Compressor Size

[kevin mccune]

Seen a guy I used to work for pay out the Wazoo for a Rube Goldberg air compressor setup on a converted DM{Air engaged.PTO driven hydraulic pump-that finally turned a hydraulic motor-that drove a compressor in the service body that the Cat shop built} I understood he paid 40K for the whole service bed setup.My ? is-given all this mechanism and waste-what was the biggest underhood comp setup you could get on a Mack?-Kevin

[ThaddeusW]

Missed this post but in regards to the largest size compressor it would probably be a 4 cylinder Bendix Thu-flow 1400. That delivers 31 CFM to the brake system and can be used to unload tanks or for lots of axles. Newer compressors from wabco can deliver 37CFM from a 2 cylinder model that does not use air from the intake manifold. That hydraulic driven air compressor isn't that complicated but at 40 grand it sounds more like he got completely ripped off. There are pto shaft driven compressors for bulk unloading or high pressure models for running a jackhammer or two. The hydraulic system makes it real easy to mount the compressor anywhere you want on the truck. Plus with a hydraulic system its possible to have a wet line and even drive a generator for site power along with air from one pto pump. Kinda like turning the truck engine into a portable power plant and air compressor.

[kevin mccune]

Thanks for the information-you would of had to have seen that setup to-believe it.On top of everything else the service air pressure on the truck had to be up to even engage the compressor to begin with.My former boss ended up paying for Kilos of unnecessary metal.I believe in retrospect I probaly could have designed something cheaper and more effiecent-dont like to haul around Lbs of superflous metal costs money and makes the truck sluggish( 40 K was the cost for the whole setup-tanks deck and all)-Kevin