Portable Compressor for Air Bags

A agree that a regular manual bicycle pump is plenty - they don't hold much air, and a couple of pumps does the trick. I had a regular manual one for the bikes, and I just bring that along. I also have a decent 12v compressor I use for the tires, but it is hardy worth getting it out and setting it up for the air bags ....

On my last truck I used a compressor from a Buick ride leveling system. Had it mounted on a tray in the pass side rear wheel well. A very durable little compressor.

I also ran a pair of lines from the license plate to each side and taped off the ends near the bags to keep them clean. These were a backup system in case of a failure on the compressor side, never used them.

thirtydaZe wrote:
I had originally asked about a compressor install, but they were talking big mo ey in just labor. I said forget about it. About a week later, after the FW purchase, i told them i wanted the manual bags. Id like to have had the onboard compressor, not at their cost.

The Firestone compressor kit is not that difficult to install, and well within the capabilities of nearly any shade tree mechanic with basic tools.

Firestone Level Command II Air Compressor System - Single Gauge

I had originally asked about a compressor install, but they were talking big mo ey in just labor. I said forget about it. About a week later, after the FW purchase, i told them i wanted the manual bags. Id like to have had the onboard compressor, not at their cost.

Are these the ride rite helper spring sort of air bags? The ones on my class C (which may well be an entirely different product) are supposed to have at least a minimum amount of air in them always to avoid damage—I think 10 psi or so as best as I recall.

Anyhow, if the air bags are remotely similar, they don't need a whole lot of air. Most any little inflator would be perfectly adequate if noisy. Even a manual bicycle pump wouldn't be overly difficult. If you have something that's adequate for your tires, it should be good enough for the air bags.

I have a Fini AirBoss compressor for my RV; this is a nice, small 120V compressor, which I got on sale. I've been most impressed with it all around. It is a bit of overkill for my needs (though, by the same token, many of the 12V inflators are practically useless for tires larger than car tires). It's quiet by small compressor standards, which is to say it's loud but not quite ear-splittingly loud. I think Sears sells the same unit as a Craftsman, and perhaps a few other companies/brands have the same thing with different decals.

The air bags on this truck and my last TV both leaked. So this time I have the truck mounted compressor and the dash control with the auto fill feature. If they leak down, the compressor automatically turns on and tops them off. This is the way to go. No need to be digging out a compressor and hooking it up everytime you want to air up.

Somehow i got turned on to the Vlair 70p, would suffice?

Its 100psi.

Set the bags to the pressure you need, then leave them for the trip. No need to bleed them every day unless you like wasting time.

You may need to add some air during the trip if there is a small leak. Any 12V compressor would work. Something cheap from Walmart, there isn't a lot of volume in the bags.

Firestone sells a truck mounted compressor for their air springs that will give you dashboard control of the pressure.