On board air?

SolarYellowshortbuss

TJ Enthusiast
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Sep 21, 2022
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Tennessee
I was lookin at getting the SwayLOC antisway system once I have more urgent matters sorted out with my Jeep and I was reading on it but it says I need a air supply with a minimum of 50psi on board which has made me realize I genuinely have no idea how on board air supplies work, I tried looking it up but I have no I no idea what to search it might be glaringly obvious but Im obviously slow so It kinda balances itself out. Thanks in advance
 
This is coming from a guy that has never installed OBA, so take it with a handful of salt… I currently have a portable tankless compressor with alligator clips for mobile tire filling. It’s a few pounds, and if I want to use it, I unroll the cables and air hose, connect it to the battery, connect it to a tire, and flip the switch to turn it on. BRRRRRRR, I’m filling my tire.

OBA works the same way, but it’s integrated: the compressor is installed somewhere in the vehicle, cab or engine compartment. The cables are connected to the battery (or maybe even an aux battery), the switch might be located on the dash, and the air hose is probably routed somewhere convenient like through a hole in one of the bumpers.

OBA might even include a tank for storing compressed air. In that case, there will be a pressure switch that shuts off the compressor when the tank reaches a certain pressure, and a drain/high-pressure bleed valve. And then the air hose would be routed from the compressor to the tank, and then from the tank to the accessories that require air… probably with some regulators to ensure the air is at the correct pressure for those accessories (lockers, BFO air horn, etc.).

EDIT: Thanks, autocorrect…
 
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This is coming from a guy that has never installed OBA, so take it with a handful of salt… I currently have a portable tankless compressor with alligator clips for mobile tire filling. It’s a few pounds, and if I want to use it, I unroll the cables and air hose, connect it to the battery, connect it to a tire, and flip the switch to turn it on. BRRRRRRR, I’m filling my tire.

OBA works the same way, but it’s integrated: the compressor is installed somewhere in the vehicle, cab or engine compartment. The cables are connected to the battery (or maybe even an aux battery), the switch might be located on the dash, and the air hose is probably routed somewhere convenient like through a hole in one of the bumpers.

OBA might even include a tank for storing compressed air. In that case, there will be a pressure switch that shuts off the compressor when the tank hours a certain pressure, and a drain/high-pressure bleed valve. And then the air hose would be routed from the compressor to the tank, and then from the tank to the accessories that require air… probably with some regulators to ensure the air is at the correct pressure for those accessories (lockers, BFO air horn, etc.).

Thank you this is very informative, the indepth explanation of you filling your tire up made the whole thing come full circle for me
 
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IMO it's not worth the potential hassle to have the air operated actuator, do it manually when you air down and when you air up.
 
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X3 on not getting the air actuated sway lock.

For OBA (if you still want it), research a belt driven system; york or sanden. They're not too complicated systems.
 
I put two VIAIRS on my 97 after I installed a Swayloc. Didn't bother with an actuator. Usually if I'm swinging the lever then I'm airing up or down...or should. No point in having more switches.

Still wish they'd make an electric actuator.

-Mac
 
I put two VIAIRS on my 97 after I installed a Swayloc. Didn't bother with an actuator. Usually if I'm swinging the lever then I'm airing up or down...or should. No point in having more switches.

Still wish they'd make an electric actuator.

-Mac
That makes a lot of sense. A lot more folks have ready access to 12VDC than do 50psi. Like... all of them.

EDIT: Without looking into this at all... my guess is that pneumatic actuators can deliver more force for a given weight/bulk. But that requires you to have added the weight of an air system already, so any gain there is vastly offset. It's maybe for another thread, but I'm interested to hear the pros & cons of electric vs pneumatic actuation.
 
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I also wouldn't bother with the air actuated sway lock. I have the sway lock version that you switch manually. It's literally a 2 second lever that you flip. You could do it with one finger. You already going to be out of your Jeep airing down anyway.

Getting the air actuated version would give you an additional point of failure, hard pass.

For OBA, it's definitely something you want. Just depends on how large your tires are and how often you're wheeling. Many like the dual ARB, but that is super expensive. Viair makes many good models that cost less. I have a Puma 3/4 HP, but also have a Viair 400H under the hood as a backup.
 
That makes a lot of sense. A lot more folks have ready access to 12VDC than do 50psi. Like... all of them.

