JT

John Thomas

23/09/2005 7:08 PM

Mobilizing a compressor?

Hi Folks,

I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
hauling outside to do 'stuff'.

I was thinking of building something along the lines of a wagon. I
want enough space for the compressor, a hose reel, and a cord reel. It
would be easy enough to design something like this, but was wondering if
anyone had already come up with a better solution. I'm sure I'm not the
first person wanting to do this.

I've done a fair amount of googling, but haven't really turned up
anything that's too relevant.


--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....


This topic has 17 replies

WB

"Wood Butcher"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 1:07 PM

For small stuff I take my portable tank with me. Similar to
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41712
but I made mine out of an old freon tank. Its good for about
50 shots of the brad nailer.

Otherwise I have 2 50' hoses that get me most places around
here. They were about $10 ea at HF on sale.

For true portability you may want to consider a utility cart like
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5107
which is useful for other tasks as well. I have my CMS on one.

If you have stairs to negotiate then a hand truck or a welding cart
may be the way to go.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37520
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43615

Art

"John Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Folks,
>
> I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
> enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
> hauling outside to do 'stuff'.
>
> I was thinking of building something along the lines of a wagon. I
> want enough space for the compressor, a hose reel, and a cord reel. It
> would be easy enough to design something like this, but was wondering if
> anyone had already come up with a better solution. I'm sure I'm not the
> first person wanting to do this.
>
> I've done a fair amount of googling, but haven't really turned up
> anything that's too relevant.
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> JT
> Speaking only for myself....

DB

Duane Bozarth

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 2:26 PM

John Thomas wrote:
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
> enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
> hauling outside to do 'stuff'.
>
> I was thinking of building something along the lines of a wagon. I
> want enough space for the compressor, a hose reel, and a cord reel. It
> would be easy enough to design something like this, but was wondering if
> anyone had already come up with a better solution. I'm sure I'm not the
> first person wanting to do this.
>
> I've done a fair amount of googling, but haven't really turned up
> anything that's too relevant.

I saw one in town which started out as a small dolly...

Sk

Steve knight

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

25/09/2005 12:06 AM


>I have the green garden style now with the expanded metal top/sides.
>(No, I'm no longer attending COMDEX.) It's like this with sides:
>http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38137

I have two of them one was a cheapie like this one lasted about 3
years. then I invested a made in the USA one for 300.00 with shipping
it's a lifetime for it. but they are a bit wide for me to use going to
the post office. hard to get through the doors. so I have to use the
wagon.
Knight-Toolworks
http://www.knight-toolworks.com
affordable handmade wooden planes

Bs

"BobS"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 7:33 PM

We've been thinking along the same lines. I'm planning on buying a hand
truck this weekend and modifying it to hold my compressor and accessories so
its easier to move around. Mine is about in the 85lb range. Try here for an
idea:

http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyAsk/harborfreight/results.jsp (search on
hand truck if it doesn't show up)

A bolt on hose reel, a small basket to hold parts and it won't take up any
more floor space than it does now. But I also won't have to lug that thing
back and forth from my shop out in the back to the garage up front when I
need some compressed air. The prices of the hand trucks are all over the
map so go with one that fills the bill for you. They even have the ones (as
shown) that can be used in both positions.

Bob S.


"John Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Folks,
>
> I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
> enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
> hauling outside to do 'stuff'.
>
> I was thinking of building something along the lines of a wagon. I
> want enough space for the compressor, a hose reel, and a cord reel. It
> would be easy enough to design something like this, but was wondering if
> anyone had already come up with a better solution. I'm sure I'm not the
> first person wanting to do this.
>
> I've done a fair amount of googling, but haven't really turned up
> anything that's too relevant.
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> JT
> Speaking only for myself....

Sk

Steve knight

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 11:24 AM

why not a wagon ?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32826
cheap and easy to mount stuff too. rolls over uneven ground too.
Knight-Toolworks
http://www.knight-toolworks.com
affordable handmade wooden planes

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 11:54 PM


"Larry Jaques" <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 11:24:33 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
> Steve knight <[email protected]> quickly quoth:
>
> >why not a wagon ?
> >http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32826
> >cheap and easy to mount stuff too. rolls over uneven ground too.
>
> I took one of those to COMDEX and advertised my business on the side
> while I collected over 150 lbs of "stuff". They're VERY handy. I took
> it up and down several double-sets of stairs with ease, fully loaded!
>
> I have the green garden style now with the expanded metal top/sides.
> (No, I'm no longer attending COMDEX.) It's like this with sides:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38137
>

Oh - I'll bet they just loved you trucking up and down the aisles with that
baby Larry...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Bs

"BobS"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 11:01 PM

That is the one I'll be looking at - can't beat that price as long as it's
not made out of tinfoil....;-)

Bob S.

