Portable air tanks
There seems to be a generally very strong opinion that the 12 volt air compressors for maintaining tire pressure make (possibly) attractive shelf decorations. We'll be traveling through the American ...
Forum Discussion
rjstractor wrote:DrewE wrote:
Assuming you have a generator, it may be worthwhile instead to look at small 120V air compressors; some of them are about the same size (but not shape) as the portable air tanks. Even without a generator, electric outlets are often easier to come by than compressed air.
I have a Fini AirBoss in my motorhome and it serves the purpose admirably. Lowes (among other places) sells them, at least sporadically, for around $100 give or take, depending on the current sales and whatnot.
A 5 gallon tank filled to, say, 125 psi is not going to put an enormous amount of air into a LT truck tire at 80 psi; it would for sure be less effective than when used for car tires at maybe 30-35 psi.
x2. A 5 gallon tank is completely useless for topping off as large a tire as what your motorhome has. This is obvious to most, but it's worth pointing out that when you hook an air tank to a tire the pressures will equalize. Since a motorhome tire holds much more than "5 gallons" of air, unless you need just a few psi once, a small tank won't work well. Even the slowest 12V compressor will eventually get you to 80 psi if it doesn't burn up first.
Even though it's a good idea to carry a way to air up your tires, if you're needing to air up between fuel stops you have a problem that needs fixing.
My 15# tank is actually CO2 and compressed far beyond the unpressurized volume of the tank. I air up occasionally and have filled G rated tires (110 psi) from near flat (valve failure) more than once. I refill the tank once every couple years.
