Onboard Air for 250 Series

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ryanjl

ryanjl

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Weighing options for onboard air for a 250 Series.

I have a new single ARB compressor that I'm messing around with, looking for places it may be possible to mount it. I had an ARB under the hood of my LR4 and used it way more often than I ever even thought I would. On my Land Cruiser, however, I'd like to find a spot in the back somewhere. Would make wiring easier with the battery back there already, and would keep the compressor out from under the engine heat.

The factory jack location looks interesting.

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Would require removal of the mount for the jack and fabrication of some sort of bracket to mount the air compressor using the same bolt holes that the jack mount uses. Compressor would have to be inset further than the jack so that the cover can be put back over it. Wiring would be easy with the battery right there.

Issues I can see are ventilation. Not sure if the compressor would get too hot for this to be a good spot to mount it.

Other option would be to just take advantage of the 250 Series' inverter and just carry something like this.

Anyone else done anything yet? Thoughts?
 
Looks like CA Tuned has an under-hood option:



Not sure I like the way the wiring is run. Seems like it could be better hidden.

Also would rather have the compressor in the rear versus under the hood.

And, if under the hood, not sure why they have the air fitting aim towards the engine instead of towards the side.
 
I like the jack area as project space, but probably not for a compressor.

It's convenient to attach a 12V compressor to the battery at the back, so I see little reason to seek a 120V freestanding unit. But I would like to find a good, small 12V unit. I have a 12V $200 dual compressor that is very fast but too big and heavy.
 
I ended up mounting my spare single on the side of my drawer set:

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Oakleyguy said:
I ended up mounting my spare single on the side of my drawer set:

View attachment 3723007

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I've got a set of drawers I used in my LR4 that I'm debating whether I'll use in the 250. They'll inherently make the existing storage compartments in the floor of the 250 unusable. Not too big a deal, but a factor. Anyway, if I do use them, this method would be in consideration.
 
ryanjl said:
Looks like CA Tuned has an under-hood option:



Not sure I like the way the wiring is run. Seems like it could be better hidden.

Also would rather have the compressor in the rear versus under the hood.

And, if under the hood, not sure why they have the air fitting aim towards the engine instead of towards the side.
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Is that one of the ECUs that's getting bolted onto the backside of the mount for the compressor? I have the GX550, so I'm not sure what happening here in the LC250. But I had this Arb unit on my 200, and I know how hard it vibrates. No way I'd bolt any sensitive computing components to it.
 
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Yeah, it's an ECU. Good point about the vibrations.
 
I finally capitulated and bought a Milwaukee M18 to keep in my GX550. There doesn't seem to be any room under the hood for a compressor, and I suspect the Lexus compressor--when, if ever, it comes out--will be slower than the Milwaukee and use up the cubby space that I've come to enjoy in the back. Plus, I never liked dragging my 200's long air hose around in the dirt and what not. That air hose took up some decent space too. I like the idea of bringing the compressor to each wheel, setting the PSI, letting it do its thing, and then just wiping any dirt off the bottom surface when all the tires are done.
 
M18 tire inflator turns out to be faster than my Arb dual compressor (without tank) was for inflating my Bushranger X-Jack. So I'm very happy with my choice. (For anyone interested, can also confirm the X-jack is effective for lifting the GX550 via one of the Lexus rock rails plus adjacent frame rail. Just got to keep it reasonably straight and inflate almost all the way--up to 8 or 9PSI. )
 
I just bought a LC 250.. one of the projects I am going to work on is an interior mount for an ARB dual (probably single as well) compressor. I have a spare dual sitting around..... and another project is in the works...

Stay tuned..
 
NY2LA said:
M18 tire inflator turns out to be faster than my Arb dual compressor (without tank) was for inflating my Bushranger X-Jack. So I'm very happy with my choice. (For anyone interested, can also confirm the X-jack is effective for lifting the GX550 via one of the Lexus rock rails plus adjacent frame rail. Just got to keep it reasonably straight and inflate almost all the way--up to 8 or 9PSI. )
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My tankless ARB twin inflates tires about 40% faster than my buddy's M18 tire inflator. When wheeling, I'd get all 4 of mine done (both 33s on 17s, going to the same pressures) in the same time he'd get about 2-2.5 done. I'd finish all 4 of mine and then grab his last tire from him. Can't speak for using it on an X-jack, but I'd have a hard time seeing the M18 beating a twin on that.

