I have a little 2 gallon hot dog compressor that supposedly makes 120 psi but it took at least 5 minutes per tire to top off my old truck and trailer tires to just 50 psi.There's no way the little 2 gal will get my new truck/trailer tires up to 80 psi in any reasonable amount of time, if ever.I'm looking for a new compressor, and I want it to get the tires up to 80 psi quickly. I don't enjoy being down on my hands and knees for a half hour topping off the tires of my tt and tv. I'm considering either a 6 gal pancake compressor like this'n:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-6-Gal-150-PSI-Portable-Air-Compressor-C2002/203162815Or: a 15 gal vertical compressor like this:http://www.sears.com/briggs-stratton-15-gallon-oil-free-portable-electric/p-00950911000P?plpSellerId=Sears&prdNo=17&blockNo=17&blockType=G17#Prices are comparable. I just want to top the tires off quickly.Both of those compressors make 150 psi.I'd prefer the pancake compressor for it's compact size but that's what I thought when I bought my 2 gallon. If the 15 gal would make appreciably quicker work of it, that's fine. What do you think?

This little guy is nice, and not deafeningly loud.

I use the Porter Cable, works great. Comes with several attachments

I'm quite fond of my Fini AirBoss for this sort of thing. It's about as compact as I've seen any compressor, and has enough guts to get tire up to 80 psi before you die of old age, and is slightly quieter than many small compressors. (That is to say, it's just quite loud, but not very, very loud--you still don't want to use it during quiet hours!)The built-in inflator hose isn't all that great, and is useless for dual wheels. The solution, of course, is to use the standard air hose and an ordinary inflation chuck and ignore the other one.It's not entirely obvious from the pictures just how small this is compared to most other compressors, even little ones. It's somewhere around the size of one of those $20 portable tabletop gas grills or maybe a three-pack of paper towels.

I did some forum research and many people like this one. There is not a tank to it. Viair 40047 400P-RV Automatic Portable Compressor KitThere was enough good said about it that I bought it and I can say with all certainty that it's well worth the cost. It's a very well put together kit.

Compressor for topping trailer and truck tires to 80 psi

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Oct 09, 2017
One more idea.
Years ago I bought quiet compressor to inflate conversion suspension without starting the "rocket" Detroit.
The noise is comparable to Honda generators, but the speed of pumping is annoying.
Regardless, I no longer have air suspension, but like to use that oil-less compressor for tire inflation as drops of oil inside my tires don't bring my applause.
I keep it at full pressure in the garage, what for car gives me enough air to top 4 wheels, so I just carry it around without plugging in and with its light weight it is very convenient.
Good part about it is pretty precise regulator, so for truck tires I set the regulator and with self-holding chuck I just set in on big tire and go to other work.
My new Ford come with build-in 400W inverter and the compressor runs out of it just fine, so it will from most of the inverters owners have in their RV.
The model I have changed and here is its younger brother.
Whangler
Explorer II
Oct 09, 2017
OP Here. Thank you all for all the good info. I bought the "Rigid", home depot brand 6 gal pancake compressor. It works great. It brought my trailer tires up from 60 to 80 psi in just 36 seconds per tire. So far, it's a great compressor. It fills the tank quickly and doesn't slow down output when the tank is being recharged.

Also, I found a locking chuck, finally, that works very well. It's very sturdy and has a strong spring to lock on the valve stem threads. I can highly recommend, If you're interested it's this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017S44ARO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
fpresto
Explorer
Oct 09, 2017
Whangler wrote:
Here's a few more questions:
1. With the Viair, can you set the shut off pressure needed, start it blowing up tire, and go do something else, until it shuts off?

2. Viair owners do you agree with The viair claims that it will "inflate 275/80/22.5 tires from 80 to 90 psi in just 30 seconds".

3. Will the 6 gal pancake compressor inflate the tires as quickly as the viair?
The home depot brand; "rigid" pushes 2.6cfm at 90psi.
And yes, the home depot brand rigid has a 3 year warranty. I think I'd go with that one if a 120v tank compressor is the choice. I bought a "Rigid" brand reciprocating saw rather than a "Sawzall" and can attest to the brand quality.

