Mobile air compressors are a great piece of equipment. They make life easy by offering compressed air on demand, wherever you are, and can power high-quality pneumatic tools. But choosing a mobile air compressor can feel overwhelming, with abundant information and options to consider.
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Fortunately, we can make it easy for you to narrow down your choice. In this blog, we&#;ll talk about the simple steps you should follow to choose the best mobile air compressor for the jobs you do.
Step 1: Determine Your CFM And PSI Requirements
The very first thing you should do is determine your air needs. Pneumatic tools all require different amounts of air, and these needs vary quite a bit, even within a single type of tool, which is why you should find out what your tools need as your first step.
Air power is measured in two metrics: CFM and psi. CFM, or &#;Cubic feet per minute,&#; is the amount of air delivered. Psi, or &#;Pounds per square inch,&#; is the amount of force behind that air.
Most tools are rated to run optimally at 80 to 110 psi, so you&#;ll want to find an air compressor that can deliver the right CFM at the psi your tools require. The best way to determine your psi and CFM requirements is to review all the tools you will be using and check with the manual or manufacturer. If you plan to use more than one air tool at the same time, you&#;ll need to add the CFM requirements of each tool together to determine your total CFM requirements.
Alternatively, you can get a general idea of your CFM requirements here.
Step 2: Decide On A Rotary Or Reciprocating Compressor
The next step is to determine what type of compressor you need. VMAC exclusively manufactures rotary screw air compressors because they last significantly longer, are of higher quality, can provide air instantly while maintaining constant air flow, and are smaller and lighter. But let&#;s take a quick look at the pros and cons of both types of air compressors:
Rotary Screw Pros:
- Continuous airflow / 100% duty cycle
- Longer lifespan
- Larger quantities of air
- Higher CFM per hp
- Quieter
- Smaller
- Lighter
Rotary Screw Cons:
- More expensive up front
- Requires skilled maintenance
Reciprocating Pros:
- Capable of high pressures
- Less expensive
- Easier maintenance
Reciprocating Cons:
- Interrupted flow rates
- Low life expectancy
- Maintenance costs
- Excessive heat
- Louder
- Heavy
- Bulky
If you&#;re looking for a cheap way to get your jobs done for the next year or two, a reciprocating air compressor is probably the way to go. But if you need reliable mobile air for the next 5 to 10 years and are willing to pay more for a better-quality solution, rotary screw air compressors are your best bet.
You can read more about reciprocating air compressors versus rotary screw air compressors here.
Step 3: Consider Tow-Behind Or Vehicle-Mounted
Now it&#;s time to think about how you want to move your air compressor around. There are two major contenders that you can consider:
- Tow-Behind Air Compressors
- Vehicle-Mounted Air Compressors
Tow-behind air compressors are air compressors that are mounted onto a trailer and towed by the hitch of your vehicle. They&#;re not our favorite option, and we outline the reasons why we don&#;t love tow-behind air compressors in this blog. However, if you need high CFM ratings, plan to leave your air compressor in the same spot for weeks or months at a time, or you simply love towing things around, a tow-behind air compressor may be worth considering.
Otherwise, you&#;re looking at vehicle-mounted air compressors as your best bet. There are two common ways that air compressors are mounted to a vehicle:
The simplest way to mount an air compressor is to simply attach a compressor with its own diesel or gas engine onto the back of a truck (or in a van&#;s cargo hold). Here&#;s a photo from TiNik Inc. that shows off this style perfectly:
Mounting air compressors in this way is relatively easy and inexpensive, which is why a lot of operators love this style.
Mounting air compressors in this way is relatively easy and inexpensive, which is why a lot of operators love this style.
The other way to mount an air compressor is to intertwine the air compressor components with a vehicle&#;s existing components. These vehicle-integrated installs are sophisticated, and most people can&#;t even see the air compressor, because it&#;s tucked away in the engine compartment or under the vehicle deck. Take a look:
Engineers at companies like VMAC work with vehicle manufacturers to determine the best way to install these air compressors, ensuring the vehicle warranties are always still in effect. However, whether an air compressor can be mounted in this manner depends on the specific vehicle. You can see if your vehicle is compatible here!
Step 4: Determine Your Power Source
Air compressors can be powered by a few different sources. If you&#;ve decided on a tow-behind air compressor, you&#;ll be limited to gas or diesel engines. In this case, it makes sense to go with an air compressor that uses whatever type of fuel your vehicle already takes, for simplicity.
But if you choose a vehicle-mounted mobile air compressor, you have options! Some air compressors have their own gas or diesel engines, while others can integrate into a truck&#;s existing engine, fuel source, or hydraulics.
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For example, here are the product lines that VMAC offers for various power sources:
VMAC Air Compressor
Power Source
Max CFM Options
G30 Gas Powered
Gas Engine
30
D60 Diesel Driven
Diesel Engine
60
H40/H60 Hydraulic Driven
Hydraulics
40, 60
Multifunction 6 in 1 Diesel
Diesel Engine
45
Multifunction 5 in 1 Gas
Gas Engine
40
Direct-Transmission Mounted
PTO
70*
UNDERHOOD®
Vehicle Engine
40, 70, 110*
*Actual maximum CFM output of the air compressor varies by vehicle application. See VMAC&#;s Application List for details.
Consider what type of power sources you already have available and whether they will work for your air compressor. Using your vehicle&#;s engine or existing hydraulics can be a highly convenient way to power an air compressor. However, if that doesn&#;t work for you or your vehicle isn&#;t compatible, air compressors with their own gas engine or diesel engine can be just as effective in getting the job done.