FYI, this is coming someone who is a Milwaukee nut and who has spent thousands of dollars on M18 and M12 tools over the past few years. My M18 mid-torque impact, search light, and Hackzall are usually in the rig with me when wheeling.
 
ryanjl said:
I've got a set of drawers I used in my LR4 that I'm debating whether I'll use in the 250. They'll inherently make the existing storage compartments in the floor of the 250 unusable. Not too big a deal, but a factor. Anyway, if I do use them, this method would be in consideration.
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What about mounting the compressor in the floor compartment under the drawers. A remote switch and air coupler might be needed as well as some ventilation. But if you can’t get to the compartment anymore putting something in there you don’t need to remove could make sense.
 
Now I know why the "Cool Box" is so popular! The ARB Twin fits in there perfectly! LOL!
 
Rednexus said:
My tankless ARB twin inflates tires about 40% faster than my buddy's M18 tire inflator. When wheeling, I'd get all 4 of mine done (both 33s on 17s, going to the same pressures) in the same time he'd get about 2-2.5 done. I'd finish all 4 of mine and then grab his last tire from him. Can't speak for using it on an X-jack, but I'd have a hard time seeing the M18 beating a twin on that.

FYI, this is coming someone who is a Milwaukee nut and who has spent thousands of dollars on M18 and M12 tools over the past few years. My M18 mid-torque impact, search light, and Hackzall are usually in the rig with me when wheeling.
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Interesting. I can't explain that. Maybe the Arb's gotten better since I had mine installed in my prior Land Cruiser in 2020.
 
NY2LA said:
Interesting. I can't explain that. Maybe the Arb's gotten better since I had mine installed in my prior Land Cruiser in 2020.
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The ARB twin is rated at 6.16 SCFM at 0 PSI. Milwaukee isn't publishing flow specs for the M18 inflator on their website but other non-Milwaukee sources indicate it's rated for 1.41 SCFM at 0 psi. The ratings would make the ARB around 4.4X faster than the M18. But from my experience the ARB is not 4X faster, it's more like ~1.8X faster in actual use.

So, for my particular setup, either my installation (check valve with 25 ft of coiled hose, fittings, etc.) is slowing the ARB down, ARB is over-rating their twin compressor, or published ratings on the M18 are sandbagged. Or, some combination thereof. However the M18 certainly is a good option and is a lot of compressor in a small package, especially if you are already invested in M18 batteries. But, I still prefer the ARB twin for wheeling use as it is faster and does not need to be recharged, which is nice if you are going on/off pavement and airing up several times a day.
 
Hmmm. I can't speak to 0 PSI. My usage is going from 23 to 38 (offroad to road). And for that, my M18 has been better in every way than my prior ARB twin. The twin took longer, and I had to maneuver the hose awkwardly around my truck. My most common decision was always, do I let the hose drag through the dirt/mud, or do I submit to unwanted acrobatics and try to keep the hose off the ground somewhow? No such worries/annoyances or extra cleaning step with the M18. The M18 also doesn't take up much more space, because the hose I had to attach to the Arb was very bulky vs the really short one built into the M18. I'd never go back to the Arb for my own usage.
 
NY2LA said:
Hmmm. I can't speak to 0 PSI. My usage is going from 23 to 38 (offroad to road). And for that, my M18 has been better in every way than my prior ARB twin. The twin took longer, and I had to maneuver the hose awkwardly around my truck. My most common decision was always, do I let the hose drag through the dirt/mud, or do I submit to unwanted acrobatics and try to keep the hose off the ground somewhow? No such worries/annoyances or extra cleaning step with the M18. The M18 also doesn't take up much more space, because the hose I had to attach to the Arb was very bulky vs the really short one built into the M18. I'd never go back to the Arb for my own usage.
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I plumbed mine to use a 1/4" coiled nylon hose with standard 1/4" air hose couplers. I have a QC under the hood, which is up high, so the hose never really touches the ground, and it's small/easy to store inside the rig. In looking at the house in the rather overpriced ARB accessory kit, their hose would certainly be harder to store and drag the ground (which is why I did my own plumbing).

If your ARB was not as fast as your M18, the ARB likely had an issue. Either a restriction on the air/outlet side, one of the two fuses being blown, under-sized wiring feeding it, or worn O-rings inside the rig. Again, the M18 is certainly not a bad compressor, but looking at the ratings alone and in my own experience - it really can't be faster than the ARB twin unless something is wrong with it.
 
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