Good size for a "small" air tank?

[The Adam Blaster]

Hey everyone,

I've got a '98 XJ and I just recently had an ARB front locker installed, and the little ARB compressor as well.
The compressor was installed in the spot where the stock spare tire normally gets mounted, on the driver's side. I talked with the installer about this issue and preferred that the comp. stay inside the vehicle rather than under the hood to keep it cleaner, and hopefully extend its life that much longer.
I'm going to make a shroud for the comp. to protect it from any shifting cargo back there, but I was thinking it would be nice to have a smallish air tank to hold more air, and possibly run some low-volume air tools. I'm mostly thinking it would be nice to have my air-impact gun for changing tires rather than doing it all by hand on the trail if I happen to get a flat.

I'm thinking a great place to mount the tank would be right on the window sill just above the tank. It would have a very short run of air line, and the whole setup would be in one place, which I like.

So, considering the space in the area I want to mount the tank, what would you guys think is the best size for this application? And if there are any relatively inexpensive products out there that would work well for this setup, please let me know.

EDIT: Editing for lack of use of the "h" key in the word "the". I'm about ready to pitch this work keyboard out the window...

 

[alexfm]

I havent done it yet, but Im thinking about getting 3-5 gallon tank for my XJ. The real problem is finding a tank that is long and skinny, at least for me, as that is all that I could fit in my rig. Im thinking about looking for the smalled tanks off of a semi, but Im not sure if that'll pan out. Just my 2¢.

 

[Martyn]

IMO a 3 gallon tank is about minimum if you are thinking of power tools.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I think the space between the rear most pillar (D-pillar I believe) and the seatbelt for the rear seat is probably no more than 24", so the space is very limited there. Even though I'm not using the rear seat right now, I don't want to completely eliminate my ability to use it in the future.
Alternatively, if I don't mount the tank there, I was thinking of mounting it to the ceiling in some fashion. I would prefer a single tank, but if it were 2 small/skinny tanks the ceiling is a pretty ideal place seeing as how it is wide open and not utilized whatsoever for storage purposes.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I found this stuff, but it won't let me isolate the one item I'm interested in and show that on a page by itself... weird...

http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-systems/65A3203A0A0.aspx

The one I like is the black one rated at 200 psi. It's only $4.50 more than the silver tank rated at 150psi, and it's already painted black for me.
The dimensions look pretty good, I may still go with 2, and then I'd have a total of 5 gallons of stored air, adn the price really isn't that bad.

But if anyone has seen anything cheaper with similar specs, please let me know!

 

[Albin]

Two alternatives, if they'll fit: https://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?catname=air&keyword=ATT1

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Keep in mind the ARB compressor shuts off at 100psi. Not enough to successfully run much in the way of air tools no matter how large the tank.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Keep in mind the ARB compressor shuts off at 100psi. Not enough to successfully run much in the way of air tools no matter how large the tank.

I'm curious where you found this info?
I just tried looking on ARB's site and couldn't find that particular spec.
I'm not arguing about the number, just want to know where it is listed?

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Nevermind Phil, don't bother answering that.
I just walked out to the Jeep and looked at the compressor adn there's a little label on it saying that it turns on at 70psi and off at 100psi.

 

[Black Dog]

Is there any reason why you couldn't use an old scuba tank? Scuba tanks are a lot like climbing ropes and if they don't pass inspection they can't be used any more even though they are probably perfectly fine. Not sure how much capacity it would be but its the right physical size you are looking for. An old welding gas bottle might work too.

 

[BobA]

I saw various size tanks on amazon.com

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Is there any reason why you couldn't use an old scuba tank? Scuba tanks are a lot like climbing ropes and if they don't pass inspection they can't be used any more even though they are probably perfectly fine. Not sure how much capacity it would be but its the right physical size you are looking for. An old welding gas bottle might work too.

Actually, that size is a bit bigger than I would want inside. I've got a full size power tank now, and it's too big to store easily in the back of the XJ.

I just found out that the ARB compressor that I've got turns off at 100psi, so it's definitely not ideal for running air tools, even in combination with an air tank or two.

So at this point, I'm thinking that if I want to really run tools off of this setup, I'll have to get a higher rated compressor. That may be in the future and maybe I can get the tanks now, and later plumb in a second compressor?
So getting the tanks in the near future isn't a bad idea, and I'll be able to use them later.
I'm still looking for a good tank or two, so keep posting up the suggestions.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I saw various size tanks on amazon.com

I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[K2ZJ]

Is there any reason why you couldn't use an old scuba tank? Scuba tanks are a lot like climbing ropes and if they don't pass inspection they can't be used any more even though they are probably perfectly fine. Not sure how much capacity it would be but its the right physical size you are looking for. An old welding gas bottle might work too.

Size and weight, the connections, you have one in/out. Mounting, these come with tabs on them. Quick thoughts.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I would rethink the notion of running air tools with that small compressor. It takes alot of air to run them for more than a brief moment. I have an $800 12v compressor from commercial use that barely will run an impact for 5 lug nuts with a 2.5 gal tank. I recommend a 12v impact gun if you want for tires-may work better for you. Adding even a 1 gal. tank will help you, but the ARB compressor will still be working hard to even keep that full.