Portable jump starter and air compressor

[tuff guy]

I am looking for a good quality all in one air compressor, jump starter, power inverter and I came across these two units. I have a 2011 Jeep wrangler unlimited, will either of these be enough amps to start my car if i kill the battery while camping in the middle of nowhere?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cobra-500...Compressor-w-AC-and-DC-Power-Outlets/14526606

http://www.12volt-travel.com/12-vol...air-compressor-amp-power-inverter-p-5531.html

If not, does anyone know of a better unit that will suit my needs? (I really dont want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery).

 

[Treenail]

If the battery is charged. My experience with those kits is that the battery doesn't last very long.

The compressor is about the same size as an aquarium pump...hardly enough to air up a tire...unless you have lots of time.

Check Costco or your local auto parts store. Be sure to buy one that will recharge using your 12v cigarette lighter so you can charge while you drive.

Tom

 

[tuff guy]

I looked at costco online and didnt find anything. Do any of the models you know of have a big enough air compressor to re-inflate tires after hitting the trail?

 

[Treenail]

They will reinflate...but do the math..the whole compressor in those things, motor and head, will fit in your palm. They may build up pressure but the CFM would barely oxygenate a minnow bucket.

 

[tuff guy]

Are there better ones out there? How does everyone else re-inflate their tires?

 

[DGarman]

For an entry-level compressor, the MV-50 from Q industries works well for the price. You can even find them cheaper than this if you look around. It will work way better for airing up than the so-called compressors they put inside the jump starters.

http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-High-Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8

I don't have any experience with jump starters, but I have had good luck with a Battery Brain. It shuts off all current when the battery drops to 11.8 volts or so. There's been a handful of times when it's saved my bacon (I also run the biggest Odyssey battery I can fit). I don't know how they work with a newer vehicle with a lot of electronics, but it's worth checking out.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SMS-331126/

Good Luck,
Dennis

 

[theksmith]

i don't know of any all-in-one unit that has a decent compressor. as already mentioned, the MV-50 (also known as the MF-1050) is $60 at pep boys and is probably the most commonly used entry level off-roader's compressor. you want a compressor that connects directly to your battery terminals and then it's best to run the engine while using it still even. anything that runs the compressor off of a cigarette lighter plug isn't likely to work out well for even stock sized jeep tires.

for emergency jump-starts, i had good luck with the tiny JNC300XL. it is however only a jump-starter, you cannot run any accessories off of it like those larger amp-hour boxes can. though small, it had no problems starting and running my V8 with no other battery connected.

i don't know where you are located, but just keep whatever jumper you buy topped off every few months. the hotter your environment the more often you probably need to top off and the shorter the life-span the box will have. here in Phoenix i used to charge overnight in the house once every 3 months to be safe... could have probably gone longer between charges but didn't want to find out the hard way.

 

[tuff guy]

I live in imperial, ca and it gets very hot here as well. I was trying to avoid buying more than one unit, but if it's the only option then thats what I'll have to do. I'll have to look into that summit racing piece, thanks for the advice

 

[Karma]

HI All,
Over the years I have had 3 or 4 compressors. Each time I bought a more expensive model. But they were all slow and overheated. I've never been impressed. Some of the Australian compressors are well made but they are all relatively small and still slow and get very hot.

So, about two years ago I decided to solve the compressor problem for good. I bought a Warn VTC compressor. Expensive? Yes, about $600, but not really that bad. It all depends on priorities and how pissed off you are at the junk compressors that are out there. I was very pissed.

Now, this is a compressor to brag about. I permanently mounted it inside my Jeep YJ Wrangler on the top lid and toward the front of a Tuffy Storage box that takes up the whole rear of the vehicle. The lid has pneumatic struts to keep it open. I was concerned that the weight of the compressor would overwhelm the struts. But mounting the compressor as close to the hinge line as possible kept the compressor weight from working against the struts. It works fine, better than expected. The lid stays open. The interesting part is the footprint of the winch does not take up much usable space. I just don't load anything on top of it so the cooling fins are not obstructed. But you can if you want as long as you remove it before using the compressor. The fins need to be clear. It kind of looks like a small, aluminum air cooled V4 sitting inside the vehicle. Pretty neat.

This compressor is like going to a gas station for air. It's fast and does not overheat. It is a true luxury after a long, hard day on the trail to be able to air back up so easily and quickly. It is so fast that you will never hesitate to air down because of the hassle of airing up. And you will be able to air up several friends vehicles before other have aired up their own vehicle! I have never been unable to put my hand on the cooling fins. I permanently wired it directly to the battery through the firewall. This is probably necessary as it does draw some current. I love it. My compressor problems are forever solved!

Since each vehicle is different you would have to come up with a good mounting location. Believe me this compressor is worth the effort.

Sparky

 

[ckkone]

These have decent reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-..._8?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1332481697&sr=1-8

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-..._3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1332481697&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J5C09..._5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1332481697&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-840...1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1332481697&sr=1-11