Moving a compressor

[G19Tony]

I'm buying the 80gal CH compressor that is in the hangar that I rent. I'm going to move it back to the house. I know a lift gate truck will be involved. I'm trying to think of how to actually move it. An engine hoist comes to mind. Get a pallet and a pallet jack? What have you guys done?

Thanks.

 

[jkwilson]

What kind of facilities/equipment do you have at home to unload?

A pallet jack will struggle going on and off the liftgate. A hoist or gantry would probably work better.

 

[vekster]

pallet jack is probably the cheapest and easiest

you can also rent machinery skates, fork lift or anything else to make it go quick and easy

 

[Durasmack]

I'm in the same situation. My dad gave me an 7-1/2 horse, 80 gallon compressor... I have to get it from PA to IL.... I took it apart. Once broken into 3 pieces, (pump, motor, tank) two people can easily handle....

 

[930dreamer]

If its on a pallet already you can use metal/pvc pipe and roll it to the truck.

 

[Eriehunter]

When I bought mine I had them load it in the store and left it on the pallet and ratchet strapped it upright in the bed of my truck. I used an engine hoist, cherry picker, to get it out of the bed. I did it all my self and had to use some creative strapping to get it off the truck.

 

[CNGsaves]

When I bought mine on CL (however it was 60 gal upright), I just used dolly and ratchet-strapped it tight. Wheeled it up onto utility trailer, then laid it partially over onto pile of foam still attached to dolly. More ratchet straps to secure to trailer, then compressor took the 210 mi ride back home on trailer behind a 4 cyl car !!

OP do recommend you drain any water in tank first, and also go ahead and drain the oil so you can lean it over if necessary. Good luck.

 

[MP&C]

If it's a vertical tank, keep in mind they have a very top heavy center of gravity, however you plan to move it have it strapped down accordingly.

 

[RECox286]

Won't it just tip into the bed of the truck if you

back up to it ? How much does this monster

weigh in at ? What configuration is the tank

to mechanicals ? (horizontal or vertical tank)

Last time I had to move a machine that had a

vertical tank, we were just careful with the

tipping, chocked and strapped it in the bed then

closed the gate. No problems either loading or

unloading. You may want to consider draining

the oil first.

Uncle Bob

 

[Miss_Sissy]

I moved a 300 pound Puma 60 gallon compressor using my enclosed motorcycle trailer with ramp door. I tied it down good with ratchet straps to tie-down points in the four corners of the floor. And I drove moderately carefully (an hour drive).

Once home, I rented a U-Haul appliance hand truck. I used that to get the compressor down two flights of stairs. What you are buying is probably 100 pounds heavier, but if you don't have to take it up or down stairs, you can probably just use an appliance dolly.

 

[rustrunner]

a buddy of mine and myself moved my 1946 worthington cj compressor by laying down in the bed of my pickup. being really top heavy it was a bear to lay down and just as bad when we took it out

 

[Steevo]

Just another reminder that they are TOP HEAVY, and to handle it accordingly.
If they fall over, it gets expen$ive very rapidly.

 

[G19Tony]

I moved a 300 pound Puma 60 gallon compressor using my enclosed motorcycle trailer with ramp door. I tied it down good with ratchet straps to tie-down points in the four corners of the floor. And I drove moderately carefully (an hour drive).

Once home, I rented a U-Haul appliance hand truck. I used that to get the compressor down two flights of stairs. What you are buying is probably 100 pounds heavier, but if you don't have to take it up or down stairs, you can probably just use an appliance dolly.

The appliance dolly sounds like a reasonable plan. I didn't think you get get a compressor on there, with the legs and all. Did you put the legs on the dolly or did it fit on the bottom of the tank? The liftgate truck is the best transport, I think. I'm not going to mess with trying to get it up into a pickup. I'm going to go survey the tank again after work tomorrow.

 

[volleyball]

I hauled my down a steep grass hill with the drivers help on a HF bigfoot. Then with the help of two teens moved that indoors. I was handling the dolly so I got the heavy end and it was heavy. I'd suggest two guys.

 

[CNGsaves]

Think you'll want more of a "hand truck" or normal dolly that has pretty large L sticking out at bottom. A true appliance dolly has a very small L protruding.

The dolly I used went under 2 legs of compressor tank with the pump portion turned horizontal to dolly so nothing got damaged.

Bring lots of ratchet straps, and some protective stuff like foam or old moving blankets . . . and be careful with larger 80 gal size.

 

[G19Tony]

Think you'll want more of a "hand truck" or normal dolly that has pretty large L sticking out at bottom. A true appliance dolly has a very small L protruding.

The dolly I used went under 2 legs of compressor tank with the pump portion turned horizontal to dolly so nothing got damaged.

Bring lots of ratchet straps, and some protective stuff like foam or old moving blankets . . . and be careful with larger 80 gal size.

