Harbor Freight Compressors

[Overlander 80]

Well I figured I would post this so you all can avoid the same potential pitfall.

Harbor Freight offers a $59 - 12volt air compressor that was claimed to be able to pump up a tire to 40 psi in about a minute (on this site). Not bad right?

So, before wheeling this past weekend I grabbed one; thinking it would save me the stop at the gas station before getting on the highway and could come in handy on the trail to pump up my always-flat spare in an emergency.

Finished a great weekend of trail riding and came time to air-up. First tire - about three minutes - 33" from 20psi to 40psi. Not too bad. Second tire about the same. Third tire - after about a minute it overheated and will not turn on - period. Let it cool completely and nothing. That's seven minutes of run time with two breaks.

Just a heads-up.

Heading to Harbor Fright (hehe) to test their return policy.....5000

 

[cruiser88]

thanks i had one in my hand sometime back, i told the wife naa lets get it the next time we come back

 

[fzj80kidpen]

You win some you lose some

 

[rusty_tlc]

HF sells a lot of crap, but they do have a great return policy.

 

[splitshot]

Everything I've bought from them breaks.
They have beefy looking jack stands, do I take a chance? Guess my wife could use the return policy.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Everything I've bought from them breaks.
They have beefy looking jack stands, do I take a chance? Guess my wife could use the return policy.

I have a hammer I got from them that has held up pretty well.;p

 

[Overlander 80]

returned it today - no sweat. they said it was the first one they had come back??

 

[Nomis]

Was it this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93186

If so, I have one as well - they appear to made by Viair and seem to be a very good compressor for the money - I've been running mine for a few weeks and use it to fill up a portable air tank without issue.

 

[Overlander 80]

Yep, that's the one!!

I think there is a big difference between airing up tires and filling an air tank. It was advertisied to fill tires and it clearly couldn't handle that for my purposes. Only doing one tire at a session - it's probably fine. Four within a twenty minute period - no dice. I need to keep looking for the solution. Might do a York set-up if I can swing it without losing AC. Also weighing the ARB option (may be putting lockers in soon.

Glad it's working for you. Just wanted to give anyone a heads-up who may have been under the same illusion as I was in terms of airing up after a trail run.

 

[brokenparts]

I have that same one... I only use it for emergency puposes and to fill my daughter's soccer ball.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Yep, that's the one!!

I think there is a big difference between airing up tires and filling an air tank. It was advertisied to fill tires and it clearly couldn't handle that for my purposes. Only doing one tire at a session - it's probably fine. Four within a twenty minute period - no dice. I need to keep looking for the solution. Might do a York set-up if I can swing it without losing AC. Also weighing the ARB option (may be putting lockers in soon.

Glad it's working for you. Just wanted to give anyone a heads-up who may have been under the same illusion as I was in terms of airing up after a trail run.

You will be sad if you try to fill tires with the ARB pump.

 

[Overlander 80]

Thanks Rusty - that's good to know. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[rusty_tlc]

Thanks Rusty - that's good to know. Do you have any suggestions?

Search? The topic of OBA has been beaten to death I belive.

I'm a CO2 guy.
CO2 Plus side:
-No pully left on the FJ40 for York
-I need OBA in multiple rigs
-Cheap* and easy. (*Cheap if you use a beverage regulator and exchange tanks. $$ if you go Power Tank et al)

CO2 Minus side:
-regulators are fragile.
-could get stuck with an empty tank at a bad time.
-ongoing cots to fill tank.

I'll probably wind up with some kind of $50 compressor as back-up, which is why I'm interested in these threads.

 

[pismo62]

I have the same compressor from HF. On the third time out, I was airing up and it quit about half way thru the last tire. I religated it to a back up unit after that.

 

[Tools R Us]

... Do you have any suggestions?

A few in our club run the Harbor Freight units, haven't seen any failures yet. A bunch run the MF105X Costco/Pep Boy's units. The MF105X units are slightly faster and have proven to work well, with very little failure, a wire connection came loose on one of mine, soldered all of the connections on both of them.

I run two, use one to air up each side. They are two years old and have aired my tires many times and most time others that don't have air. The way I figure it, if one dies the other will still air up the tires and it's only $50 to replace it, or if it's from Costco they will replace it for what 2 years?

 

[mazder]

I just use a good old bicycle pump, why not get a decent workout after a days worth of wheeling!

 

[Pebble Pup]

HF is a waste of time and money. Most things will have to be returned, especially if it electric. I have tried several power tools from them and always end up returning them within a week. If you are in need of a power tool, the best route is refurbished from CPO.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I just use a good old bicycle pump, why not get a decent workout after a days worth of wheeling!

First off nice thread resurrection.
Second, want to air my 36" swampers up from 2PSI to 32PSI with your bike pump?

 

[Tools R Us]

I just use a good old bicycle pump, why not get a decent workout after a days worth of wheeling!

I'll watch, or maybe not, may have other things to do?