Under bed air tank

[Dave]

I'm looking for ideas on where to mount a small air tank under the bed of my Tacoma. Currently I have no plans to relocate the spare tire, so that will need to be worked around.

I have a few places in mind, my favorite being on top of hitch between the stock bumper and spare. I tested fitted a larger 2.5 gallon tank there last night, but a tank that size interferred with the PITA crank for lowering the spare. Another thought was in front of the spare tire, but I ran out of day light and was not able to test that spot last night.

 

[Dave]

Did some more looking around under there and I think I found a spot if the hitch doesn't work out.

 

[flyingwil]

You should be just fine in the passenger side rear corner behind the wheel well. Wouldn't that work?

 

[Dave]

That's a good idea that I had completely overlooked, but it might be somewhat vulnerable. I didn't take any measurements, but it almost looks like the tank might hang below the sheet metal towards the tail end of the bed. The main reason I want to mount it on top of the hitch is that it would be protected and hidden for the most part.

If that doesn't work,, my next option is to bolt it to the bottom of the bed in front of the wheel well on the driver side. The same spot on the passenger side is also an option, but I want to avoid running air lines near the exhaust if possible.

 

[flyingwil]

I have also seen others mount it on the inside of the frame rails and made skid plates for the tanks. I not sure if that is an option too.

 

[Scott Brady]

I will watch this with interest. I need to mount a small tank too...

 

[michaelgroves]

Don't forget, you are mounting a small bomb, at 150PSI. I have no data on this, but I wouldn't want to be around if it gets ruptured at pressure. It'd be fun to experiment, though

 

[flyingwil]

Here is some other options, this guy used tanks robbed them off an old compressor. Check with the place that does warranty repairs for Home Depot, they destroy compressors and tanks they can't fix but might give you a couple if you ask nicely. He says that they fit in front of his 33" spare.

 

[Dave]

Michael, I'll only be running 105 PSI max for now, but trust me that thought has crossed my mind. There will be a safety valve.

Wil, I saw that guys pictures on TTORA. Very slick set up! I think he must be running a body lift or something. On my truck, there's only a couple inches clearance between that crossmember and the bed.

I'll be sure to post a write up on the overall install once my parts arrive. Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Dave]

I was able to test fit the small Viair one gallon tank last night. It looks like it would mount to top of my Hidden Hitch fine, but after test fitting it to the bottom of the bed in front of the driver side rear wheel well, I think this is where it will go. It'll tuck up between the bed and the frame rail with plenty of clearance in front of the gas tank, which puts it out of the way and protected, but accessible at the same time.

Also, it will fit where Wil suggested (behind the wheel well on the bottom of the bed) and will not hang lower then the sheet metal. So if you have an aftermarket bumper that protects this area, that is also an option.

I just got word that the rest of the parts I needed for the install will not arrive until Friday, so that's what I'll be doing this weekend.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Here is a link to some very cool tanks that i have used a lot in the past, they even come with mounting tabs:

http://www.kilbyenterprises.com/tanks.htm

and

 

[Brian McVickers]

What is the benefit to a tank of this size?
How many 33" tires can you fill with it if you start with 105lb of pressure?
Can you use it for air tools?

Thanks

Learning!

 

[Dave]

Here is a link to some very cool tanks that i have used a lot in the past, they even come with mounting tabs:

http://www.kilbyenterprises.com/tanks.htm

I do like those and I hear Kilby is a great company. All my fittings, hoses, and my manifold set to arrive on Friday are Kilby.

Here's another small tank option that I wish I would have found before I ordered my Viair tank. Small size, but still has four ports! I may still change to this tank down the road since it has a downward pointing port that would be perfect for a drain.

http://www.truckspring.com/firestone-1-gallon-air-tank-9244.html

What is the benefit to a tank of this size?

With my existing setup, I doubt there is much of a benefit. It might be useful in the future if I have an air actuated locker since it would keep my 33% duty cycle compressor from running nearly every time the locker was engaged. The more I thought about it, the more I realized a tank is probably not needed but it was already ordered and shipped so I'll go ahead and install it.

How many 33" tires can you fill with it if you start with 105lb of pressure?

Dunno, probably not many just off the tank.

Can you use it for air tools?

Like I said, my compressor is rated for only 33% duty cycle, so the system is not really set up for air tools from the git-go. I'm mainly going to use it air up tires once back to pavement or after a puncture has been repaired with a plug.

One thing I've been curious about, do air tanks on civilian or non-commercial vehicles raise suspicions at border crossings? The reason I ask is because a friend was taking a handful of C02 tanks to be refilled and had to pass through a tunnel near our airport at the time of a heightened security alert. He said the gaurds were a little antsy about all the canisters.

 

[asteffes]

Do these small tanks really help much? They're too small to run an impact ratchet, and I don't see two or three gallons of air going very far when inflating tires (at least, my 2.5 gallon tank never lasted long at autocross or track events!)

 

[BajaTaco]

I don't have a spare under my Tacoma any longer, but I have an auxiliary fuel tank in it's place. I mounted a small air tank in front of the fuel tank. It would probably easily fit with a tire there though. I use it to store air for my ARB air locker (front diff). More details here.