What are the pros/cons of hooking up a 2nd air compressor to run off the engine as opposed to something like an ARB or Viair? I would eventually like to be able to run my air tools out of my truck...
:bigear:
:bigear:
On-board air
- Thread starter Red Rover
- Start date
the only thing i can think of is power loss and where does it suck the air in from can you submerge it under water? do a search people have done it before
d1driver said:
hahhahahah ya ok, you must have read their sales pamphlet too many times. :rofl:
Any good 12V compressor, such as a viair, that is fed into a 5-10 gal tank can power air tools. Even better than a powertank or viair setup would be an old york compressor modified to fit onto the D2 serp setup, that fills a 10gal tank would be the best.
Being a kid on a farm, I was around a lot of trucks w/ air brakes. Most of the time they was using a simple compressor that looked like an old Chevy AC compressor compleat w/ clutch. It was normal for the origional bumpers to wind up destroyed and then replaced w/ 4 to 6 inch pipe w/ caps welded on to make the new bumpers serve as air tanks.
All was fine till one winter while leaving the trucks idle during lunch, a pressure switch froze over and blew one of the caps off a bumper. Moral of the story is we needed to add a pop off valve to the system.
After thinking about it for a bit the inverter/compressor set up would be the best fix over all and serve several purposes. I think it would be great if we could still use the bumper for an extra airtank though.
All was fine till one winter while leaving the trucks idle during lunch, a pressure switch froze over and blew one of the caps off a bumper. Moral of the story is we needed to add a pop off valve to the system.
After thinking about it for a bit the inverter/compressor set up would be the best fix over all and serve several purposes. I think it would be great if we could still use the bumper for an extra airtank though.
Do a search under "tools and techniques"; Nomar did a kick ass write up on CO2.
I ended up doing a 20-lb tank (almost new, shipped for $80), a regualtor (shipped for $29), a Sears 25' rubber coiled up 3/8" hose (new for $22), and a fire-extinguisher HD bracket for a grand total of under $170. It works great, looks real clean, and runs power tools all day. I found the install job to be way easier too...but that's just for my taste!
atriot:
I ended up doing a 20-lb tank (almost new, shipped for $80), a regualtor (shipped for $29), a Sears 25' rubber coiled up 3/8" hose (new for $22), and a fire-extinguisher HD bracket for a grand total of under $170. It works great, looks real clean, and runs power tools all day. I found the install job to be way easier too...but that's just for my taste!
atriot:
Sweet guys! Thanks for the concepts/ideas! I was already considering the inverter route so that sounds much more feasible... And I was also thinking about the air-tank in other places... I've considered the bumpers and/or sliders but wouldnt this be a bit hazardous doing that in a place that is meant to take a large amount of force?
Red Rover said:
If you are doing this soon, send me a PM, i can fab you up an underbody tank and skidplate setup cheap.
I run a Viair 450 and a 5 gal tank, it runs an impact gun just fine, I'd assume the AC compressor would work even better. The main and only problem I can see in using a compressor over a power tank like set-up is that without an extra tank you need one hell of a compressor to run a tool without a tank, add a tank and it's about equal. I chose the electric compressor because it was reasonably cheap, and very easy to install, also you cant run out of air on the trail, and don't need the motor to be running to refill the tank.
I converted the stock AC compressor to OBA. It pulls air from the hose between the plenum and PCV (lubricates the compressor and no worries about water splashing into the compressor intake). It feeds a 3 gallon air tank. Runs a half inch impact at idle no problem.
G
gil stevens
Guest
i also run a viair with a 5 gal tank welded to the frame.. it runs tools. i also remote mounted the air intake up high on the roof so water ingress will never be an issue.
ChicagoDon said:
Might run your airbrush or something, but not a heavy grinder or impact gun very well. It would take you all day to change a tire. And good luck with a seized bolt or needing to grind something off.
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d1driver said:
The Viair that I use takes about 4 minutes to fill my 5gal tank to 145psi, hit all 5 lugs with the impact gun and it just dips low enough to kick the compressor back on, by the time I can take the old tire off and place the new one on the tank is full, I crank the lugs on and drive away. I havn't run too many other tools, but it seems to work fine with a nail gun or a die grinder, and it inflates tires great. The powertank delivers lots of air really quickly, butyou have a very limited amount of air, once it's gone, your screwed.
Troy said:
It's a combination of things. Having 5 gallons of airat 145 psi is a hell of a lot more air than 3 gallons at 125 (what most small compressors run) so you can go a longer time before the compressor kicks back on. Once it's on you will start to notice the difference between high end and cheap compressors, the better ones push out more air at a higher pressure, but also have a better dutty cycle. That meens that mine will run vitualy forever, non stop, at 110 psi, now a small compressor doesn't quite have the cfm to run an impact gun non stop, but that's where tank volume comes into play again. I would imagine that converting the AC compressor to an OBA system would blow either the Powertank or the Viair away, but I like going wheeling in dusty 110*heat with the windows up and the AC cranked too much to do that
Another nicety of the compressors over C02 is if your like me, and you stop to help people change flats on the HWY, like to blow the dust off your bike before putting it in the truck, like inflating things 'till they pop, ect. you aren't constantly going to the welding shop for a refill.