Need an air compressor (1 Viewer)

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70 FJ40

70 FJ40

Joined
Feb 16, 2011
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Eastern, OR
I'm tired of bouncing along on gravel and dirt roads with 38 lbs of pressure in my tires. I need an air compressor for the land cruiser that will air up tires in a decent amount of time. A few years back I bought what I thought was something that would do the job. A portable Viair. Technically I suppose it does but it takes nearly an hour to bring all four tires from 18 lbs up to 38. And the thing gets hot. So hot I feel I need to give it another 15 minutes to cool down before I can put it back away. Anyway it's bad enough I'd rather bounce along on stiff tires than spend the time to air them back up. I wouldn't mind and might prefer another portable so I could use with my other rigs if needed. What are you guys using?
Thanks
 
How big are your tires and which model Viair are you using? It sounds like you either have gigantic ArcticTrucks-type tires or an extremely undersized compressor....

I have been very happy with my Viair 88P, which fills a stock 31x11 tire from 18 psi to 35 psi in 3 minutes flat. It will also fill a 35x12.5 tire from the same 18 psi to 35 psi in under 6 minutes. That said, I just upgraded to the Viair 425C (a hardmount model) for faster performance when I move up to 33s.
 
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I’ve got one of the Smittybilt 5.65CFM branded Chinesium portable air pumps.

I really disliked the non-standard fittings, and cheap plastic hose, but they were easy enough to swap out. It does get very hot. Has a 60% duty cycle. Airs up each tire in 2-3 minutes. Cost less than $200.

It seems serviceable for a reasonable price, although I’ll probably replace it at some point.
 
We have two Ironman Compressors in the back of our creiser, their mounted beside the cargo barrier up against our home made draw system.
Have fitted a 6 litre air tank between the compressors and the drivers side slider is the second air tank, ........... have nitto fittings on the front and rear bars and in the rear deaw setup !
Works well, ................... but you'll need to allow for the 90amp draw when doing your wiring !!
IMG_2758.JPG
 
Sorry. Should have included tire size. I have 33" tires on 18" rims. The Viair 88p is what I've got. It took about 10 to 15 minutes per tire. Add time for getting it out and changing from tire to tire then putting it away and it was well over and hour to get the job done. Could have been 1/2 way home. As a result I have not aired down very often. But it is a lot softer ride to do so.
 
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I'll take a look at the Smitty built.

@KJK I'd love to do a set up like yours but would take up way more space than I could afford to lose in the back. Mines not a dedicated trail rig. It's also the main family hauler for us.
 
I used to have a Bronco, and a lot of those guys convert an a/c compressor into an air compressor (I did as well, plumbed to a spare air tank bolted under the floor). Someone sells a bracket to mount a second a/c compressor to be used with a longer belt.

Has this been done on an LC? Any brackets for a second a/c compressor? Is there room for one?
 
I had divorced a PUMA 12V compressor on my 1st gen 4runner. Worked amazing for airing up tires and running air lockers since it was 100% duty cycle. That being said, it required a ton of work, and I would rather just carry the thing with me next time, hook it to my battery and let it do it's job when I need it. Either way, very economical, and did it's job very well. If I did the job again I would use a larger tank to avoid having the compressor cycle like crazy

These days, I don't require air as often. I use a cheap portable Ryobi compressor to air up tires in the field; takes forever to run and duty cycle limits you significantly. Might look into another puma setup one day
 
I have a Viair 400p and 33" tires. Each tire takes about 5 mins to go from ~20psi to 35psi. And like you said, my compressor is very hot after inflating all 4 tires. Another popular compressor choice is the Arb CKMTA12 compressor. We have a couple of vendors that make mounting kits in the engine bay for it or you could fab your own. Another option, and most likely the fastest, is picking up a 10lb Power Tank. You don't have to worry about a hot compressor, but have to deal with a larger overall package size and it should last at least a few outtings before needing a refill.
 
