How do you mount/secure your vertical air compressor?

[cmuncy]

I've got a 80 gallon IR compressor that I still have sitting on teh original shipping pallet. I've thought about adding casters to it so at least I can move it aroudn the shop to clean behind and underneath, but it would appear that it might be a bit too top heavy without the outriggers like the shipping pallet provides.
Other than securing directly to the floor, anyone ever done something like this?

Thanks

 

[donais]

mine is just sitting on the floor to lazy to bolt it. i can also move it with a hand truck if needed...

 

[AlanB]

I made a baby pallet out of PT wood when the original small pallet got bad.

Always mean to mount it with iso dampeners, but like so many things around the house, once I start using it, it is hard to go back and do it "right"

 

[Bird]

I thought it was customary to just leave the compressor on the pallet (as the instructions with the 60 gallon compressor I had said to do), and put it where you want it. As for cleaning under and behind it, the blow gun and compressed air worked fine for me.

 

[schmism]

all the ones i see are still mounted on the org pallet sitting in a corner hard plumbed to the wall.

 

[MrJimi]

Just move it with your forks

 

[kennyd]

I bolted mine to the floor and put vibration isolator pads under the three feet. I think casters are a BAD idea.

 

[Blagadan]

I guess braked castors might be ok? I had a set of regular 4" casters fitted to my 50L compressor and the thing had a mind of its own. every time it fired up it would move around. I bolted the casters to a 2X4 and bolted the 2X4 to the frame of the compressor.
I took off the casters since, it sits on a set of regular anti vibration damper pads now.

 

[oliver28472]

What about lag bolting it to a couple PT 4x4's and a rubber mat under them?

 

[George2615]

I just bought a new compressor (recent post in another thread). On my old one of 25 plus years the tank bottom finally rusted through. It was attached to the original pallet (when they made good pallets). The new one was attached to a cheap pallet that was larger than the space I had to put it in so I took it off the pallet and lagged it onto the pallet from the old compressor. I don't move mine and its against a wall so it never moves.

I suppose you could mount 4 swivel casters with locking wheels to the bottom of the pallet to move it. Like I said before the new pallet was cheaply made and I wouldn't have mounted wheels to the bottom of that flimsy pallet. Just make sure your pallet is strong enough or make your own out of 2x4's.

 

[Taiser]

Mine is bolted to a couple of PT 2x4's under the legs, about 2 feet long each. Then the 2x4's are just sitting on the floor. The wood absorbs most of the vibration and makes it easier to move if I have to. I thought about putting casters under the wood, but they would have to be lockable or the thing would "dance" it's way across the floor!

 

[Northstar9126]

I read on another site that guys are setting their compressors on hockey pucks, drilling through them into the slab and bolting them down. At a buck a piece for hockey pucks are getting cheap vibration control.

 

[meanmerc]

That's what I did, I got 4 rubber pucks from Princess auto, they were for a boat trailer and mounted them to the comp legs...work great!

 

[QRTRHRS]

As a few folks mentioned, the correct way is to bolt the compressor to the floor using isolation pads. The pads are supposed to minimize cracking where the legs are welded to the tank.

They really are not that expensive. You can order them on line from Campbell Hausfeld for one.

Though isolation pads may look just like any old piece of rubber, there really is something to them.

 

[JJT]

I thought it was customary to just leave the compressor on the pallet (as the instructions with the 60 gallon compressor I had said to do), and put it where you want it. As for cleaning under and behind it, the blow gun and compressed air worked fine for me.

I'll second that vote. 15 years later, my 60 gallon compressor still sits on the original shipping pallet and I blow out the area maybe once a year. I did add a remote drain that gets used daily during heavy use. It's amazing how much water they can make.

 

[em14]

As a few folks mentioned, the correct way is to bolt the compressor to the floor using isolation pads. The pads are supposed to minimize cracking where the legs are welded to the tank.

They really are not that expensive. You can order them on line from Campbell Hausfeld for one.

Though isolation pads may look just like any old piece of rubber, there really is something to them.

This what and why I have always secured to the floor as I don't want my heavy compressor, it's a vertical 80 gal., free to move around on the floor. Of course as others have said these things don't always walk around but knowing my luck mine would!
Leo

 

[rbcsaver]

I purchased an 80 Gal 2 stage Ingersoll-Rand from Tractor Supply last year. I placed it in my
"shop" and kept it on the shipping pallet until a few months ago when I made some "sneakers" for it. Inspired by my brother-in-law who is a self taught machinist in MO. Since I don't have machining capabilities, but cutting and welding, I came up with the following:
3" solid stock steel (24") cost, approx., $65, 3" OD tube (24") approx. $35, 1/2 threaded rod and nuts from Tractor Supply. Scraps of rubber horse stall bedding, cut with my Shop Smith set drill press and 3" OD Milwaukee Hole Saw on slowest setting, plus some rest for cooling and WD-40 lube spray.

I also added an easily accessible H2O 1/4 x NPT elbows, pipes, ball valves and end caps.
The rusty 1 cup H2O output after one year was impressive.

The thing doesn't move at all with its' new unbolted shoes. See pics and e-mail me with any questions.
regards,
Steve

 

[rbcsaver]

BUMP to top

 

[kennyd]

BUMP to top

Why

 

[rbcsaver]

Why

Just so I could see your little blue face.