I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the tires on my
cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they filled it
for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the owner, so
they wouldn't let me even fill it).

Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the property. So
to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor -- the oilless
kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found that the 10
gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought it would).

The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I was filling
the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's broken and
no longer pumps air.

I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what appears to be a
125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had before, although
maybe a little fancier.

However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an oil-type 1.5
hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank. complete
with hose, various fittings, etc.

On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers remorse over
the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have gotten the
other one?

Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo about air
compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two cars and on
my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub around in the
bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose fitting that has
been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a tire valve,
especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I want to
avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time I fill more
than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow into the trunk
of my car every season to take it to the filling station air pump.

I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand blasters, etc. I
woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old and sore to
build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in spending more
than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.

I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow and exchanging
it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid overkill?

The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but takes a long
time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the previous one did.
And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of way.

The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry it without
any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire valve so I might
have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess I have to
put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just three
gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank and use the
tank to fill the tires.

What say you all?

"Tom Miller" wrote in message
...
I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the
tires on my
cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they
filled it
for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the
owner, so
they wouldn't let me even fill it).

Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the
property. So
to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor --
the oilless
kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found
that the 10
gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought
it would).

The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I
was filling
the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's
broken and
no longer pumps air.

I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what
appears to be a
125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had
before, although
maybe a little fancier.

However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an
oil-type 1.5
hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank.
complete
with hose, various fittings, etc.

On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers
remorse over
the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have
gotten the
other one?

Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo
about air
compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two
cars and on
my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub
around in the
bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose
fitting that has
been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a
tire valve,
especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I
want to
avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time
I fill more
than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow
into the trunk
of my car every season to take it to the filling station
air pump.

I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand
blasters, etc. I
woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old
and sore to
build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in
spending more
than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.

I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow
and exchanging
it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid
overkill?

The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but
takes a long
time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the
previous one did.
And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of
way.

The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry
it without
any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire
valve so I might
have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess
I have to
put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just
three
gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank
and use the
tank to fill the tires.

What say you all?

Do it. The other compressor will last far longer. You will
have to change the oil once in a while. There is no reason
you'd have to use the other tank to fill tires, although you
could, unless you can't reach them with the compressor
plugged in. Then you just buy more hose.

Bob

I once too used the small cheapies and never thought I would need a
larger air compresser. Then one day I decided to break down and
purchased a belt driven small compresser on sale at Sears. I used it
with a few air tools and then discovered I couldn't do without it. It
seemed that I checked my tires a little more often with this one. Only
takes a couple minutes to completely fill up. Then one day I was
looking at at an air nailer. Yep, best thing since sliced bread.
Another use I use mine for is to blow air to clean things. Wife just
wanted her vacuum cleaner cleaned out and that did the trick. You'll
never regret buying a real air compresser, just make sure you get the
belt driven type as I've seen the pancake type break pistons very often.
The cast iron compresser/belt driven are the best. For your use just
buy a short air hose and interchangable chuck to switch between the tire
chuck and the air blower. I don't think you'll regret buying a real air
compresser. I now own two.

J



I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the tires on my
cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they filled it
for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the owner, so
they wouldn't let me even fill it).

Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the property. So
to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor -- the oilless
kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found that the 10
gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought it would).

The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I was filling
the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's broken and
no longer pumps air.

I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what appears to be a
125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had before, although
maybe a little fancier.

However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an oil-type 1.5
hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank. complete
with hose, various fittings, etc.

On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers remorse over
the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have gotten the
other one?

Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo about air
compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two cars and on
my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub around in the
bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose fitting that has
been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a tire valve,
especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I want to
avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time I fill more
than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow into the trunk
of my car every season to take it to the filling station air pump.

I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand blasters, etc. I
woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old and sore to
build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in spending more
than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.

I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow and exchanging
it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid overkill?

The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but takes a long
time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the previous one did.
And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of way.

The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry it without
any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire valve so I might
have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess I have to
put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just three
gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank and use the
tank to fill the tires.

What say you all?

if you just want to fill tires, get a hand or foot operated air pump
at the car parts store

and store it in the trunk...

next time you drive over a nail and a day later notice your tire is low
due to a slow leak, you can fill it up on the spot...


