Air Compressor Question

[Sprintergal]

I am thinking about buying a portable air compressor to use for winterizing and inflatable canoes, trailer and truck tires etc. What size (gallon) air compressor would I need for this type of use?

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by Sprintergal

I am thinking about buying a portable air compressor to use for winterizing and inflatable canoes, trailer and truck tires etc. What size (gallon) air compressor would I need for this type of use?

Try using the Search feature on this topic as there have been previous discussions and threads about portable air compressors. Simply type in "portable air compressor" in the search box and see what shows up.

If you will be using a portable one to inflate trailer and/or truck tires, the small, "cheap" 12V ones are generally pretty much useless for this type of application. They might be good for inflatables, beach balls, air mattresses and bike tires but, in most cases, are not for large auto and truck tires.

[Desert185]

I bought 3 gal pancake from HF on sale. Small enough to easily store in the basement and adequate for tires and winterizing.

[ImTravis]

I have a 5 Gallon Pancake Porter Cable I bought on sale (was a nailgun kit at Lowes). Worked great when I winterized mine and my friends trailers..

[carwheel_09]

I use a Viair model 450P-A portable compressor. Continuous duty, 12 volt, 145 psi. Very light weight but heavy on the price. It's comes with a 35' hose and heavy duty carrying bag. It will inflate a totally flat 80psi E rated tire. I use the battery in the RV to power it.

[mikell]

I just picked this up it's fit under the bench seat in the motorhome and is super quiet. Built tough and small. Low output but does 145 PSI. Made a hose with a clip on air chuck so I can set it and walk away. Has great reviews. I have a large 12 volt one that I carry in the 5th wheel but the motorhome has a generator.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by carwheel_09

I use a Viair model 450P-A portable compressor. Continuous duty, 12 volt, 145 psi. Very light weight but heavy on the price. It's comes with a 35' hose and heavy duty carrying bag. It will inflate a totally flat 80psi E rated tire. I use the battery in the RV to power it.

X2 on the 450P. It is expensive, but it sure works great.

[hankaye]

Sprintergal, Howdy;

I bought one of these a coupla years ago and about $50 less ...
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-1-...Air+Compressor
Easy to lift (maybe 20#), a lot lower profile than a pancake and stores easy.

hankaye

[JoeofNSB]

I have a Sears small tank compressor and had room to mount it in the generator compartment on my Raptor. Works well for $79.00 on sale.

[JRTJH]

We bought the 3 gallon pancake from Harbor Freight also. Max pressure is 110PSI, but everything we air up maxes out at 80 or less, so no problem there. It's almost 5 years old, cost $29 (I think) when we bought it, I saw them on sale at HF with a coupon for $39, so not much inflation in the past 5 years.

I store it in the front pass through storage area right next to my HF torque wrench and lug wrench. LOL

[Desert185]

I store mine in the front pass through, also, but not next to my SnapOn torque wrench. LOL

[64tbolt]

Originally Posted by carwheel_09

I use a Viair model 450P-A portable compressor. Continuous duty, 12 volt, 145 psi. Very light weight but heavy on the price. It's comes with a 35' hose and heavy duty carrying bag. It will inflate a totally flat 80psi E rated tire. I use the battery in the RV to power it.

best one on the market for this kind of use. I have friends with those with 3/5 gal tanks on their trucks for tires & or train horns. One also has a 50' hose & reel mounted under the bed of his truck.

[nevlarry]

X3 on Viair. I can air tires anywhere even without electricity or generator.

[Rick]

You can use an air compressor to do all those things you want, but like Toonces the driving cat, just not very well.

The compressor is for high pressure, low cfm items (inflating tires, air tools, etc.). For your canoe and other inflatables, you want an air pump. It has high cfm, low pressure. Using a compressor to fill your canoe would take forever.

In addition to my TT, I also have a boat. I have a large inflatable and wanted to fill it quickly and to the correct pressure, so I did a review on some air pumps. You can read about it here. I'm Rick180- Air Pump Review

If you happen to buy an air pump, buy one suited for the purpose. 99.5% of the types that are handheld out there...you'll end up having to top it off with something like a double action hand pump, or your compressor. What you're looking for is a pump that's either 110v and sits on the ground, or a handheld type that connects to a 12v battery via alligator clips. Those will fill your big items to the correct pressure in under 3 minutes.

Rick

P.S. An air pump will also deflate your items quickly.