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Well...it's (shop) compressor time....

Triplegreen500

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So, my large compressor sh*t the bed today. It's old - like 25 years old - and I didn't spend a lot to get it in the first place. 110v, nothing special...but the only thing I had that will inflate my 265/70-17 truck tires (Ram 2500) to 80psi in less than a day and a half. I have a little pancake compressor that I use for my air nailer and flooring hammer and stuff, and it'll do the tires...but it takes ages.

I don't do a ton of shop work - low ceiling, no lift, very few air tools - but I do have an air powered motorcycle lift; I have LOTS of tires to maintain (cars, motorcycles, truck, lawn machines, trailers); and I just like having a decent-powered compressor in the shop "in case".

I have available 110v and 240v outlets.

I'll probably just go to Lowe's and grab something there, unless anyone here has a different suggestion or a reason to avoid them. Not looking to break the bank, but want to get something that'll last (I know...today's manufacturing...that's a stretch!).
 
Wow, that's the size of one of my motorcycles! If I did more air-tool work that'd be a score! Little much for my (amateur) needs though...thanks for the digging though :)
 
I would be all over that quincy and motor for that price.
 
I got an Ingersol Rand 60 gallon 5 HP single stage. Fair price. 135-140 PSI. 240V single phase. Air supply good for all my air tools. It fit through my garage bathroom door so it has an air controlled environment.
 
I have an Ingersol Rand 5HP upright but it takes alot of room. When I redid the floor in my house I spent $50 on a "5HP Craftsman" 110 volt oilless with about a 20 gallon tank. It didn't pump much air but I spent $20 on a new compressor piston ring and it worked great after that. If I needed a compressor for what you're doing I would buy one like that with a couple of spare piston rings for the future.

Amazon product ASIN B084ZNRXQ7
 
I haven't bought an air compressor in my life. I was gifted a Craftsman 5 gallon 2hp 110/220V compressor in '96 and it was probably 10 yrs old at the time. Super quiet and works great. Then in '07 I was gifted a Huskey 60 gallon 5hp 220V compressor that I bolted to a pallet in a shady corner behind my garage. I've been running it in my garage for 16 yrs and not 1 issue. I think most are pretty good for around the garage tire filling type requirements as long as they have at least a 5 gallon tank. Prefer the belt drive, seem to be quieter and less vibration in my experience.
 
I was also looking to replace my compressor. I use it around the same requirements as you do. The best value I could find was one from Costco. I like this unit because its quieter, good air delivery and its lifetime warranty. This unit is available here in Canada for mid $300 range.

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Check out Northern Tool Supply. I would get a 5hp - 60 or 80 gallon tank. 220 for efficiency
. You will be happy. The oil less units are loud and garbage.
 
As no doubt others will be far more knowledgeable about this than me, I do have two pieces of advice on this:
1. Do not buy an oilless compressor
2. 220V gets you into a better class of compressor over 110V - they simply can do more work
 
Before I got my IR 5 HP 60 gallon, I had 30 gallon 3 HP Craftsman. I abused that thing with my die grinder, it ran non stop. I rebuilt it a few times. My IR 60 gallon 230 V is perfect for me.
 
Mine quit about 3-4 years ago. The compressor went bad. I went to Northern and just bought a replacement compressor. It came with a pulley too. It was more CFM than my old one and had a bigger pulley and the bolt holes to mount it were different but that was easy to fix. Drilled new holes in the mounting pad and went to the auto parts store and got a new belt and she runs like new. I think it was all less than $200, and I didn't have to deal with moving a 60 gal vertical compressor around.
 
I would stay away from the oil-less compressors, if I were you. They can't compress the air like an oil bath compressor head unless they run at 3000 rpm for 1/2 an hour, lots of heat and noise, and they will wear out. A decent oil bath compressor with around 30 gal tank would most likely be good for what you're doing. I have a sanborn with a 30 gal vert tank, 110v, 2 cylinder single stage head (150PSI) on it and I've never had a problem with it. I used it to paint replacement front fenders for my truck and it did that with no problem and no excessive run times, a whole car might be a bit much for it. It's in the $500 range, so it's not over the top expensive.
 
I have an old sears craftsman oil bath compressor from the 50's? It leaks air from rust holes in the 20 gal tank but it builds air fast and will do 120 psi in under 2 min. I have an oil less compressor I bought many years ago with a 40 gal tank and I hate that thing...takes forever to build air probably 5+ min to build 100 psi, and the noise it makes is ridiculous! I call it the compressor of hate because every time I have to run it it makes me angry!
 
I think my Ingersoll Rand single stage 5 HP 60 gsl tank can handle any normal garage shop. Maybe not a big production shop.
 
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