On board air supply
 

The next couple of weeks I will be building an on board air supply so that I can air down on trails and air back up without having to drive to a gas station.

I plan on two small piggy back air tanks connected to a small compressor and a 30 ft retractable hose reel.

I have the tanks, reel, fitting, just curious about a good dependable compressor. Keep in mind I need something small and as light as possible.

Any ideas?

Sounds a bit complex... Why go through all that when you can just get a small air compressor from an auto parts store that runs off of the 12v socket?

yeah i agree with winks... you can get one of those mini air compressors that hook up to your 12v... and if youre lucky you can find one with a built in flashlight and radio!! ;o)

You can get a PowerTank filled with CO2. If I remember correctly it'll fill a 33" from 10psi to 30psi in 30 seconds or something. Basically the fastest fill time you can get. TRS has more info on onboard air tho.

Because they take forever :wink:

look for a high volume pump
preferably one with a cooling fan
small compressor manufacturers seem to be in a pressure war
not much good for low pressure high volume truck tires
good high volume air pumps are out there, but will run around $100

PS - don't bother with a retractable hose as I am sure it will fubar
just get some good hose that you can coil and throw in the bed
a small compressor that can keep fill two tanks filled is a good idea
that set up will take some space up though depending on the tank size

I would not be against trying a 12 volt compressor to compliment the tanks. It is cheap enough to try. I have no offroad experience, but is the tank on it's own not enough to fill the tires without a compressor attached?

You can get yourself a Viair 450... 100% duty cycle, and for rougly around 175 bux... Or, you can look into a scuba type setup... How about using the AC Compressor?

You can make something simular to the "PowerTank" for about $60-$100, using an old CO2 Tank from a beverage dispenser, and a constant pressure regulator... I have one that I use for my Keg-a-rator and my tires with a quick disconnect, and it works great. In addition to 2 kegs worth of beer dispensing, I've aired down to 12psi, and filled my 31's 4 times so far and the tank is still about 1/2 full. Refilling the tank is about $12 at any welding store. Dis-advantage is that you can't run tools really, but your can't do that well with just two small(ish) tanks either. Tools require a good compressor.

I usually drop my tires to about 12-8 psi when off-roading and one tank might just be enough for one tire. That's when I had my 31x10.5 now I have 33x12.5 and a lot more volume to fill.

I have one of those portable 12volt jumper sets with a built in compressor.

one of these but with a compressor built in

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho...99/38391-t.gif

I was going to do the same so I looked in to the air compressors that semis have and an air tank because they use air tools and every thing off those but the down side is that they have to run off a belt drive off the motor.

i have a viair compressor on my turbo diesel ram 2500

it has a 100% duty cycle and i mounted an accumulator tank underneath the truck

works great...though it takes a while to air up to 70 psi (I tow a 9000 lb toybox)

if you dont plan on using your a/c you can do this


http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tonyc/jeep1/OBAIR3.html

I have an InterDynamics TruckAir compressor. It works and it'll run a long time without overheating (hours). It's faster than those tiny things, but to go from 10 psi to 30 psi on my 35x12.4x15's takes about 10 minutes per tire. Seems like forever when you're waiting, lol.

my vote is VIAR 480. its reasonably smally, very quite, and 200psi. and i believe its 100% duty cycle also. stay away from Thomas 337 compressors, or firestone ones... they are slow, loud, probally a 33% duty cycle, and they SUCK(i had one on my bagged f150)

wow, your diggin up a lot of old stuff.

no ones mentioned ARB yet? or are they over priced?

as for the tanks, im thinking of buying 2 tanks and putting them under the bed attached to the frame. well between the frame and body.. maybe?

either a few small tanks like this,
http://4wheelparts.com/4wp/products/...ories&man=QUIC

or two of those 5-10gal tanks from autozone, then running a hose between them, one to the compressor and line for the output...
just my idea, i have also seen roll cages sealed up and used as a tank, and bumpers sealed up and used as air tanks.. but i dont trust my fab skil enuf for that yet

haha, i dont mean to add to these old dug up posts, but thats pretty funny :laughing:

im gonna go purpose built compressor... no need for other bulky stuff...

as for that AC compressor mod.. is there a way to mount a second compressor in the truck? just get a longer belt?

umm i think the belt wouldnt be an issue, its just more tha space to put another compressor that becomes the issue, if you have the space then i dont see why you cant get a custom belt made up..??

and i work at autozone, no need to get a "custom belt" just like when people do underdrive pulleys. u just buy a diff size, im in no way concerned about getting a belt, just mounting it

idk about anyone else.. but i live in Texas... u must have AC... if i had a jeep it would b another story, is there a way to mount a second AC compressor?