Getting back on topic, I have made a decision! Ta da!
Warmstrong’s suggestion of a two-stage compressor remains a good one for those whose use is heavy. In my case, the use is light and as I wrote above doesn’t warrant the cost not only of the compressor but the related upgrade to the electrical and air distribution systems. The single-stage machine I had lasted 34 years before the popped air hose killed it.
So the decision has been made to order the 5-hp three-cylinder pump from Eaton and put it onto the existing tank with motor. Said tank and motor are already wired and piped. The pump is this one if you should want a look:
https://eatoncompressor.com/product/5hp ... mp-18-cfm/
So here is a review of what I’ve learned:
The Ingersoll Rand SS4L5 sold by Tractor Supply has a pump made either in China or India. There are a few negative comments about customer service and warranty claims.
The Quincy is also made in China, and there are also a few negative comments about service and claims.
(Something else I noted was a review which said they had an early head gasket failure on a Chinese pump and discovered the head bolts were not torqued down evenly and some were almost loose. So I’ll be checking all the fasteners on the new pump.)
I called both Puma and Eaton. The Puma rep. said the pumps I’d want were made in Taiwan but they don’t have any in stock and no idea when they would. He said the factory was in turmoil because of the virus and the weather and they have no idea when they will be back to work. He also said they have containers on the dock in Taiwan they can’t get because of the virus and the political unrest there. There are many backorders that have to be filled first. (He also said they make compressors for I-R.)
I called Eaton and spoke to a rep. who answered all my questions without hesitation. They have the pump in stock and she said it was made “near Singapore,” which means Malaysia, to their design and specifications. Their website says the warranty is five years which she confirmed. No one else has a warranty close to that. You do have to buy the maintenance package of oil and filters but it’s only $40, compared to $90 for the I-R with two quarts of oil and two filters for a two-year warranty.
She also said that this warranty is for parts — you do your own work, which does not void the warranty. I like that idea. I’m often more picky than someone on the clock who’s thinking about leaving early for the weekend. And finally, the pump ships UPS while I’ve heard that some of the others ship by truck. She said the shipping would probably be between $70 and $90 from Ohio to California.
After all this and knowing what I know now, if I was starting from scratch like RussN, I think I’d do one of two things: Either buy the complete unit from Eaton (even though it would require an electrical upgrade) or take the Dinosaur’s suggestion and build one using an Eaton pump, this tank
https://www.compressorworld.com/60-gall ... 10044.html
and a motor sourced from Craigslist. The components could be sized to fit the available electrical supply (Eaton lists a 3 h.p. pump and such a motor would only draw 11 amps.).
The cost of the pump and tank would probably be about the same as a complete Chinese compressor but I’d have the better pump warranty, which is where most of the failures reported on the net seem to be.
So I’ll be ordering the Eaton on Monday.
Thanks everyone for all your thoughtful input. I’ll come back to this when the pump arrives and is installed and let you know how it went.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.