I can visualize that. I would just tie down the whole assembly to the wall of the truck. I'm going to have a couple extra guys to help out.

 

[ToddG]

It's really not hard to take the pump and motor off. After you do that it's easy and not top-heavy. That being said, I did move my 80g by myself into a pickup truck. Take your time and be safe...

 

[Miss_Sissy]

The appliance dolly sounds like a reasonable plan. I didn't think you get get a compressor on there, with the legs and all. Did you put the legs on the dolly or did it fit on the bottom of the tank?

With the Puma, two of the three feet would rest on the dolly. The Puma has feet that extend beyond the tank, which is great for stability. Yours may be different, but a wooden platform or pallet should fix it if it is.

I also had a scrap of carpet that I lie on for working on cars. I used that to protect the tank from getting scratched. Normal people probably would not worry with that, but I thought I should mention it for my fellow AR compressor owners.

 

[G19Tony]

It's really not hard to take the pump and motor off. After you do that it's easy and not top-heavy. That being said, I did move my 80g by myself into a pickup truck. Take your time and be safe...

I'll look at the too, when I go check it out. Thanks!

 

[bran1har]

I moved my 80 gal with an engine hoist and had the wheels get hung up and the whole thing tipped over and almost fell on me. landed on the mag starter so had to buy a new one of them, got lucky it didnt land on the pump or motor, and that was with two of us. Do yourself a favor, dont use an engine hoist, just get 4 guys to muscle it where its gotta go, its real topheavy

 

[ZRX61]

Just another reminder that they are TOP HEAVY, and to handle it accordingly.
If they fall over, it gets expen$ive very rapidly.

Mine almost fell over all the way last time I moved it.. but luckily(?) it was merely painful instead of expensive as I was between it & the side of the truck....

 

[MWitte]

I moved my 80 gal compressor in one piece out of my old house with a two wheel dolly and lots of help. When I moved it from storage into my new house, I took the pump and motor off of it. My suggestion would be to take the pump and motor off to move it - not a lot of work, and it made it much easier to handle.

 

[jayoldschool]

I move my compressor two times a year (winter/not winter) with my fridge cart. It's a good one with the locking ratchet strap. Tilt the compressor a bit with one hand, wiggle the cart under, attach the strap, heave it back to the balance point, roll it over to the winter spot in the garage.

 

[G19Tony]

I surveyed the compressor last night. I could easily tip it with one hand. I think the way to go is putting two legs on a heavy duty dolly and strapping it down good. Then, strap the whole assembly to the wall of the lift gate truck. That, and two extra guys for help. HF has a wide load dolly with an foldable bottom extension that might work.

 

[G19Tony]

My friend and I moved the compressor with no loss of life or damage to equipment. I used a UHaul truck with a ramp and a modified wide HF dolly. I'll post pictures when I get home in a couple days. I removed the outlet ports and shined a flashlight inside. It looks pretty rusty. I have one of those inspection cameras, and will try it out on the tank when I get home. It will be interesting .

 

[gatorgrabber]

Remember: if you tip the compressor over, there's oil in the pump that's going to go somewhere.

FWIW, I drilled the plate on top of my 80 gal vertical compressor (between motor & pump) and installed a forged eye-bolt so I could lift it with an engine hoist. Worked like a charm.

 

[toyoguy81]

I bought a 60 gallon upright and just muscled it on and off a fullsize silverado. Me and a buddy, they are not too bad, and as stated they are VERY top heavy, so just keep that in mind. Ive seen guys on here use a cherry picker to get them off if doing it yourself. I unloaded my cherry picker by myself using my 2 post lift arm, and I would've done the same thing with the compressor but ive had a car dead on the rack for 3 weeks now because the machine shop cant get their head outta their ****....sorry for the little rant LOL

 

[redmondjp]

As an overthinking engineer who just moved a 500lb Snap-on BRA7180V compressor into my garage recently, don't make it any harder than it has to be.

A plastic bed liner and/or a 4' wide carpet scrap are your friend. Tip compressor over against tailgate (with carpeting underneath). Then use a come-a-long to pull compressor all the way into the truck on its side, making sure that the compressor pump crankcase vent is up (if not, drain oil beforehand). Then strap it down.

At the unload point, slide compressor out of truck (carpeting makes it slide easier) and tip base down onto ground. Then have 2 or three people help to tip it up. If oil still in compressor, wait a day or two before starting it so any oil that may have gone past the rings during transport drains back down into the crankcase.

Done; have one of your favorite brews!

 

[Skruffy2]

And remember - not all 60 gal compressors are in the same weight category. A Champion is 535 lbs. When I moved it I just rented a U-Haul local open trailer, threw my cherry-picker in it and fetched the compressor. If you do the tip in bed, be sure to put carpet under the feet too so it doesn't slip when you tip it.