What Size Air Compressor?

[mundamanu]

I am buying a property that is coming with an Allis Chalmers 160 with R1s (I do not know if they are loaded).

It seems that an air compressor would be a good thing to have on the property. Although, the only thing that I can think of using it for is to maintain tractor, truck and car tire air pressure and using it as an air gun for cleaning. Any suggestions for other uses would be appreciated.

What size would you recommend?

 

[Bird]

What size air compressor? Impossible to answer without knowing what it will be used for. A one hp, 2 gallon tank will do what you've listed so far (as long as you don't run that blow gun too long at a time), but if you're like most of us, you're going to find out that an air-compressor is one of the handiest tools there is, and there's almost no limit to the number of "attachments" you'll eventually accumulate; impact wrenches (whether regular or butterfly) and air ratchets are almost necessary, but then there's the air powered grease guns, paint guns, drills, sanders, saws, grinders, sand blasters, air chisels, siphon guns, etc. etc. Do you need one that's portable; i.e., you can carry to wherever you will use it? Or will you have enough air hoses to reach everything? Is there electric power where you'll use the compressor or do you need a gas powered one?

 

[TresCrows]

BIG, the bigger the better. 220V. You need a huge tank and don't fool around with those stupid oilless junkers. Get a two stage if you can afford it. I use mostly air tools, I use it for painting, I use it for tires and stuff. I blow my tractor and cars off. There is no substitute for a large tank and a strong motor with high flow. Any air tool will consume copious amounts of air. J

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="red">(... and don't fool around with those stupid oilless junkers.) </font>

Oilless junkers indeed! How dare you, Sir. I'll have you know that my twin tank Coleman "contractor" compressor accumulated 10, maybe 15 hours of running time before it took loooonger and looooooooonger to recharge the tank. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Even my wife thinks it's near death. Now if I can just convince her that corner of the shop already wired for 220 needs a really big honker compressor to make it feel whole. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Anybody have any opinions of the Huskys at HD, or the Campbell Hausfields available here and there?

SnowRidge

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> to maintain tractor, truck and car tire air pressure and using it as an air gun for cleaning. </font>
For just these requirements, one of the little portable air compressor Home Depot is advertising on TV would work. You wouldn't be able to do anything else, though. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

As Bird indicated, knowing what else you might want to do with it, as well as if you have 220v available, is needed for a better recommendation. Also, does it need to be portable or can it be a fixed location?

 

[RobertN]

Boy oh Boy! My oilless has worked fine for over four years now. But, IT IS SO DANG LOUD YOU CANT HEAR YOURSELF THINK OUT IN THE GARAGE< ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WITH THE DOOS CLOSED!

Mine has held up. After learning what I did AFTER buying it, I think I have done ok. It's a 5hp 60gal upright.

I wonder... What makes a higher hp compressor tick???

See, I had a 2hp twin cyilinder compressor before. But, someone... didn't drain the tank often enough; it rusted through.

I still have the motor(put a polishing wheel on it, bench mounted.) and the "compressor"(in the shed, under bench)(I kept everything except the tank).

Coud I run that twin cylinder compressor with a 5hp motor and get more umph...???

 

[Bird]

Snowridge (and RobertN), the oiless compressors I've dealt with had a teflon coated aluminum cup for a cylinder and a piston that uses a metal (not sure exactly what kind of metal) piston ring. As the teflon coating wears off, the compressor gets louder and slower. That's the bad news. The good news is that you can completely rebuild it in well under an hour, and probably for only $20 to $40 depending on how many parts you replace. Now of course if the reed valve breaks (which also happened to me once), it will never get up enough pressure to shut off, but again, you can fix it pretty quickly for under $15 for parts.

 

[Phred]

I agree oiless is not worth a d&^*. I have a small oilless and have been longing for a real compressor for sometime. Sure it runs my air tools, but I need to stop and wait for it to catch up.

IR is the best in my humble opinion. I have several air tools from IR and they are very high quality.
The price of thier compressor is competitive with the others if you shop around a bit.

