Looking for on-board air ideas

Hog said:
I see ur point and I believe it’s valid....there doesn't seem to be a ideal system out there unless you want to spend a grand that will be adequate on the trail or everyday life but there are some options that can work for specific situations... I use to want the warn winch with the air compressor but I don’t think they sell it anymore?.. or it’s got really expensive?
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I agree "real" air systems cost $$$.... I also agree with a ton of the points made in this thread... The solution has to be based on your "needs" & your budget.

I runs (2) Viair 400P RV versions for our SxS / ATV's & airing up for beach runs with no issue, they have been great units. They are not super fast or convenient but I'm usually not in a hurry at the end of the day... & because they are not mounted I can take them in any vehicle / on any trip. They aren't going to run an air tool obviously but as mentioned the newer battery powered tools are incredible. A small inverter will run the battery charger & you can have a Impact, a Drill, a Grinder, etc, etc, etc all portable (oh & a Viair) for less than a OBA setup that can run Air tools efficiently.

Now if money, weight, & space are no problem...in the 12V world.... I also own a Oasis XD3000 continuous duty (100% cycle duty) 12V compressor that I have on my tow rig (8cfm @ 100PSI - no tank) that will break bolts with the correct Impact wrench. It was expensive (& is bad a$$) but when I purchased it the lithium battery powered tools where not an option... It is what all the service / wreckers used if they weren't using gas power. It has faithfully run & done everything I've needed for 12+ years.

But... I love the mobility of the Viair & the battery powered tools... I know some say the battery stuff is expensive (& the good stuff is) but you will use it everywhere& for everything... not just wheeling... just my .02
 
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I own a Viair 400P portable kit. It is a great unit.

It was my experience with the 400P in other vehicles that lead to my choice of a Viair 400H hardmount compressor for the onboard air in my jeep. The compressors in the 400 series have enough capacity to fill two sets of 35" tires from trail pressure to street pressure before duty cycle becomes a consideration which makes them a viable alternative to the slower Viair 450 series with its 100% duty cycle units.
 
I've got an arb twin Compressor, it started life as a portable unit so I also have the arb tank. The big difference I found with the tank was when moving from one tire to another the time wasn't wasted. Without the tank hooked up to the compressor would shut off almost as soon as I let go of the trigger. However with the tank connected the compressor keeps going full tilt filling the tank to start the next tire while I screw with valve caps. If I spark up the compressor when I stop, by the time I have my hoses out and organized the tank is full and ready for the first tire. So in my mind there's a benefit in time saved having a tank even just for tires.

As to mounting location, I used to have mine on the back of the inner fender where it slops down in front of the brake booster. (Metalcloak fenders) after warranting it twice in 2 years I moved it into the cab on a deck in the back and got a small arb to run the locker and away bar. It's been reliable since for the last 4 years, this time I don't think the fault was heat related. The bolt that holds the rod to the crank snapped, previously I had bearing failures. That unit works great but it doesn't seem to like being heat soaked by the exhaust and engine bay.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
 
Drizit said:
I've got an arb twin Compressor, it started life as a portable unit so I also have the arb tank. The big difference I found with the tank was when moving from one tire to another the time wasn't wasted. Without the tank hooked up to the compressor would shut off almost as soon as I let go of the trigger. However with the tank connected the compressor keeps going full tilt filling the tank to start the next tire while I screw with valve caps. If I spark up the compressor when I stop, by the time I have my hoses out and organized the tank is full and ready for the first tire. So in my mind there's a benefit in time saved having a tank even just for tires.

As to mounting location, I used to have mine on the back of the inner fender where it slops down in front of the brake booster. (Metalcloak fenders) after warranting it twice in 2 years I moved it into the cab on a deck in the back and got a small arb to run the locker and away bar. It's been reliable since for the last 4 years, this time I don't think the fault was heat related. The bolt that holds the rod to the crank snapped, previously I had bearing failures. That unit works great but it doesn't seem to like being heat soaked by the exhaust and engine bay.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
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I Mounted an ARB single under the OE spare tire carrier on my wife’s JKUHR. There’s just as much room under the stock TJ carrier.

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I use an 18V battery air compressor from Ryobi around the farm. Almost never use the main shop compressor for day to day life. Its able to fill a soft rear tractor tire easily on a single old style half dead battery. On these new lithium ones it seems to last forever. That way if I have to do any other repair I have the impact, drill, sawszall, etc ready to go too. Have a car recharge and you have air plus a whole lot more.
 
I have a 5000 psi air compressor used for filling ultra high pressure tanks, I have a small 10 cf tank that is rated to 3000 psi, I am just too lazy to get it built up into a useable system. I worry about going out on multiple day trips and not having enough air to fill tires with just a tank, my 5000 psi compressor is mounted to a dolley so it’s not something I would travel with.

Using a bumper as a tank, not a problem for the volume they hold. A good low pressure pump is not cheap either. I did the York thing in the early 90’s. It worked ok for filling tires. I would not use it for air tools without a tank. There are a lot of options out there, you just need to decide to do what is best for your situation. Tim
 
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reddvltj said:
Nice set-up, looks really clean, awesome use of available space.
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Thanks, all the “Store Bought” mounts put it inside under the seat where it drives you crazy or in the way in the engine bay. This is somewhat out of the weather and completely out of the way. Like I was saying, I could get one under the TJ carrier just as easy.
 
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astjp2 said:
I have a 5000 psi air compressor used for filling ultra high pressure tanks, I have a small 10 cf tank that is rated to 3000 psi, I am just too lazy to get it built up into a useable system. I worry about going out on multiple day trips and not having enough air to fill tires with just a tank, my 5000 psi compressor is mounted to a dolley so it’s not something I would travel with.

Using a bumper as a tank, not a problem for the volume they hold. A good low pressure pump is not cheap either. I did the York thing in the early 90’s. It worked ok for filling tires. I would not use it for air tools without a tank. There are a lot of options out there, you just need to decide to do what is best for your situation. Tim
Click to expand...
Thanks Tim
 
astjp2 said:
I have a 5000 psi air compressor used for filling ultra high pressure tanks, I have a small 10 cf tank that is rated to 3000 psi, I am just too lazy to get it built up into a useable system. I worry about going out on multiple day trips and not having enough air to fill tires with just a tank, my 5000 psi compressor is mounted to a dolley so it’s not something I would travel with.

Using a bumper as a tank, not a problem for the volume they hold. A good low pressure pump is not cheap either. I did the York thing in the early 90’s. It worked ok for filling tires. I would not use it for air tools without a tank. There are a lot of options out there, you just need to decide to do what is best for your situation. Tim
Click to expand...
I've got a couple of 4500psi Scott packs and an 88ci paintball tank rated at 4500psi. I'm thinking I'm going to regulate the paintball tank to something reasonable and see if it fills my tires. That way I can leave the Scott pack back at camp in the tow rig to top off the paintball tank.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
 
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If the bumper was used as the air tank then the difficulty of trying to locate a tank, be it a 1/2 gal or bigger, would be moot. Every individual has different goals they are trying to achieve. The length of this post proves that. Just because person A prefers a different system than person B doesn't mean person C needs to be a🐴 about it. Different ideas dont need to be attacked or shouted down.
 
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All the ideas and systems are great, I created this tread to open a discussion to get my mind turning to create a system based on all your ideas. I like putting a tank underneath and possibly mounting the compressor underneath the hood somewhere with the hose coming thru the front of Jeep or opening hood and having it “spring” out from there. Either way I wouldn’t have gotten this far without all talks ideas... Thank you
 
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