Dave, you can plumb the air lines to accommodate almost any air source, but I would take care of the plumbing in the relative comfort of your driveway rather than wait for an issue on the trail (though I've never had any issue with mine, and overall I think issues are rare). You can even get small, dedicated CO2 tanks to cycle your ARBs as a backup source.
I've always just left the compressor on while on the trail but somebody told me not to. My concern was if the locker disengages while running. Not sure if they can bleed off and disengage??? Seems that wouldn't be good.
When my ARB failed I sure wanted it back while getting out of the area I was in. Probably a freak thing that'll never happen again. It was kind of like the hubs failing and having to try to return with no four wheel drive.
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2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer
Your locker engagement switch should engage the pressure switch in your system so that when the pressure starts to drop below a preset level, the compressor will automatically come back on and repressurize the system well before the locker disengages.
Herb
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SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.
Well when my compressor is off, it's off. On the trail I didn't know what was the problem and where the leak was. With the compressor on and the locker engaged, the compressor was cycling...slower at first then as time went on more and more until it cycled every 10 seconds. That's when I turned it off for good. I worried that the locker would disengage under a heavy load and cause more problems out there in BFE. I didn't want any more trouble so I just tried to get out without it. Luckily I made it. When I got back I found it was the compressor that failed. I didn't (and still don't) know how long the locker would stay engaged W/O the air on.
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2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer
Sportsmobile (AKA Money Pit)
Linear Mode
