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Old 01-06-2020, 07:00 PM   #1
Benbill
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Pump It Up!

Knowing how important tire air pressure is for safety and tire longevity, I would like to know what portable air compressor you depend on? Looking for a compressor that has enough power to not make filling the tires an all morning project and has an accurate air pressure automatic shut off. Thank you in advance for your recommendations.
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Old 01-06-2020, 07:10 PM   #2
jsmith948
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Just be sure you pay attention to VOLUME. Yes, you need a compressor that will provide enough pressure. But it's volume that determines how fast you can air up a tire. Having a compressor that will provide 150 PSI is almost useless if it only puts out .9 CFM. The higher the CFM the better. Just sayin'

I use a 6 gal pancake compressor that came with my Bostich brad nail gun.
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Old 01-06-2020, 08:03 PM   #3
Pmedic4
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Airing up your tires

I have several air compressors ( I'm a contractor), and this is a good question. When I first start out for the year, I like JSMITH948, take my 6 gallon compressor to check and fill the tires for the first time of the year. I can usually do a tire in about 4-5 minutes.

Then when on the traveling, I have this small Coleman Powermate 1 gallon compressor, which is very lite-weight and easy to carry, and doesn't add a great deal to my RV load. Should I need to top off a tire with say 5-6 pounds of air, it's a pain 'cause it takes awhile, but better than that wondering where I can put that 30 pound compressor. It great for filling inflatables too, so while I wouldn't recommend everyone buy a very small one like this, it's a nice addition. BTW, I have had several of those cheap, tiny 12 volt compressors, and at best I've got is 60 PSI. I'm sure there are more expensive ones which might give you 90 PSI, but my Coleman was way cheaper.

Yeah, I'm sort of picky about checking and keeping my tires filled, even with a TPMS.
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Old 01-06-2020, 08:36 PM   #4
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Used to carry my pancake compressor. Found out about a Fini small, capable air compressor and carry it everywhere - works like a charm - 120vac. For times in the boonies I carry a 12vdc Viair 400 - very capable. They both go with me anytime I pull the trailer.
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Old 01-07-2020, 05:52 AM   #5
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When I got the Oshkosh I had to get a new garage air compressor to get to the 125psi tires. Another excuse for a trip to Harbor Freight! Then realized I would also need a new compressor for "the road". I ended up with a DeWalt 20volt. I wouldn't want to completely fill a tire from 0psi, but for topping off 5-10psi it has worked, so far. Since I have other DeWalt 20volt tools it seemed a good idea. I keep a charger and a couple batteries in the 5th along with the other DeWalt tools.
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:18 PM   #6
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If you need air on the road any tire shop would be glad to air up your tires. I do carry a compressor but I find it's worthless especially on 80PSI tires. It takes so long to air them up that the compressor just doesn't have what it takes. I however have never had a reason to add air to my tires.
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Old 01-07-2020, 01:45 PM   #7
Benbill
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Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate the insight on the importance of CFM’s a pump is rated for. I think I am leaning towards the Viair 400-RV, but not confident it can inflate up to 110 psi. Does anyone have any first hand experience with this unit?
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Old 01-07-2020, 04:36 PM   #8
rbrdriver
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Not sure about that one but this one does air up to 110 psi
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 01-07-2020, 07:27 PM   #9
mtofell
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Love this one:

https://www.dewalt.com/products/stor...pressor/d55140

For me it's the perfect balance between cost, size/weight and performance. It's really quiet for it's ability and can accomplish quite a bit. Keep in mind at 1 gallon it's not going to fill a semi truck tire to 120 psi in 2 minutes but it's eons faster and more capable than one of those 12V jobs and doesn't take up much more space.
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Old 01-08-2020, 03:59 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benbill View Post
Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate the insight on the importance of CFM’s a pump is rated for. I think I am leaning towards the Viair 400-RV, but not confident it can inflate up to 110 psi. Does anyone have any first hand experience with this unit?
The Viair is an excellent choice for 12 volt pump. For 120 volt the six gallon 150 psi pumps work well.
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Old 01-08-2020, 05:29 AM   #11
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I have an on board compressor and tank mounted in the bed of the truck. I installed it for the train horns and added 12v solenoids for the air bags. Also added a quick connect fitting in the back of the bed for an airline connection. The shutoff psi is 150 so tank has 150 psi available. It will "top off" the 80 psi trailer tires very quickly and makes inflating bike tires, rafts, ect. a fast process. I've also used it to blow sand off of the outdoor mats.

