[cantankrs]

Hi Jordan,

One way might be if you have a tractor with rear PTO and maybe 3 point linkage, you could rig the compressor to drive off the PTO via a standard drive shaft. That way it could be disconnected when the tractor is required elsewhere. Diesel tractor for economy. Have the tractor upwind so it doesn't ingest the dust. The tractor would barely work with such a small compressor. Maybe find a bigger compressor unit and reuse the 60gal air receiver? The bigger the air receiver the more pumping to fill it and keep it up. But the bigger the receiver the more chance the air has to:
a) cool down, which also
b) causes more moisture to condense out of the air.
which means dryer, cooler air for blasting which allows better efficiency and a better result.

Regarding idling when tank is full - I had to repair the pressure switch on my fairly small cheapo electric direct drive compressor as it was leaking air and I found it had a bit of sheet rubber as a diaphram that tank pressure caused to push against a simple broad faced piston that in turn was restrained by a coil sping with an adjuster nut. (The leak was a split in the rubber so I replaced it with a square cut from a truck inner tube) The spring restricts the travel of the piston which operates mechanical arms to an electric contact switch thus cutting off the 240V AC supply to the motor. As the pressure in the tank drops the piston moves back and the switch gets reset restarting the electric motor. Maybe that action offers some ideas. Bear in mind that AC switch contacts may get burned away quicker under DC usage. Maybe the piston could push on an oil filled tube that works another piston at the other end...
Taking that idea further, I know a chap who years ago was involved in building a ground glider tug from Staghound bits. He told me that the winch was able to pivot toward the tow and thus pushed the actuating rod of a brake or clutch hydraulic master cylinder that fed direct to a fluid pressure guage on the dash that he had recalibrated into load readings so they wouldn't snap the towline.

Regards

Alex McDougall