Picking A Compressor

[John McGraw]

Dang,
Bought a 140 John Deere about 4 years ago for wife as we keep about and 3/4 of acre mowed in mifddle of woods.
Lowes where I bought it, never thought about looking at dealer but will take a peek now.

It is not a bad machine, and I sure that you will get good use out of it, but it pales in comparison with the machines sold through the dealers. Of course, it is a bunch cheaper than them as well. All of the compressors I have had served me well too, but just did not last and were not really economically rebuildable. Parts for a Curtis compressor are inexpensive and widely available. The compressor pump that is on my machine has been in production continuously since the 50's with almost no changes. That speaks volumes about a design that is still made 60 years later!

Many of my neighbors have the 140 model Deere, and it is a good machine for the price, but is not going to be a machine that will still be running 30 years from now, but that is kind of the disposable society that we live in now days.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[John McGraw]

around here John Deere is a four letter word . clutches , control panels and hydraulics .

My 30 year old DEERE just keeps running and running. Never had one repair that was not normal wear and tear on consumable parts.

I do good maintenance on it. I change the oil and filter twice a year, change the antifreeze and hydraulic fluid every 5 years and other stuff when I wears out.
I can't even tell you how many tires I have worn out in 30 years, but it is quite a few. I thought that I would pull the engine and stick a new longblock in it a couple of years ago, as it was starting to smoke when starting up, so I knew the valve guides are starting to wear pretty badly. Turns out Kawasaki does not even make a replacement engine for it any more. I have a used engine I bought off Ebay in the shop, that I am going to rebuild one of these days, but in the meantime, I will just live with a little smoke when it starts up. It has never used enough oil that it needed oil to be added between oil changes.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[John McGraw]

Back to the original question about what compressor to buy. If I did not have this Curtis, and was looking for a new compressor today, I would buy a screw compressor in a heartbeat! We have one in our shop at work and it is a great machine! You get more CFM per horsepower and quieter operation than with a reciprocating compressor. They just run forever with almost no maintenance. I do not see myself ever wearing my existing compressor out, but if for any reason I am ever in the market for a new compressor, you can bet your ass it will be a screw. Yea, they are a little more expensive, but I think they are worth the higher cost. Ten years ago, there was not a single phase option in screws, but now they are making them clear down to 3 horsepower. They used to be limited to 25 horse and above and only in three phase power.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[shine]

farmers are buying up the older tractors and refitting them with field technology . old tractor 20k , refitting 10k , new tractor 100k+ min .
same with compressors. i bought my champion as a rebuilt in 84 . had it freshened up 22 years ago . will refresh it soon and put it back on line . older is better .

 

[SPR]

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I settled on the champion vr7f-8. It’s the advantage line, (7.5hp/80gal) so it has the factory installed after cooler, auto tank drain and magnetic starter. I’ve waivered but I think I’m also going to go with a Kaeser chiller/dryer HTRD26. All totaled, with delivery to my door (I live remote so no drop ship) I’m at $5,500.00. It’s more than I want to spend but I hate buying things twice. I have already done that by buying a used single stage Campbell hausfield so I want to do it correctly this time around. I’ll follow up with a picture or two when it’s in place. Supposed to be here around the 20th.

 

[Barry]

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I settled on the champion vr7f-8. It’s the advantage line, (7.5hp/80gal) so it has the factory installed after cooler, auto tank drain and magnetic starter. I’ve waivered but I think I’m also going to go with a Kaeser chiller/dryer HTRD26. All totaled, with delivery to my door (I live remote so no drop ship) I’m at $5,500.00. It’s more than I want to spend but I hate buying things twice. I have already done that by buying a used single stage Campbell hausfield so I want to do it correctly this time around. I’ll follow up with a picture or two when it’s in place. Supposed to be here around the 20th.

Looks like you thought this out well and hope it all works out for you!

 

[SPR]

so I actually have another question about the dryer. The Kaeser doesn’t have any filters, just a float bowl. The mikropor dryer has two filters. It seems that would be the preferred, yes? Does anyone have experience or input on dryers? I’m leaning towards the mikropor mk US-30

 

[Jim C]

Kaeser makes good stuff but you are supposed to have an oil separator filer plumbed before a dryer. I have seen one or two dryers though where its built in. I would recommend you atleast take a look at the eaton dryers. I have had mine for about 15 years now. Its the old original design which was cheap and that worked great and trouble free. Also draws very little power. The new style are even nicer and they have filters built in now. If you want to spend a little more then ir makes a nice cycling dryer. All stainless heat exchangers in those.

 

[John McGraw]

There are a bunch of good dryers out there, and I really don't see much that would differentiate one from another. Kaser, Ingersoll, Eaton, and a bunch others will do just as good a job. Even the Harbor Freight unit works well, and I used one for years before the compressor went bad. I bought a nice used Hankinson dryer several years ago and it is quiet and works well. They are probably the most common dryer on the market, as almost every commercial building with pneumatic controls use this brand. They are all over Ebay and Craigslist. I wired up a pressure switch to turn the unit on whenever I open the main air valve in the shop. That way I do not have to remember to turn the dryer off and on when I start and stop working for the day. I learned years ago to shut down the air when I quit for the day. I had a hose rupture one evening, and the compressor ran all night long without shutting off! Boy, was it hot!

I personally like all the filters downstream of the dryer. I leave the dryer, go into a oil/moisture separator, into the desiccant dryer, then into the final filter to remove any desiccant dust, and then into the regulator.



Regards, John McGraw