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Iron Horse compressors.......?

Odie

Odie

Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
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Anyone familiar with this brand"

Iron Horse 6.5HP 60-Gallon Air Compressor

(That's a lot of HP!)

https://www.wttool.com/index/page/p...MItsLInfrJ5QIVBNZkCh33jQfhEAEYASAFEgIwJfD_BwE

72003000.jpg
 
I have a 60 gallon Quincey. I recommend it. More Cfm, really quiet, and it’s a little more but withFree shipping might be the same price.
It has a 50% duty cycle.
When sandblasting continuously it recharges while blasting and in less time than it takes to cycle on

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612355_200612355
 
Was wondering if this Iron Horse compressor is a Campbell-Hausfield. My 4hp, 80gal is, but under the Husky Pro (Home Depot house brand) It looks very similar to mine.....but......6.5hp! I'm wondering if that's a little "over stated" for marketing purposes.....? :rolleyes:

-----odie-----

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The '5 hp motor on my Cambell-Hausfeld compressor is about 1/3 the size of the 4.5 hp Baldor motor on my big Laguna bandsaw...

robo hippy
 
Air compressors are pretty much like everything else (only worse) in that you get what you pay for. Good compressors are expensive.

Compressor ads never seem to tell you how loud they are. For me, with my compressors both inside their respective buildings, noise is a big issue. The one used most is 1950's vintage. Large horizontal tank, two cylinder vertical compressor of unknown brand. Obviously high quality, even has pressure lubrication with an oil pressure gauge. We can have a conversation standing next to it without yelling while it's running.

Got it free. I went to buy a 1940 Ford woody wagon that had been in warm storage with a blown engine since the 1950's. The widow lady seller had promised the car to me for $9K on Saturday morning, when I came back ASAP that afternoon with a cashiers check she had sold it to someone else. I was disappointed so she offered me anything else I wanted in the garage. The only thing else was a workbench with a brand new Ford crate motor for the car with a date on the crate in the 1950's. When the shipping company put the engine on the workbench it collapsed onto the compressor underneath where it sat for 50 some years.
 
The 6.5 HP rating may be a peak rating which would only be achieved at start up and is likely just a sales gimmick. The standard NEMA continuous duty induction motors sizes do not include a size between 5 HP and 7.5 HP but all of those motors will develop more than their rated HP on start up.
 
Although it's not 100% foolproof, motors voltage/amperage rating would provide a truer HP rating. My guess is the Iron Horse compressor motor is closer to 3HP to 3.5HP because someone on Amazon said this compressor is running on a 220V - 20amp Breaker. It's been my experience that most air compressors are way over rated on HP based on amperage.

Here's a HP & Amperage chart: https://www.burrking.com/news/article/current/2011/01/05/100009/motor-current-ratings
 
I had a iron horse, worked great 2 years then got so loud I wouldn’t stand it any more. IMO there are better choices.
 
I like to compare CFM ratings on compressors. I believe this is much more difficult to “lie about” creatively market than horse power.
 
Steve Nix said:
I had a iron horse, worked great 2 years then got so loud I wouldn’t stand it any more. IMO there are better choices.
Click to expand...

I wonder why yours got louder.......?

One thing that's apparent, is the smaller the tank, the more it will be running. Mine is an 80 gallon tank, and that has been great. (I originally had a Craftsman compressor, and that thing was continuously running......:mad:) Now, the compressor only runs a couple of times during a normal day. On these days, I use the air to mainly remove shavings and dust around the lathe. Some turners mount their compressors outside of their shop, and pipe the air in........that's a good solution. :D

-----odie-----
 
Odie:
If your compressor delivers 10 CFM and you use 10 CFM your compressor will run continuously. The size of the tank is irrelevant
 
Timothy White said:
Odie:
If your compressor delivers 10 CFM and you use 10 CFM your compressor will run continuously. The size of the tank is irrelevant
Click to expand...

Gonna have to call you on this one, Timothy........the size of the tank is relevant. I know from "hands on" experience........The time it takes to lower the pressure in the tank to the point where it automatically starts is not the same with different size tanks.......

-----odie-----
 
There are many variables with compressors.
Duty cycle and CFM are important
When I do demos with a 27 gallon portable compressor it is 90 seconds of air, 2 minutes of recharge.
I cannot keep working while it recharges because the pump does not produce air as fast as I use it.

with my 60 gallon Quincey. It is 5 minutes of air then 2 minutes to recharge. If I keep working it takes close to 3 minutes to recharge. The pump produces a lot more air than I’m using. Also the Quincey is a whole lot quieter than the portable.
 
Odie:
A compressor rated for 10 CFM@100psi that is the maximum CFM that compressor will produce at that pressure.
If the appliance being used uses the same amount of CFM @ the same 100psi. The compressor is required to run constantly to produce its maximum.
A 60 gallon tank takes twice as long to fill as a 30 gallon tank “duh”
and twice as long to empty.
Therefore starting with equal compressors one on a 30 gal. tank the other on a 60 gal. tank both empty the 30 compressor will fill first and shut off then twice as long later the 60 gallon compressor will cycle off .
When the compressors cycle back on at 100psi ( appliances each requires 10 CFM @ 100psi) they will not cycle off until the job is done
The 30 gal will cycle on sooner. But the 60 gal had to run twice as long at the start to cycle off.
Odie you can call me anytime just don’t call me late for dinner.
Tim
 
Timothy White said:
Odie:
A compressor rated for 10 CFM@100psi that is the maximum CFM that compressor will produce at that pressure.
If the appliance being used uses the same amount of CFM @ the same 100psi. The compressor is required to run constantly to produce its maximum.
A 60 gallon tank takes twice as long to fill as a 30 gallon tank “duh”
and twice as long to empty.
Therefore starting with equal compressors one on a 30 gal. tank the other on a 60 gal. tank both empty the 30 compressor will fill first and shut off then twice as long later the 60 gallon compressor will cycle off .
When the compressors cycle back on at 100psi ( appliances each requires 10 CFM @ 100psi) they will not cycle off until the job is done
The 30 gal will cycle on sooner. But the 60 gal had to run twice as long at the start to cycle off.
Odie you can call me anytime just don’t call me late for dinner.
Tim
Click to expand...


Will Tim.......I guess if you use your air supply faster than it can produce it......then a compressor would run continually.......so, I guess we can both be right to some extent. In my case, I don't, so the compressor only turns on occasionally, because the tank is so big. (80 gal)

In theory, you are right.......but the results in actual practice, is what counts! :D

-----odie-----
 
Odie, the 6.5 HP rating says "peak" which is sort of a nonsense statement based on the locked rotor current somehow having something to do with actual power. As mentioned by Karl I would be very surprised if the motor was any larger than 3 HP and probably less. Also the ad says it doesn't require a contactor which would be another dead give-away about the motor not being 6.5 HP. Buy a name brand compressor that can deliver the air that you need and you will be much happier in my opinion.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Odie, the 6.5 HP rating says "peak" which is sort of a nonsense statement based on the locked rotor current somehow having something to do with actual power. As mentioned by Karl I would be very surprised if the motor was any larger than 3 HP and probably less. Also the ad says it doesn't require a contactor which would be another dead give-away about the motor not being 6.5 HP. Buy a name brand compressor that can deliver the air that you need and you will be much happier in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I'm not in the market for a new compressor, as my Husky (Campbell-Hausfield) is still running fine.....was just surprised at the HP rating when I ran across the claim in an advertisement recently. I sort of suspected the 6.5 HP was phony marketing! o_O

Hope your recovery is doing well, Bill! :D

-----odie-----
 
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