EDIT: Without looking into this at all... my guess is that pneumatic actuators can deliver more force for a given weight/bulk. But that requires you to have added the weight of an air system already, so any gain there is vastly offset. It's maybe for another thread, but I'm interested to hear the pros & cons of electric vs pneumatic actuation.

More fundamentally, ORO's decision to add an option for the pneumatic actuator likely comes from their AirRock air suspension system. The SwayLoc can be integrated into their existing pneumatic system.
 
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I also wouldn't bother with the air actuated sway lock. I have the sway lock version that you switch manually. It's literally a 2 second lever that you flip. You could do it with one finger. You already going to be out of your Jeep airing down anyway.

Getting the air actuated version would give you an additional point of failure, hard pass.

For OBA, it's definitely something you want. Just depends on how large your tires are and how often you're wheeling. Many like the dual ARB, but that is super expensive. Viair makes many good models that cost less. I have a Puma 3/4 HP, but also have a Viair 400H under the hood as a backup.
I mustve skimmed over the page greatly because I thought the air actuator was the only option since thats not the case i really have no reason to get an sort of on board air that aint ym compressor
 
Sounds entirely too complicated. Why not just dial in a set of antirocks and have one less thing to deal with at the trail head? imho antirocks will generally out wheel disco.

[Edit: ] The OP asked about a swaybar system that required an OBA. Yeah I've never looked at a swayloc before today, so thinking it was a disco is on me and I now know more about it, but the additional complication of running ia swayloc via OBA is unwarranted and overly complicated. I stand by that. A motor driven On board air system is so 2004* and adding additional duty cycles to an ARB system isn't ideal either. Keep it simple and light weight. The manual swayloc sounds reasonable though but that was not the "sounds complicated" I was referring to..

*E-impacts and a portable/shared e-compressor is lighter and more practical than a committed OBA. And they still work independent of your motor running. [/Edit ]
 
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I mustve skimmed over the page greatly because I thought the air actuator was the only option since thats not the case i really have no reason to get an sort of on board air that aint ym compressor

Almost no one with a SwayLoc has the pneumatic actuator.
 
I was lookin at getting the SwayLOC antisway system once I have more urgent matters sorted out with my Jeep and I was reading on it but it says I need a air supply with a minimum of 50psi on board which has made me realize I genuinely have no idea how on board air supplies work,

There are manual and air-activated versions of the SwayLoc. Many (most) of us choose the manual version for its simplicity of operation.

As for onboard air, you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. One thing to bear in mind is that you don't need an air tank unless you have a reason to store compressed air for appliances such as air lockers, an air horn, an air-activated SwayLoc, etc. An air tank won't fill tires any faster than a system without an air tank.

Here is mine: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-simple-onboard-air-for-your-tj-viair-400h.10235/


If you would rather have a portable kit, I recommend the Viair 400P when it is on sale. [Track prices on camelcamelcamel.com and set an alert for your target price.]
 
More fundamentally, ORO's decision to add an option for the pneumatic actuator likely comes from their AirRock air suspension system. The SwayLoc can be integrated into their existing pneumatic system.
I'm sure you're right... the 'platform' approach. If they thought people would buy an air-actuated tilting steering-wheel, they'd make one.

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, a forum post is as good as a patent.
 
Sounds entirely too complicated. Why not just dial in a set of antirocks and have one less thing to deal with at the trail head? imho antirocks will generally out wheel disco.

The SwayLoc isn't a disconnect system but a dual rate system that has a stiffer mode for on-road driving & a lighter mode which mimics a AntiRock for off-road.

SwayLOC™ Dual Rate Anti Swaybar System
 
Sounds entirely too complicated. Why not just dial in a set of antirocks and have one less thing to deal with at the trail head? imho antirocks will generally out wheel disco.

The SwayLoc is not complicated at all. The Anti-Rock is aptly described as an "offroad" anti-sway bar. The SwayLoc is dual rate and provides the same benefits an an Anti-Rock when offroad plus a street/highway anti-sway bar with a simple lever to switch between them.

This thread may dispel some of your mistaken beliefs about the SwayLoc:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-swayloc-dual-rate-anti-swaybar-system.46143/
 
The SwayLoc is not complicated at all. The Anti-Rock is aptly described as an "offroad" anti-sway bar. The SwayLoc is dual rate and provides the same benefits an an Anti-Rock when offroad plus a street/highway anti-sway bar with a simple lever to switch between them.

This thread may dispel some of your mistaken beliefs about the SwayLoc:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-swayloc-dual-rate-anti-swaybar-system.46143/

@Wildman already brought me up to speed thank you.