Mark

Thanks to the responders. I took your advice and exchanged the small
"inflator" for the cast-iron oil-type pump. It seems to work fine,
although I have yet to try it on a tire, and looks to be perfect for
what I want -- and it does have a tire chuck in the kit. I've decided
to also get a 25-foot extension hose for $20 so I don't have to drag
the unit around so much. It's not a high-quality tool, that's for
sure, but it will certainly work for the light use I'm giving it.

I got a little bonus on it, too. I looked it up on the Sears website
last night to see what accessories were included (it doesn't say) but
I noticed that on the web it was $89.95 instead of $99.95. I mentioned
it to the clerk at my local Sears and he took off $10 on the spot. The
exchange was totally hassle-free as well.

Thanks again for the advice.


On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:37:19 GMT, (Tom Miller)
wrote:

| I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the tires on my
| cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they filled it
| for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the owner, so
| they wouldn't let me even fill it).
|
| Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the property. So
| to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor -- the oilless
| kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found that the 10
| gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought it would).
|
| The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I was filling
| the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's broken and
| no longer pumps air.
|
| I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what appears to be a
| 125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had before, although
| maybe a little fancier.
|
| However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an oil-type 1.5
| hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank. complete
| with hose, various fittings, etc.
|
| On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers remorse over
| the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have gotten the
| other one?
|
| Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo about air
| compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two cars and on
| my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub around in the
| bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose fitting that has
| been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a tire valve,
| especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I want to
| avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time I fill more
| than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow into the trunk
| of my car every season to take it to the filling station air pump.
|
| I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand blasters, etc. I
| woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old and sore to
| build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in spending more
| than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.
|
| I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow and exchanging
| it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid overkill?
|
| The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but takes a long
| time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the previous one did.
| And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of way.
|
| The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry it without
| any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire valve so I might
| have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess I have to
| put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just three
| gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank and use the
| tank to fill the tires.
|
| What say you all?

You made the right decision to get the oiled one! My OLD Sears 1HP
rusted through on the bottom of the tank and spit rusty water on the
pavement. Due to my ignorance and neglect it wasn't drained during
the 6 months it was used after I inherited when a neighbor died. It's
got a quarter turn valve plumbed out beyond the end of the tank that
gets opened after EVERY use.

On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:13:56 GMT, (Tom Miller)
wrote:

Thanks to the responders. I took your advice and exchanged the small
"inflator" for the cast-iron oil-type pump. It seems to work fine,
although I have yet to try it on a tire, and looks to be perfect for
what I want -- and it does have a tire chuck in the kit. I've decided
to also get a 25-foot extension hose for $20 so I don't have to drag
the unit around so much. It's not a high-quality tool, that's for
sure, but it will certainly work for the light use I'm giving it.

I got a little bonus on it, too. I looked it up on the Sears website
last night to see what accessories were included (it doesn't say) but
I noticed that on the web it was $89.95 instead of $99.95. I mentioned
it to the clerk at my local Sears and he took off $10 on the spot. The
exchange was totally hassle-free as well.

Thanks again for the advice.


On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:37:19 GMT, (Tom Miller)
wrote:

| I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the tires on my
| cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they filled it
| for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the owner, so
| they wouldn't let me even fill it).
|
| Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the property. So
| to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor -- the oilless
| kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found that the 10
| gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought it would).
|
| The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I was filling
| the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's broken and
| no longer pumps air.
|
| I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what appears to be a
| 125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had before, although
| maybe a little fancier.
|
| However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an oil-type 1.5
| hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank. complete
| with hose, various fittings, etc.
|
| On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers remorse over
| the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have gotten the
| other one?
|
| Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo about air
| compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two cars and on
| my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub around in the
| bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose fitting that has
| been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a tire valve,
| especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I want to
| avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time I fill more
| than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow into the trunk
| of my car every season to take it to the filling station air pump.
|
| I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand blasters, etc. I
| woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old and sore to
| build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in spending more
| than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.
|
| I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow and exchanging
| it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid overkill?
|
| The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but takes a long
| time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the previous one did.
| And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of way.
|
| The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry it without
| any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire valve so I might
| have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess I have to
| put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just three
| gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank and use the
| tank to fill the tires.
|
| What say you all?