>
> That one's kind of close to what I was thinking (you meant the
> convertible one, right?). And at $24 the price is right. I'm not sure I
> could build something any cheaper than that, even with all the scrap
> wood I've got laying around. Shoot, the tires would run $15-20 ....
>
> Might be a good excuse to run over to HF sometime this weekend.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> JT
> Speaking only for myself....

JT

John Thomas

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 9:38 PM

"BobS" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyAsk/harborfreight/results.jsp
> (search on hand truck if it doesn't show up)
>

That one's kind of close to what I was thinking (you meant the
convertible one, right?). And at $24 the price is right. I'm not sure I
could build something any cheaper than that, even with all the scrap
wood I've got laying around. Shoot, the tires would run $15-20 ....

Might be a good excuse to run over to HF sometime this weekend.

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

JT

John Thomas

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 9:53 PM

"Wood Butcher" <[email protected]> wrote in news:-Iednf4_XuLU_aneRVn-
[email protected]:

> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43615

Hmm. This has definite possibilities. The extra large wheels would be a
bonus. We are "out in the sticks", so there's a bit of terrain around
the house (making dollies or service carts not workable -- the casters
are way too small).

Gotta wonder about the 35# limit on the shelves though. (Wonder if
that's the sheet metal limit or the weld/braze limit?)

I'll put this one on my short list -- if it's just wimpy sheet metal,
I've got plenty of scrap melamine that could work as a reinforcement.

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

LJ

Larry Jaques

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 8:56 PM

On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 11:24:33 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
Steve knight <[email protected]> quickly quoth:

>why not a wagon ?
>http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32826
>cheap and easy to mount stuff too. rolls over uneven ground too.

I took one of those to COMDEX and advertised my business on the side
while I collected over 150 lbs of "stuff". They're VERY handy. I took
it up and down several double-sets of stairs with ease, fully loaded!

I have the green garden style now with the expanded metal top/sides.
(No, I'm no longer attending COMDEX.) It's like this with sides:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38137


=====================================================================
-=Everything in Moderation,=- NoteSHADES(tm) glare guards
-=including moderation.=- http://www.diversify.com
=====================================================================

LJ

Larry Jaques

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

25/09/2005 8:53 AM

On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 23:54:35 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> quickly quoth:

>
>"Larry Jaques" <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 11:24:33 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
>> Steve knight <[email protected]> quickly quoth:
>>
>> >why not a wagon ?
>> >http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32826
>> >cheap and easy to mount stuff too. rolls over uneven ground too.
>>
>> I took one of those to COMDEX and advertised my business on the side
>> while I collected over 150 lbs of "stuff". They're VERY handy. I took
>> it up and down several double-sets of stairs with ease, fully loaded!
>>
>> I have the green garden style now with the expanded metal top/sides.
>> (No, I'm no longer attending COMDEX.) It's like this with sides:
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38137
>>
>
>Oh - I'll bet they just loved you trucking up and down the aisles with that
>baby Larry...

Yeah, I got a few scowls, but that was mostly by people who were going
places in a hurry and almost didn't see the 3' tall BRIGHT RED wagon
in their way. It takes up the space of two people standing, so it's
not that massive. Whenever I stood to watch a demo, I parked it at the
edge so it was out of the way.

Only two people were so oblivious as to miss seeing it and take a walk
into the side. Luckily, it was loaded with brochures by then and
didn't turn over with them on top of it.

BUT, I got about nine dozen comments like "Great idea.", "Damn, I wish
I'd thought of that.", and "Wow, I'm bringing a wagon next year." I
put a hook on the back of my belt so I could walk hands-free, and
folks driving up and down the streets of LV gave me triple takes due
to that one, raised lots of eyebrows. The real pleasure was walking up
stairs with the wagon full of brochures behind me. Other people with
boxes on their luggage hand-trucks cursed me as I sailed by with ease,
those large pneumatic tires taking each step in stride. Another dozen
folks asked where they could get a woody wagon like mine.

