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Which air compressor do you own?

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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 04:58 PM
  #31  
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So I decided I wanted to see if the electric motor on this puppy runs today, so I tried to check resistance. This thing has four wires, one red, black, tan and white. I figure the red and black are supposed to be hot, that the white is ground and the tan is neutral. Only time i got any resistance was when I put the tester nodes on the red and black. I'm no electrical man, but do my results indicate that the motor is fried?
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 08:13 PM
  #32  
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Seen this before?

Have you guys seen this type of shaft for an electric air compressor motor before? I am thinking about having this motor fixed, but not sure if it's worth it or if I can find a pump to fit it....It's an A.O. Smith unknown horsepower, 23 Amp. continuous motor 230V.


http://picasaweb.google.com/carl694/...98339654576642
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 08:34 PM
  #33  
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Looks like that compressor was 'close coupled" or unit construction. With the motor driving the connecting rod directly, and the counter weight as part of the shaft.
This is obviously "oil-less"...
Horsepower can be determined by dividing wattage by 746.
23 amps @ 230 is a hell of a draw, are you sure that isn't inrush current?
Edit:
If you really want this compressor you might try finding a head for a 12 year old compressor, but that's up to you.
If you have some fabrication skills you could find another motor *and* head assembly and weld up something to work with the receiver you've just bought.
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:08 PM
  #34  
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http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93786

There's this.. This is the same compressor I'm using. Shouldn't be too hard to throw a pully on that electric motor to run this.
Not the greatest compressor in the world (aluminum body, just overall feels a bit on the cheap side) but you can't beat that price. I've not actually run it yet, so I can't tell you how the noise is.

It's a bit underpowered for your motor though, if it's really 23A at 230? My 4HP peaks at about 23A but is about 13A continuous. Make sure your lines are healthy for that monster
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:24 PM
  #35  
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If you look at his photo the shaft is offset from the motor centerline, There's no way you could put a pulley on that.
Nice score on a cheap pump head BTW....

The closest HF to me is 2 states away.
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:28 PM
  #36  
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Ardwrkntrk:
Would it be your advice to simply go out and purchase both a new compressor and motor and retrofit them to this receiver? Based on the prices I saw, it looks like I can get a decent 5 HP motor and good pump (about 13 cfms at 90 psi) for $550 all told. Is the payoff worth it considering I've got to deal with the hassle of retrofitting them for this tank? Or should I spend the same amount of money on a smaller unit with the same CFMs?
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:29 PM
  #37  
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can't he pull that shaft and put another one on? I've never done that kinda work with large motors but I know it's possible with small electric motors.. there would have to be a center shaft into that piece, I dunno how else it would work.
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:30 PM
  #38  
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Dude, if you're willing to buy online at harbor freight you can get a comparible motor for $190 (6HP or so) and the compressor for $100.
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:50 PM
  #39  
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You have the same compressor mine started life as. Those oilless v-twin pumps suck royally. I got mine for free because it pitched a rod, rebuilt it and it pitched a rod two days later.
That motor can't be re-used since the motor end plate is that compressor housing. It'll get in the way of any belt drive, and the motor turns way too fast to direct-couple a regular compressor.
I'll try and get some pics of mine in a couple days, but for right now it's still covered.
Watch CL for an older used compressor with a small tank, maybe a 20-30gallon. Make sure it's a oil-lubed compressor, and you can either mount the whole compressor, motor and mount on your tank, or use your tank as a reciever inline to increase capacity.
 
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 09:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Help_Me!
Ardwrkntrk:
Would it be your advice to simply go out and purchase both a new compressor and motor and retrofit them to this receiver? Based on the prices I saw, it looks like I can get a decent 5 HP motor and good pump (about 13 cfms at 90 psi) for $550 all told. Is the payoff worth it considering I've got to deal with the hassle of retrofitting them for this tank? Or should I spend the same amount of money on a smaller unit with the same CFMs?
IDK,.....like I said at first, what do you want to do with it?
And what are your fabrication skills???
From your photo I can't tell if you could press off the crank offset, cut back the mounting bosses and get a pulley to run true.
How does it mount to the receiver?
If you went with 'error's' head you'd need a double pulley that would turn it under 1200 rpm's, what's the speed of the motor you now have???
All this should be listed on the motor plate.

$550.....plus the time and parts (belts, pulleys, tensioners, tubing, brackets) to make it work and it will still be cobbled together. Are you in it for the challenge? Do you have the facilitys to accomplish it?

Me,........ I wouldn't waste my time.
 