 

[TresCrows]

"Anybody have any opinions of the Huskys at HD, or the Campbell Hausfields available here and there?"

Which ones??, The 220volt uprights will do fine for all but the biggest air hogs. The ones I am thinking you are talking about really don't quite make the CFM they claim continuously but they do OK. I knew that when I bought the one I have out back. The one back home in my hanger is an IR and it is a twin stage and makes gobs of air.
I run a lot of air tools. Almost all of my drill motors are air and I would not even consider drilling a hole in my airplane project with an electric drill. I use lot's of air /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. This past weekend painted a rear fender hugger for my motorcycle. Then I shot my tank and side panels for another motorcycle. To run a spray gun you need lot's of air. That is a recurring theme--lot's of air.
Oilless compressors are essentially junk, they will quit on you when you need them the most. Don't bother with one except for the lightest and most infrequent useage. J

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">mundamanu requirement:Although, the only thing that I can think of using it for is to maintain tractor, truck and car tire air pressure and using it as an air gun for cleaning. </font>

<font color="brown">TresCrows:Oilless compressors are essentially junk, they will quit on you when you need them the most. Don't bother with one except for the lightest and most infrequent useage. </font>

I think we have a match. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="red"> (The one back home in my hanger is an IR and it is a twin stage and makes gobs of air.) </font>

<font color="green"> (IR is the best in my humble opinion. I have several air tools from IR and they are very high quality.
The price of thier compressor is competitive with the others if you shop around a bit.) </font>

Thanks TresCrows & Phred. I had forgotten about the IRs. Locally, TSC has been carrying them, along with a couple of other brands. I think that once I get CFO approval, I will go in that direction.

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="red"> The good news is that you can completely rebuild it in well under an hour, and probably for only $20 to $40 depending on how many parts you replace. </font>

Shhhhhh. <whispering> We don't need to bring that up just yet. Maybe after I get a big honker bolted down in the corner of the shop.

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[LarryRB]

20 yrs ago, I got tired of owning trucks and constantly on the road.. Took a try at painting pick up trucks and 6 wh dumps.. Bought one of those Cambell Hausfield vertical 5 HP units.. Within a month, it was toast.. I can't blame Cambell Hausfield as I made one major mistake back then.. It had a 17CFM rating at 100.. My most used tools, air boards, and DA's take tremendous amounts of air, even doing hit and miss jobs.. It was replaced with a IR vertical 2 stage 7 HP that had 27 CFM at 100. The difference being, it can maintain it.. The lower end Cambell Hausfields cannot keep up and maintain those CFM for very long.. They are OK for those now and then jobs one may have at home., They are not for the daily use or commercial use needs. Today, the difference is about 400.00.. IF you can, go with a higher CFM and one that can maintain it, unless you ahve spotty now and then smaller needs.,

 

[RobertN]

Curiously,,, can you compare electric drills to air drills? What are the advantage/disadvantages? I have only used one cheap air drill, which was not impressive. It was cheap though and may not represent the air version very well.

I mostly use impact wrenches, tire inflation ect, so do knot know...

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Curiously,,, can you compare electric drills to air drills? )</font>

Robert, I'm sure you know there's lots of different sizes and models in electric drills; some pretty weak and some very strong, depending on size, speed, gearing, etc. The same holds true for air drills. My first personal air drill was a real cheap and weak one, but I've repaired Snap-on, MAC, Matco, Ingersoll-Rand, Chicago Pneumatic, Sioux, etc. and they have some very strong ones. In the air drills, I have a slight personal preference for the half inch reversible Chicago Pneumatics, however, the others are all good brands, too, but if you have plenty of money, the most powerful ones I worked on were the Sioux T-handle drills. One of my customers was a major trucking company's trailer rebuild shop and they had a bunch of them for drilling out the rivets to replace the flooring in 18-wheeler trailers, some that would about qualify as antiques, but amazingly strong drills and easy to repair when they did break.