When I went to the Gutenberg Festival in Long Beach, I took the
smaller, lighter hand truck with a legal-size archive box strapped to
the bottom and my backpack cuffed to the top. A pair of poster tubes
on each side allowed me to get some of the posters they were printing.
I had 5 of them framed and still have them on my walls. A tiger
playing in the snow, a shot of the Grand Canyon, a zoo of zebras at
the watering hole, a German castle on a lake with snowcapped peaks in
the background, and a shot of a grove of quaking aspens with a large
snowy mountain range in the background. They're my prizes for having
faced certain death in the depths of HelL.A. ;)


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

Br

Ba r r y

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 8:46 PM

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 19:08:22 +0000 (UTC), John Thomas
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Hi Folks,
>
> I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
>enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
>hauling outside to do 'stuff'.

I have a ton of hose and an extra regulator with quick connects on it.

Leave the compressor alone, set the output pressure about 10 psi high,
fine tune locally with the second regulator, and Bob's your uncle!

Aside from that, I'd build a simple, hand truck compatible base. If
you build bases, you only need one hand truck for all of your tools.
No need to buy extra trucks or wheels for each item.

Barry

JM

"JAMES M. PRENDERGAST"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 7:02 PM

In article <[email protected]>,
Duane Bozarth <[email protected]> wrote:

> John Thomas wrote:
> >
> > Hi Folks,
> >
> > I've a PC pancake compressor; at 60ish pounds, it's certainly portable
> > enough around the base^w shop, but it's a bit of a different matter when
> > hauling outside to do 'stuff'.------------

I just made one out of two old lawn spreader wheels, a 2 x 4 piece of
plywood from the BORG, a cheap plastic hose holder from the garden
section and a tray/shelf built from scapes around the shop - a simple L
shape with the wheels toward the rear and gussetts to strengthen the L
joint. Seems to fit my purpose of moving it around the basement.

JimP

MS

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

23/09/2005 7:57 PM

BobS wrote:
> A bolt on hose reel, a small basket to hold parts and it won't take up any
> more floor space than it does now. But I also won't have to lug that thing
> back and forth from my shop out in the back to the garage up front when I
> need some compressed air. The prices of the hand trucks are all over the
> map so go with one that fills the bill for you. They even have the ones (as
> shown) that can be used in both positions.


http://home.carolina.rr.com/jayhanig/compressor station.jpg

Mine has rollers in the back only; also a long vertical piece that applies
leverage so I can get the weight off the front and start rolling it. I got the
idea from a "Tools and Techniques" episode on DIY.


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[email protected]

LM

"Lee Michaels"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 2:59 PM


"Steve knight" <[email protected]> wrote

> why not a wagon ?
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32826
> cheap and easy to mount stuff too. rolls over uneven ground too.

Why not??

My dad used to buy these wagons for us for christmas.

And then he would immediately find all kinds of light hauling jobs for us to
do on the farm with our new "present".



LJ

Larry Jaques

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

25/09/2005 8:59 AM

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 00:06:32 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
Steve knight <[email protected]> quickly quoth:

>
>>I have the green garden style now with the expanded metal top/sides.
>>(No, I'm no longer attending COMDEX.) It's like this with sides:
>>http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38137
>
>I have two of them one was a cheapie like this one lasted about 3
>years. then I invested a made in the USA one for 300.00 with shipping
>it's a lifetime for it. but they are a bit wide for me to use going to
>the post office. hard to get through the doors. so I have to use the
>wagon.

I have one of their 600#-capacity hand trucks, too. It comes in really
handy for the heavier loads in tight spaces. I wish I'd thought of
using it to help me pull up some T fence posts last month.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37520
I have one like this without the fenders and with 8" pneumatic wheels
which was only $23 or so when I bought it on sale. I think HF stopped
selling them.


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to John Thomas on 23/09/2005 7:08 PM

24/09/2005 3:17 AM


"John Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> I was thinking of building something along the lines of a wagon.


The wagon could work. If you go that route, put a top on it and you have a
portable work surface too.


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