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Old Mar 14, 2008 | 07:45 AM
  #41  
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Ugh. I had a feeling that this motor/pump setup was crap. I am only really planning to buy a compressor initially to do automotive work so it has to have enough CFMs to power basic impact tools. But I also know that my front bumper is going to need a repaint (for some reason it's rusting out when the rest of the truck is pristine) and figure I could use the tank to do some basic body painting/sanding.

This motor is very fast, 3450 RPMS. Sounds like it's total crap. It's funny, Ford_Six, because the guy that I bought this unit from said the pump - like yours - blew a rod.
I do not have much in the way of fabricating skills, Ardwrkntrk, so I think I might just try to make a bit of profit on this tank and put the money toward a new compressor. Sounds like I'm over my head on this one...But after buying this for $50, I might be able to sell it for $100.
I'm really itching to get a compressor, but I don't have $800 for a decent one. Maybe I'll start with a 30 gallon and go from there. I figure I can probably do some painting and sanding with a decent unit. It's not like I'm going to be using this thing every day. The reason I'm itchin' for one is that I changed the lower ball joints on my truck the other day and had a hell of a time getting the axle bolt off. I figure I could have taken off quite a few of the bolts on that job with an impact wrench and saved myself time/pain.
 
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Old Mar 14, 2008 | 09:36 AM
  #42  
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Maybe I'll try to find a decent compressor at auction. With any luck, I'd be one of the few interested....
 
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 01:51 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by frederic
Other option is to buy a well maintained used compressor, even if it needs a minor rebuild (new seals, rings, etc) becasue you can get yourself a really nice piece of equipment for much less dollars than new.

With a lot of things these days, I've found that older often is better made and can be rebuilt to it's original specs fairly easily, and will outlast the garage you put it in since you won't be running it 14 hours a day like the shop that had it before you.

While there are a lot of good brands old and new, I'm very fond of quincy because their compressor heads are VERY quiet.... instead of a blat-blat-blat at an incredible volume, it's more like a soft putt-putt-putt. With a quincy in a closet you could stand outside the closet while it's running and have a normal conversation - they're typically that quiet depending on the size of the unit.

There's also nothing wrong with "rolling your own" either to reduce costs and have a bit of fun if you're so inclined... an air compressor is nothing more than a tank, a compression head, two pulleys, a motor and a belt. I got a clean 60-gallon tank last year in trade for an old desk (which is so solid it's great for a workbench or welding table), and also in trade with another guy I got an old two-cylinder quincy head and pulley, which I rebuilt for about $55. I got off ebay for $7 plus $40 shipping (have to love no-reserve auctions) a 240V baldor motor new in the box - It's 8 HP I think. All I need to do is fabricate a base to mount the compressor head and the motor on, and fangle up a way to adjust tension on the pair of belts (double pulleys both ends).

Was it a bit of work? Yes. But I have myself a 25cfm rating @ 160psi... certainly more than I could ever use in my garage. And if you add up what I've paid (approximately) it's by far less than what I'd buy a new compressor for with those specifications.

Just some thoughts....
I agree... Compressors are simple, and can be fun to build/repair...

I found some guy with an old Quincy air compressor in the back of his truck and he gave it to me for free (he was only using it for extra weight in the winter)... The tank was rusted through, patched with Bondo, and was dated 1954. The old Dayton motor blew the long discontinued fuse the minnute I plugged it in, the rubber belt had zero flexability, or elasticity, and most of the plumbing was severly mangled... On the emergency release valve was a tag, indicating the compressor had been serviced, in 1975...

Not discouraged, I found an old motor from an NCR cash register I bought at an auction (of all things!!!), and used reinforced plastic tubing from an old air horn to replace the broken components of the plumbing system... It worked, and I only got rid of it because I ended up buying another Quincy (only $20!), that belonged to my friends dad...
 
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 06:59 AM
  #44  
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Well, I decided to sell the 60-gallon tank I bought. I paid $50 for it, sold it within 2 hours of listing on CL for $100. Not it's got me wondering if I could have asked more. My plan is to use the money to buy a functional, used unit. I saw an Ingersoll-Rand 60-gallon, 6HP motor that puts out about 14 cfms at 90 PSI for $250. That's probably more than I need but I am going to take everyone's advice and go over the top to ensure it will meet all my needs in the future. In addition to using it for automotive work, I'll prob. end up using it to do interior painting, etc. and the 60 gallons should come into good use then.
 
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 08:27 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Help_Me!
What about this? Brand is Central Pneumatic:
Description: air compressor - vertical, 21 galon 115V,3.5 scfm@90psi, 8.8 scfm@40psi, hardley used. 1.5yr old like new.
includ 30' air hose. $125
Central Pneumatic is one of Harbor Freight's private labels. Not saying that makes it bad, just for your info so you'll know where it came from.
 
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