1. No. You hold the trigger.
2. Easily. I would say faster than 30 seconds.
3. Don't know.
My Viair came in a kit. It contains the compressor, an inflator that has an electronic PSI reading built in. A primary hose and another extension hose if I do the rears also or reach to the toad and it all comes in a storage bag. It is a great unit and I use it a lot. It is extremely heavy duty unit.
stevenal
Nomad II
Oct 09, 2017
1) No. On mine, inflation requires pulling the trigger.
2 and 3) Can't say.
j-d
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2017
The compressor that just fits the tallest of our compartments is the little 3-gallon Harbor Fright pancake. Haven't found anything more powerful that'll fit. The HF unit is marginal at best. Great for bicycles, good for car and light truck tires 35 PSI, OK for boat trailer tires 50 PSI. It "will" bring RV tires up to 80 but it's a long run to do it. Daughter has the 6-gallon Porter Cable and it does very well on the bigger tires.
DrewE
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2017
Whangler wrote:

Here's a few more questions:
1. With the Viair, can you set the shut off pressure needed, start it blowing up tire, and go do something else, until it shuts off?

2. Viair owners do you agree with The viair claims that it will "inflate 275/80/22.5 tires from 80 to 90 psi in just 30 seconds".

3. Will the 6 gal pancake compressor inflate the tires as quickly as the viair?
The home depot brand; "rigid" pushes 2.6cfm at 90psi.
And yes, the home depot brand rigid has a 3 year warranty. I think I'd go with that one if a 120v tank compressor is the choice. I bought a "Rigid" brand reciprocating saw rather than a "Sawzall" and can attest to the brand quality.

Since I don't have and haven't used a Viair unit, take this with a small grain of salt. Everything I have seen and read suggests that they're quite good quality, and I haven't heard of many if any disappointed buyers. They are not inexpensive, of course.

On question 3, I would expect the pancake compressor to be somewhat faster assuming it is set up properly (i.e. with a hose and tire chuck that isn't overly restrictive) and can reasonably reach the pressures needed (which should be the case). The Viair is rated at 2.3 cfm at 0 psi, and would be lower at 90 psi, maybe 1.5 cfm but I'd guess somewhat less. Looking at the electrical specifications corroborates this: the Vair has a maximum power consumption of 360 watts (30A at 12V), while the Rigid's maximum is 1440 watts (12A at 120V).

On the plus side for the Viair for filling tires quickly overall is the lack of the tank, which would take a minute or two to get up to pressure on the 6 gallon pancake compressor. Also be aware that the Viair is much smaller in size.

To raise my 16" motorhome tires up from 70 psi to 80 psi with the Fini AirBoss takes maybe twenty seconds of air chuck time, I think. I have not timed it with a stop watch. The pancake compressor should be very roughly similar I think.

Of course, if one doesn't get a good seal with the air chuck or it fails to properly engage the valve core's button it can take a very long time indeed. That's true with any compressor.
stevenal
Nomad II
Oct 06, 2017
When shopping, look at the duty cycle. I bought one of the 100% duty cycle Viairs since I don't want to be waiting around for it to cool off. One of my winter projects will be to frame mount it. I found the search function here to be helpful in making my selection.
Whangler
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2017
OP here, thanks for all the replies. I wasn't considering a 12v but y'all sure make a compelling case for the viair.

Here's a few more questions:
1. With the Viair, can you set the shut off pressure needed, start it blowing up tire, and go do something else, until it shuts off?

2. Viair owners do you agree with The viair claims that it will "inflate 275/80/22.5 tires from 80 to 90 psi in just 30 seconds".

3. Will the 6 gal pancake compressor inflate the tires as quickly as the viair?
The home depot brand; "rigid" pushes 2.6cfm at 90psi.
And yes, the home depot brand rigid has a 3 year warranty. I think I'd go with that one if a 120v tank compressor is the choice. I bought a "Rigid" brand reciprocating saw rather than a "Sawzall" and can attest to the brand quality.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Oct 06, 2017
Hi,

Look for a unit that can do 140 lbs. Use a fatter filling hose.
dclark1946
Explorer
Oct 06, 2017
Campforever wrote:
VOTE FOR VIAIR. Have had one for several years and it is great!! Can do all four trailer tires and 6 truck tires in less than 15 minutes. That is adding about 2 to 3 pounds to each tire. My wife kids me that it takes longer to get it out and put it up than airing the tires. Purchased a 25 foot air line so I can reach all tires when hooked up to the trailer.

I purchased one of the bigger VIAIR units that can draw 30A so it connects directly to your vehicle's battery. I carry an extension hose that allows me to reach all my trailer tires with the compressor on the ground in front of my truck. Highly recommend that unit.

http://www.viaircorp.com/portables/450p-rv-auto/
or
http://www.viaircorp.com/portables/300p/