On Board Air

[Harmgrissom]

Ok this may seem like an easy question and I don't mean to seem like a dunce. But what is the "easiest" way of carrying air in case of flats or having to lower tire pressure etc?

I ask because I know a lot of the smaller cigarette lighter air compressors just plain stink. Past experience has made me wary of them. Certainly if there is a new production one I ought to consider then by all means I'm happy to do so.

Obviously a full on air compressor shop size would be inappropriate and while the ARB or WARN (whomever makes it) winch/compressor/recover/bumper/bull bar is epicallyaweseomesauce - its also got a price tag to match.

And then of course there's old school, the Compressed Air Tanks like so:http://http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=pressurized+air+tank&hl=en&cid=11443860878036361098&ei=FSbDTfHgOYnUwwX2iryYBQ&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p

Granted they take up space, but they are, in my limited experience, reliable. And again IMHO they are light. Maybe toss them onto a roof-rack?

So some help steering me to the right area? Thanks all.

 

[Desert Dan]

Some portable and hard mount electric air compressor units are out there.
If hard mounted you can add a tank to have more volume at the ready.
Things to look for are CFM, PSI and Duty Cycle.
Consider your use and tire size too.

There are also aircomprssors that use an AC pump to provide the compressed air


Check out these. There are others too!

Extreame Outback
http://www.extremeoutback.com/

VIVAIR
http://www.viaircorp.com/

Warn

 

[theksmith]

best deal going for serious air is the Puma - search ebay for "puma 12v"

if you don't have very large tires (under 31"), then many have had great success with the Master Flow MV50 or similiar (available at cotsco sometimes and pep-boys) also amazon/ebay/etc: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-Hi--Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304641901&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Q Industries MV50 SuperFlow Hi-Volume Air Compressor: Automotive[/ame]

i used one of those MV50 for years with my cherokee on 31's without problem. i then tried to hard-mount 2 of them and they died within a year (not liking the elements). also some people have luck with harbor freight stuff.

extreme air is the king of 12v compressors. viair is good quality, but overpriced for the specs IMO. warn has the winch/compressor combo that could be nice if you are in the market for both. then there is oasis or kilby for engine powered which is king of it all.

deffinately don't buy anything that hooks to the lighter, you need clamps to go direct to battery for a "real" compressor!

 

[Martyn]

AT has a full video series on air for vehicles. It is very comprehensive and should provide you with answers to all of your questions.

 

[Metcalf]

One more vote for the mv-50. Dollar for dollar I still haven't seen anything that will compare. They take a little longer if you have BIG tires, and you should probably it cool down if you have really big tires. Its one of the best $70 I ever spent. It has saved my bacon more than once....

 

[Ludedude]

I had an MV-50, it was OK with the 31s on my Jeep. Just OK, meaning it still took 20 minutes to air up. It kicked the bucket on me and I replaced it with a dual cylinder model from Overland Warehouse. It was faster than the MV-50 but still a giant pain in the *** listening to the racket and it did overheat on more than one occasion in the Vegas summer. Still works fine but not really significantly different than the MV-50.

I just installed a 20lb CO2 system in the truck. ~30 secs per tire to air my 32s from 20 psi to 45 psi (E load rated). No muss, no fuss, no noise. It has enough juice to run air tools as well. I figure I probably have to fill it once a year if that. On long trips I'll pack the compressor as a backup (can't ever be too safe out here) but there's no comparing CO2 to most of the mobile compressors with the exception of something like an Oasis setup.

Pics: http://www.lasvegashikes.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=22

 

[Harmgrissom]

Thanks for the information guys - lot of research to do - gonna just start w oasis & kilby. Ludedude can you direct me to more info on your CO2 setup? Sounds very cool.

 

[off-roader]

Thanks for the information guys - lot of research to do - gonna just start w oasis & kilby. Ludedude can you direct me to more info on your CO2 setup? Sounds very cool.

I've had the MV50, ARB, and 10 & 15lbs CO2 air sources for filling my 35x12.5x15 tires from ~10 or 12psi to 25-28psi.

@ ~$100, the ARB was pretty reliable and has spare parts available but simply takes a long, long time and in many occasions had to cool down to complete all 4 tires when used in 70-95 degree ambient temps.

@ ~$75, the MV50 (2.5cfm) was also pretty reliable and has far better speed when airing up compared to most other compressors others had running (with the exception of $$$ units). IIRC, it took ~30 minutes to air up. I only had to let it cool down when airing up multiple rigs. That said, it did not like the sand it ingested at Pismo when the supplied filter broke off (my fault... too much off road hang time :Wow1::sombrero.