Step 5: Find An Upfitter That Knows Air Compressors
By this point, you should know what you&#;re looking for in an air compressor and be able to answer some simple questions. Let&#;s break them down:
- How much CFM do you need?
- Rotary screw or reciprocating?
- Tow-behind or vehicle-mounted?
- What is the power source?
Now you&#;re ready to talk about specific brands and options. If you decide to go ahead with a vehicle-mounted rotary screw air compressor, your next step will be to find an upfitter. The upfitter will be able to share specific options available to your vehicle and provide you with quotes for purchasing and installing the air compressor. Check out our Dealer Locator to see our favorite upfitters!
If you&#;d rather have a reciprocating compressor or a tow-behind air compressor, there are numerous options available from retailers across North America. Again, we recommend working with an upfitter who knows air compressors well and can help you choose the best compressor for your needs.
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Curious what other operators are using? Find out in these posts:
When it comes to buying an air compressor, especially a used one, there are many factors one must cover.
If you are in the market for an air compressor, I&#;m sure you know that there benefits of buying used instead of buying new. You also know the main reason is that those who had owned an air compressor may have outgrown it and in the end didn&#;t need it anymore or they were looking for an air compressor that was more powerful than their previous model. A big benefit to buying a used air compressor will indeed to come down to the price. Although you may consider purchasing an older model, you&#;ll get a really great deal compared to buying a newer model.
What Are Things to Consider When Buying A Used Air Compressor
Here are things one must consider when it comes to buying a used air compressor:
- Your Tool Requirements: When buying an air compressor that is used, it still comes down to whether it can power up your tools efficiently or any other tools that you will purchase down the line. Always check to see what are the CFM requirements and if they are compatible with the tools that you have.
- Check The History: When you are buying a used air compressor from someone, make sure you get a complete history of the compressor. Make sure that you ask for quotes if there were any repairs done in the past. In addition, make sure that all the parts that came with the air compressor are available by the time that you do buy it.
- Easily Repairable: Nothing is worse than buying a used compressor at an inexpensive price then, down the road, realize that it will cost you a huge amount of money to fix, repair, or replace. Pertaining to the older model that you are buying, research the model and see what tools are needed in case you do have to repair it if something goes wrong.
- Other Considerations: Always check to see if the air compressor is powered by electricity, diesel or regular fuel.
5 Things To Consider When Buying An Air Compressor
1. Electric or Gas
If you are indoors then you will have no choice in going electric. The main reason to go electric than gas indoors is that they do not emit fumes. Outdoors, however, gas can be efficient and cheaper to run. Be careful though as the exhaust from the compressor can prove to be an issue. If going electric there are also some things to consider. Electric can also be nice for portable cases but holds the issue of needing a plug into a wall. The power you need from your compressor will determine how much voltage you need when plugged. Many household compressors use between 110-120 volts while a 2HP engine may require a 220-240 volt outlet.
2. Single-Stage or Two-Stage
Compressors that use pistons are either Single Stage or Two Stage pumps. Single-stage and two-stage compressors differ from the amount of PSI they can reach. A single-stage can reach 120 PSI while a two-stage can reach 150 PSI.
The Single stage works by sucking in air and compressing the air to the desired pressure in a single piston stroke. Single stage pistons can reach up to 150 Pounds per square inch (PSI). The cubic feet per minute (CFM) will typically be higher than on a two-stage as every stroke is compressing air.
A two-stage compressor works like a one stage compressor but it has two pistons firing one after the other. They compress air in stages instead of all at once. First, it is compressed then cooled and compressed again. These types of compressors can reach up to 200 PSI. They are also efficient because they cool the air between the stages which increases the density.
A benefit of two-stage compressors is that they can use their air pressure at any moment without losing the pressure. Two-stage is a bit more expensive but maybe worth the cost to you.
3. Fixed or Portable
Depending on where you need to use the compressor you are either going to want a fixed or a portable one. A fixed air compressor is stationary and is usually bolted to the ground or foundation of a building to prevent movement. Portable compressors can be handy if you need to bring a compressor on site or need to move it around in some cases.
4. Horsepower and CFM
When compared to vehicles, air compressors can be measured by their horsepower (HP). This, however, can be misleading given that the amount of HP doesn&#;t always equal more compressed air.
Standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) is a better measurement of performance as it measures the performance of the HP as not all motors are created equal.
For most instances, the engine size will be between the range of 1-2HP. Some industrial situations will call for 5HP or more but this will be only in special cases. HP, however, is not really the best indicator as to the strength of the air compressor. CFM (cubic feet per minute) gives you a better idea. This measures the volume of air that&#;s delivered from the device on a regular basis.
5. Noise
If noise is an issue then you may want to get an oil-lubricated compressor as they tend to rattle around a lot less and therefore tend to be quieter than those that are oil-free. Oil-free compressors though being less efficient, do have the benefit of being more versatile as they do not require a flat surface so that the oil can circulate properly.
Conclusion
We hope we explained in detail what to consider when buying an air compressor. At CFM PSI Air Compressors, we carry different brands of quality air compressors. These brands include Ingersoll Rand, Sullair, Atlas Copco, and Sullivan Palatek. If you&#;re looking to purchase our high-quality air compressors for your work projects, you can contact us at (714) 531 or us at .
Request a quote and order your air compressor today!
Are you interested in learning more about Mobile Compressors? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
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