jfw432,

I have a 60 gallon home depot compressor and I move it around with a hand truck. I haul it standing up though. I don't know if this is right but I have moved it alot and have had no problems with it.


Toby

 

Ok, if I'm pretty sure I can get by with the use of a hand truck. Thanks.

 

When I moved mine, (60 gal vert, 2-stage) I unbolted the compressor & AC motor from the tank. I Layed the tank down in the back of the pick-up & put the compressor & motor next to it. When I got to the new garage I just backed in & stood the tank up off the tailgate, then reassembled it.

HTH

 

I'm getting ready to move and trying to figure out the best way to move my 60 gallon air compressor with a cast iron pump. I've always heard that you can't lay these units on their sides so I'm trying to figure out what I can do. Lowes used a fork lift to put it on a friends low trailer with a ramp and he had a pallet jack that we used to get it off the trailer. That friend isn't around anymore so the ramped trailer, pallet jack, and fork lift are all out. I can rent trailers but most don't have ramps and those that do have steeper ramps.

I can get the help of a friend but I highly doubt two of us could to lift this huge/awkward thing into a truck or trailer. So, can these units be tipped at a 30°-45° angle for a short time while wheeling it with a hand cart? or is there a better way?

I'd bet the reasoning to not lay it down is that to keep the oil in it where it belongs. My 60 gallon was tipped over somewhere in the transit from the factory to the store I bought it from. At the time, it was marked $450 new, but I scored it for $300 because you really couldn't "see" how bad the damages to the internals were or if you could even bend the top plate back straight. Good news, it's been mine for 5+ years, and no problems. (I know I got really lucky)

However, the first thing I did was drained the oil, and let it sit for almost a month. That said, I'd drain the oil (likely needs a change anyway...), and then tip it onto the dolly.


In a while, Chet.

 

It is recommended not to lay the compressor on it's side because the oil can drain into the pump and cause serious damage when it tries to start, since the oil can not compress it only takes a little to cause the compressor to "hydraulic lock" and do anything from burning out the motor to bending a rod in the pump. Obviously if there is no oil in the pump this does not cause a problem so if the pump crankcase is COMPLETELY drained this problem can be avoided. Now having said that if you decided to lay it on it's side BE CAREFUL because they are very top-heavy and when you start to tip it over it can get away from you in a hurry!!! Also you need to be very aware of items protruding from the unit that can be broken off such as the regulator for example and things like the belt guard can easily be damaged. Look it over carefully and determine which side would be safe lying on a sold surface so as not to break anything off and then block the tank so that it can not possibly roll, if it does roll over it will almost certainly break or bend something. With a bit of planing and preparation you can safely lay it on it's side but unless you consider everything in advance it is VERY easy to damage something and that is why they recommend not laying one on it's side. It certainly can be done with a bit of planning ahead so look at your situation and decide which way would be the easiest, usually transporting it upright would be but you can lay it down if necessary.

 

i just sold my compressor it was a horizontal tank with an old cast iron head i disassembled all 3 components and used two 1x3 deck planks slid under the top bracket to move the tank and i still left one of my n**s on the garage floor it was all the two of us could do to wrestle that tank into the suburban!!

 

Well if I can roll it onto a trailer with a hand truck, I'll try that first. If all else fails, I had considered the option of disconnecting the pump prior to moving it but I was hoping to avoid that.

I figure it'll be a couple weeks before I turn it on after moving anyway since I'll need to wire up an outlet first. Thanks for the help.

 

If all else fails, I had considered the option of disconnecting the pump prior to moving it but I was hoping to avoid that.

Ayuh,... Boy O Boy,... You guys are really Over complicating this,...

Just DRAIN the Oil out of the pump,... Move it,... Refill it,.. Turn it On....

It's probably overdue for an Oil Change anyways....

 

Ayuh,... Boy O Boy,... You guys are really Over complicating this,...

Just DRAIN the Oil out of the pump,... Move it,... Refill it,.. Turn it On....

It's probably overdue for an Oil Change anyways....

That was already suggested but as I pointed out, and I have seen this done many times, laying a compressor on it's side is usually not as simple as draining the oil then tipping it over. There are relatively fragile items sticking out all over the place, switch, pop-off valve, belt cover, etc and if you are not very careful these will be damaged when laying it down. Add to that the tendency to roll (the tank is round right?) and the problem compounds itself. No one said this should not be done or that it would be hard to do we just warned of the often overlooked hazards that sometimes result in damage to the compressor. I sold compressors, compressor parts and did compressor repair for several years and I know for a fact that laying a compressor on it's side can all to often cause damage, I have seen the results. Obviously this does NOT need to be a problem it is just that the hazards are usually not obvious to someone who has never had the need to move a compressor before, simple enough to do but being aware of what could happen before it does can save a lot of trouble!

 

i did this too my air compressor layed it down to move it got in a rush and now it will only run for a min and shutt off how can i fix it just drain the oil or do i need to take the pump a part..??

 

Before you just start taking stuff a part you should figure out what it is doing, runs for a min what dose that mean? locks up after a min, stops as if it thinks the tank is full,does it have an pressure gage is it telling you any pressure has started to build, will it turn right back on?

Just taking stuff a part without knowing why is a recipe for disaster.

 

I moved mine, with a 2 wheel dolly,, just strap it to the 2 wheeler..

 

it will run till it get to about 50 lb then slow down i trunerd it off it was acking like the pump was loked up it was not truning but the motor was trying to trun it and just humming so i truned off fast to try and save the motor when truned ti back it trun the the pump maybe 2 times the ack like it was locking up.....????

 

just truned it on ran fine till 50 lb stutt off agin i removeed the line from the side and it will run fine but when i punt it back on it will not run ??

 

I have a 3' x4" dolly made from 1/4' angle iron with 6" iron casters I use my engine hoist to lift the compressor and set it on the dolly ,use vice grip clampe to clamp the legs to the dolly then move it where ever I need it..Piece of cake...with a smaller one like the lumber stores sell .a simple movers dolly should work but be sure to clamp the legs to the dolly so it wont tip over

 

just truned it on ran fine till 50 lb stutt off agin i removeed the line from the side and it will run fine but when i punt it back on it will not run ??

Sounds like the pressure switch was screwed up, compressure sutting down cause it thinks it is up to pressure, I'd start with that.

 

This thread contains nice information that helps to know that, how can we move an air compressor. Thanks!

 

How can we move a heavily weighted air compressor ? I have a 60 gallon air compressor and I just want to change it's place. Please give me some solution for this.

 

Try an engine hoist

 

moving a compressor is easy.

i have a vertical 80 gallon quincy compressor with the motor and pump on the top. i wanted to move it to another place in my shop, about 60 feet away. i got some wood pallets and used my floor jack to raise the compressor enough to put some wood, 2x6's etc, stacked high enough to level out the compressor enough to where i could jack from the other side. walking it uphill was easy for me, but i had access to several good strong wood pallets, and lots of scrap 2x6 and 2x4 cutoff pieces of wood. just block as you go, and you can even get it high enough to load into the back of a pickup. be sure you have a couple of volunteers helping though. even slinging it with an engine hoist would have worked.

 

Moved my new compressor into place with my engine hoist..worked just fine and would do it again..even got it off the truck that way..

Sam