Recommend a portable compressor?

MANY years ago I was at the contractor supply and the fella said "we have a great deal on these little Senco gas compressors!" And he was not lying. I bet it has been 20 years or more and the darn little thing, which cost me about $250, is giving me issues for the first time. Issue one is that one of the tanks has a pin hole. Issue two is that the engine does not want to stay running. I don't want to put any money into it, I just want to replace. Could use some recommendations of good units. My criteria are:

(1)gasoline powered because I use it a lot and I use it where there is no power and I do not want to haul the big Honda genny every time I want to use it. Besides, a lot of the places I use it electricity can be a disadvantage.

(2)it cannot cost a small fortune because circumstances this year have left me a little light in the free cash department. Shock and dismay, I have even had to stop auctioning!

(3)needs to be truly portable. The easier to move around the better. I will throw it on a truck, trailer, in a loader or just move it by hand. Ease of transport is big.

Any help??? Doesn't seem to be a ton of companies selling these anymore. My old one was small, light, compact. Basically a 24" cube shape, twin tanks, Honda engine with a handle on top. Handled one tool at a time, period. Appreciate comments.

Harbour Freight ?

You had a smaller gas powered Air compressor. I do not know of anyone making the smaller ones anymore. I have a Sanborn gas powered compressor and it is much bigger than your talking about. I can not lift it by myself.

Do you have a gas powered generator??? There are smaller compressors that will run on a 4-5K generator.

Yes. I have the Honda genny I use in the shop. Some of the places I end up needing an impact wrench can be pretty wet either from water on the ground or snow falling. Tractors/combines never seem to break in the shed. Always a half mile away. On a good day I can still drive back to the shop.

The short end of that story is that I am never real comfortable with the genny out in the weather. Seems like years ago somebody who knew the ropes told me it was best not to do that with the old girl.

I think you are correct though. None of the really small compressors out there. Smallest are rated for multiple tools at one time. Told my wife that when the day comes that I can handle a framing nailer in each hand like Wyatt Earp...then I need to drop a grand on a compressor.

I would go there. I will go there. What passes for an engine on one of theirs has me a little worried...but I will take a look.

Dave I would replace the tank and have the engine repaired. The Honda motor is a good one that more than likely just needs some TLC. The tank can be easily replaced with one from a used electric compressor. So for a little work and maybe a few hundred dollars you would be back in business. I also bet that your compressor is US made. Just about any cheaper compressor is China built today.

Well many years ago I was a factory rep for Emglo comressors. They were built like a Tank and Over the years I have picked up and rebuilt four of them that I use. Now let us start somewher . Senco was contracted out and built by Emglo. If you have the smaller dual stacked tank portable it is an AM 39 or 78 Emglo. That is 3/4 and or 1 1/2hp. You always want oil bath and not oiless! Now Emglo did buid a very small gas portable but they are like hens teath to find. NLA. Emglo was bought out by Jenny products quite a few years ago. Same excelent full size machines just as long as it has the cast iron pump. The small portables have an Italian made motor unit that is also very good. They are aluminium. If you want to ask any questions just post and I will help you.

I plan to drain the gas out and put it on the shelf until I can get to it. As you know, I am always 5-7 projects behind and the only "mechanic" on the place...scary as that is. Since it runs and only the tanks are bad, I thought I would keep her around until time and parts became available.

I very much appreciate that! The attached link is the sort I am currently looking at. Makita, Ingersoll, Hitachi all have similar. What is your opinion on these...so far as newer models go and given they are lower priced?
Compressor

Hold on. I RE re read your first part again and I think you are describing the small Honda portable Emglo made???? Give us a picture please! If it is that one, they are a Long time no longer made. Need a pic.

Sure...watch for it because it may be a couple days. My situation is that I have two places and I am currently at the one that has a large electric compressor in the basement piped out into the garage. The other place has the smaller compressor. I will be there on Friday, maybe tomorrow. The little Senco has twin tanks maybe 18" long stacked on one end. Next to them is the engine and compressor. All of it is packed into a very tight space. Has a handle that comes up and bends across the top that you carry it with. Best I can do now, I'll pull a picture later.

Here is a Senco on ebay. Mine is very similar to this. Just take off the electric stuff and put the traditional red Honda engine.
Similar to mine if it were gas

Ohhh...OK that is a full size machine. JENNY products make it with several engine options as far as I know. Most all of them have Honda. Just google Jenny products and take a look. You can find a lot of companys that sell them at a pretty good discount below list price. When I was a rep they discounted at 30-10-5%. You needed to buy almost a truck load to get that kind of a deal, but that is what these outfits do. Several years ago I got a staggering deal at an auction on an Emglo D8 portable. That machine new was 22oo.oo! I put about 120.oo to fix the couple of problems with it. I bought it for 3oo bucks. I was giggling all the way home. Same 8 gallon tanks as you are looking at but it goes from zero to full 125 pounds in 18 seconds flat! Just post back to us.

Ya that was is Long gone. Now if you look on Acme tools web site, look at the Rolair GD 4000 PV5H unit. THAT IS a gas portable hand carry unit with the tiny Honda engine that Emglo used to make. You sure have good taste in machines! That little Honda pump unit was designed for Emglo.

Dave here is direct link to the compressor that Jeffcat was talking about. It looks pretty good to me for a small portable one.

http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/rolair-vertical-pancake-compressor-gd4000pv5h
Rolair compresser

Yup, thats it. Not cheep but handy as all get out. Just a bit more to the side. Down here along the shore the 4w guys bought one so they could low air their tires on the beach and reset them when they were done. They all kicked in like 60 bucks each. Just be really religious about the oil levels and air filters! Found the original lit. from 1990. It was in the $850.oo range.

Rolair makes a really good compressor so does FS Curtis. FS Curtis will be a little more expensive but comes with a Honda engine.

Not knowing how much air you need it isn't possible to be specific. You can't do much better than Campbell Hausfeld. I've had a Speedaire compressor, made by Campbell Hausfeld which I've been using since 1988. I just had a little compressor I bought from Harbor Freight go down this week which was very portable. I had been using it for 20 years. Tractor Supply had a 10 gallon Jobsmart compressor on sale about the same size so I bought it. When I unpacked it I was startled to find out the pump and motor was the same as the Harbor Freight compressor.

What I don't like about the trend in compressors is they are making most of them vertical now. It may be nice to move one out of your garage down the driveway but I can't see hauling one in a truck. The way people drive today swerving in front of you and slamming on the brakes, I don't know how you could keep a vertical compressor vertical. It's difficult enough to keep a horizontal compressor from turning over. I don't like oil-less compressors either. Any I've ever seen are very loud and the couple I had wore out in a year.

(reply to post at 13:52:17 10/12/16)

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i am not recommend you for the portable compressor because of the quality of wire is not so good
https://www.fasteninghouseatlantic.com/products/product-categories/safety/

I have employed the system J.D. Seller suggested. I have a 3,650 watt Champion generator and a 6 gallon pancake compressor.

The system costs a lot less than a straight gas powered air compressor and has the added benefit of being able to use electrical tools like drills, sanders, etc. where you might not be able to get an air hose in. Some of these can also run a small air conditioner or several 1500 watt heaters or freezers. You get the best of both worlds. If you already have a larger generator it can serve as a backup.