Transporting 60 gallon air compressor

[equalme]

I will be buying a 60 gallon air compressor fairly soon and was trying to figure out ways to transport it. Most of the 60 gallon compressor ranges from 250-300 lbs.

I have a small pickup truck and it will be a 2-person process. I'm thinking about disassembling it so I can lay the tank down which will also make it easier for two of us to carry it.

How difficult is it to disassemble the compressor? Any tips or precautions?

Thanks!

 

[JDon99]

When I bought my IR 60 gal, we laid it down on it's side and iirc, we had it laying on foam sheeting and just wrapped it and tied it down securely with straps. The crankcase was empty btw.

 

[softailgarage]

Yeah, make sure you drain the oil. Moved mine without disassembling no problem. Just make sure it's braced or tied down with something to keep it from rolling.

 

[coltonwmcc]

When I bought mine, it was on a pallet. So We just lifted the pallet into my truck and just tied it down that way standing up with no problem.

 

[FriendOfYours]

Just tip it onto the gate, push it up and in

I'm a relatively little guy and I move my compressor all the time on my own

 

[Letsgobowhunting]

Make sure it is not full of air because it would add another 125 to 150 lbs. depending on where it is set at.

That is what a friend told me when he helped me move mine. (He was serious)

 

[BlackjackNA]

Make sure it is not full of air because it would add another 125 to 150 lbs. depending on where it is set at.

That is what a friend told me when he helped me move mine. (He was serious)

Man, that was funny!

 

[G_P]

Drain the oil (and put a BIG sign on the compressor saying "no oil") and lay it down. Moved a 60gal Husky this way.

If it is still too heavy, remove the motor and pump.

 

[Kevin54]

When I moved my IR 80 gallon 2 stage, I picked it up about 30 miles from me. They told me they lay them down all of the time. Just let it stand upright for 12-24 hours before running it. While I was running wire and such, I had it setting upright. The next day I plugged it in and it's been running ever since with no problems. I never drained the oil. I also felt safer hauling something that is not sticking above the cab of the truck.

Also while it's laying down, you can unbolt the skid, and while you are at it, run a longer drain line and a ball valve to drain the tank.

 

[volleyball]

Best to live on skid. You can bolt down skid if you need. The skid is better than dampeners for sound deadening and ease of access to drain. Put on top of a sheet of heavy plastic if floor stays wet.

 

[Jason280]

I moved my 80gal IR on a 5x10' trailer, and left it standing upright....just ran quite a few straps around it to make sure it was secured.

 

[byoungblood]

When I bought mine, I left it on the pallet, strapped it down with ratchet straps, then my brother and I slid it out of the bed of the truck carefully. Wasn't that hard to do from what I recall.

 

[dcummer]

Make sure it is not full of air because it would add another 125 to 150 lbs. depending on where it is set at.

Lets see: 60 gallons is about 0.227 cubic meters, wiki says air is about 1.225 kg per cubic meter, and 150psi is about 10 times atmospheric pressure. (and a kg is 2.2 lbs)

So 0.227 * 1.225 * 2.2 * 10 = 6 lbs extra weight.

So he was off by a factor of 20. Still, his concept was not without merit.

 

[volleyball]

Well if you took all of the air out of the tank, it would be lighter but you would have to buy a new tank.

 

[Durka]

When I moved my IR 80 gallon 2 stage, I picked it up about 30 miles from me. They told me they lay them down all of the time. Just let it stand upright for 12-24 hours before running it.

Correct, that's all you have to do...sealed crankcases.

 

[equalme]

Well the reason why I want to disassemble it is because I don't have a garage and the compressor will be in the corner of a spare bedroom where the breaker box is at. I will be using a Shop Fox mobile base http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD6B9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'm looking to use a Devilbiss QC3 which includes a regulator. Is there anything else I should consider adding to it for spraying?

 

[scw1991]

When I bought my IR2475 5hp 80 gallon upright, I took the compressor and motor off the tank in less than 15 minutes and loaded it up in my truck by myself. Makes unloading just as easy.

 

[Rossco]

Ain't no lifting, tipping my unit. The head is a sober 300lbs alone.

We had to build a ramp 16' long, took the tail gate off. Wedged the ramp between the garage slab and truck, then pulled it off slowly with a Tirfor. I devised a pulley system to hold the compressor steady from the bed while it was pulled from the hitch of my truck in the shop.

It then took me 2 hours of thinking, wobbling, drinking and pant soiling to just get it off the pallet and onto pucks.

Some kinda circus going on.

 

[BD1]

Rent a small trailer ? Will a engine hoist go high enough ?

 

[equalme]

Well looks like I'll just be taking the motor and pump off to make it easier all together. Any tips or specific tools I should make sure to bring with me?

Thanks!

 

[C96]

When I transported mine, I used my low profile flat bed trailer. It looks like the ones landscapers use; low to the ground and easy to roll equipment up on to it. Three of us slowly leaned it over onto its side (vertical tank 80 gallon SB 648 pounds) strapped it down and good to go. Didn’t even drain the oil, no leaks, just waited a couple days for the oil to settle before starting it back up. No problems whatsoever.

Definitely look into renting a trailer, it will make the job much easier and you won’t have to bother taking anything apart.

Good Luck!

 

[scw1991]

set of wrenches and sockets, perhaps flare wrenches if you have them on hand for tube fittings (nice but not absolutely necessary), set of pliers, screwdrivers for misc. electrical connections to pressure switch and mag starter (if equipped), and that's about it.

Couldn't hurt to snap a few pics along the way of the electrical wiring.

 

[b-body-bob]

When I went to move my old DeVilbiss I talked to the guy who owned it before (came with a house) and he cautioned me to disassemble it before moving. He'd tried it with the pump and motor on the tank, it rolled over (horizontal tank) and snapped off the snout of the crank when it hit the ground. I knew it was true because the end of the crank was still in the garage too. So I always go ahead and take them apart out of paranoia.

 

[James_B]

I rented a small U-Haul trailer and transported mine home from the store upright. The store manager where I bought it said that company policy prohibits them from helping with the loading, but she also told me unofficially that they were fine to transport on their backs if you drain the oil first, and let the compressor stand upright for 3 or more weeks before using it.

When we moved from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, we drained the oil and laid it on its back in a U-Haul truck. I broke the pressure switch off during loading, but the Halifax store of the chain did a no cost exchange from their collection of salvaged parts that they keep on hand for just that purpose.

 

[equalme]

Awesome. It's only 250-300ish lbs so not too bad but I will be maneuvering between some tight spaces to get it into the place I want it to sit so might as well.

So looks like wrench and sockets are pretty much what I need.

 

[gearhead1]

I just removed the pump to move mine, then installed it back on without issue.