Air Compressor Transport Question

[kev74]

I'm hopefully going to be buying a 60 gallon vertical tank air compressor today. I'm wondering if I would cause any damage if I were to transport it on its side. I plan on supporting the motor and compressor and supposedly oil has not been added to the compressor yet.

I've got a smaller pickup truck with a cap, so transporting this thing in the proper orientation would require either taking off the cap or using a trailer. Both of these options are less desirable.

[RSG]

No problem if it's new, but used can be a problem. Better to pre-drain it first. Don't run it for 3 or 4 days after it's been up-righted, any oil that got past the pistons needs to drain. I might add that laying older compressors on their side is dangerous in that any particulate could get lodged up in the works causing damage.

[kev74]

No problem if it's new, but used can be a problem. Better to pre-drain it first. Don't run it for 3 or 4 days after it's been up-righted, any oil that got past the pistons needs to drain. I might add that laying older compressors on their side is dangerous in that any particulate could get lodged up in the works causing damage.

Thanks. Compressor is supposed to be older, but never used and never filled with oil.

[welderskelter]

Drain the oil then lay it down and then turn it over a few times then put oil in and crank it up. Have never worried about particulates he shouldnt be in there in the first place.

[Tobias-B]

I've never worried about it, new or used- I usually drain the oil so it doesn't make a mess.
But didn't, once or twice, and just made sure it hadn't hydrolocked itself- as WS says, roll it
over a few times to be safe. And then an oil change afterwards, because it's a good idea to
have clean oil.

That said, I dragged home a nice big vertical the other month, and it was FAR easier to take the
compressor and motor off the tank, and move the parts. Those things are stupidly top- heavy.
Moving the 3 parts wasn't hard at all.
I personally would avoid a vertical- except, at this price, I couldn't.

t