Small, portable compressor for airing up at beach

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blacksmithdog

New member
We go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina every once in a while to drive on the beach. It's a good idea to "air down" your tires to 18-20 psi. You of course have to fill them up after that. My previous 4WD vehicle was a Jeep Wrangler with 30X9.5X15 tires on it. I have the following small 12 volt compressor:

Goodyear Cordless Air Inflater & 12 Volt Power Pack — Model# i5000 | 1 CFM + Below | Northern Tool + Equipment

With the Jeep it took about seven or eight minutes per tire to air them back up. I'd like to get something that will air them up quicker, but I don't want to spend a whole lot of money (~$100).

Anyone have any suggestions?

thanks!
 
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Another thought occurred to me, I have a 5th generation 4runner with the 120 volt outlets. Anyone familiar with a small 120 volt compressor that would inflate fast?
 
blacksmithdog said:
Another thought occurred to me, I have a 5th generation 4runner with the 120 volt outlets. Anyone familiar with a small 120 volt compressor that would inflate fast?
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Nice thought but any compressor beyond the smallest airbrushing 120v compressor would require more watts than the inverter produces. And a little airbrush compressor would require a calendar to effectively measure the time to fill a tire.
 
driffter33 said:
This seems to be a pretty good one for the money there are a couple of people on here that run this one.

Masterflow 12V High Volume Air Compressor / Inflator MF-1050
Click to expand...

I'm thinking about buying the Masterflow MV-90. It's the big brother version to the one above. It puts out 3.71 CFM compared to the MF-1050's (aka MV-50) 2.54 CFM (46% more air output), but it costs about 46% more too, haha (I've been doing a little research on these lately).
 
blacksmithdog said:
brian2sun:

Where have you seen the Masterflow MV-90? I did a search on it and couldn't find it anywhere.

thanks!
Click to expand...

This thread reminded me that I still need to actually buy an air comp so I ponied up and bought one last night (MV-90). This is the best deal I could find after looking at about a dozen different places on the web (no tax/free shipping):
Air Compressor 12-Volt Portable Hi Volume Off Road MV90: eBay Motors (item 280348147386 end time Sep-12-10 09:58:35 PDT)

The MV-50 is still a nice comp, but since my 255s are almost 34" tires, they're right on the limit of what it can do and I'll be using it a lot. Here's a video comparing the 50 and the 90 side by side and the 90 was a lot faster:
http://cheapest12voltaircompressor.blogspot.com/2010/05/superflow-mv90-verses-mv50-air.html
 
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If you are fishing Hatteras Island why, when all the local tackle shops have air compressors and hoses free.

Northern beaches, Currituck Co. yes you will need one.

When I am home, on annual I air down once then air back up when I leave. Running Michelins never saw any other wear from doing this, course when aired down and driving on 12 between ramps never go over 45mph anyway.
 
brian2sun said:
This thread reminded me that I still need to actually buy an air comp so I ponied up and bought one last night (MV-90). This is the best deal I could find after looking at about a dozen different places on the web (no tax/free shipping):
Air Compressor 12-Volt Portable Hi Volume Off Road MV90: eBay Motors (item 280348147386 end time Sep-12-10 09:58:35 PDT)

The MV-50 is still a nice comp, but since my 255s are almost 34" tires, they're right on the limit of what it can do and I'll be using it a lot. Here's a video comparing the 50 and the 90 side by side and the 90 was a lot faster:
!9#: Superflow MV90 verses MV50 Air Compressor comparison ! !9# Cheapest 12 Volt Air Compressor
Click to expand...
I've found that an auto resetting circuit breaker is a lifesaver with these types of compressors, especially if you fill higher pressure trailer tires. You'll have to mod the fuse holder, but it beats having to carry extra fuses. They're available at most auto parts stores.
 
It may not work with your budget but the powertank.com regulators are great for the beach. I have an original tank from them along with a used CO2 tank bought on Ebay. The regulator is the key though. Can't skimp on that as that is what makes the setup so good.

I have been using a powertank for about 4-5 years with great success. In addition to the beach, it is nice to have at the house if a tire is low on a cold morning.
 
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