Need a new air compressor

[Gary Fowler]

My old Craftsman has finally quit pumping. Motor runs, it make a bunch of racket but get to 65 PSI and stops. I need a new one that is quieter than the oil-less Craftsman.
What have you guy had for luck with different brands. I am kind of on the fence on getting a 220 V one versus a 120v. I want a high volume one and that pretty much mean 220v. The one I have is a 31 gallon tank size and I am thinking maybe I could pipe the new one together with the old tank to increase times between cycles so I wont need a 80 gallon tank compressor more like 60 or less would be plenty. PUMA is supposed to be a good brand along with IR and Quincy but I don't see them listed anywhere on stores close to me only online.

 

[dex3361]

I have a 5 HP 240V Quincy that is around 40 years old and runs great. It makes 17CFM at 175 PSI stats at 175 and shuts off at 200PSI. They still make a very similar machine except mine is a horizontal tank. Quincy

 

[Bird]

Gary, when I was repairing air tools, I very quickly wore out an oilless Craftsman (by DeVibiss), replaced the reed valves once, then the cylinder and piston twice, then the squirrel cage fan broke loose. Anyway, I bought the Puma PK6060V from an air-compressor dealer/manufacturer in Arlington, TX. When I first looked at the Puma, I was a little reluctant to buy it because it was made in Taiwan, but in December, 1998, I bought it and it was used every day, sometimes running continuously for extended periods of time, and never gave me a minute of trouble. However, when I had to move back to town, I had to sell it, and I'd only had it just a little less than 4 years. The realtor I used to sell our place in the country also had a ranch, and he bought that Puma compressor from me himself.

 

[Bird]

Randall, I have no doubt at all that the Quincy would be even better than the Puma, if you don't mind the extra cost. And Northern Tool now sells both of them.

 

[sparc]

Tractor supply near me has IR compressors in the store. Haven't compared their prices though. I'd like to have a 30 gallon or larger, but can't afford the room in my small shop. Your idea of using your old tank is a good one. You might keep that local and you could install the new compressor any where withna large enough pipe between them to ensure you don't run out of volume. That way you could keep the noise away from your work and maybe save the expense or voltage drop of a long run of cable from the breaker box.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd get an oil style, not an oil less.

that said. both TSC and harbor freight seem to have a sale on the 28-31 g upright units for under 200$

those will be the smallest I would go. you could remove the old pump and plumb the 2 30's together and have a long cycle up and more air.

i graduated from a pancake compressor to a pancake and an air up tank.. then to a 30g upright. ran that for years. have rebui;lt the valves in the pancake already one time. bit the bullet a year or 2 ago and got a 60g upright 220v model when i say a clearance sale at lowes for 48?$ 4 something anyway.. was less than 500 before tax. was a great deal.. I love it. fast air.. 135 psi.. hs 3 bungs for tapping. one 1" one 1/2 and one 3/8

I use each.

the 1/2 feeds a dedicated line for my 1" and 3/4" guns.

the 1" line feeds a distrop bar that has quite a few 1/4 couplers on it for varios air tools..e tc. the 3/8 line is dedicated for my painting rig.. no oil on that line, and a pressure regulator. etc.

 

[nspec]

I've been eyeing the Rolair. Here's a link.

v3130k18 = 30 gallons, $1026
v3160k18 = 60 gallons, $1200

Rolair Systems

Scroll down to see the chart of all the different models.

A little pricey, but it will last a lifetime. Excellent reputation.

 

[crazyal]

I have two older Craftsman oil style compressors. One is green while the other is red. The red one I think is newer and just kept getting louder and louder. Finally it stopped reaching 125 psi. I took it apart and found the end bearings for the crank aren't bearings but bushings and they had worn out and the crank had been scarred. I ended up throwing it out. I think the compressor was never made for continuous duty. For filling tires up it was fine but trying to run air tools that would require it to run all the time was more than it was designed for. I would guess it was a late 70s or early 80s 3hp compressor. I have a 5hp Speedarie that was given to me several years ago that has seen a lot more use and still works great.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Thanks guys. You all pretty well summed up what I had heard. I looked on line at all the local places , TSC didn't list compressors but perhaps they do stock them, Lowes and Sears is about 100 higher than Atwoods Farm and Ranch store for Kobalt/Craftsman compressor. Likely made in China also like the Atwoods. I would love to have a Quincy but cant justify the cost for no more than I use it. I have a lot of air tools but only use them when something breaks, air up tires on the tractors, cars and RTV.

