Support structure for a portable air compressor

A support framework for a portable air compressor comprising:

• a frame having a pair of approximately parallel side sections and a support plate horizontally disposed between said side sections;
• a plurality of components connectably disposed on said support plate;
• an axle slidably disposed through a lower tubular portion of both said side sections, said axle having distal ends operably forming opposed outer planar envelopes of said portable air compressor;
• an instrument support plate connectably disposed on said frame and positioned adjacent one of said outer planar envelopes;
• at least two apertures formed in said support plate, one of said apertures aligned with an engine fluid drain port and another of said apertures aligned with a compressor fluid drain port;
• and
• a plurality of instruments mounted on said instrument support plate such that each of said plurality of instruments and said instrument support plate are entirely disposed within said one outer planar envelope, said plurality of instruments including at least one pressure gage, at least one quick-disconnect fitting and an engine on/off switch.

A self stabilizing portable air compressor assembly comprising:

• a frame defining a parallelogram shape having a pair of approximately parallel, tubular side sections including a forward end and a rearward end, said frame having an angularly extending portion positioned adjacent said rearward end;
• a support plate horizontally disposed between said side sections in a normal operating position;
• a plurality of components connectably disposed on said support plate;
• an axle slidably disposed through a lower tubular portion of said side sections at said rearward end and having a pair of rotatably supported wheels thereon, said axle defining an assembly axis of rotation;
• and
• a center-of-gravity of said assembly disposed forward of said axle in the normal operating position and forward of an axis extending vertically from said axle when said compressor assembly is rotated about said axle into a contact position with a ground surface, said center-of-gravity located forward of said assembly axis of rotation when said frame contacts said ground surface to operably bias said air compressor assembly away from contact with said ground surface and toward said normal operating position.

A method to bias a portable air compressor assembly toward a horizontal operating position, comprising the steps of:

• calculating a center-of-gravity of the compressor assembly;
• positioning a pair of wheels having a common rotation axis aft of the center-of-gravity;
• extending a frame contact surface aft of the common rotation axis of the wheels;
• disposing a lifting handle forward of the center-of-gravity to be operable between each of a stowed position and an extended position relative to the compressor assembly and removable from the compressor assembly;
• defining a rotation path for the compressor assembly variably between a normal operating position and a rotated position;
• and
• prepositioning the frame contact surface to retain the center-of-gravity forward of the common rotation axis in the normal operating position and forward of an axis extending vertically from the common rotation axis in the rotated position, thereby gravity biasing the compressor assembly to return from the rotated position to the normal operating position.