What is a good air compressor? - Page 3

Veg Hed · 09-22-2009, 09:07 AM

So the look for an air compressor has come to a conclusion...After struggling to figure out which compressor would be best for me given my application/price/durability/blah,blah,blah, I decided to see if there was anything on craigslist. There happened to be an Extreme Aire like this one for sale, new still in the box, less than an hour away...

http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi ... 876&pid=30

And it came with the 4 gallon tank:

http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi ... 876&pid=79

And the coil hose, circuit breaker, heavy duty relay, all the valves and just about everything I need to hook it up. The guy bought it last year for his RV, never hooked it up to his RV, sold his old RV, got a new RV that already had an air compressor and the Extreme Aire just sat in his garage for a year. This might be the best score ever on craigslist next to my diesel Mercedes. If I ever get another day off maybe I'll be able to install this thing...

jstanley · 09-22-2009, 11:22 AM

My local SCUBA shop has a great compressor.

I put 40 cf of compressed air in a little steel LP scuba tank, and can go from 25psi to 50 psi on all tires in less than 5 minutes.

I can totally air up all tires at least 5 times per 40 cf tank.

Our last Baja trip we got 4 scuba dives and 3 airs ups from 4 tanks.

Ive got a little compressor that plugs into a 12 volt outlet, but it would take 1 1/2 hours to take all 4 tires from 25 psi to 50.

Angel · 09-28-2009, 06:10 PM

I bought a Viair 10009-X'TREME DUTY Onboard air system which has a 2.0 gal air tank and two 350C model Viair compressors. (Yes, Jake, I can here you saying "overkill") I am very happy with it.

Overland Journal Spring 2008 issue did an air compressor comparison and Craig at Salem Kroger also recommended it. They did an excellent job putting it by my house battery under the SMB. The air pressure gage and access point is next to where I access my propane tank

While camping it stopped working while blowing up the seconded air mattress. Every thing looked perfect including the fuse. I called Salem Kroger and by the time I got home they had me set up to see 4 Wheel Parts in Santa Ana under warranty. They discovered the defective fuse from Viair. and replaced it. I have since emptied and refilled my spair in record time but do not remember the time. I also purchased a spare fuse. Now, I will always replace a fuse if something stops working no matter how perfect the fuse looks. OH, The learning curve is still steep for me.

Angel

Greggd · 09-29-2009, 09:20 PM

Angel ,
Don't forget to periodically drain your Air Tank , this will get rid of any accumulated condensation . This even includes Aluminum Tanks .
Greggde

Angel · 09-30-2009, 01:16 AM

Greggde,

By draining it, do you mean open some sort of valve at the bottom of the tank. Someone said something to me about that. I read the "Compressor Maintenance & Repairs" that came with the compressor and it says nothing about draining anything. I will look at the air tank for a valve. How often do I have to mess with it? I have filled one tire and topped off my tires today. Does it depend on usage or time passed? Thanks for giving me heads up on this.

Angel

Greggd · 09-30-2009, 08:07 AM

Angel ,
On the bottom of your (Compressor Air Storage Tank) you will find a (Small Brass Petcock) that will allow for the discharge of stored air and water .I would (Open )
this upon return from any and all of your extended trips ,especially where you experienced major changes in atmospheric conditions . This preventative maintenance
will prevent the (petcock) from deteriorating and rid your system of any unwanted condensation . The other item that you might check prior to a trip is your (AirLine)
connections .
All of these pumps are subject to overheating and you should make sure that you do not have any air leaks in your system ! All of the above is very straight forward and
will only take a few minutes .
Greggde

**BroncoHauler** · 09-30-2009, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greggde

Angel ,
On the bottom of your (Compressor Air Storage Tank) you will find a (Small Brass Petcock) that will allow for the discharge of stored air and water .I would (Open )
this upon return from any and all of your extended trips ,especially where you experienced major changes in atmospheric conditions . This preventative maintenance
will prevent the (petcock) from deteriorating and rid your system of any unwanted condensation . The other item that you might check prior to a trip is your (AirLine)
connections .
All of these pumps are subject to overheating and you should make sure that you do not have any air leaks in your system ! All of the above is very straight forward and
will only take a few minutes .
Greggde

FYI, so you're not surprised, when I purge any of my air tanks (home compressor, SMB, Bronco) I do get some "rusty" looking water coming out. Hardly desirable, but not unexpected.

Herb

TwinStick · 10-01-2009, 11:04 PM

How about the Warn V-twin comp. ? It sends out 20cfm @ 0psi & 8 cfm @ 90psi, 100psi max, 1 gal tank, don't know about duty cycle though.

Greggd · 10-02-2009, 08:31 AM

Twinstick ,
I have never had any of the Warn Air Compressors so I am unable to comment , I can say that if it as competent as the Warn HD Winch / Air Compressor
that is on my SportsMobile I would suspect that it is prone to heat build up as most small piston type compressors are . I think that it is just the nature of the beast !
Greggde

PatO · 10-03-2009, 03:02 PM

I have the Viair 450P-A. I'm quite satisfied with it. Keep it in a bag and use the clamps to the battery post. 100% duty cycle. Today I balanced my tire pressures after getting new tires yesterday. You really have to check those kids that work in those shops. In 9 minutes I went from 35 to 75#'s on one tire and spent 10 more minutes on the other 3 tires going from about 58 to 75#'s. I fashioned a strap so I don't have to hold the pistol grip. Now to go check and see if they torqued them correctly!