On board air

been thinking about an air compressor recently, mainly cos my mate is trying to sell me an air locker, anyway, got me thinking it would be good to be able to pump up & down tyres too.
What I want to know, is, do you need an air tank (ala) home air compressor or do they just pump away until the tyre is hard.
Also, are they just to get you going til you get to a servo, or will they make tyres hard, I assume a 32inch muddie will take a bit of air to get to 40psi

depends what your really after mate, if you want to run air tools, go with a tank setup. how big im not quite sure but the bigger the higher capacity it will have and the less it will have to cycle, but keeping that in mind the compressor will have to run for longer to pump up a big tank. if you just want it to pump up your tyres and for locker activation there are plenty of good compressors out there that are more than capable of that and getting your 32's up to 40psi no worries

Mate I have got the bigger of the 2 ARB compressors mounted under my passenger seat. It will pump all my 265/75/16's up from 18psi to 40psi. If I am doing my car and another, I usually request that we just pump both sets up to say 35psi just to get us to a servo and give the compressor a bit of a break. It will do 2 sets of tyres to 35 pretty quick.

I am really happy with it.

Oh and when I flick the switch, the compressor will activate for a couple of seconds to build up pressure, then a swith only turns it on when it is needed. I keep the tyre hose curled up in the pocket behind the seat so it's always there.

been looking really close at getting the ARB high flow as well. Think it did rather well in the 4WD Action test and its a reasonable cost (around $300). But there are frickin lots to chose from now...... ARB were going to charge $170 to install it!!!! bit of a joke that

ljacko78 said:

been looking really close at getting the ARB high flow as well. Think it did rather well in the 4WD Action test and its a reasonable cost (around $300). But there are frickin lots to chose from now...... ARB were going to charge $170 to install it!!!! bit of a joke that

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Yeah theres not too much to install if you know what you are doing. Good saturday morning job. I had a portable unit before and like my permanant one so much more. I never have to worry whether I have packed it or not, and it is tucked away out (most) harms way. Oh and it also came in handy when I got my air locker fitted

that's my plan as well - will set mine up behind rear seat so I can blow up the tyres nice a quick, and buy a the ARB high flow, that way when I get my lockers the compressor will be in and ready.

an air tank is not all that usefull for suck slow air compessors. if you have a big air compressor (ie 2x or 3x arb) then yes it would be handy. only thing that a tank will do well is if you need a sudden puff or air ie seating bead after fixing tire. however there are other ways to do that.

if you are going to run lockers get a good reliable compressor. cheap compressors often on't like running at high pressure for some reason.

tweak'e said:

if you are going to run lockers get a good reliable compressor. cheap compressors often on't like running at high pressure for some reason.

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There's an easy answer to that.

When the compressor is actually pumping the air, there's a direct gas link between the air chamber and the piston inside the pump. The piston has to move up and push the air into the chamber.

Thus the compressor's ability to fill air tanks at higher pressures becomes directly related to the amount of force that the motor can exert on the rising piston. As you'd expect, larger motors will work better, just make sure the power cables can handle the load and don't try to hook them up through the cig lighter.

It's also best to have the engine running, because 20 minutes of load at 50 amps is 16Ah lost from your battery, and if it's your starter, you're getting dangerously close to warping the cells in the battery = total battery failure.

Once of the nice things about the new ARB high flow compressor is the ability to "snorkel" it.

I don't like compressors mounted inside the cabin - they are noisy little buggers. When airing up after a day in the scrub for instance, it's kinda difficult if the kids are trying to have a snooze in the car.

And when I had my GU patrol (twin air lockers) the compressor was mounted inside the vehicle (under the seat). Personally, I found it quite annoying to have that noise inside, when we generally go to quite decent lengths to keep other noises outside the vehicle...

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this - you can unscrew the filter from the new style compressor and snorkel it to somewhere high and dry. Install the compressor anywhere you like - plenty of room up inside those big rear guards for instance.... And the noise of the compressor is outside the vehicle.

No, I haven't done it myself. I have a perfectly serviceable compressor at the moment which doesn't need to be replaced. If however, ARB are still selling this style of compressor with the ability to remote mount the filter/inlet, I will be installing it that way in future if/when the time comes to replace my current compressor.

On the subject of tanks - some people swear by them. Personally, in many years of 4wding, I've never found the need. Everyone is different of course, but I'm not carrying air tools when I go bush. I like to keep it basic.

When reseating a bead for instance, I've found a ratchet strap around the circumference of the tyre to work well enough.

If your going for a setup with a tank, be vary wary of the compressors duty cycle. Anything less than 100% and you could be introuble.

Arb's Big 1 is 50%, at 22 deg C though. Imagine much less in 30-40 deg summers day. Boss sell a similar model thats rated 100% (or continuous) becasue it has a cooling fan.

20 mins is a long time to run a compressor continiously expecially if your tank is set to around 100psi. Braided hose from the compressor would be a must.

Old.Tony said:

There's an easy answer to that.

When the compressor is actually pumping the air, there's a direct gas link between the air chamber and the piston inside the pump. The piston has to move up and push the air into the chamber.

Thus the compressor's ability to fill air tanks at higher pressures becomes directly related to the amount of force that the motor can exert on the rising piston. As you'd expect, larger motors will work better, just make sure the power cables can handle the load and don't try to hook them up through the cig lighter.

It's also best to have the engine running, because 20 minutes of load at 50 amps is 16Ah lost from your battery, and if it's your starter, you're getting dangerously close to warping the cells in the battery = total battery failure.