@ ~$175, my home brew liquid CO2 tanks & regulators have worked very well but it concerns me that I could run out of it on the trail and not be able to air up. That said, a 10lbs bottle will air up quite a few sets of tires. My 15lbs bottle will fill up quite a bit more! Also there's enough cfm flow that you can use them to run air tools if needed. IIRC Powertank's website shows you how many tires you can expect to air up depending on the size of the tank.

Currently I plan on buying either the MV90 (3.7cfm @ ~$140 or the Q89 (3.17cfm @ ~$100) before my next trip or I run out of CO2. Sorry, I don't recall the duty cycle of either compressor.

 

[Scoutn79]

I don't know what vehicle you drive but in my mind a converted York long stroke A/C compressor is the best way to go. Variable output via engine rpm, you will always have plenty of air not tanks to leak down and under $100 if you source the parts and do the work yourself.
For my application and my vehicle it is the best choice IMHO.
You may want to look into one of those setups before you buy.
Darrell

 

[4x4x4doors]

@ ~$175, my home brew liquid CO2 tanks & regulators have worked very well but it concerns me that I could run out of it on the trail and not be able to air up. That said, a 10lbs bottle will air up quite a few sets of tires. My 15lbs bottle will fill up quite a bit more! Also there's enough cfm flow that you can use them to run air tools if needed. IIRC Powertank's website shows you how many tires you can expect to air up depending on the size of the tank.

I've got a homebrew 20 lb. bottle. It takes up quite a bit of space. If you use it to run air tools, remember gloves. Impact wrench with frost on it is a b**** to hold on to.

 

[off-roader]

I've got a homebrew 20 lb. bottle. It takes up quite a bit of space. If you use it to run air tools, remember gloves. Impact wrench with frost on it is a b**** to hold on to.

Agreed, it def takes up a lot of space and because it's cylindrical and tall it's not always easy to store.

Gloves are definitely a requirement with either a compressor or CO2 (ever take disconnect the QR fitting at the compressor when its still hot? :Wow1:

Besides, we should all carry gloves as a standard item when wheeling. I carry 2 pairs of leather gloves (one's a backup cause stuff happens off road), some warm cotton/wool gloves, & a quart sized ziplock bag of nitrile gloves (thank you Harbor Freight).:smiley_drive:

 

[Harmgrissom]

Now when you guys are talking a homebrew CO2 setup would you mind explaining for the permanently slow amongst us?

 

[Ludedude]

Thanks for the information guys - lot of research to do - gonna just start w oasis & kilby. Ludedude can you direct me to more info on your CO2 setup? Sounds very cool.

They're available off the shelf from many reputable off-road vendors.

See here: http://www.offroadair.net/hyper2.html
And here: http://powertank.com/

My setup is a 20lb Catalina bottle with custom sourced components like a Sterling 400 psi adjustable regulator and Winters liquid filled gauge. The bracket and coiled hose are from The Source (Offroad Air), the tire inflator is a cheapie ARB from Wil at Sierra Expeditions.

 

[4x4x4doors]

@ off roader: Having gloves and remembering to use them are not always the same thing (at least for me!) :Wow1:

My homebrew setup includes a 20# used bottle (with current certification) off FleaBay (about $50 plus shipping which was probably $30 as those suckers are heavy). Local welding supply shop takes your empty and gives you their full one for $27 last time I did it. Bought a regulator there. They had two styles, I went with the $75 one not fully appreciating the added convenience of the $85 one which had knobs for adjusting the regulator instead of a screw.

As noted, PepBoys, AdvAuto, etc will sell a tire inflator/hose/gadget pack for less than $20. That plus my impact wrench fit into a small ammo box.

I later bought a 20# bottle mounting ring which I attached to the across the bed box in the back of my pickup and then moved to the bedside when I went to the cap. Don't recall the cost on it but mountiing will vary so much for different apps.

The 20# bottle presents mounting obstacles largely because of the height so it doesn't fit under tonneau covers or inside a lot of stuff.

My setup is about $150 total. It's big enough you don't feel stingy with using it and thus can inflate your buddy or run a wrench without worrying about how you're going to fill up at trail's end. I generally figure about 25-30 vehicles' worth. For me, that's easily a year with filling others and me.

 

[maxama10]

one more vote for the mv-50. Dollar for dollar i still haven't seen anything that will compare. They take a little longer if you have big tires, and you should probably it cool down if you have really big tires. Its one of the best $70 i ever spent. It has saved my bacon more than once....

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