 

[Soundguy]

we had an old 80's era CH compressor.. 60g upright.. REAL 5hp motor. it shelled ut and we took it apart. same deal.. crank BUSHINGS.. non repairable..e tc..

I have two older Craftsman oil style compressors. One is green while the other is red. The red one I think is newer and just kept getting louder and louder. Finally it stopped reaching 125 psi. I took it apart and found the end bearings for the crank aren't bearings but bushings and they had worn out and the crank had been scarred. I ended up throwing it out. I think the compressor was never made for continuous duty. For filling tires up it was fine but trying to run air tools that would require it to run all the time was more than it was designed for. I would guess it was a late 70s or early 80s 3hp compressor. I have a 5hp Speedarie that was given to me several years ago that has seen a lot more use and still works great.

 

[sparc]

tractor supply air compressors

Tools | Air Compressors, Air Tools & Accessories | Air Compressors at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I was on my way early this morning to get the big 60 gallon 220v compressor from Atwoods for $499 and pass this little place not more than about 4 miles from my house that had a sign with tools for sale. I said what the heck, let me check him out. It was like a pawn shop inside but with mostly new stuff and a few used. He had a 2 30 gallon oilless type but I didn't want any more oilless, Then I saw this small twin tank PUMA brand 2HP and 7.4 CFM @90 PSI that looked good for $100. I decided I would just get that for now and plan was I could tie it into the 31 gallon tank off the Craftsman for extra storage as the compressor was as high or higher than my 30 gal Craftsman. I used it all day running the big 3/4" HF impact and it worked pretty good but does cycle a lot but pumps up in less than a minute. So when I finished work, I started taking the Craftsman apart. I took off the head and looked at the piston, all the valves and piston looked good, so I put it back together and plugged it in to run and it was really sucking air in thru the intake with lots of vacuum so I started looking at what else could be a problem. Maybe that little sending unit line to the shut off controller, so it took a wrench to it to see if it was tight and one end just turned round and round. Took that line off and the aluminum line had sheared off inside the compression nut. I finally got it off and the piece of tubing removed and jury rigged the compression fitting by drilling out the swage so I could get it back over the pipe as I didn't have anything to fit it. Well I got it back together and it seems to be holding and TADA, it pumped up to 130 and shut off just like normal. Now I have the little one and the big one, so now to see how I want to use them. I am going to get a new copper 1/4" OD tubing with new compression fitting to replace that aluminum line and it will be better than new.

 

[jimainiac]

Way to go! I love stories that end up like that. I've been thinking about replacing my aging Craftsman air compressor as parts keep falling off it, but with a little tinkering it keeps on going. The cosmetic coverings are gone, and when the cooling fan gave up I hung a small plastic desk fan on and wired it in. Doesn't look like much but it's still pumping.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I love it when I don't have to spend money to fix something. Yesterday I got out my soap bottle and started soaping every joint on both compressors as they leak down every few minutes and recharge the tank. Well I found a pretty good leak on the Craftsman where the air charge goes into the tank so I unhooked the 2 compression fitting lines (one of which was the one I fixed yesterday terminates on this fitting), unscrewed the brass fitting and doped it up with some Teflon paste put it back together and no more leak. The new to me PUMA was also leaking down and I found a few bubbles coming from another joint with a compression fitting and a threaded nipple. The threads were leaking and in a very hard place to get a wrench into. Finally got it all tightened up and no more leaks. I couldn't believe that such a small leak would cause a 30 psi drop in pressure about every 5 minutes on the Puma but then it only has a 3 gallon tank.
Mine hasn't gotten quite to the point of yours but lately it seems more and more issues happening with it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

One other thing I did was drain the crankcase oil in the Puma compressor. Checking the dipstick the oil looked clear, but when I drained it, man was it black with contamination. I only holds about half a pint and I had about half a quart of 10W-30 full synthetic that was left from a lawnmower oil change so I filled the crankcase with that. Amazingly, the compressor runs a lot quieter now than with the other oil.