Is the ARB Twin Onboard Air the best solution?

[LXGus]

Yes, I've seen it mounted in the empty space in front of the airbox. Same spot I mounted up my puma. Can't remember who, maybe @Killacaviar ?

I just looked up that Napa compressor. Definitely looks similar to the morrflate. Actually the specs are the same 10.6cfm too, which is ideal for the all-4-at-once strategy. Nice find Maybe the Morrflate is the same thing but with better QC and a warranty? There are a few reviews of the NAPA quitting early in life.

I know they are being conservative, but Morrflate just responded to my inquiry about engine mounting:

"We do not recommend mounting any compressor in the engine bay. The heat from the engine will shorten the life span of your compressor. The Thermal cut off of our compressor is 200 degrees, and engines operate at around 190 degrees, so even when you are not using the compressor, it gets hot like it if was on. "

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm not a terribly patient person by nature, but I don't mind sitting in the woods with a cold drink while my tires fill up. However, as someone else mentioned, when you have company who's not quite as "into wheeling" as you are, once you reach the end of the trail and you need to get a grouchy spouse or child back to civilization, every minute counts, lol.

To better half - don't you hate waiting for me to air up? Should I upgrade my compressor? You know...for the kids?

 

[Boston Mangler]

I know they are being conservative, but Morrflate just responded to my inquiry about engine mounting:

"We do not recommend mounting any compressor in the engine bay. The heat from the engine will shorten the life span of your compressor. The Thermal cut off of our compressor is 200 degrees, and engines operate at around 190 degrees, so even when you are not using the compressor, it gets hot like it if was on. "

Yes. This is an ongoing debate everywhere

I have 2 buddies that have had dual ARBs fail. One was stuffed in engine bay and one was stuff under his seat (dumb)

Both of mine were installed outside, under truck.

After filling a couple tires, they get ungodly hot to the point you can’t even touch them without getting burnt.

They NEED to breath and cool.

Test this yourself. Run an ARB DUAL for a few minutes and try to touch it. It’s

 

[Heckraiser]

My puma burned the back of my driver's seat in the 80 after putting it away hot back when it was still attached to the tank.

 

[hoser]

I dont see why it wouldnt be. It inflates my 42" just as fast as the ARB.

Not sure though. Ive had those 4 and 2 hose octopus systems for inflation in the past, and personally think they more headache than they are worth, take up too much valuable storage real estate, and takes just as much time to unpack it, set it up, and tear it down and repack it, as just doing the tires separately.

People always focused on speed of air down and airing up. Not sure why. Who cares? No reason to be in a rush for anything.

I don't like the idea of extra Octopus as well but here's the thing, the standard valve stem is the bottleneck with a high flow air compressor. Even a 2-tire octopus can be the bottleneck but is a good compromise and will allow for different front/rear pressure. Those PowerTalk Monster Valves are really nice and allow optimal air up/down times, plus allow for pressure monitoring while airing up/down. Those handheld deflators are usually crap and highly restricting.

I'm in the faster is better camp. The faster you air up, the sooner you don't have to deal with all that noise . The sooner you can go home. Some of my trips have highways between trails. If I don't air up, it'll be 30-45 minutes at 25 mph while the pavement is just chewing up the tires. I'd like to at least get the tires up to 25 psi.

I just looked up that Napa compressor. Definitely looks similar to the morrflate. Actually the specs are the same 10.6cfm too, which is ideal for the all-4-at-once strategy. Nice find Maybe the Morrflate is the same thing but with better QC and a warranty? There are a few reviews of the NAPA quitting early in life.

There are at least 10 different brands that resemble the Napa Maxitrac and they are mostly the same but the electronics are different. The internals are quite cheap and cheaply made. I purchased my Napa for less than $100. There is a popular FB group about modding them.

If you want to see an absolute monster of a compressor, check out the Oasis branded ones. It's a York compressor driven by a winch motor. Mine does 16cfm @100psi (24V) and it's quiet but heavy (45lbs). I'm not recommending it to anybody here... it's more for industrial/military/competition use.

 

[Boston Mangler]

My puma burned the back of my driver's seat in the 80 after putting it away hot back when it was still attached to the tank.

