My old compressor is dead. It is not a surprise. It was a saylor-beall manufactured in 1967. The tank is probably scary and might be ready to blow up. The compressor could need rods, bearings, who knows what? The motor is suspect. If I replace all those parts, I more or less end up with a brand new compressor. Why not just go and _buy_ a new one?

Anyone have a suggestion as to who makes a reliable upright compressor for recreational use these days? I'm thinking about 60 gallons at 125#.

Thanks for your help.

 

The best bang for the buck is a campbell hausfeld 60 gallon. You can get them at tractor supply or the best place is homedepot they run 375.00 at homedepot.

 

Hey Gashog, where ya been? Good to hear from ya buddy! T

Chet, I bought my compressor at Costco. It came with lots of accessories. Not a bad price either. Check them out. They do change their stock from time to time, but the one I got was a pretty good deal. It came with air tools, auto paint can, air brush, and some other cool stuff.
I don't think you can go wrong with HomeDepot, Lowes, or Costco. They all stand behind their products, so you don't have to worry too much about getting a lemon. Ya just take it back if it fails you. And you will spend quite a bit less as well.
T

 

If you have a compressor manufactured in '67 then it is certainly a heavy duty piece of iron. If it were mine I would rebuild it. It will outlast anything you could buy at a big box store. I wouldn't worry about the tank either. They were built with a large corrosion allowance. I see you live in Citrus Heights. The weather is pretty dry there so you shouldn't have much condensate.

If I can help you with it let me know.

 

The problem with rebuilding these saylor-beall compressors is the parts are no longer made. The only part I could find for these is the NOS gasket set from a company in WA for 79.00.

 

If you have the tank and motor already you might want to try eaton, they are a great product.


http://www.eatoncompressor.com/page/page/518643.htm

 

I have a big industrial compressor wired into a 220 volt circuit in my shop area. Liz had an old Monkey W compressor we had rebuilt a couple of times she used for her craft things. It died again, and I was going to pipe some air into her area from mine when I walked by an el-cheapo on sale at Harbor Freight. It was marked down to $40.

I didn't want to fool with her projects or have her turning things on in my area, so I bought it. I thought that if it only lasted through the summer I would be satisfied. That was 4 years ago.

Wow, is it handy. It is on wheels and plugs in to any 110 volt outlet, even on a long extension cord. I wheel it around the yard, even out to the street and it works, even though it only has a 10 gallon tank. It runs my 1/2 inch impact just fine, and I have even used it to run a paint gun. I sprayed our cabinets with it. My step-son used it with his nail gun, once we turned up the regulator.

In fact, Harbor Freight has several models they sell for use with nail guns - people take them up on roofs, everywhere.

It will not run my sanders or grinders, but for 90% of my use it works quicker, cheaper and more convenient than my big compressor. I only turn the big guy on when I need it now.

My suggestion? a el-cheapo small compressor for everyday use, and then to buy a big compressor when it comes time to work on big truck tires or to grind steel with.

 

Depending on the model I can get a brand new Saylor Beall 5 HP pump for $410.00. I can get repair parts for many models also. Compare the specs and you will see just how much more efficient the old ones were. Your machine will make about 5 SCFM per Horsepower of motor driving it @ 125 PSIG. Todays box store machines will give you only 2 CFM / HP. (I am leaving off the "S" in the cubic foot rating because I doubt these manufactures are conforming to the SAE definition of "Standard")

Steve.

 

This is a 40 year old Saylor Beall, but it is only about a 40 gal stationary upright. It's a smaller version. I haven't been able to find parts. My local air tools shop doesn't want to work on it because the tank is so old (liability concerns, I'm sure). And as you said, it is a HEAVY beast. It takes three men and a boy to move it around. The electric motor is weak and probably needs replacement. It's a 220V Grainger. The pump seems to start up alright, but after a few minutes starts rattling like it is tossing rocks around. It is just a sick puppy. For my requirements, I can spend a lot less money and buy something from Home Depot or Harbor Freight and get everything I need. Maybe get something I can roll around on integrated wheels?

 

If you get a Harbor Freight, make sure it has an exposed belt between the motor and compressor. They sell a line with the compressor built into the motor - but that is not like it sounds. They say it does not have a belt, but it does. You can not change the belt but must buy a compressor/motor unit - which takes weeks and costs about what the original compressor did.

I have one in my shop a guy gave me - he used it about 3 times and then the belt burned out. It is new, but junk now. I piped my big compressor into the tank and just use it for more air storage.

 

I have one of those "oiless" compressors in my shop...it's safe around the kids and such, but noisy as hell to run. Also delivers a ton of moisture...you'll have to run about a 50 foot run of tubing (I used a roll of copper wire to keep it compact) to a moisture separator.

Bottom line it's a pain, but works for most tasks and was cheap.

If I was to buy a small umit again, I'd definitely go with a separate motor/compressor, and spend an extra few bucks for one that runs at 1700/1725/1750 RPMs, just keeps things quieter, and lasts longer, but is more expensive.

But in reality, best thing to think of before you buy one, is what what will you use it for, and how much air do you need?

 

I'm going to be looking for something between 6-10CFM, with a service rating of something like 80%. My projects are few and far between, but when I get into it, I GET BUSY!

 

The 60 gallon units at homedepot are 10.8 CFM @ 90 PSI and 100% Duty cycle.