric motor 23amp is the lowest i would go 29 is awsome tank size 60 will work but 80 is better. Hose repair places and air tool repair shops have some nice compressors with 3 pistons that work well and are less expensive stay away from RETAIL PLACES they sell consumer grade products not commercial grade.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:51 pm

Yes. 29 amp or 7.5HP would be nice. So would 3 phase, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:16 pm

Sort of a crazy idea but here it goes...

Has anyone tried to rig a super huge compressor unit using a huge 5000+ gallon tank off a 18 wheeler fuel or water truck (or any other huge tank)and several high output multi piston compressor units to fill and preassurize?

Watch out for the light bill when running this one!