Moving an Air Compressor?

[Hatman52]

Looking for tips on moving and transporting an 80 gallon upright air compressor. Approx. 500 pounds. Would be buying used, so it would entail moving out of seller's residential garage, into my van, then out of my van and into my residential garage. No access to fork lifts, cherry pickers, etc. Compressor is about 200 miles away (one way) so I'd like to avoid renting a liftgate truck.

Thinking of using a refrigerator cart. Strapping the compressor to the cart and using the cart to wheel the compressor in and out of the garages. Then, using two motorcycle ramps, push the cart/compressor in and then out of the van.

Seem reasonable? Any other ideas?


Mark

 

[krusty the clown]

will you be able to stand the compressor upright in the van?

 

[buening]

You can buy furniture dollies for each of the four compressor legs, in order to get it to your van. Getting it in the van can be tricky. I did similar to you except I was loading it in and out of the truck. Getting it in my truck, I was up in the bed pulling back on the compressor pump and guiding it into the truck. I had two guys at the base of the compressor to pick it up and slide it into the truck. Removal was just the same. If you have a place to tie down inside the van, you can use a come-along to pull it in and out of the vehicle, which would save some backs. Laying it on it's side makes it easier to maneuver, but you'll have to drain the oil from the pump

I think you will find that it will be very difficult pushing that beast up an incline onto those ramps unless you have long ramps or the van if fairly low to the ground....plus it might be real easy for it to slide off the ramps unless you have some heavy guides. By doing it the way I did, you can rely on the vehicle to support half of the compressor weight while the other two guys pick up the bottom and slide it in. This may be difficult in your case, as the person in the vehicle that will be holding the pump end may not be able to stand up....assuming you are using a van. I'm sure others may have a better suggestion, but this was how I did mine. It is an 80gal with 7.5hp motor and pump. Listed weight was a bit over 650lb, with probably half of that in the pump and motor!


I would definitely make sure you have enough people to help, regardless of the way you choose to load/unload.

 

[W-Cummins]

Thinking of using a refrigerator cart. Strapping the compressor to the cart and using the cart to wheel the compressor in and out of the garages. Then, using two motorcycle ramps, push the cart/compressor in and then out of the van.

Seem reasonable? Any other ideas?


Mark

REMEMBER that the compressor is VERY top heavy!
It will be heavy to hold up the dolly probably over 200 lbs as you get very far over center on the wheels.

Drain the oil out of the compressor, Then get a fridge box and flatten it out. When you get to the back of the van place the box on edge on the ground, with the rest bent over into the back of the van. Then just set the dolly so the top rests on the back of the van and go around and pick up the now light end and slide it in.
Remember that the dolly is slick and on the skids will be just like a sled in the back of the van so block and strap it down as well as you can, in a wreck it's going to become quite a missile.

William...

 

[goodfellow]

I've moved several from one place to another in a standard Pickup truck. I drain it and put some padding in the truck bed. Since it's top heavy it's usually easy to tip and slide on the padding. I keep the head from moving by using wood blocks under the mounting plate, the pump and the motor. Then I secure the unit with ratchet straps.

To unload, I pulled on the padding (it slides easily in a pickup bed). I tip the unit on a set of movers dolly and get a friend to help me move it to its final location. For 80 gal units it's a good idea to have one more person, but for 60 gal units I've always managed to move it myself.

 

[D KRAGER]

REMEMBER that the compressor is VERY top heavy!
It will be heavy to hold up the dolly probably over 200 lbs as you get very far over center on the wheels.

Drain the oil out of the compressor, Then get a fridge box and flatten it out. When you get to the back of the van place the box on edge on the ground, with the rest bent over into the back of the van. Then just set the dolly so the top rests on the back of the van and go around and pick up the now light end and slide it in.
Remember that the dolly is slick and on the skids will be just like a sled in the back of the van so block and strap it down as well as you can, in a wreck it's going to become quite a missile.

William...

This would be the plan of choice if your set on hauling in a van......

Do you have a trailer hitch? Put on a utility trailer. That would be another easier option......

 

[tdkkart]

If you want to make it a bit easier, and considerably safer, simply disassemble it before loading. It takes just a few minutes to take the pump and motor off the top of the tank, which then breaks it down into 3 much more manageable pieces. the tank is still going to be heavy, but at least it won't be top heavy.

 

[BigChevy80]

When I bought my 80 gallon Curtis upright at an auction, I brought it home on a flatbed trailer. Backed the trailer up to it and laid it down on it's side. Took 3 of us to handle it. I'd guess this thing weighs 600+ lbs and about 80% of the weight is on top.

When I brought it home it was just me by myself. I figured I'd be able to slide it off the trailer and stand it up myself... WRONG!! I ended up having to use my chain hoist to stand it up. It was not fun. Now that it's in here it's not going anywhere for a LOOOONG time!

I didn't have a means to drain the oil from the compressor there at the auction, so I made sure to let it sit upright for a long time before spinning it over.

 

[Kevin54]

Looking for tips on moving and transporting an 80 gallon upright air compressor. Approx. 500 pounds. Would be buying used, so it would entail moving out of seller's residential garage, into my van, then out of my van and into my residential garage. No access to fork lifts, cherry pickers, etc. Compressor is about 200 miles away (one way) so I'd like to avoid renting a liftgate truck.

Thinking of using a refrigerator cart. Strapping the compressor to the cart and using the cart to wheel the compressor in and out of the garages. Then, using two motorcycle ramps, push the cart/compressor in and then out of the van.

Seem reasonable? Any other ideas?


Mark

Take some help with you I bought an 80 gallon IR and three of us laid it down in the back of the truck off of a dock. If you could take 2 others with you, you should be able to get it to the van, tip it, slide it in, brace it and be good to go.

 

[kbs2244]

I am with tdkkart on this.
Iff you don't have the equipment to lift it assembled, take it apart.
It will be easier at both ends if you take the motor and the compressor off and handle them separtly.
It should be just a few bolts and the pipe down to the tank.
This will give you a chance to clean it up good and mabe do some touch up painting also.

 

[Identaltech]

I like tdkkart's ideal.
seems like more work but if you can break it down to smaller parts the easier to move
then you have the chance to make improvements.

 

[Matt M PA]

Excellent timing on this post! I have to move my 80 gallon 2 stage very soon.

I am thinking of having this and my blast cabinet moved by a mover. I have a local guy that is very reasonable. He moved my gun safe too.

I have a 22' car trailer, so I can move just about anything but was concerned about being able to lay the compressor down. I thought it had to be kept upright.

 

[KenS]

The nice thing about taking it apart is that once the motor and compressor are off, you can tilt the tank over onto its side (even with the compressor and motor off, it will take two men to lay the tank over on its side) and then you can roll the tank or slide the tank across the floor or drive. If you have three strong helpers you can even carry it.

We laid our tank on a scrap of indoor-outdoor carpeting, but scrap cardboard would also work. With the tank on its side you can roll or slide it around, and two can lift it onto a pickup truck bed.

While the tank is on its side, you can easily rid of the radiator-type bottom drain valve and install some better 1/4-inch drain plumbing. And while you're at it, go ahead and install some hockey pucks on the feet. The puck feet make manhandling the reassembled compressor into place much easier since they allow you to "walk" it across the floor, preferably with some steadying help.

This is how we did it with our 80-gallon Ingersoll-Rand SSN5.

I have to agree that compressors are top heavy, but our reassembled unit with the hockey puck feet sitting on a level concrete floor has not moved a fraction of an inch since installation and it is not bolted down.

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

Sorry bump this old thread. I was searching Google on moving upright air compressors and found this thread. Anyhow I have been rebuilding an old American Kellogg 340TV compressor and am ready to put in in service. (I posted the rebuild here if interested: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2659172#post2659172 )

The Compressor is incredibly heavy, upwards of 700 pounds, and it is big, 36" at it's widest and 76" tall without the air filter. I need to move it from where I rebuilt it in the front of my shop to a room off the back of the shop.

So I used my engine hoist to move it across the shop without incident:

When I was rebuilding it I added one of those D-ring brackets to make hoisting it easier:

Now I need to get it through the door in the background. This will be fun!

I guess I'm just going to have to muscle it through the doorway with a couple buddies. Unfortunately I put a 1" thick wooden threshold down when I installed the door. So that will also pose a challenge. I debated taking the pump and motor off but for crying out loud, I just put them on! It may be a mistake but I am going to try and leave them in place.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[rsanter]

Strap to a refrigerator dolly
Tip it into the truck so it is on the dolly laying on it's side.
Be sure to orient the compressor so when it is on the side it will not leak oil or empty the oil first.
Stand it back up and wait a few hours before using it or refill with oil as may be needed

Bob

 

[BD1]

Sounds like a good reason to buy a engine hoist.

 

[D rock]

I got mine from Lowe's. I went up there with my truck and trailer. I took a hand truck strapped it to my tailgate on my trailer. When I got it home, I used the hand truck to roll it off and put it where it's been ever since.

Hand trucks and trailers make moving stuff a lot easier.

 

[uscarry45]

I think the appliance dolly approach would work. U can rent a trailer from uhaul, but I think you should be able to tip her into your van and get it moved.

 

[tcianci]

Forget the dolly or hand truck or anything else with wheels on it. All they will do is help the compressor get away from you in a big hurry should something go wrong. Simply "walk" the compressor, upright a little at a time till it's over at your truck. Then, tilt the machine head first toward the truck bed so that the back edge of the truck contacts the tank about a foot or so down from the top. Once the machine is resting on the truck bed, grab it by the feet and lift it up horizontal, then slide it in. This method ensures that you're never lifting anywhere near the full weight of the machine and it's always in contact with either the ground or the truck bed. I've done it this way by myself many times.

 

[KCarGuy]

I have moved both my 1954 Kellogg American 80 Gallon 321 "Beast", as well as a New Campbell Hausfeld 60 gallon Compressor.

The KA needs 2 people for sure, even broken down...each part is Heavy as Hell.
(So we moved is 3 times all as one unit.) Strapped to a moving Dolly.

The CH was very simple, much lighter.
I took it apart into pieces and threw in in my van (by Myself) and remounted everything once I got home.

That being said, I had to remove the KA from the Compressor room in my Garage...which was a tight squeeze, and install the CH into place a few months ago (by Myself).
I "walked" it out and across the garage.

BTW...My KA "Beast" is for sale

 

[GarageEnvy]

2x4s on either side of the threshold as runners, a couple of pieces of pipe, top layer of wood for the compressor to rest on and roll it right across.

My 80 gallon 735 pound compressor came on a pallet and was loaded into the truck for me. I have a lift cart but getting it off the lift cart was a challenge since I didn't have a hoist either. I ran a bar through the pump mounting bracket so I was lifting up high and used blocking and jacks to lift it off the cart and remove the pallet. Mine is actually on an angle iron cart so I can pull it away from the wall for service.

 

[uncletater]

When my dad bought his. He called to local High School and talked to the football coach 3 BIG guys showed up and moved it out of the truck and into the building. He slipped each of them a 20 spot. They were happy as can be.

 

[kent1003]

I had a friend who used to say, "Strap it on your wife's back and lead her out the door with a *******."

All kidding aside, I faced the same type of move. Ended up disassembling it. That ended the agony and no one got hurt. Good luck.