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10-05-2014, 12:15 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Durango, CO formerly Seattle
Posts: 177
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On board air question
We seem to spend a lot of time on bumpy, tooth rattling washboard roads. I would love to be able to air down the tires and smooth the ride, so I've been looking at compressors. Seem to be a lot of choices on the market, some with air tanks and some without. Since space is at a premium, I'm wondering what advantage an air tank would give me and is it feasible and practical to air up with with the compressor alone?
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Bardo
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2005 RB-50 5.4L V8 E250 "Blanca"
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10-05-2014, 12:26 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 468
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Re: On board air question
I did not add an air tank. A 2lb tank would only help with the first tire. I went with the ARB Dual to save space. The details are in my build tread. It takes about ten min for me to air up from 40 to 65. That is getting out of the truck and airing up all 4 tires.
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TexGX
2003 7.3PSD RB50 Quigley (The Yeti)
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13220
2006 Casita (Makes it a three bedroom 1 and 1/2 bath)
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10-05-2014, 12:37 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Preston, ID
Posts: 1,213
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Re: On board air question
ARB dual pumps are terrific. I ran the intakes to an air filter behind the fuel door that I open to provide relatively cool air. No overheating issues thus far.
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10-05-2014, 01:55 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Turlock Ca
Posts: 10,409
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Re: On board air question
I had a tank put in because I have rear air bags. A tank helps supply a high short burst of air such as when using air tools. And no, I don't carry air tools.
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2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer
Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures.......... On and off road adventures
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10-05-2014, 04:47 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Arcata, CA
Posts: 623
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Re: On board air question
I just carry a 10# CO2 tank and fixed 100# regulator. It takes my large 315/75R16 tires from 35 to 60lbs about 4 times on a tank. That's enough for most trips.
The tank can be refilled at welding supply, fire extinguisher supply, and beverage supply shops. I filled it in Denver once at a paint ball range.
It's handy to have at home too, for the other vehicles and bicycles.
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2002 E350 7.3 PSD
Quigley 4x4, EB50 floorplan
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10-05-2014, 10:46 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Durango, CO formerly Seattle
Posts: 177
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Re: On board air question
Thanks Viejo, I'll look into the CO2 option. It's great to have choices.
I was thinking of going with the portable ARB compressor. This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P9A35E/ref ... 6EN2N610G4
It would be nice to plug it into the 12V cigarette lighter power source I already have outside the barn doors, rather than clip it onto the battery every time. Am I correct in suspecting that the 12V cigarette lighter power sources that SMB installed are probably not robust enough for the power draw of a compressor?
__________________
Bardo
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2005 RB-50 5.4L V8 E250 "Blanca"
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10-06-2014, 09:07 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,012
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Re: On board air question
The key things to look at
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgrimm
Thanks Viejo, I'll look into the CO2 option. It's great to have choices.
I was thinking of going with the portable ARB compressor. This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P9A35E/ref ... 6EN2N610G4
It would be nice to plug it into the 12V cigarette lighter power source I already have outside the barn doors, rather than clip it onto the battery every time. Am I correct in suspecting that the 12V cigarette lighter power sources that SMB installed are probably not robust enough for the power draw of a compressor?
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That's a nice unit, exactly half the performance of their twin compressor (=twice the amount of time to fill tires). The key metric to look for is CFM (cubic feet per minute) at various PSI ranges. That one puts out 3.08 CFM at 0 PSI and 2.34 at 29 PSI. For comparison purposes the twin compressor puts out 6.16 and 4.68 respectively.
Amperage is key to making these compressors run at a maximum output. You'll need more than a cigarette lighter to make it hum. Attaching the clips directly to the battery is best. 14.2 amps at 0 PSI and 25.2 at 29 PSI. Guessing it will pull about 45 amps at 65 PSI.
Tech specs for all their compressors can be seen here.
http://store.arbusa.com/Assets/PDF/c...ifications.pdf
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2006 E350 6.0PSD 5R110, SMB 4X4, RB-50, ARB lockers front/rear, Aluminess galore, AMP steps.
Callsign KK6GIY
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10-06-2014, 10:38 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Santa Maria, CA
Posts: 586
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Re: On board air question
I've had good luck with Viair compressors. They have their "P" line of portable units (carrying case, hose, sand tray, alligator clips) with a max flow of 3cfm and some with 100% duty cycle. The automatic shutoff feature is nice so you don't have to listen to the thing run while you reroute your hose and move to the next tire. I bought their 450C (they have MUCH higher performance models now) 10 years ago and it still works fine. Everyone I know that has airbagged cars/trucks uses Viair air systems with no complaints. http://viaircorp.com/portables.html
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10-06-2014, 10:11 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,061
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Re: On board air question
I use the on-board ExtremeAir (3/4HP, with 2 gallon tank) that came with my 2004 Sportsmobile.
It takes me about 30 minutes to air up all four tires from about ~30 to ~50 psi. Airing up from lower pressure (aired down for sand) isn't significantly slower -- it's those top ten PSI from 40 to 50 that take most of the time.
I usually just let the ExtremeAir pump fill the 2-gallon tank, and then put all that air into a tire at once. Each tire takes about 1½ tankfuls when airing up. I keep the van's engine running (recommended to me) for peak pump voltage.
This is with my 305/70R16 tires. My old 285/75R16 tires were noticeably quicker to air up.
-- Geoff
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10-08-2014, 02:47 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,716
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Re: On board air question
Extreme aire here too. About 6-8 min each tire from 35 to 60 psi. Pain in the ass. Glad I'm not the only one that gets sunburn waiting for the tires to fill.
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