Air-Powered Oil Transfer Pump

Air-Powered Oil Transfer Pump FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 30-5-39 Norm Batson, Clay Springs, Ariz., converted an old power steering pump and a 1-in. pneumatic air gun into a simple, low-cost bulk oil transfer pump. "It works reliably and cost very little to build," says Batson. "Commercial diaphragm pumps with comparable capacity sell for $800 to $900, and are much more likely to break down." The 4-in. sq. power steering pump is shaft-driven by the air gun, which has its hammer removed and its trigger taped open. An air compressor hose hooks up to the air gun. An air valve is used to turn the pump on and off. The power steering pump came off a Cummins diesel engine and was originally attached to the engine's oil pump by a 2-bolt flange and a small collar spline. He made a bracket to attach the pump to a shaft coming out of the air motor. He welded a short 3/4-in. dia. shaft from the collar to the air motor. Then he unbolted the hammer from an old Chicago pneumatic 1-in. air gun and taped the trigger open, then bolted the air gun to a homemade metal bracket. "It's quite noisy because of the air gun, but it'll pump three times faster than most oil transfer pumps you can buy. We built our first one 15 years ago, and the only maintenance it has ever needed was to replace some O-rings inside the air gun. The pump still works as good as ever," says Batson. "It takes less than an hour to assemble. "My brother and I have a general purpose hauling business and use the pump a lot in our shop, where we change the oil on up to 35 trucks and bulldozers. Most of the time we pump 15-40 motor oil. We put a lot of miles on these trucks and change the oil on them at least once a month, so we pump a lot of oil. We also built a portable model that we use to pump from barrel to barrel, including hydraulic oil and diesel fuel. "We already had the air gun. Used air guns are pretty easy to come by. Usually the hammer wears out but the motor is still good. "Any shop that works on Cummins engines will have used power steering pumps around because internal seals on them tend to go bad. The power steering pump doesn't leak, but often it's more economical to replace the pump than to replace the shaft or seal. "If you're going to use this system you need a 2-stage air compressor and a 1-in. air gun to operate the pump - a 3/4-in. air gun won't handle it," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Norm Batson, P.O. Box 881, Clay Springs, Ariz. 85923 (ph 928 739-4336).

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