Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Tool Talk Discussion Forum

How old is your compressor tank?

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
NC Wayne

03-26-2006 20:42:53




Report to Moderator

There have been discussions on here in the past talking about welding on compressed air tanks, bursting of the tanks, etc. I know they get read because I've also seen posts talking about replacing a tank, for whatever reason, before it bursts. There was a discussion ahwile back where a guy was worried and asking about replace his tank because it was around 20 years old. The consensus was if there wasn't anything wrong with it and a functioning safety was in place to leave it be. I just read another post below where a guy was asking about a compressor and one of the responses was to the effect that if the tank was 20 years old it probably wasn't any good. I guess there's a common misconception that if a air tank isn't "new" then it must not be any good. So, I'm doing a survey here----- What's the date on your tank?----- I looked at mine the other afternoon as I was changing the pressure switch and it's dated 1961. That's right, 45 years old, and still in very good condition.---Who out there has the oldest tank, better yet, who has the oldest compressor unit still operating?----- Just curious here-----

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
JoeK

04-02-2006 22:47:48




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Got a little Devilbiss 1/2hp twin,(ex military?)rollaround,20 gal? tank dated I believe 1942 by Buckeye Boiler Works.Was OD green when I got it from local gov't sale.Put a newer motor on and refinished it,works good.No sign of rustout or pitting on tank found during cleanup.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Gene Davis (Ga.)

03-29-2006 19:23:16




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
The tank on my compressor is 120 gal(approx) and is about a 1974 model. it is drained weekly when used. my compressor is a 1938 Curtis and still going strong. Replaced the head gasket once in the 30 yrs I have had it.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Daniel Patterson

03-27-2006 11:06:40




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
My compressor is 1929. Original tank and electric motor. She still goes strong.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Jim in rush co

03-27-2006 09:35:37




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
I have 2 Devilbiss units one 1958 one 1966, both #432, 4cyl, 2stage. I rebuilt one in late 70s.the other in the 80s. Tank tag says 200lbs
working pressure at 650des. I carry 175lbs as I have since new, I'm not a bit afraid of the tanks and are in use every day. Both are 80 gallon.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Keith-OR

03-27-2006 09:22:08




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Well, I have 3- 80 gallon tanks,
1-horizonal tank Manufacture date is 1951
2- vertical tanks manufacture date is 7-14-55

Compressor and motor is mounted on the horizonal tank, I use one of the vertical tanks as extra air storage. "I try" to drain my tanks weekly. I have an auto drain that I need to put on horizonal tank...

Maybe I should just throw them away and buy a new ones, it seems that is the mentality of our society now. New one only cost $XXXX.00 so buy it. Don't reuse, rebuilt or fix what you have, just discard it. We have become a throw away society.

Well got my ranting done for the week....enough said. :>)

Keith & Shawn

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Fred Martin

03-27-2006 09:02:28




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
I have four compressors...the one in use mainly is 2/3 years old. The one in the back room that was in use is from a service station and dated 1956. A friend whose job was inspecting pressure vessels for an insurance company told me to take out that 2" bung in the side of it...he wanted to inspect it. The bottom looked fine and he showed me where someone had written on the side of it with soapstone when it was manufactured.
I got a small one from the junkyard down the road and fired it up and worked fine....buddy came in and fiddled with it and told me the tank was full of water....gave him a wrench and he opened the drain...nothing...he asked me to give him something small to punch thru the crud...it puked black mung all over him...just drowned him before he could get away from it. I laughed so hard I ran for fear of him throwing something at me. I been real careful around him every since....for fear of retaliation. Fred OH

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
fixerupper

03-27-2006 06:27:40




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
The main compressor is only five years old but I do have a 1/2 horse one that was new in the mid sixties and I patched a couple of pin holes in it about ten years ago. Now I'm thinking I have a bomb sitting out there in the shed. Jim



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
wh

03-27-2006 06:04:32




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
mine went into service last weds. tractor supply had ingersol rand 4 hp/60 gal on sale. oh yeah, the one it replaced was about 45 years old. tank let go about a week ago. all it did was blow a small (1/4" or so) in the bottom.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
woodbutcher

03-27-2006 05:37:26




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Wayne,
I was one of those who had questions about a compressor tank. Mine was brand new in 1972. It belonged to my father. It had not been used heavily, but it had not been maintained either. The tank had not been drained more than a half dozen times in its life. Paint was peeling from the bottom half of the tank, and rust was pitting the bare surface. My son needed a compressor, so I wanted to give him this one. But first I bought a new tank from a surplus supply in Nebraska, and I let him adapt the compressor to the new tank.

Butch

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Dannie

03-27-2006 05:24:50




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Back in 1961 I worked at Zerkel's garage part time after school,the compressor tank sat outside with a metal home made box for cover.It was 35 years old than.I would drain the tank once a day.My 2 sons worked for Weldo Zerkel when they were teenagers and I helped him out now and again.That old compressor tank was sold at the sale after Weldo went to the big garage in the sky.It was running and was 60 more or less.It is still going as of last year.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Aaron Ford

03-27-2006 04:48:47




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Mine is 11 months old.... Its a Craftsman and rather noisy. If you are concerned with the age of your tank, you could have it UT"ed. This is basically a sonagram to determine the thickness of the steel. It is normally used in boilers to determine tube thickness, but I bet if you had a friend that had access to one...

Aaron



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
george md

03-26-2006 21:38:45




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
Wayne , I have 4 compressors and tanks , the oldest and smallest is a 60 gallon and according to the date on the tank it should be drawing social security.

george



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Stickler

03-27-2006 05:28:43




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to george md, 03-26-2006 21:38:45  
Sounds like one of mine. It was ancient when my dad got it about 40 years ago. It's about a 250 gallon tank. It now sits in its own little heated compressor shack. Got auto drains on it.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Stickler

03-27-2006 07:07:55




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to Stickler, 03-27-2006 05:28:43  
And one of my others is a little Devillbiss 2hp with a 17 gallon tank. That's one's never been in a heated shop. I've just purged the tank whenever I use it. I bought that one in 1975. It's had arctic 0W30 oil in it its entire life and been run lots of times in 40 below temps.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
old

03-26-2006 20:58:21




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to NC Wayne, 03-26-2006 20:42:53  
I have not idea how old my tank is but its old. When I got it the thing was set up as a portable unit with a 12 HP gas engine on it, now it has a 6 HP eletirc motor on it and has been in my shop for 10-12 years. It set in the back corner of the shop and the only time I'm close to it is when I turn it one or off other wise I'm 30 plus feet away from it.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Bill in TN

03-27-2006 06:39:33




Report to Moderator
 Re: How old is your compressor tank? in reply to old, 03-26-2006 20:58:21  
I have one made in 1959. I believe, without looking that it's a Gilbert? My father brought it home from a Phillips 66 station that went out of business sometime in the mid 60's. The compressor has been rebuilt several times but the tank has never been touched.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy