Air compressor for lockers and inflating tires

Jake kozlowski

TJ Enthusiast
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Feb 17, 2018
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Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, AK, USA
Looking into compressors to do be dual purpose. currently looking at the ARB CKMA12, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F49NP0/?tag=wranglerorg-20 . Seems like it can do all i need it to.

I also saw this new compressor, G2 70-AC1, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078216T4L/?tag=wranglerorg-20 but with little to no info on its capabilities. From the looks of it, it wont be able to inflate tires...

As for other compressors. Is it a extreme task to make them work for lockers? The arb just looks like plug and play for lockers/air. Not looking to run an air tank any time soon.

Currently I run the oreilys special just to inflate my tires after a trail ride, but will have an ARB locker going in next month!
 
I plan on running that ARB. I know @tomtaylz and several others run it as well. It works for both lockers and inflating tires as I understand.
 
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What lockers are you wanting to run with this air compressor?
 
At a minimum i will be running 1 for the rear. I would love to run a locker up front but I will see where my build takes me.
I'll assume ARB lockers and not TJ Rubicon. One requires 100psi while the other absolutely cannot exceed 5psi.

Buy a compressor for your tires and use it. When you get around to the lockers, you can figure out if you want a second single purpose compressor or not.
 
I'll assume ARB lockers and not TJ Rubicon. One requires 100psi while the other absolutely cannot exceed 5psi.

Buy a compressor for your tires and use it. When you get around to the lockers, you can figure out if you want a second single purpose compressor or not.

It will be an ARB air locker in the rear. Im looking into it now since it will be installed next month.
 
I can only speak as to airing up. I run auto lockers at the moment. I have an ARB single(link you posted) mounted under my hood and it performs great airing up 35" tires. I bought it off a buddy, slightly used at a great price in anticipation of my next front axle/locker build.

I run about 9-10 psi on the trail and air up usually to 28 psi for the street. I've never timed it, but it's decently fast, and has never overheated like my prior auto parts store brands. Retail can be pricey on it compared to other parts store brands.
 
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I use that arb compressor as well. With 35" tires it takes between 4 and 5 minutes a tire to air up.(at the higher elevations here in Colorado). 5psi-25psi. so if you don't mind a 20 minute fill up it works. I use it only for running my lockers, and still use a co2 setup for airing up tires.
 
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I plan on running that ARB. I know @tomtaylz and several others run it as well. It works for both lockers and inflating tires as I understand.
The arb will not work with your stock rubi lockers. The psi on the arb will destroy them the first time you plug them in. From what I have gathered it is extremely difficult and expensive to get the pressure low enough (consistently) to run factory lockers. Tom runs the dual arb and I run the single compressor. The double will inflate each tire (35s from 12-25 psi) in about 1.5 min while the single will inflate in around 2 min a tire. I have filled up 8 tires in a row with mine without any downtime.
 
The arb will not work with your stock rubi lockers. The psi on the arb will destroy them the first time you plug them in. From what I have gathered it is extremely difficult and expensive to get the pressure low enough (consistently) to run factory lockers. Tom runs the dual arb and I run the single compressor. The double will inflate each tire (35s from 12-25 psi) in about 1.5 min while the single will inflate in around 2 min a tire. I have filled up 8 tires in a row with mine without any downtime.

Good to know, this is something I wasn't aware of!
 
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I use that arb compressor as well. With 35" tires it takes between 4 and 5 minutes a tire to air up.(at the higher elevations here in Colorado). 5psi-25psi. so if you don't mind a 20 minute fill up it works. I use it only for running my lockers, and still use a co2 setup for airing up tires.

I see scuba tanks used a lot lately. Is that mostly for everyone airing back up? Or do people use that for lockers as well? I'm sure I missed something here.

If it's CO2 is there not some carbonic acid formed in the tire after awhile or anything or just too insignificant?
 
For those with factory Rubicon lockers, the typical arrangement is to retain the factory air pumps either in the original location or relocated into the engine bay, and then use a separate compressor or CO2 tank for airing up tires. I have the factory Rubicon lockers with factory air pumps and a Viair 400H under the hood for airing up tires. See: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-simple-onboard-air-for-your-tj-lj-viair-400h.10235/

For ARB lockers the ARB compressors (single or dual) can be used for both the lockers and airing up tires. One can use another brand such as Viair to do the same thing, but ARB makes it very easy to mate their compressors to their lockers in terms of fittings and plumbing. Also, due to their relatively small size it is often easier to find a location for the ARB compressors under the hood than other options.

What doesn't work, as noted above, is trying to use an ARB or Viair compressor to activate the factory lockers. It can theoretically be done with the right regulators and some fail safes, but why bother?
 
I see scuba tanks used a lot lately. Is that mostly for everyone airing back up? Or do people use that for lockers as well? I'm sure I missed something here.

If it's CO2 is there not some carbonic acid formed in the tire after awhile or anything or just too insignificant?
Co2 tanks work well for airing up tires because the regulators are usually 150 psi. I can air up from 5 to 25psi in about 45 sec. Per tire. I don't know anyone that uses them to run air lockers. You can run air tools off a co2 bottle with an adjustable pressure regulator
 
Picture of your setup? What parts are needed to get air to the locker?
Here is a photo showing my air distribution manifold. The gauge on the right is on a regulator that lowers the air pressure to 90psi for the lockers. The one on the left show what I have in the tank. The pump air goes to the tank then from the tank it goes into the manifold. The manifold has the pressure cutoff switch to turn off the compressor. And it has a 165psi blowout valve. On the end is a coupler for the air hose to run an impact or air up tires. The pump intake hose goes through the firewall inside cab and has filter on it.

air distribution 1.jpg


airpump 1.jpg
 
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oh and one thing to know the ARB air switches are metric, so you need adapters to mate up to the NPT in the regulator.