Re: Rodger.. Are Eaton Compressors any good?

Posted by Roger P. on October 09, 2004 at 20:51:09 from (69.196.152.43):

In Reply to: Rodger.. Are Eaton Compressors any good? posted by Charles (in GA) on October 09, 2004 at 15:07:16:

Well, I've seen these pumps used under a variety of different brand names. Most notably, they were sold as Sanborn SC46 pumps. I do not know if Sanborn is still around after Coleman bought up the company a while back, but parts are readily available. A local company called Princess Auto also sells these pumps, as well as the 5 hp single block version. You can get the pump here for around $1000 CAN, which is about $750 ~ $800 US. They are a copy of a Saylor Beall 9000, I think, (my old boss says Webster, and Webster valves do fit them) but they are all metric, so I feel that they are probably Asian knockoffs, Taiwan most likely.

I don't know if I can recommend them. Yes, they are cast iron. They do have disc valves, tapered bearings on the crankshaft, and it is indeed a 10 hp pump slowed down to 7.5 hp speeds. Having said that, if you put it next to a DeVilbiss 445, it is somewhat on the small side for a 10hp, more closely sized to DeVilbiss 432 pump, which is a 5 ~ 7.5 hp pump.

When you are in the business of repairing anything, you only get to see things when they are broken, so perhaps I have an unfairly poor opinion of these pumps. Most common faults are worn out valves (they are a bit on the skimpy side, size wise). The most troubling problems I've seen with these pumps are their propensity for taking out the small end bushings and wristpins, and wearing out crankshafts. The wristpin bushings cannot be pressed out easily, as they have two brass ridges on the outside periphery, about half way across their length, which prevents them from sliding out. Again, I remind you that I have only seen these units after they have failed, and I don't know how long they had been running before that, but they have a much higher "scrapping" rate than other compressors like Quincys, DeVair/DeVilbiss, Champion, Gardner Denver, IR, etc. There seems to be a materials issue, in that they suffer a lot more internal wear of the hard parts than other brands.

Now that I have been so negative, let me say that as a 7.5 hp, they may last a lot longer than as a 10hp. Also, since you are using your machine at home rather than for running a business, you may also experience much better longevity than the same pump would running a body shop. The constant run feature on this machine would be handy while blasting, and it is worthwhile for this purpose. The elevated pad for the compressor mount is not a "feature", they had to put it in for the flywheel to clear the top of the tank (I have done it a few times). The motor mount is a nice feature, making belt adjustment a snap (not literally of course!). The motor looks like a Weg (Brazilian), which are an economical make, but seem to do ok. Bottom line: They do not have the longevity of a Quincy, DeVair, Champion or other top-of-the-line compressor, but then they probably are a lot cheaper as well. I feel it will handle a blaster better than you Husky unit. Home use, rather than industrial use also works in its favor, as the only time it will be worked hard is when you are blasting, not the 8hr a day pounding they normally get running air sanders and the like in a body shop. Be very certain that you have the electrical capacity to run this compressor. It is quite a heavy pump, with heavy internals, so the inrush starting current wil be pretty stout. I've always thought the Husky 7.5 horsepower rating is optimistic, but then, I don't have and direct experience with your machine.

Do yourself a favor before you do anything, first, make sure that you have the elctrical capacity to run a true 7.5 hp single phase compressor. Second, price out comparable DeVair, Champion, Quincy and IR units. If they are within a few hundred dollars of this one, I'd go for one of the others, even if they lacked a few features (I don't consider a 3/4" ball valve a "feature"). They have done a nice job packaging this machine though, and look like they know what they are doing. They would probably support their product well, and stock any necessary replacement parts, all pluses. To be honest, it is not easy to make a buck building your own compressors with so many other large companies doing it on a massive scale. Hats off to them. I don't know if this helps or not, I wish I could give you a more definite answer.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Rodger.. Are Eaton Compressors any good? Charles (in GA) 02:43:40 10/10/04 (0)

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