Air Compressor decision

Now just have to find out which works the best.

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
Not knocking either one, but I bought a small inflator from Lowes that seems to work well for my Truck.


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-12-Volt-120-Volt-Car-Air-Inflator/1000092575

Quicker and quieter than my last one, works on either 120 VAC (faster) or 12 VDC, and can be set for a given pressure and will shut off.

Nice. Thanks for the post.

theoldwizard1 wrote:
I just bought a Milwaukee M12 inflator. Great little inflator. Perfect for "topping off" tires and blowing up inflatable toy. Max pressure is 120 PSI. For large tires (like Class A's) it would take a long time to fill a completely flat tire. Likely 3 or more batteries (M12 lithium ion).

The best feature is, just screw it on (brass Schrader valve adapter), set the pressure on the digital gauge and press start. As I said, you had better have 1 or 2 spare batteries and a way of recharging them when you are on the road.

TIP : You need to make your own adapter to fill large inflatable toys. But a 3" grass tire valve (cheap on eBay). cut off the end where it would normally attach to the rim. Deburr inside and out. Mini blow gun !

Nice. Thanks for the post.

jefe 4x4 wrote:
Via Air 440.
jefe

X2- trust the Jefe
I did!

OK I settled on the 450-P RV. It arrived today and I topped off my front tires from 68 to 80 in a few minutes. The gauge is very handy and the compressor itself is surprisingly quiet.

I'm happy with this purchase.

Thanks for all the input.

Than with new technology we have more options.
Those days most TC have inverters in them, so nothing wrong with using 120V compressor.
I have quiet 120V compressor that runs off F350 build-in inverter, who is rated 400W. Not only cheaper than good 12V compressors, but also last for years and has 100% duty cycle.
Would I really need lot of air in short time, I would mount 2-3 empty freon tanks under the frame and keep them under pressure for quick tire inflation.

As someone else mentioned, depends what you are going to need it for.
Frequency, duty cycle, locale (are you anticipating airing all your tires up and down miles from civilization).
It's always going to be more convienent to hit a tire shop or service station for air than using a baby compressor.
Viair compressors are good quality and they work, but IMO not practical for regular use.
Also depends if you have AC power generator or hookups. Then a 120v compressor seems more practical if you have the space.

If your just equipping your truck like an Overland vehicle for the "what ifs" then I'd get the cheaper one.

I have a pancake compressor at home, and as stated above it works great filling all our vehicle tires quickly. When RVing I carry the 400P, just this last weekend we were out in the sand and had our truck tires down to 35# psi. When it was time to hitch up we pulled out our 400P and it flawlessly filled our truck tires to 80# for rear and 65# psi for front tires in very short order. It was a bit hot afterwards, of course we let it cool down for a few minutes before packing it away, very few portable DC compressors could match the performance and overall durability of this brand. We do have the smaller DC portable compressors in each of our cars with P tires, they are able to top off a couple of tires with a few pounds of pressure at best before getting too hot, any more and they are ready for the trash bin.

Since this is in the truck camper forum I will assume space is at a premium. While I have no issues with the pancake type some have mentioned they do take up space and you do need 120v. On my previous truck and my current truck I have mounted a 12 volt Outback Extreme Aire Magnum air compressor and a 2.5 gallon tank. It has 100% duty cycle and can pump some air. On my previous as well as the current truck have it mounted under the bed right behind the cab on the pass side. It is mounted to the frame rail. I fabbed up some brackets that required no drilling of the frame. I then ran some hose to the front for my air horn and to the rear with a quick connect fitting. It sat under the previous truck for 15 years with no problems and the new truck for about a year. Only thing I have had to change is the air filter once. I have a coiled hose in the tool box that can reach all four tires as well as all my trailer tires. I use it for airing the tires back up from coming off road when required, airing up my fishing float tube, the occasional air mattress and any other reason one might need air.

To a large extent, it depends on HOW you are going to use the compressor. Hard core 4x4'ers, who need to air up four tires that were let down to a very low pressure for off-road traction, would doubtless need the longer duty cycle. If you're only going to top up one or two tires that have just lost a few pounds, duty cycle really shouldn't be important. CFM is only important if you plan to run any air tools, like an impact gun for changing tires. Even there, if you have a large enough air tank, and let the compressor fill it before using the air gun, it can be a viable work around.