Mako AC105-E3 Compressor Thoughts

[allenw1972]

I am looking at a compressor on e-bay... Link: Scuba Paintball Compressor 5000 psi 8.6 CFM MAKO 3ph - eBay (item 180297877343 end time Oct-17-08 03:38:33 PDT)

What do you guys think. I plan to replace the motor with a single phase unit and use this in my garage for fills. I eventually want to fill banks, but after this purchase, that may be a while away.

So the questions are:
1. Is this a good deal given I will be spending $500.00 on a new motor?
2. Is this a good compressor?
3. Is this compressor servicable and inexpensive to operate?

Anything other thoughts are appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Peter_C]

I would say not a good deal, but it is a nice compressor it just looks worn for that low of hours. FWIW the motor is $389 shipped roughly from Ebay.

 

[CraigAClark]

The 5405 block is one of the few Compair blocks that I would recommend. The unit pictured seems to have the bells and whistles that you won't find in a bare bones machine. Auto drain, gauge panel, auto stop and fully enclosed cabinet. Probably sold around $9K to $10K as new. If you are looking at it for home use, better make sure you can provide the juice to run a 7.5 hp, single phase motor.

One thing about Compair/Mako, if you think Bauer parts are expensive, wait till you check out their parts prices.

Peter C, I don't know where you came up with, "it looks worn", but that machine seems to be in excellent condition.

Craig

 

[allenw1972]

Thanks for the response. The electrical should be no problem. I have a 200 amp service with very little load due to natural gas heat and water heater.

The compressor looks to be in near new condition from the pictures, but I may ask for more shots of the unit to make sure.

With normal maintenance, how often should I plan to spend money on rebuilt parts? The unit should not see a whole lot of continual use. Even less starts when I pickup a bank.

 

[CraigAClark]

I don't have a manual to refer to for that machine, so I can't give you the recommended maintenance. I doubt that you are going to run this machine 3-4 hours everyday, so you may find parts will last a lot longer than some machines that are run on a daily basis. Usable items such as filters and oil will probably be your biggest expense. If the machine is being offered from the paint-ball industry, the filter in the tower is probably just a dryer and not a breathing air filter. therefore the replacement part number will not be accurate for scuba use.

Craig

 

[tlawler]

I would say not a good deal, but it is a nice compressor it just looks worn for that low of hours. FWIW the motor is $389 shipped roughly from Ebay.

If this is the motor you are referring to, you will probably have to resheave (change pulleys) on at least the motor, if not the pump also to get it down to the proper speed. The original motor is probably 1750 RPM and the pump speed is probably around 1200 RPM. It may be impossible to get a small enough sheave on a 1 1/8" 3450 RPM shaft to get the pump speed low enough. Leeson does make good motors, though. We use them in severe duty cooling tower applications running off VFD's and they hold up better than a lot of other manufacturers motors.

Here is a calculator to help you find out what size sheaves you'll need. Double check the pump nominal speed. I'm just guessing at 1200 RPM, and find out what the original motor RPM is; again I'm just guessing at 1750.

An alternative would be to use a phase converter speed drive to convert single phase to three phase and get the added benefits of soft start and the ability to dial in the exact speed you want. Less hassle too...hanging a box on the wall and connecting wiring versus dismantling the cabinet and pulling/reinstalling sheaves. Check the cost of a speed drive against a new motor/sheave setup.

 

[CraigAClark]

Mako uses High rpm motors on these machines.

Craig

 

[Peter_C]

I never said it was not a nice compressor. It does show wear in the photos and is dirty. The front has a big rust spot. The price is way out of line. $4000 or so would be a better deal. To me that is still more than I was willing to pay. For around $3200 we have a compressor ready to bank 32% into a 4 bottle 4500 psi cascade system, with all hoses and gauges.

My Max Air 90CE3 (Coltri-Sub MCH16 Compact) came from ebay earlier this month for $2025. It has much higher hours at 731 though. For less than half the price I can do a few repairs. The motor I used is the same one in diversolo's link. So far it works perfectly. I had to bore out the pulley but they can be had from McMaster Carr for around $35. The motor mount holes had to be ovaled to fit the mounting bracket. That could be done with a cheap rat tail file. Then the wiring box was moved to the back of the motor to clear the compressor cooling tubes.

The reason I chose to replace the motor is because when running a three phase motor off of single phase connection using a phase converter it uses more power and is much louder. We are limited on amperage to the house. Cost was also a major factor since a motor is about half the price of the proper sized phase converter. 7.5 hp motor takes a 10 hp phase converter.

 

[allenw1972]

Yes. I did check the RPM, and it is 3450... the same in the single phase unit.

Peter C, thank you also for your comments. I didn't notice that spot on the compressor. Everything else looks pretty clean, but what do I know? Are you saying your have a unit for sale for $3200, or have that much into one. If you have one, I may be interested.

 

[Peter_C]

Yes. I did check the RPM, and it is 3450... the same in the single phase unit.

Peter C, thank you also for your comments. I didn't notice that spot on the compressor. Everything else looks pretty clean, but what do I know? Are you saying your have a unit for sale for $3200, or have that much into one. If you have one, I may be interested.

My compressor is NOT for sale :ar15: I just got it and still need to o2 clean my nitrox stick, along with a bunch of other stuff. Change the compressor oil again. Then the entire system needs to be properly installed. We still have a lot of work to do.

If I was looking for a larger compressor, I would look for a dive shop closing or already closed.