The motor on my shop compressor (which came with the building) just croaked up its last puff of smelly smoke. I was going to just bolt a new motor on, till I looked at the tank and saw the original manufacturer’s stamp from October, 1939. That struck me as tying a new fuse onto a time bomb, so I decided maybe it was time to upgrade by a few years. Craig’s list hasn’t had anything tempting and it looks like I might have to (gasp) buy new!
The previous unit was a hard-wired, single phase 230V with an upright 100 gal tank. The only air hog I use with any regularity is a blast cabinet for cleaning up rusty parts (hobby, not professional). I’m surviving with an older gas powered Emglo and a hose through the window, but that won’t let me use the blast cabinet.
Local places stock Chinese-made units with familiar names like Ingersoll-Rand, Campbell-Hausfield, etc. They’re not cheap, and the compressor castings look rough to say the least.
Does anyone know a good name to look for, or source for good used machines?
Replies
Quincy compressors are very good.
i don't know what you have in the way of acomp ,but those old ones are a different breed thna the newer stlye.
i have a old comp of my dads that he had the motor rebuilt on,if you decide to replace the motor let me know i'll check on it. the motor is about as big and heavy as a whole new comp. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
I'll have to take a look at what kind of motor it is. The ancient tank still makes me nervous, even if it appears to be in good shape on the outside.=====Zippy=====
That old tank is probably so covered in oil that it will make it to the century mark. Even if it failed , it'll just start leaking.
Rich
Zippyzoom,
Before you poo-poo the chineses made stuff, I bought a cheap no name 1/2 Hp chineese compressor for $50.00 20+ years ago.. that thing is still reliably running. When my big American made Cambell Hosfield died last summer it ran the whole shop by pulmbing into the big tank.. I'm trying to remember when I last changed the oil in that thing and I suspect it was a decade ago..
It will run two framing nailers or three roofing nailers if you don't mind it hammering away endlessly all day.. (well actaully it's pretty quiet)