Exactly my point. Mounting these inside the vehicle or even in a hot engine bay is a good way to kill them prematurely

 

[KLF]

Gotta admit... I'm intrigued by the Morrflate. Two issues: it's pretty darned big, and I agree that under the hood is not a good place to put it. And, it draws 90 Amps at full load. That's gonna need it's own feed from the battery, with at least a #4 wire (I'd probably go with a #2).

 

[bloc]

I pre-cool my ARB by letting it run free-flow for a little while before letting it build pressure to fill tires. The thinking is the cooler open-hood air flowing through the heads with no restriction (which is what builds heat internally) should help drop temps before I go put it under load.

We’ll see if it works.

Lots of people have ARBs successfully under-hood.. yes some fail but it seems to be a small percentage.

I also really appreciate how tucked away the thing is on the slee bracket. I still have the open area in front of the airbox for an eventual fridge battery, and the space behind the air box too.

 

[NikP]

My neighbor just bought the EZFlate, which looks similar to the Morrflate. First impressions are the thing is well built and rugged. Not super expensive and they have a couple different options for packaging which is nice. I'll be interested to see how it does over time.

It's got me considering one.

EZ FLATE

EZ FLATE

ezflate.com

 

[DallasTide]

I have the All Top dual compressor with LCD control panel and the morrflate 4 tire octopus. Pretty nifty to set the PSI and just chill out/have a beer while it does it's thing. It is fast and noisy as hell. The ARB is sweet but I opted to save some cash for other mods. If I lived somewhere that I could wheel more often I would have sprung for it. I'm happy with the setup for my use case. Your use case will determine which option is "best".

 

[Artie]

How long we talking on these underhood ARB’s lasting? I’m 30k miles and on my 3rd year with mine. If I get 5 years I’m happy, the convenience is worth trading some longevity.

 

[Boston Mangler]

How long we talking on these underhood ARB’s lasting? I’m 30k miles and on my 3rd year with mine. If I get 5 years I’m happy, the convenience is worth trading some longevity.

Seems hit or miss and based on use really

Have a bunch of friends with them, all underhood

Oddly, the 2 that that died fairly quick were less than a year old and barely used. A few are 3-4 years old and get used all the time.

Maybe a quality control issue maybe a heat issue. Not sure.

 

[Artie]

Seems hit or miss and based on use really

Have a bunch of friends with them, all underhood

Oddly, the 2 that that died fairly quick were less than a year old and barely used. A few are 3-4 years old and get used all the time.

Maybe a quality control issue maybe a heat issue. Not sure.

That’s not what I was expecting. Sounds like I should scoop one up if I find a good sale price on one.

 

[NYC570]

I have the all top single. I would've gotten the dual but it hadn't been released at the time.

 

[Boston Mangler]

That’s not what I was expecting. Sounds like I should scoop one up if I find a good sale price on one.

To clarify, only 2 blew up. The other ones still work fine

 

[nwfl4runner]

Thanks! I built my own 4 tire inflate system that is similar to Morrflate's. It is awesome. And my compressor is the same form factor, but it was $115 from NAPA. It is way faster than everyone else's when we all stop to air back up. Do you know of anyone mounting the Morrlate in the engine bay? My goal is to have something permanently installed.

I think you’ve got the best setup right there for your use. Personally, I do a hard mount for lockers (single ARB) and then the big boy portable compressors and a 4 hose system for tires, but I wouldn’t spend time trying to hard mount it

 

[CT3]

I have the dual ARB on two 200s, I find it works well for what I need. I will say it feels a bit like the “default” choice if you’re looking to mount something permanently to the vehicle. But maybe thats just my ignorant view.

In one of the LCs it’s being used to run lockers as well, and I’m on year 4 or 5 I think with many dozens of times airing up and down. Sometimes airing up and down other cars on the trail at the same time. Never had any issues.

 

[FGreggo]

After reading this thread and way too much research I just ordered the morrflate and the four piece octopus (back ordered). It was a toss up between that and the viaair 450 which was intriguing due to size, but the reviews on the morrflate were too good.

 

[pcut]

After reading this thread and way too much research I just ordered the morrflate and the four piece octopus (back ordered). It was a toss up between that and the viaair 450 which was intriguing due to size, but the reviews on the morrflate were too good.

Which Morrflate did you order? I'd like to take advantage of your research if you are willing to share. Thanks in advance.

 

[FGreggo]

Which Morrflate did you order? I'd like to take advantage of your research if you are willing to share. Thanks in advance.

The ten six pro