Reading the posts I'm curious, are people really experiencing a lot of flats and underinflated tires or are you airing down to drive on sand? I typically only need to adjust the air pressure when the weather turns cold, not daily.
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Old 01-08-2020, 05:53 AM   #12
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I have the Viair and a 5 gallon tank for train horns too. But I also have the airlift 5000 bags with the airlift compressor. So I carry a 12V air pump. Not the fastest, but then when your on the road to relaxing who’s trying to be fast about anything?
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Old 01-08-2020, 01:35 PM   #13
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I carry a Fini 1.2 gallon hotdog compressor, the same one that sourdough carries. It works well, is "relatively fast" (you can't compare a 1 gallon tank with a 35 gallon vertical tank) so for its size, it's doing what it can do.

As for frequency of use, I think, in the 6 years I've had it and carried it, I've used it once, and that was after leaving northern Michigan in February and arriving in south Texas where there was a 60 degree temperature difference. Otherwise, I've been lucky enough not to have needed it and yes, I check tire pressure on the truck and trailer EVERY morning before towing.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:46 AM   #14
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I have a Viair 450P-RV and it is the best, hands down, for inflating my 90psi Montana 5th wheel tires. I added a VIAIR 00042 Digital Tire Inflation Gun which makes it even easier to use. I also carry a Ryobi One-plus cordless tire inflator, but this is only used if I need a few pounds on one tire (but it's handy for bikes!).
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:46 AM   #15
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Viair is probably the best portable but they are expensive. i bought this one off Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
its perfect for getting my trailer tires up to 80 psi and usually takes less than a minute to go from 75 to 80 psi. also perfect for my TV tires (60psi) and my airbag suspension. it has an extra long power cord and extra air hose for long reaches but i did also buy a second long power cord giving me about 40' of reach. its been very reliable to date. as someone who has owned many of these portable compressors the one thing you should ALWAYS look for is a double piston design - they are much quicker and will run cooler than a single piston setup.
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Old 01-12-2020, 09:22 AM   #16
cliff
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We bought a 3 gallon Harbor Freight in 1996. It goes to 125 psig. If your just topping off the tires it works well; a total time for us of about 15 minutes, including wrencihng off the tire minders. We can't complain about the life.
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Old 01-12-2020, 09:41 AM   #17
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Compressor air volume

While volume might be a consideration, IMO if you are properly inflating your tires and properly (TPMS) monitoring inflation I don't understand how anyone can get in a position of needing more than about 5 psi unless you have an active leak.


As I have covered in my RVTireSafety blog I recommend your cold inflation pressure to be at least 10% above the minimum needed to support your actual measured tire loading (Minimum inflation would be based on the heaviest loaded tire on any axle or lacking individual tire loading numbers, then using an assumed 53/47% side to side split for motorhomes and trailers with big slides or residential refrigerators and at least 51/49 split for smaller trailers)


So assuming you have LR-C or LR-D tires you would be inflating to 50 or 65 psi with your TPMS warning set to no lower than 49 or 64 with your minimum inflation in the load tables being 45 and 58. So how would you ever need to add more than 5 or 6 psi assuming you let your tires get that low. Why not do your "top-off" as soon as you need 3 psi?


Yes pressure changes with temperature (2% for change of 10°F Temperature) A change in morning temperature of 40F from day to day is unusual and that would only result in a pressure drop of 5 psi on your LR-D tires.


Motorhomes should be running a +10% margin on air pressure which means there would need to be a 50°F drop in temperature for them to need to add 10 psi (assuming a 100 psi minimum).


If you need to add more than 20% (20psi) of the needed pressure in your tires with steel body ply, that means you have been operating on a technically "flat" tire and you should have a professional inspection and have them re-inflate your tires AFTER the reason for the sir loss was identified and repaired. Large 19.5 and 22.5 tires should be re-inflated in a cage just in case there was damage to the steel body cords which can lead to an explosion due to zipper rupture.


LR-E (80 psi polyester body tires) as found on most Class-C and some larger trailers need to consider the above information and adjust for their higher cold inflation numbers. I would consider a 20% drop to put you in the safety cage re-inflation level if you drove on the tires when that low. While they are not likely to suffer a true "zipper" failure from fatigued steel body cords there can still be internal structural damage to your tires.