Vector7 said:
I have a Viair 400p and 33" tires. Each tire takes about 5 mins to go from ~20psi to 35psi. And like you said, my compressor is very hot after inflating all 4 tires. Another popular compressor choice is the Arb CKMTA12 compressor. We have a couple of vendors that make mounting kits in the engine bay for it or you could fab your own. Another option, and most likely the fastest, is picking up a 10lb Power Tank. You don't have to worry about a hot compressor, but have to deal with a larger overall package size and it should last at least a few outtings before needing a refill.
Click to expand...
I like the 10lb power tank idea - borrowed one from a group member on a ride last year - it pumped up my 33" from 18psi to 38 psi pretty quick! I wonder if it would be a good idea to mount it under the truck somewhere to save interior space!
 
Vector7 said:
I have a Viair 400p and 33" tires. Each tire takes about 5 mins to go from ~20psi to 35psi. And like you said, my compressor is very hot after inflating all 4 tires. Another popular compressor choice is the Arb CKMTA12 compressor. We have a couple of vendors that make mounting kits in the engine bay for it or you could fab your own. Another option, and most likely the fastest, is picking up a 10lb Power Tank. You don't have to worry about a hot compressor, but have to deal with a larger overall package size and it should last at least a few outtings before needing a refill.
Click to expand...
From what I have been reading the CKMTA12 is pretty much the top "small" compressor that you can find, but at the cost of like $600+. Couple different YT videos shows it can air up 33"-35" tires from 12psi to 38psi in less than 2-3mins per tire. The little brother to the twin arb is the CKMA12 (note the missing T which designates the twin) that is does the same tires in less than 3-4mins per tire. So it comes down to your budget and how you want to do your setup.

I currently run the Viair 88p with my 285/75r16s and the first two tires air up from 15psi to 38psi in less than 4 mins, but after that second tire the pump starts getting REAL hot and duty cycle suffers. After that it usually takes a good 8-10mins per tire. I have mine in an ammo can with other airdown gear and while it is hot I usually leave the lid open for it to cool while I take off. In the future I plan to use either an OWL Expeditions or SLEE bracket and mount the CKMTA12 in the engine bay.
 
KJK said:
We have two Ironman Compressors in the back of our creiser, their mounted beside the cargo barrier up against our home made draw system.
Have fitted a 6 litre air tank between the compressors and the drivers side slider is the second air tank, ........... have nitto fittings on the front and rear bars and in the rear deaw setup !
Works well, ................... but you'll need to allow for the 90amp draw when doing your wiring !!View attachment 2696907
Click to expand...
Interested in the cargo barrier. Can we see more pics? Possible new thread?
 
I moved from a Power Tank to a ARB Twin and never looked back. Doesn't get too hot and fills up 34s fast.
 
I have the ARB twin mounted to the Slee 2nd battery tray. My tires are 275/70/18, and I usually run between 35-40 psi for normal driving. I air down to 20 psi for the beach, I fairly regularly can air my tires back to 40 psi in a similar time that others around me air up 1 tire with a small portable compressor. I haven't timed it recently but I think I did when I got it and I think I could do all 4 tires in around 10 minutes. It is pricey but I have never regretted the cost.

If you have to have a portable unit instead of a mounted one, they do sell a kit with the twin compressor and a small tank packaged up in its own little case. But again you're talking pretty big money for a compressor
 
Well I took a chance on this one. Some pretty good reviews and it airs up tires quicker than any others. I'm sure it's not the quality of the ARB but it's about 1/4 the cost. Typically I'm a buy it once cry once kind of guy but I just can't justify $600+ for something that currently would get used 2 to 3 times a year.

Amazon product ASIN B08637KCWQ
 
I really like this one: https://amzn.to/3v27aq5 it's a twin compressor with digital gauge and automatic cut-off when desired pressure is reached.

Also I met the Morrflate guys they said that your tire can only accept a certain amount of air through the valve, like only 2 CFM at low pressures. That's why the twin ARB and VIARs and all of them get super hot and burn up. So if you get a Morrflate kit then you can do 2 or 4 tires at once and it's much easier on your compressor and it will last longer and air up faster. MORRFlate Multi Tire Inflation Deflation™ Kits Archives • MORRFlate by My Off Road Radio - https://morrflate.com/product-category/morrflate-multi-tire-air-kits/
 
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