Page 1 of 1
Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:13 pm
by JEBar
back in 1978 I bought a comparatively large Craftsman air compressor that has been sitting in the same spot in our garage every since .... in the early years it was used fairly heavily .... I was using it to run range of pneumatic tools along with normal things like airing up tires and blowing debris out the garage door .... over time those tools have been replaced by ones powered by 110 or batteries .... the power switch has grown finicky over time, tapping on it no longer makes it work .... in addition the tank drain is located where you have to lay down on the floor and expend a few harsh words to open and close it .... its been years since it was drained so the inside of the tank has to be rusty .... so, we decided to replace it .... now days airing up vehicle tires and grand kids toys along with blowing out/off various thing is our major need for a compressor .... after a good bit of looking we decided to go with a Harbor Freight Fortress 4-gallon portable compressor ====>
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-gallon- ... 56339.html .... the decision to go with this particular compressor was based on several factors .... among them are the Fortress line is Harbor Freight's best and it has very high ratings .... its regulator cuts off at 200 psi .... all 10 of the tires on our camper and tow vehicle are rated 110 to 120 psi .... price was most certainly a consideration .... the fact that its virtually maintenance free because the compressor motor is oil free is certainly a plus .... if it last half as long as the Craftsman, someone else will have to come up with a replacement
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:19 pm
by BigAl52
Have you tried in on the camper tires yet?
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 9:06 pm
by The Happy Kaboomer
I have a H_F compressor at my lake for the 12 years........Still works good.
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 9:49 pm
by markiver54
JEBar wrote: ↑Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:13 pm
back in 1978 I bought a comparatively large Craftsman air compressor that has been sitting in the same spot in our garage every since .... in the early years it was used fairly heavily .... I was using it to run range of pneumatic tools along with normal things like airing up tires and blowing debris out the garage door .... over time those tools have been replaced by ones powered by 110 or batteries .... the power switch has grown finicky over time, tapping on it no longer makes it work .... in addition the tank drain is located where you have to lay down on the floor and expend a few harsh words to open and close it .... its been years since it was drained so the inside of the tank has to be rusty .... so, we decided to replace it .... now days airing up vehicle tires and grand kids toys along with blowing out/off various thing is our major need for a compressor .... after a good bit of looking we decided to go with a Harbor Freight Fortress 4-gallon portable compressor ====>
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-gallon- ... 56339.html .... the decision to go with this particular compressor was based on several factors .... among them are the Fortress line is Harbor Freight's best and it has very high ratings .... its regulator cuts off at 200 psi .... all 10 of the tires on our camper and tow vehicle are rated 110 to 120 psi .... price was most certainly a consideration .... the fact that its virtually maintenance free because the compressor motor is oil free is certainly a plus .... if it last half as long as the Craftsman, someone else will have to come up with a replacement
Thanks Jim. I'm almost due for a new one. Ball park price?
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:19 pm
by JEBar
I have one of their INSIDE TRACK CLUB cards and a $20 coupon so it cost $200 + TAX
they have a $190 2 Gallon 135 PSI model that I strongly considered .... but with the Inside Track discount on the 4 gallon, it made more sense to me to go with it
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:26 pm
by JEBar
BigAl52 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:19 pm
Have you tried in on the camper tires yet?
not yet .... the built in one that came in our Sportchassis is governed at 125 PSI .... it handles both the truck and camper tires but doesn't get in any hurry .... I won't be checking the air in those tires again until late May, it has to be quicker
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:34 pm
by JEBar
by the way, while there I also picked up a CENTRAL PNEUMATIC Pistol Grip Tire Inflator with Dial Gauge ====>
https://www.harborfreight.com/pistol-gr ... 68270.html .... haven't tried it either but for $10 I though it was worth giving a try
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:30 am
by John E Davies
The big fail for HF stuff is parts availability and a 90 day warranty. I suggest that you buy a few essential spares while you can. Three years from now you may not be able to….
I have an old old Craftsman 30 gal 120 VAC upright oilless that soldiers on, but boy is it loud. Unfortunately I need a decent cfm to blow out my irrigation system, it has about 6 cfm which is barely enough if I take my time and let it cool down frequently. It has a 30 minute run time and gets hot. If it dies I will have to get something bigger, or maybe two little portables in parallel. Or a big beater from Craigslist and a new mini like yours….In your research did you find recommendations for my situation? A yearly residential blowout and general shop use (no air tools).
The California Air Tools units are quite nice and extremely quiet, I bought two to gift to my kids. Maybe one will gift me back. There are frequent sales and factory seconds.
https://www.californiaairtools.com/ultr ... ctor-grade
John Davies
Spokane WA
Re: Harbor Freight Fortress Portable Compressor
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2023 8:27 am
by JEBar
John E Davies wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:30 am
The big fail for HF stuff is parts availability and a 90 day warranty. I suggest that you buy a few essential spares while you can. Three years from now you may not be able to….
understood .... I didn't want to but Maureen did so we added 3 year no questions asked warranty .... our current reality is the compressor will spend the vast majority of its life sitting idle .... one thing I really like is the location of the tank's drain valve .... it is easy to reach which means I'll use it much more often than I did with our Craftsman
John E Davies wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:30 am
In your research did you find recommendations for my situation? A yearly residential blowout and general shop use (no air tools).
John Davies
Spokane WA
sorry, I didn't .... cfm was important to me back when I was running pneumatic power tools but as noted, those days are gone .... while looking I did learn that cfm plays a big part in the cost of the compressor .... I believe the one we bought is rated 4 cfm which isn't sufficient to run most power tools I know of .... its literature says it can run a couple of nailers like you'd use in roofing or similar construction ....