On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:43:14 -0800, nospambob
wrote:

| You made the right decision to get the oiled one! My OLD Sears 1HP
| rusted through on the bottom of the tank and spit rusty water on the
| pavement. Due to my ignorance and neglect it wasn't drained during
| the 6 months it was used after I inherited when a neighbor died. It's
| got a quarter turn valve plumbed out beyond the end of the tank that
| gets opened after EVERY use.

Yeah, I actually read that part in the instructions and after a few
tries figured out which way to turn the valve to "open."

The instruction manual is pretty bad, however. Assembly instructions
on mine were, er, vague to say the least. Fortunately it wasn't rocket
science, so I figured it all out after a few tries.



|
| On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:13:56 GMT, (Tom Miller)
| wrote:
|
| Thanks to the responders. I took your advice and exchanged the small
| "inflator" for the cast-iron oil-type pump. It seems to work fine,
| although I have yet to try it on a tire, and looks to be perfect for
| what I want -- and it does have a tire chuck in the kit. I've decided
| to also get a 25-foot extension hose for $20 so I don't have to drag
| the unit around so much. It's not a high-quality tool, that's for
| sure, but it will certainly work for the light use I'm giving it.
|
| I got a little bonus on it, too. I looked it up on the Sears website
| last night to see what accessories were included (it doesn't say) but
| I noticed that on the web it was $89.95 instead of $99.95. I mentioned
| it to the clerk at my local Sears and he took off $10 on the spot. The
| exchange was totally hassle-free as well.
|
| Thanks again for the advice.
|
|
| On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:37:19 GMT, (Tom Miller)
| wrote:
|
| | I have a 10 gallon portable air tank I use to inflate the tires on my
| | cars. For a long time, I went to my local garage and they filled it
| | for me (I've been a customer for 25 years and I know the owner, so
| | they wouldn't let me even fill it).
| |
| | Then the owner retired and closed the garage and sold the property. So
| | to fill the tank, I bought a small electric compressor -- the oilless
| | kind that buzzes loudly when you run it. (I also found that the 10
| | gallon tank needed filling a lot more often than I thought it would).
| |
| | The little compressor worked for a time, but last week I was filling
| | the tank and it started smoking. I shut it down, but it's broken and
| | no longer pumps air.
| |
| | I went to Sears to get a replacement and bought what appears to be a
| | 125 psi compressor of the same oilless type as I had before, although
| | maybe a little fancier.
| |
| | However, for about a $12 difference I could have had an oil-type 1.5
| | hp cast iron electric pump mounted on a three gallon tank. complete
| | with hose, various fittings, etc.
| |
| | On the way home, I started having a big case of buyers remorse over
| | the oilless "inflator" compressor I bought. Should I have gotten the
| | other one?
| |
| | Now in case it isn't apparent, I know nothing, nada, zippo about air
| | compressors. All I want to do is inflate tires on my two cars and on
| | my various lawn tools. I want to avoid having to grub around in the
| | bay of the local gas station trying to make the hose fitting that has
| | been driven over several hundred times stay flat against a tire valve,
| | especially in the winter when the fitting is frozen. And I want to
| | avoid dragging the tank to the filling station every time I fill more
| | than two tires, or putting my snowblower or wheelbarrow into the trunk
| | of my car every season to take it to the filling station air pump.
| |
| | I have no interest in air tools, paint sprayers, sand blasters, etc. I
| | woke up one day and for some reason was just plain too old and sore to
| | build or fix stuff anymore. And I'm not interested in spending more
| | than $100 which is the sale price of the cast iron pump.
| |
| | I'm thinking of taking the small inflator back tomorrow and exchanging
| | it for the other, cast iron, one. Smart move or stupid overkill?
| |
| | The little one is lightweight. It will no doubt work but takes a long
| | time to fill the tank. And it may burn out like the previous one did.
| | And the old one was really noisy in an irritating sort of way.
| |
| | The cast iron pump is mildly heavy, although I can carry it without
| | any trouble. I'm not sure it has a fitting for a tire valve so I might
| | have to buy that separately. It has a longer hose. I guess I have to
| | put oil in it (what's the deal on that?). The tank is just three
| | gallons, so I guess I'd use it to fill my 10 gallon tank and use the
| | tank to fill the tires.
| |
| | What say you all?

I did the same way. One electric, another gas powered. Tire inflator,
then nail gun, air tools, and my worldly possessions keep increasing.