The Evolution of the Cambell Hausfeld Air Compressor

So, what do air compressors and corn have in common? This sounds like a trick question, and perhaps it is. I would be accurate is asking, what do Campbell Hausfeld air compressors have in common with a corn planter? Well, it all comes down to history and how a company evolves over the decades.

When Alexander Campbell started business in 1836, for obvious reasons, he wasn’t thinking about air compressors. He made wagons, and when his brothers, William and James, joined him a year later in a black smith shop, they expanded into carriages, plows, harrows and cultivators. They were in Harrison, Ohio, farm country, so they concentrated on farm equipment. But they were not just content to make what was already around, they were innovative. They saw a need for a “corn drill” to make corn planting easier and quicker. They worked on their design for 22 years before a patent was awarded for the Campbell Corn Planter in 1859. Despite the patent, the machine still had problems, and out of discouragement, Alexander sold his share of the business to William and James.

It was four years later when the remaining two brothers solved the design problems and began production of their first commercial corn drill. Soon after, James became the sole owner of the business, calling it the James Campbell Manufacturing Company. The original corn drill was adapted for planting small seeds, dropping cotton and for fertilizing.

Let’s fast forward through time. James’ three sons now own the company, and the company has evolved. They expanded their manufacturing to making crucible furnaces for the Ohio Pattern Works and Foundry Company owned by Joseph Hausfeld. The association was so successful, that Hausfeld moved his operation from Cincinnati to Harrison in 1918, and in 1920 the two companies merged and become the Campbell Hausfeld Company, by which it is still known today.

The company diversified its metal castings and later expanded into sprayers for farmers and businesses. But it was in 1940 that a new era for the company began when they entered the air compressor business by purchasing all the patterns, tools, dies and fixtures for the manufacture of the Pressure King Air Compressor.

Over 90 years the company evolved from wagons, to corn planters, to crucible doors to air compressors. The company has continued to add new products, especially a lot of tools and sprayers that can be used with the air compressors.

Today, Campbell Hausfeld air compressors fall into many categories. They make commercial , contractor and residential air compressors, as well as oil-less compressors.

The largest category is the residential Campbell Hausfeld air compressors. These range greatly in price and size, so anyone can find one that works best for their needs. The smallest compressor I could find was 2 gallons, and the largest had a 60 gallon capacity, and of course there was everything in between.

But, regardless of what size or why you need an air compressor (and there are many uses for one of these around your home), you know that with Campbell Hausfeld air compressors you are getting history and quality from a company that has been around for over 150 years.