Portable air compressor for plug in the rear

I bought one of these last year. It has all the necessary parts and the whole thing in its bag easily fits in one of those plastic 5.56 ammo boxes they also sell. Mine got used pretty hard twice over the Lone Star Toyota Jamboree last weekend. It aired up all 4 tires (265's) from 18 to 32 pounds in about 30 minutes without the thermal shut off engaging. I'm happy with it for the price. I do intend to upgrade to a Vlair eventually, but this little guy hasn't let me down yet. It has a 16' cigarette lighter cord and a maybe 2' long coiled air line with the screw on attachment. It will reach all 4 tires from the dash.

12V 100 PSI High Volume Air Compressor
 
Viair compressors

Expensive compressors like the ARB and Viair have much better material quality, tolerances, and QA than the cheap ones. After going through many of the various branded cheap compressors, including rebuilding them, I have settled on dual Viair 400Cs. If I were to start from scratch, I would go with the twin ARB unit for its more compact size than my setup, with basically the same CFM.

That 400C is a good choice for a compressor. I don't see the advantage of a dual compressor, unless you're running pneumatic tools or have lots of tires to fill. How is it better than a single piston compressor, which weighs less and draws fewer amps (1/2?).

The Viair compressors look as good or better than the ARB. The 420C looks like their best, high capacity solution for tires. They also have the P line, for portable. Priced about the same as equivalent ARB.

VIAIR Corporation - 420C Compressor (P/N 42042)

For pricing do a search for dealers.
Viair is in Irvine, CA, USA
 
That 400C is a good choice for a compressor. I don't see the advantage of a dual compressor, unless you're running pneumatic tools or have lots of tires to fill. How is it better than a single piston compressor, which weighs less and draws fewer amps (1/2?).
Fills tires twice as fast, plus a backup. I use them a lot - often 3-4 times a day, several days in a row. I started off with a single 400, but as I got larger tires and wheeling far more often, I added another.
 
Look on ebay for a single viair 444c for ~$140, they are basicly a dual pack of the 480c. 100% duty cycle at 100psi

I do not believe smittybuilts 5cfm rating at all.
 
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I revived this thread because I was originally considering one of those small 110v air compressors. The larger ones I was considering are the ones with the 3gal tank. They advertise a decent 1cfm at 40psi, which should fill a 33" tire in about 3 minutes.

But, the main reason I was considering one is they are by far the cheapest way to power an impact wrench (for admittedly short periods).

So, on to my real question: is it really worth it to carry an impact wrench? It seem like a lot of weight and space just to save 5 minutes every now and then changing a tire. Or, are there other benefits of this capability that I am missing?

Thanks!
 
I revived this thread because I was originally considering one of those small 110v air compressors. The larger ones I was considering are the ones with the 3gal tank. They advertise a decent 1cfm at 40psi, which should fill a 33" tire in about 3 minutes.

But, the main reason I was considering one is they are by far the cheapest way to power an impact wrench (for admittedly short periods).

So, on to my real question: is it really worth it to carry an impact wrench? It seem like a lot of weight and space just to save 5 minutes every now and then changing a tire. Or, are there other benefits of this capability that I am missing?

Thanks!
Just get a battery powered impact wrench

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
 
Heh, that's valid.

But, do I really need an impact, wrench at all?

No, you do not need an impact wrench or any other air tool for that matter. Unless you have a lot of air (tanks or co2) you're pretty much wasting your time. Don't get me wrong, they come in handy. But, I could never imagine packing an impact wrench for the wheeling that I imagine most of us are doing.
 
I've got the big smittybilt. It's incredibly fast and quite powerful.
I bought a 5 year warrantee for $30. For the price-- it's not bad.
The screw on chuck sucks, but I'm going to try the constant flow replacement mentioned earlier in this thread

I've used it lots, and I'm always airing at least 2 vehicles up. I'm really glad I was talked in to this compressor.


Don't get a wimpy air pump- I've been let down before
 
Smitty Bilt

I have the Smittybilt as well and that thing kicks butt for the $. I've run different types of compressors/CO2 and got this one to throw into whatever trunk I'm using. I like it so much that I'm getting ready to add a pressure switch and get rid of the constant flow and the supplied hardware.
 
I have the Smittybilt as well and that thing kicks butt for the $. I've run different types of compressors/CO2 and got this one to throw into whatever trunk I'm using. I like it so much that I'm getting ready to add a pressure switch and get rid of the constant flow and the supplied hardware.

How did this turn out?

I would like to use the Smitty to fill an air tank about would need to add some kind of cut-off switch.
 
Although this is more directed towards the OP, here's what I have:

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

Plugs into the 120V socket in the back, set your desired PSI on the compressor, lock it onto the tire valve, push a button and walk away. Fill a tire from 15-33psi in 3-4 minutes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are you still using the Kobalt compressor?
How loud would say it is compared to a normal pancake compressor (about 95 decibels)
Is the hose removable or swappable to a quick disconnect?

I'm toying with some type of 110v compress because they are a lot quitter than the 12v models.

Mainly I would be using it to fill mountain bike tires (large volume and low pressure. Using it on auto tires would be secondary.

Ideally I would connect it to a small air tank. My thought is I could roll up to a trailhead parking lot, hit the inverter button, top off the air tank and then use the tank to fill my bike tires.

If I was filling car tires the tank would basically be a passthrough.
 
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California Air Tools Light & Quiet 1P1060S Portable Air Compressor

I ran across this little guy and its looks very nice, but its rated at 4.5amps (450ish watts). Its got pretty much everything in a nice small-ish package. The really nice thing is its super quiet. From the pics it also looks like I could separate the tank and compressor to mount individually. Not to mention it is $100 on Amazon with Prime. That seems like a deal for tank, a quiet compressor, regulator and PSI shut-off.

Any thoughts it the built-in inverter would run it?

California Air Tools Light & Quiet 1P1060S Portable Air Compressor

California Air Tools - The Largest Manufacture of Ultra Quiet, Oil-Free & Lightweight Air Compressors - CAT-1P1060S

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYHYHEA/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

cache_4099492462.jpg


Features:
* Ultra Quiet - Only 56 decibels
* Oil-Free Pump – Cleaner air for better tool operation.
Less maintenance and Costs.
* Two pressure control gauges
* One universal 1/4″ quick connector
* Produces less heat which dissipates efficiently
* Thermal Overload Protector
* External Current Protector
* 120 PSI Maximum Pressure
* 110v / 60 hz
* Low Amp Draw - 4.5 Amps
* Tank fill rate from empty to full - 50 Seconds
* Recovery time from 90 PSI to 120 PSI - 15 Seconds
* Steel Air Tank - Lightweight Only 29 pounds
* L (12.5") x W/D (14.7") x H (14.75")
* Comes complete with Air Filter
* 1 Year Limited Warranty
 

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