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Compressor Q

old__man

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Gander, Canada
Hello tool brain trust!

Someone want's $50 for this. Says it works well but the regulator needs to be replaced. 2hp. Good old school compressor that will last me a life time or junk? I currently have an oiless 4 gal 3hp campbell hausfeld

$_27.JPG
 
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The Cobbler

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depends on your air needs. for nail guns and filling tires it will be fine. air ratchets etc it will work . drills, sanders, impact guns, it will not be so good. spray painting small items should be fine .
that's providing it builds pressure and no leaks int he tank etc.
see it run and build pressure. look carefully at the tank along the seams in bottom for leaks, rust, welded repairs etc ,
$50 is a good price if all is good with it.new regulator is $20 or$30ish
 

kythri

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Never had a problem with lugnuts and an impact on my old 5-gallon compressor.

Heavier, prolonged impact work may leave you waiting for a couple minutes, but most impact work is short bursts that a 20-gallon would have little problems with.
 

Lelandwelds

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Impacts usually dont run for very long unless you routinely assemble some sort of structure.

I suspect it is pretty close to your current machine but more pleasant to work around. ( more storage. Maybe a littleless air pumped, maybe. Might be higher pressure. ) If either the motor, pump, or tank is good, you can part it out and recover the $50. You can always tie both machine together for a larger tool if they're close in PSI.

Is there a name cast in the pump?
 
OP
O

old__man

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Impacts usually dont run for very long unless you routinely assemble some sort of structure.


Is there a name cast in the pump?

No name. All I know is what is in the picture....'swan'. Maybe I'll call the guy and ask.

My line of thinking was that it was old thus probably higher quality/longer lasting than current productions.
 

Lelandwelds

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My line of thinking was that it was old thus probably higher quality/longer lasting than current productions.

http://www.about-air-compressors.com/compressor-tank-exploded-on-craftsman-air-compressor-.html

Might be. There is "Made in the USA" **** too. The tank or motor or pump may have a mfg date. Use 1970 date as a bargaining chip if he waffles on price. Intake filters may have been missing. Lots of people dont change the oil annually or drain the tank daily. You should NOT weld on pressure vessels if there are pin holes along tank bottom. Very common for inlet check valve to need replacing ($20 depending) . Pulley keystock often loose making it sound like a bad rod. Will it pump up pressure and shut off?

Most machines have same mounting points for motor and compressor for similar sizes. You can buy another $50 compresser and make a good one. Or part it out.

Your $50 should be safe.
 
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Lelandwelds

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Today's machine market has changed. No one wants a 2 hp or less that is too heavy to move. People want instant gratification not a project that needs a little thought and TLC.

It wont do everything for everyone but it is not unheard of to own more than one compressor. My first one was 1/4 hp single cylinder from before WW2. It had no tank, used an unloader instead of a pressure switch, and had no belt guard. It had a HEAVY cast iron base and was all curves, chrome, and porcelain like an Art Deco piece. I aired up lots of bicycle tires and blew off lawnmower engine parts with it. I like the old machines. I wish I had kept it.
 
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CGT80

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If that compressor has a cast iron pump, it might be somewhat quiet and decent, but it is pretty small.

My portable unit is a porter cable suitcase style oil free and it is rated at something like 150 psi and puts out a lot of cfm for being compact and portable. It has help up great for many years of pro use, but is noisy as can be. The other units I have/had were cman 5hp 20 gallon with aluminum pumps and a sanborn with an aluminum pump. They all **** due to noise and were rated for no more than 10 cfm at 90 psi. They also aren't built all that well.

When I upgraded, I went older. It is a v style pump and cast iron and the pump weighs in at about 200lbs, but it is a 240v 5hp that turns slow. It isn't quiet but has a lower pitch and puts out a ton of air. It is pressure lubed and is built to last and be rebuilt when needed.

California air tools compressors look appealing for smaller and quiet units, but with mixed reviews and I wouldn't expect them to last forever. The big, older cast iron compressors at 5+ hp and slow speeds are great, but expensive, very heavy, big, and take a ton of power. It seems like mid size compressors have less to offer.

With a used compressor you either want to make sure you can get parts and repair it if needed, or that it is inexpensive enough to toss it if or when it fails. Before I bought my big one, I made sure parts were available and then bought a full rebuild kit to have on hand.

Impact guns work fine on smaller compressors, but your use will be more limited. The porter cable unit I have will run a drywall texture gun non stop, which is a bit surprising. Die grinders, sanders, and blast cabinets are the worst to try to feed. The big unit I got finally satisfies my needs and is more than enough for the size blast nozzle I am using and the grinders are no challenge for it. Bigger is better, if you can swing it.
 

MacMcMacmac

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Swans are pretty decent compressors and not terribly noisy. I built many portable and stationary units with them and they held up pretty good.
 

Citation

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I suspect it's a good compressor assuming the tank is sound and nothing is wrong with the pump. However, given the age I would be worried about the tank.
 

Lelandwelds

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I thought that was a 40 yo machine but is it the Asian "swan" by Tong Cheng Works Co.,? I have never seen one in the wild. (Gotta love Google) They're all over Malaysia and from India to Australia to Africa. They mfg everything from screws and 500psi mid pressures to reciprocating. They either compete with or use Sheng Fu pumps. I am pretty sure Sheng Fu makes some of the Curtis pumps and some for ______ out of Australia.

I wish I was better at the Google searches.
 

md21722

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The biggest problem with these consumer horizontal tanks is that the tanks rust out and develop pinhole leaks. I have seen good ones and bad ones. And old tank is not necessarily a bad tank if it was properly maintained during its life. It's cheaper to condemn and old tank, cut a hole in it, and scrap it, than it is to deal with severe bodily injury. I have a 1950's tank in current use that is 3/16" wall heads and shell and in great shape. And I have scrapped others from the 1950's that looked questionable.
 

sberry

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I bought a 50 dollar gem, worked dandy for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to test it and say ok. I replaced every part on it except the motor. One piece after another. That does look like a nice pump though.
 

ovrrdrive

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If the motor runs and the tank doesn't have any holes in it it is definitely worth $50...

As for everyone thinking you need a huge comp to run impacts, hell I guess you could run a 1/2" impact from a pancake compressor as long as you don't mind letting pressure build up 3 times per nut. Anything is possible with enough determination. I lack that kind of patience though.
 

Lelandwelds

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My ultimate air system has a couple sizes of compressors piped through the shop. Run the little guy and shut off the dry tank and the air hog section. The little section never sees above 90 psi and has a minimum volume to be easy to bring to pressure.

Power up the big machine and open up the othe half only when painting or blasting, etc. Airhog section and dry receivers see maximum system pressure.

Variable pressure, rate, storage, and system size.

Does anyone know if this is the asian swan? They're the IR of their part of the world (evidently). I have been exploring Graysonline but haven't seen much.
 
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fatfillup

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Finksburg, Md
OP, I would think that machine would be quieter then an oil less.

If it makes pressure but needs work, I would offer a bit less
 
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