Air compressors

[5thhand]

What type of air compressor do I need to get 110 PSI quickly? It takes forever on my current 4 gallon 135 PSI Craftsman. What is the best bang for the bucks?

[Matt_Colie]

Well Fifth,

The first mistake is looking at the tank size. The tank is the cheapest part and is of little value in your case.

As soon as you look at any air compressor, look at the specifications. The first part to look at is "CFM at 100Psi". This is the money shot right there. In simple terms, 1Hp should get 5CFM at 100 PSI. If you plan to run it off 12VDC, 1Hp is about 60Amps so you better be real ready for that.

Matt

[Two_Jayhawks]

Sorry this isn't very helpful but why does it have to be "quickly"? Surely you never have to add more than a few lbs. right? I have a 150 psi cheapy portable from Lowes, I use 120 psi in steer & 90 in drive & tag. If I ever have to add it only takes a minute or two per tire. I would keep it as compact as possible to save basement space & just be a little more patient but that's just me. Is it possible your current unit isn't working properly?

[wa8yxm]

I used a 6 gallon 150PSI and it took a while (not forever but a while)
I recommend at least a 150 PSI 120 volt.. 12 volt jobs that can get there exist but SLOW

[valhalla360]

Bird Freak wrote:
I bought a PorterCable 3 gallon unit from Home Depot. Pumps to 150 psi. Works great for me for tires and small jobs. My tires run 110 psi.

Not running 100psi but that's what we have and seems to do fine.

[12th_Man_Fan]

Bird Freak wrote:
I bought a PorterCable 3 gallon unit from Home Depot. Pumps to 150 psi. Works great for me for tires and small jobs. My tires run 110 psi.

X2

[Ivylog]

I fill my DP tires to 110 using the engine compressor. Increased the cut out pressure to 130 and have a gauge at the air chuck. Have found letting the engine idle works better and start adding air when the pressure gets to 110 and usually tops the tire up before getting to 130 and unloads.

[OkieGene]

Well that's an interesting question and it may call for an unconventional answer.

You could purchase an air bottle (similar to a scuba tank, or actually an old scuba tank) like the rock crawler folks use. They use these to air up tires in the middle of nowhere or to run air tools etc.

These are very strong air bottles that handle a lot of high pressure air. You'd need a regulator of course.

You wouldn't want to waste the high pressure, so you'd want to use your air compressor to put air into the tire (that your compressor could reasonably handle) and then top off the tire from the bottle.

That's one possibility and certainly a unique possibility.

Good luck.

[Bird_Freak]

I bought a PorterCable 3 gallon unit from Home Depot. Pumps to 150 psi. Works great for me for tires and small jobs. My tires run 110 psi.

[Ed_C]

a Viair will work for you I paid $160 on Amazon for the basic unit. Yesterday I raised the pressure from 120 to 130 in about 10 minutes. You can spend a lot more if you need all the bells and whistles!

[rlw999]

5thhand wrote:
Probably need smaller compressor to haul with. Concerned whether it can top off 90-100 PSI,

Also looking for moderately priced garage version.

ViAir makes some good 12V compressors, but they're expensive, and there's a limit to how fast an affordable 12V compressor will be - a 1 HP motor at 12V will need over 60A of current.

You can pick up a pretty big compressor at Harbor Freight for a few hundred dollars -- like one with a 21 gallon tank @ 175psi.It's going to take a little while to fill that tank, but once you do, inflations will be quick.

I only fill my tires to 85psi so bought a relatively small Bostitch compressor - it's small enough that I can put it in the back trunk of the RV, but is pretty fast at filling tires. It needs 120VAC power so I need to run the generator or have shore power to use it. It's oil free, so I also use it to blow out the water lines at the end of the season.

[5thhand]

Probably need smaller compressor to haul with. Concerned whether it can top off 90-100 PSI,

Also looking for moderately priced garage version.

[dodge_guy]

Problem is getting it to the 110psi. Once it nears the tank pressure it goes pretty slow. You would want at least 135psi with a big CFM compressor.

I got my air horn kit from Amazon. It came with a 2 1/2 gallon 135 psi 12V compressor but the cfm is low. I also plumbed in another 2 1/2 gallon 110V compressor, but I don’t know it’s cfm. I keep my tires at 95 rear and 80 front. It works ok.

[rlw999]

5thhand wrote:
What type of air compressor do I need to get 110 PSI quickly? It takes forever on my current 4 gallon 135 PSI Craftsman. What is the best bang for the bucks?

I can't say this is the fastest, but at over 1000cfm @ 350psi, this would be pretty quick:



But someone will probably have more practical suggestions if you give a few more details - are you looking for something small and 12V powered that you can carry around in the RV and use anywhere? Do you just want something to keep in your garage at home? Do you want an oil-free compressor with an air regulator so you can use it to blow out the water lines for winterizing?