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not quite what i meant.
more as cheap quality rather than size. eg my cheap twin head which pumps on par with the ARB, i have heard a fair few that have failed when pumping up to 100psi for locker use. i think it just cheap seals don't handle the heat so well.

engine running, not only for battery use but also motors run better on the higher voltage that you get from the alternator.

ants_oz said:

Once of the nice things about the new ARB high flow compressor is the ability to "snorkel" it.

I don't like compressors mounted inside the cabin - they are noisy little buggers. When airing up after a day in the scrub for instance, it's kinda difficult if the kids are trying to have a snooze in the car.

And when I had my GU patrol (twin air lockers) the compressor was mounted inside the vehicle (under the seat). Personally, I found it quite annoying to have that noise inside, when we generally go to quite decent lengths to keep other noises outside the vehicle...

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this - you can unscrew the filter from the new style compressor and snorkel it to somewhere high and dry. Install the compressor anywhere you like - plenty of room up inside those big rear guards for instance.... And the noise of the compressor is outside the vehicle.
............

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i wonder how the kids can sleep when your driving up that steep hill ! you got them strapped in to the seat ??

i don't find the noise a big deal. it dosn't run all that often.

quite a few compressors you can fit a snorkel to easy enough. just got to find a fitting that screws into it.

Yep - agree with that about duty cycles. Pumping up tyres shiould be right. And I thought if you were running lockers you still don't need a tank. So quick question - what do people run their lockers off - tank or no tank?

tweak'e said:

i wonder how the kids can sleep when your driving up that steep hill ! you got them strapped in to the seat ??

i don't find the noise a big deal. it dosn't run all that often.

quite a few compressors you can fit a snorkel to easy enough. just got to find a fitting that screws into it.

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Not sure what driving up a hill has to do with kids sleeping....I can honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about or what you are referring to, sorry.

I agree that the compressor doesn't run for long when using lockers - but when airing up tyres...that is a different story. Now, say you've been out bush for a day, had a picnic or whatever and are on your way home. Kids are tired and whinging, and you stop to air up your tyres. Kids finally nod off to sleep. Peace and quiet. But then you need to run the compressor for 5 or 10 minutes to air up the rubber. If the compressor is mounted under a seat inside the cabin, then all of a sudden, the peace and quiet isn't so peaceful and quiet anymore, and the kids aren't asleep anymore, and the whinging and crying starts again. If the compressor is outside the cabin, then the kids can sleep away to their little hearts content. That's the angle I was coming from.

That kind of thing matters to me. A LOT. Might not matter to you at all. Fair enough.

I know what you mean about other compressors and removable filters - for example, my old bushranger compressor has one - you can use the right fittings and remote mount the filter. Just that the new ARB job has been designed with that in mind, and they will also honour the warranty if something goes wrong... Plenty of other cheaper compressor makers/retailers won't honour the warranty and will tell you the filter wasn't mounted in the factory position.

ants_oz said:

Not sure what driving up a hill has to do with kids sleeping....I can honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about or what you are referring to, sorry.

I agree that the compressor doesn't run for long when using lockers - but when airing up tyres...that is a different story. Now, say you've been out bush for a day, had a picnic or whatever and are on your way home. Kids are tired and whinging, and you stop to air up your tyres. Kids finally nod off to sleep. Peace and quiet. But then you need to run the compressor for 5 or 10 minutes to air up the rubber. If the compressor is mounted under a seat inside the cabin, then all of a sudden, the peace and quiet isn't so peaceful and quiet anymore, and the kids aren't asleep anymore, and the whinging and crying starts again. If the compressor is outside the cabin, then the kids can sleep away to their little hearts content. That's the angle I was coming from.
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just the use of the compressor. you don't use lockers much when your on the flat, only when trying to get up a hill etc. so air compressor is only going to wake up the kids when you sliding about going up the hill.
when pumping up tires, sure i can understand that. tho thats fairly individual. i don't like compressors under the bonnet simply due to under bonnet heat makes it a very hard life them.

ljacko78 said:

Yep - agree with that about duty cycles. Pumping up tyres shiould be right. And I thought if you were running lockers you still don't need a tank. So quick question - what do people run their lockers off - tank or no tank?

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for lockers a small tank is not a bad idea. simply because lockers don't use much air. so a few seconds for the compressor to pump the tank up and you can run quiet a while before the compressor kicks in again. that saves a lot of hassle of tuning compressors on/off all the time.

I don't like them under the bonnet either tweak...that's why in my first post in this thread I mentioned about using all that space inside the rear inner guards Good looking area I reckon for a compressor.

Don't the ARB locker compressors have a small reservoir on top?

Sounds like another trip to the ally toolbox joint is in order, dimensions in hand & pants round ankles! Swear I should open a trade account.
At least I know I don't need a tank, that was going to be another pain in the arse

Also, I think I read about some people using tubes of the bullbar/brushbar/side steps as a small tank for lockers etc?

Jason said:

Don't the ARB locker compressors have a small reservoir on top?

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of sorts. not big enough to call a tank. it probably just helps smooth the air flow so the pump gets gets an even load placed on it.
but for an air locker it probably is big enough to act as a tank.

yeah i've heard of them using bull bars etc as small tanks. i think small is the word. not sure what happens to all the water the compressor pumps into it tho. steel bars might rust out fairly quick.

Yeah I think it adds more of a dampening effect than any real storage, just to stop the compressor cycling so often.