rangerenthiusiast
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2016
- Messages
- 553
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Hudson Valley, NY
- Vehicle Year
- 1992
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0
- Transmission
- Automatic
Hey, all.
I won’t go into all the details, but my current project has been so disheartening. At the moment, I could really use some good advice on air compressors. I’ve been unable to buy a lot of the air tools that would have made life much easier (sheet metal cutters, wire wheels, etc) as well as a small sandblaster that I desperately need, because my air compressor is too weak to push them. It’s a stupid little 6 gallon pancake Bostich compressor, with a 0.8 HP motor that I bought brand new, which is only good for filling the tires on my vehicles or pushing a nail gun.
I’ve already dumped more money into this project than the truck is worth, so I’m trying to find a better compressor on Craigslist. The problem is that it’s incredibly difficult to figure out what the most important factor is when deciding if a particular compressor will do the job. Those few air tools that actually list the compressor requirements to run them use different criteria. Some will go by the volume of the compressor (ie - “35+ gallons = continuous use,” “10-35 gallons = intermittent use,” “1-6 gallons = do not use,” etc). Others (including a small sandblaster currently for sale at Harbor Freight), claim that they will work with any compressor over 1 HP, which I find highly unlikely. Still others have a CSFM requirement, which can be tough to find listed on a new compressor, much less a used one on CL. Further complicating things is the fact that I find all kinds of mixtures of HP and volume on different compressors (2.5 HP motors paired with a 25 gallon tank, 5 HP motors paired with a tiny 10 gallon tank, etc). I would tend to think that higher HP motors would always be paired with bigger volume tanks and that somewhere along the way, you’d hit the size that would fit the bill for your needs. Obviously, this is not so.
So what is more important, HP or volume? Is there a ballpark HP/volume combination that will work to run a small sandblaster and basic air tools (impact wrench, metal cutoff tool, etc) without breaking the bank?
Thanks a bunch for any insights you may be able to provide.
I won’t go into all the details, but my current project has been so disheartening. At the moment, I could really use some good advice on air compressors. I’ve been unable to buy a lot of the air tools that would have made life much easier (sheet metal cutters, wire wheels, etc) as well as a small sandblaster that I desperately need, because my air compressor is too weak to push them. It’s a stupid little 6 gallon pancake Bostich compressor, with a 0.8 HP motor that I bought brand new, which is only good for filling the tires on my vehicles or pushing a nail gun.
I’ve already dumped more money into this project than the truck is worth, so I’m trying to find a better compressor on Craigslist. The problem is that it’s incredibly difficult to figure out what the most important factor is when deciding if a particular compressor will do the job. Those few air tools that actually list the compressor requirements to run them use different criteria. Some will go by the volume of the compressor (ie - “35+ gallons = continuous use,” “10-35 gallons = intermittent use,” “1-6 gallons = do not use,” etc). Others (including a small sandblaster currently for sale at Harbor Freight), claim that they will work with any compressor over 1 HP, which I find highly unlikely. Still others have a CSFM requirement, which can be tough to find listed on a new compressor, much less a used one on CL. Further complicating things is the fact that I find all kinds of mixtures of HP and volume on different compressors (2.5 HP motors paired with a 25 gallon tank, 5 HP motors paired with a tiny 10 gallon tank, etc). I would tend to think that higher HP motors would always be paired with bigger volume tanks and that somewhere along the way, you’d hit the size that would fit the bill for your needs. Obviously, this is not so.
So what is more important, HP or volume? Is there a ballpark HP/volume combination that will work to run a small sandblaster and basic air tools (impact wrench, metal cutoff tool, etc) without breaking the bank?
Thanks a bunch for any insights you may be able to provide.
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