SuzukiSavage.com - H/F Compressors

Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5171 Manteca , CA Gender:	H/F Compressors 04/14/17 at 15:57:57 Does anyone own a Harbor Freight air compressor ? If so how long have you owned it ? How well does it work ? Any complaints ? Do Tell !
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: H/F Compressors Reply #1 - 04/14/17 at 16:33:00 I had a twenty gallon, and never had a problem. Just don't continue using air after the compressor kicks in and don't add any volume.
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Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5171 Manteca , CA Gender:	Re: H/F Compressors Reply #2 - 04/14/17 at 17:13:40 Know the model ? Piston style or oil less ? Pretty sure my 35 year old repaired 10 times Cambell Hausefield is on its last leg , ok toe !
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: H/F Compressors
Reply #3 - 04/14/17 at 19:15:20

I bought a little 2 hp direct drive piston type about 7 years ago on sale and it has done fine, within its limitations, ever since.

The tanks are small, and that means you get a limited duration blast of full pressure air out the blow gun if you are air blasting before pressure drops on you, then you wait some recovery seconds then you blast full power again.

Ditto for air wrenching, a limited duration blast of full take off power, then recovery seconds, then you wrench again.

Undecided

However, waiting for my old Campbell Hausfield main compressor with the big tank to pump itself up the first time is a flat endless wait.

I can use the little 2 hp direct drive piston unit from HF and blow or wrench it down a couple of times with recovery in between and be done with the job well before the CH big tank unit would even come up to pressure the very first time.

Having used both (and having both still working) I continue to prefer to use the 2 hp HF unit with the faster pump up and recovery speed.

Moving the HF around is easier, a whole lot easier as you move it close to the action with a much shorter larger diameter hose so real air flow to the tools is better too.

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Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5171 Manteca , CA Gender:	Re: H/F Compressors Reply #4 - 04/14/17 at 19:28:27 It sits in the corner and I have plumbed a outlet on the work bench and another near the door with 50 ft hose for working in the driveway. Poor thing was making some strange noises today and thinking to replace it with another 20 gal model from H/F. But a portable seems very handy.
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Re: H/F Compressors
Reply #5 - 04/15/17 at 00:43:19

Did you know that the air filter foam likes to rot over time and once the pieces of foam dust get into the air check valves they can moan like a sick puppy? Or make a failing sleeve bearing sound?

Key thing is I bought a replacement unit then I found the original needed just a very little TLC to put it back into good functioning shape again.

Pull the foam up, wash it and oil it good, clean up the dusty mess in the housing and shoot some WD40 into the intake valve system while the thing is running to see if it is really a dry crudded up air check valve or not.

Also check the oil level in the compressor and the condition and snugness of the belt drive. If your unit is old enough, then the electrical motor can have some sleeve bearings in it that have a lube port, so you can juice those up as well.

I fixed my old CH big tank stuff up just dandy and had it running smooth as silk again after I figured out what was really going on, but I still like using the 2 hp Harbor Freight unit that I had bought on the cheap anyway.

A trick for large job spray painting is to hose the units together such that both compressors are feeding the big tank and the paint sprayer. Watch out for wall socket fuse locations as you will flat trip a fuse trying to supply juice to both motors on the same circuit --- but it is the only time I ever had really good ongoing air pressure while painting off of a home set up.

Bad air pressure = unnecessary runs

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Gary_in_NJ

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Re: H/F Compressors
Reply #6 - 04/15/17 at 07:03:12

I have several air compressors. I think that the HF units are ok. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the HF units are built in the same factories as the better known brand units. If this is being used in a commercial installation, get a name brand unit so you can be sure that parts will be available 20 years from now. If for occassional home use, a HF compressor makes great sense. Regardless of brand, when it comes to air compressors, here is what I recommend:

Do not get a oilless unit. They are noisy and not easily repairable. The only exception to this suggestion would be if the unit will be used "on-site".

A two stage unit is worth the extra money, especially if your use requires high output/CFM.

When comparing compressors, manufactures use different standards for output figures - some even use different size hose. Try to "normalize" these rating the best you can.

I built an airplane with a Craftsman 2-1/2 HP, 90psi 4.5CFM, 20-Gallon unit. It was used every day for 5 years - and it was worked HARD. Using a die-grinder for 20 minutes straight, there were days when I thought "it's not gonna survive" - but that compressor lasted 20 years before the motor developed a flat spot and the compressor section developed a leak. Rather then replace the motor and make other repairs I bought a 60 gallon unit and hard plumbed it into my garage and basement. I removed the compressor and motor from the old Craftsman and turned it into a 20 Gallon portable tank.

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Rodger Senior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 256	Re: H/F Compressors Reply #7 - 04/15/17 at 07:13:17 I picked up a 3-gal. H/F oil-less "hotdog" compressor, on sale, for about $30. I doubt that it would run air tools, but is adequate for the DIY projects I do these days (plus, it's easily portable and takes up little space in the garage).
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