What kind of compressor to buy?

[Spike Kellermann]

Okay, I’m planning on taking a stab at doing my timing belt after purchasing and watching Eric’s video on it. I’m thinking I’ll go buy a air compressor from Harbor Freight and Tool, but well, I have no idea what I’m buying.

I plan on using it a few times a year mostly for automotive work, taking off bolts, lugnuts etc. I have no idea what size or capacity or HP I will need for this…Any suggestions?

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-compressors/18-horsepower-26-gallon-150-psi-psi-oilless-air-compressor-69669.html

This is what I was thinking… Any thoughts?

Topic

[twiggy]

You can get almost the same air compressor from Home Depot for the same price and it has a 2 year warrantee instead of the 90 day warrantee HF gives you. The Husky brand is likely made by Campbell Hausfield. My Husky is.

[Stéphane Vialard]

Hello,
you’ve got this one at HF that is cheaper, a little smaller, but more powerfull, so it will perform more quickly. 😉
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-compressors/25-horsepower-21-gal-125-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-67847.html
But this one too is 90 days Warranty… [IMG]http://smileys.sur-la-toile.com/repository/Reflexion/reflexion-gratte.gif[/IMG]

[Jack Patteeuw]

First, oil-less compressors are notoriously LOUD !

Second, oil-less compressors are notoriously short lived compared to oil-lubed compressors.

Third, many air tools, such as impact guns, ratchets, even air chisels, do not require a very large compressor ! You can get away with 1/2 – 1 hp and a tank of less than 10 gallons. This is because these tools are used in “bursts”. If you hold the trigger on any of them for 60 seconds, you will be low on air, but that is typically not how you use them.

Better quality tools use less air so it is easier for a smaller compressor to keep up.

Do NOT expect to be able to run a sand blaster, die grinder or dual action (DA) sander, on such a small compressor, but even the compressor you were looking at would not run them !

Last hint. Buy good quality (Goodyear) rubber air hose, sold at HF. Splurge and by an extra hose. HF couplers and blow guns are fine for shade tree mechanics.

[Spike Kellermann]

What do I need to look for in a compressor?
I see so many different things

HP
Gallons
PSI

I know what each of them are, but what do I need to run power tools to work on my car,
Taking off lug nuts and doing a timing belt soon.

[Coty Miller]

Well the more HP your compressor has, the faster it will fill up your air tank to max PSI, in order to run power tools from compressor check the power tool you plan to run to see what recommended PSI it wants and recommended maximum, keep in mind that you don’t have to run the tool at recommended PSI, but it will perform it’s best if you do… You CANNOT run power tools off of the compressor alone (well you can, but it wont work to well) you have to run the power tools off of the air tank, so the bigger the tank you have the longer you can go in-between waiting for it to-recharge.

I personally use a bostitch 2HP 4 gallon 135psi (Kicks off at 120 though) oil free pancake compressor, I think my dad got it from lowes for about $150, don’t know if it was on-sale or not. It’s 5 years old now… But due to small 4 gallon tank the air does not last long, and it will have to kick back on after about 20-40 seconds of use when it drops down to about 80psi…

[Spike Kellermann]

Excellent. This is helping me out a lot. So basically, I need to focus more on getting the Impact gun first, then figuring out which compressor will work best for it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-electric-impact-wrench-69606.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiNDQwNDA2NzkiLCJza3UiOiI2OTYwNiIsImlzIjoiMzkuOTkiLCJwcm9kdWN0X2lkIjoiOTMxNCJ9

I found an electric impact gun, with pretty strong torque. Has anyone ever tried one of these? I’m just your average “shade tree” mechanic I guess? I have 2 Honda’s I just try to keep running.
I figure, if this works fine, why go buy the compressor? I would pretty much only be using the compressor for running the impact gun.

[Coty Miller]

I’ve never used one, but they’ve never appealed to me, I honestly don’t think that will hold up in the long run compared to an air tool… With an air tool, so long as you put air tool oil down the connection line they’ll last a long time, while as electric tools tend to fail after some use… I’m a little biased though, I see so many capabilities with a proper compressor, everything from grinder to nail guns, to putting air in your tires at your own home (much better than one of those electric ones that take 10 mins to fill a 15″ tire, lol) Cleaning filters, some idiot I know even swept his garage, turned out to a bad idea because it just blew the dust into the air lol…

[Spike Kellermann]

Ahh, see, I’m planning on just using it for working on a car and taking off bolts on it. Mostly to save time and energy with stubborn bolts.

[Anthony Kreiser]

For what you want electrical impacts would work fine. When looking at a compressor you will want a 30 gal tank with the built on compressor. Look at the CFM. That’s what matters when running tools off it. Look at the psi as horse power and the cfm as torque.

[Author]

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