 

[mundamanu]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think we have a match. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

I think we just may. Given that I am not even a shade bush mechanic (I may accept shade "twig" mechanic) I think entering the world of air compressors at the entry level makes a whole lotta sense.

I can't remember if there is 220 out to the barn and garage or not.

I also think that I should probably have a portable compressor as the barn is about 200 feet from the garage (which is where I would put a stationary unit). I could of course drive the tractor to the garage, but it might be nice to be able to use the compressor to paint the barn, since it does need painting. It also needs some board work on the siding, so it would be nice to be able to use an air-gun nailer for that too.

Another newbie question: Can all air compressors be used as pressure washers or do I need to get a separate pressure washer?

Thanks for the replies. They have been, as always, quite enlightening.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Another newbie question: Can all air compressors be used as pressure washers or do I need to get a separate pressure washer? </font>
I'm a newbie at this as well. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have an electric pressure washer (because I didn't want another gasoline engine to maintain) and there are gasoline powered ones. I've never heard of using an air compressor as part of a pressure washer.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Another newbie question: Can all air compressors be used as pressure washers or do I need to get a separate pressure washer? )</font>

Well . . ., sort of, maybe, a little bit. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Over the years, I've owned three "guns" (tools to which you attached both the garden hose for water and the air hose for added pressure). The water ran continously through the nozzle and pulling the trigger added the air pressure. They're not as powerful as a real pressure washer, but considerably better than just a nozzle on a garden hose. I found them quite adequate for cleaning my tractor and implements and the car and truck engines, and of course the cost was much less and no maintenance. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[TresCrows]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Curiously,,, can you compare electric drills to air drills? What are the advantage/disadvantages? I have only used one cheap air drill, which was not impressive. It was cheap though and may not represent the air version very well.

I mostly use impact wrenches, tire inflation ect, so do knot know... )</font>

This will hijack the thread but high quality air drills make the best electrics seem cumbersome. True, they lack portability but when working with metal they are the top of the line. Air drills are lighter, smaller, have more RPM or torque depending on the type and model, are available in a variety of sizes and shapes with angle heads etc. My Sioux mini palm drill, under 200 dollars turns 2800 RPM and has a super smooth teasing trigger. My larger 3/8 Sioux has gobs of torque. I have several others including tiny 90 degree units and 45 degree units. These are somewhat specialized tools. Still, for auto body work and restoration, go to their shops of the pros and you see air being used, go to a aircraft mechanic or maintencence facility and you see air being used. It will not shock you either. If I get a chance I will take a pic of my electric drills and cordless drill beside my air drills and you can see the difference in size and use. I do like my big DeWalt cordless for driving screws. Electric and cordless do have their place but in a shop air is usually better, faster, easier to control and able to get into tight places. J

 

[Bird]

JR, I didn't know you had Sioux tools. They were very rare among the mechanics I repaired tools for, but that one company had lots of their drills and quite a number of their 8" angle grinders (terrific grinders, but the price of parts sometimes shocked me. They once sent me two in perfect working order, but someone had removed and discarded the guards and OSHA said they had to be replaced. $130 just for the guards /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif). And I never got but one of their 1/2" impact wrenches. It was a real antique trade-in with no parts available. I was able to get it working, but it was a very slow turning THUMP . .THUMP. . THUMP instead of the rapid series of impacts we're accustomed to. It seemed to have plenty of power, but I had no way at the time of actually measuring the ft/lbs. so I told my brother to put it on the truck cheap, just in case some old timer for nostalgia, or some youngster for show, wanted to buy an antique with NO WARRANTY (only tool we ever sold with no warranty). My brother later told me he sold it to an old timer mechanic who just kept it in his toolbox until he found a bolt his newer impact wouldn't loosen, then he'd get the old Sioux out and grin from ear to ear while that THUMP . .THUMP.. THUMP loosened it. It had a single massive hammer instead of the smaller twin hammers that most have now-a-days.