When we pick this up and move it, is there any reason we could not lay it on its side in the bed of the pickup, rather than hauling it upright with the compressor on the top?
These things look top-heavy and unstable, but every time I've seen one being transported it was upright (usually on a skid or pallet).
Is this like a refrigeration compressor with oil sluicing around and we would need to let it sit for a couple of days to allow the oil to pool back into the sump - or is it likely that we'd damage it just by putting it on its side regardless?
Carla Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
I'd ask local repair shops, they might have dusty old parts for it on a back shelf. I found an old set of rings for my Kellogg-American compressor that way.
The price to pay for such a compressor, if it truly needs work beyond the trivial stuff like copper tubing or regulators, should be approximately zero.
Carla, I recently bought an old (they are all old) Wayne compressor. After a lot of digging and a number of phone calls, I found a place that said they had rebuild kits for the 5 horspower unit I have, but the kit costs more than replacing the compressor pump. Wayne got sold to Dresser Industries and then was shut down somewhere in there.
If you do buy this beast, and need parts, I can dig the name of the place up out of my notes. I think it was Central Air Compressor in Baltimore, MD. My suggestion would be to keep shopping, the parts availability and prices make the Wayne not worth the trouble. I am seeing lots of compressors going through the tools section on Craigslist these days. I agree with the comments that 3HP is not enough for a lot of stuff. The 5HP that I got will keep up with my bead blast cabinet, but not with much margin.
Just remember that while laying the compressor on its side makes it less likely to fall over while you're driving your truck (this shouldn't be an issue anyway, as you should have the compressor tied down), it makes it more likely to fall over while you're trying to get it into the horizontal position. Possibly on top of you :-).
A crane is probably one of the safer ways to lay the compressor on its side.
It can be transported upright safely - IF you have a ladder rack or other support system in the truck that you can lash the compressor to. If you are going more than a few miles (slow and easy) it needs to be secure, and that takes solid bracing.
(Been there, brought home my "5 HP" (3 HP) 80-gallon in a Utility Bed with a ladder rack.)
Otherwise you hit the brakes hard and it can fall over forward and wipe out the truck cab. Or take a corner too hard and it can fall sideways and wipe out the bed.
Do NOT count on diagonal lashings down to the truck bed rails. You would need the big 4" semi-truck style cargo straps to be strong enough for that, which would gladly create forces that would rip out any anchor fittings you normally use on a pickup bed.
And your anchoring options at the top of the compressor are very limited. Wrap around the baseplate, or wrap through the baseplate.
No, the oil is more of a "car engine" style problem - Drain it out or you get a big sloppy mess when you tilt it on the side. Ever seen a rolled over car? Oil comes out the dipstick hole, and the filler hole, and the oil seal seeps, and the brake fluid from the reservoir, and the power steering fluid... Bring a mop. I would not try transporting it on it's side complete - way too easy to break something irreplaceable on the pump, cast iron doesn't bounce. Drain the pump oil, then break it down to major components. Belt guard, motor, pump, pressure switch, motor starter. And build a simple crate for the pump, cardboard isn't going to protect it.
Now all of a sudden your tank isn't nearly as top-heavy anymore!
And as a bonus you did an oil change on the pump, and get a chance to change the belts out with new, and put on a fresh air filter, and inspect everything as you put it all back together.
Pressurize the tank with an external compressor and do a bubble test on the tank check valve (where the unloader hooks up) before putting the output tube back on. So you don't have to do it twice.
A vertical tank is worth something even if the compressor is shot. At least around here. I can find decent sized horizontal units (5hp) any day of the week for $100(most are old dairy system compressors). But I have yet to find a vertical for less than $200, even with a blown compressor.
I would like to find a good vertical tank, but at this point I have given up the floor space for my horizontal so it doesn't really matter anymore.
Carla, you can buy a great used compressor for not too much. Scan your local liquidation auctions. Basically it is not too hard to find a used., high quality, 2 stage, single phase compressor for $350. The more time you are willing to wait, the less you will pay.
I recently bought a working Quincy 390 compressor for $280 total.
A used three phase compressor would cost you about $20-30 per HP or so. But then you have to worry about phase conversion and such, which are all solvable issues.
I would not buy a Harbor Freight compressor, based on my own experience.
That is a relief, I read the word aftermath in the subject line and was afraid something untoward had happened.
Wes
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
Unless I missed it, the first question that the group usually asks is what are your needs in an air compressor. Just filling tires, sandblasting, or air tools? Future needs?
I have one large compressor that 90% of the time is an overkill. But it only has to run once in a while, so I consider it quiet.
I also have a very small portable one that doesn't get used much. It's used on rare occasions need to fill a tire or blow off a part. Storage size and portability for that one was more important.
This compressor sold for $125. This looks like a 5 HP 3 phase Champion or DeVilbiss compressor with air filter and regulator attached. The ad says "Cochrane compressor", but Cochrane is a compressor dealer in Chicagoland. (my favorite, too).
Note a big oil residue on the tank. Either the pump leaks, or the oil was drained carelessly at some point. The right side of the oil outline suggests the latter.
This is a oil lubricated model,two stage pump.
I personally think that this compressor should have sold for $50.
Most of the time our existing 35+ year old Sears (Speedaire) 2HP with a
20-gallon tank is adequate. Filling tires, supplying the FogBuster mister on the milling machine and blowing dust out of stuff...
A couple of times a year we need more air for air tools, particularly the die grinder, which goes through a remarkable amount of air for as teensy as it is. A needle scaler also is an air hog.
We also do a small amount of sandblasting that runs us out of air very quickly.
Also, this would be a good time/excuse to move the compressor out of the shop and under the lean-to and give us some additional under-counter storage space. The Speedaire with its 3450 RPM motor is pretty noisy, too ... The move would be a good reason to finish the air piping in the shop so we're not trailing hoses everywhere.
Get a Quincy. Many of the Chinese cheapos from Harbor Freight, etc. are really poorly made. I'm using a 1968-vintage Quincy that is barely broken in, yet. It is also rather quiet.
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