Bottom Line:

- Monitor your tire pressure and don't let the pressure drop more than 10% before you re-inflate your tires.
- Know why the pressure dropped and if not due to a drastic change in temperature overnight inspect for leaks. (I find that spray cleaner like Windex or other cleaners tend to foam at the location of the leak. Be sure to check your bolt -in metal valve and the attachment of your TPMS too.
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Old 01-12-2020, 10:45 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tireman9 View Post
...I don't understand how anyone can get in a position of needing more than about 5 psi unless you have an active leak.
...
One quick scenario for needing more than 5PSI is wintering away from home. When we travel to south Texas or Louisiana for the winter, upon arrival I air down the truck tires for comfortable ride and wear considerations. When we get ready to tow again, I need to go from about 50PSI back up to 75PSI (my choice for towing pressure, not the "Ford recommended 65PSI). Without my 35 gallon "home compressor" I rely on either a service station or my "carry along compressor".

That's just one of the situations that come to mind which would require "more than about 5 psi" without an active leak...
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Old 01-12-2020, 10:52 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
One quick scenario for needing more than 5PSI is wintering away from home. When we travel to south Texas or Louisiana for the winter, upon arrival I air down the truck tires for comfortable ride and wear considerations. When we get ready to tow again, I need to go from about 50PSI back up to 75PSI (my choice for towing pressure, not the "Ford recommended 65PSI). Without my 35 gallon "home compressor" I rely on either a service station or my "carry along compressor".

That's just one of the situations that come to mind which would require "more than about 5 psi" without an active leak...



OK, you got me. I was only thinking about RV trailers and Motorhomes.
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Old 01-12-2020, 11:54 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Tireman9 View Post
While volume might be a consideration, IMO if you are properly inflating your tires and properly (TPMS) monitoring inflation I don't understand how anyone can get in a position of needing more than about 5 psi unless you have an active leak.


As I have covered in my RVTireSafety blog I recommend your cold inflation pressure to be at least 10% above the minimum needed to support your actual measured tire loading (Minimum inflation would be based on the heaviest loaded tire on any axle or lacking individual tire loading numbers, then using an assumed 53/47% side to side split for motorhomes and trailers with big slides or residential refrigerators and at least 51/49 split for smaller trailers)


So assuming you have LR-C or LR-D tires you would be inflating to 50 or 65 psi with your TPMS warning set to no lower than 49 or 64 with your minimum inflation in the load tables being 45 and 58. So how would you ever need to add more than 5 or 6 psi assuming you let your tires get that low. Why not do your "top-off" as soon as you need 3 psi?


Yes pressure changes with temperature (2% for change of 10°F Temperature) A change in morning temperature of 40F from day to day is unusual and that would only result in a pressure drop of 5 psi on your LR-D tires.


Motorhomes should be running a +10% margin on air pressure which means there would need to be a 50°F drop in temperature for them to need to add 10 psi (assuming a 100 psi minimum).


If you need to add more than 20% (20psi) of the needed pressure in your tires with steel body ply, that means you have been operating on a technically "flat" tire and you should have a professional inspection and have them re-inflate your tires AFTER the reason for the sir loss was identified and repaired. Large 19.5 and 22.5 tires should be re-inflated in a cage just in case there was damage to the steel body cords which can lead to an explosion due to zipper rupture.


LR-E (80 psi polyester body tires) as found on most Class-C and some larger trailers need to consider the above information and adjust for their higher cold inflation numbers. I would consider a 20% drop to put you in the safety cage re-inflation level if you drove on the tires when that low. While they are not likely to suffer a true "zipper" failure from fatigued steel body cords there can still be internal structural damage to your tires.


Bottom Line:

- Monitor your tire pressure and don't let the pressure drop more than 10% before you re-inflate your tires.
- Know why the pressure dropped and if not due to a drastic change in temperature overnight inspect for leaks. (I find that spray cleaner like Windex or other cleaners tend to foam at the location of the leak. Be sure to check your bolt -in metal valve and the attachment of your TPMS too.
So when I am not towing I drop my rear pressure to 40psi. Before I rehook I take them back to 80psi. I do this just about every trip. This is my truck not the RV.
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