Looking for compressor help

[EEngel]

I posted this in "the shop" as well. But I figured more people would see it here.





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Well, once again I think I might have entered the world of overkill. This summer I had a craigs list trade. I gave up a jet ski in return for underground sprinklers at the house.



As fall rolled around, I knew I had to blow them out. After a few calls, I found out that they want about $300 to do it. This was not going to happen. So I went on my merry way and did the following.



Picked up a tandum axel trailer, 400 gallon pressure tank (rated 250psi), a 35 scfm compressor, and 50 feet of 1" air hose. All was going to be good. Little did I know the compressor was 3 phase (ah crap). So now I am trying to figure out if I want to covert it to a gas unit or buy a single phase motor.



The perk to gas would be that I could drop the trailer off and let others use it without having to worry if they have 220 available (and if it's a 50 amp plug).



Anybody know what is involved in switching from elecrtic to gas?



Thanks!

 

[Dieselnut59]

I would not go gas. I would go diesel. I recently set up a compressor from scratch for one of our service trucks. It is a 30 gallon tank and a 6. 5 horse air cooled Yanmar engine. Works great and is mounted on a skid with fork pockets.

I was recently given a 100 gallon compressor with a 5 horse 3-phase motor that I am thinking of mounting a 12 horse liquid cooled Kubota engine on. I have 3-phase at my shop and soon will at my company shop but already have compressors there. Each of our service trucks has a diesel engine driven air compressor on it. Three of them are plumbed to run off the truck's fuel tank. You can look on the internet and pick up used Kubota engines fairly cheap and they are hard to beat. You can make a smaller horsepower engine run your compressor pump at the expense of air volume, but with such a large tank, you should have no problem. I doubt you can find a single phase motor large enough to run that size compressor and if you can, there won't be an electrical panel around that can power it! The cord would be mighty heavy also!

I would suggest the diesel engine to run it. PM or e-mail me @ -- email address removed -- if you have any questions.

 

[EEngel]

Diesel

Dieselnut59 ,



Thanx for the tips. I gues it's e-bay time. I will get some photos of this project and get them on here.



P. S. Any local guys need to blow out sprinklers, let me know! I also had the neighbor ask if he could use it to power his portable sand blaster.

 

[PToombs]

Try Surplus Center they have small Kubota diesels, gas engines, electric motors, all kinds of stuff.