Portable Air Tank

[JDP3]

Looking for a portable air tank to mount against in the bed of my tundra. I have searched everywhere and have only come up with "The Source" portable air tank. Does anyone have experience with this? Looking for some info, i.e.: How many tires can you fill up with a full tank? Does the mounting bracket have a place where you can lock the tank in? How easy is it to get refilled and what is that process? Anyone had any experience with these? Anyone have any alternate ideas?
I want something that is small and very portable.

What say you?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Get an exchange CO2 tank and a $35 beverage pressure regulator.

You can spend a lot more but you won't get much more in terms of performance.

 

[JDP3]

so for an alternate idea, where do i get the exchange CO2 tank and where do i get a beverage pressure regulator?

Also, for anyone who has experience with the source or similar, can you just use a shop compressor to fill the bottle when it is emptied?

 

[rusty_tlc]

You can get CO2 tanks from any welding shop.
You can get beverage regulators from home brewing places or on-line.
If you just like to spend money you can get complete set-ups from places like Power Tank. At the end of the day there is little difference between the cheaper exchange tank/beverage regulator and the pricey Power Tank.

Air tanks can't really hold enough cubic feet of air to do you much good, compressed CO2 is a liquid and a 15# tank holds many cubic feet of CO2 gas, enough to air up 37" tires from 6psi to 30psi three or four times. Around here it cost about $18 to exchange a tank.


It is far more cost effective to buy an electric pump or install a mechanical pump for on board air.

Search this forum and the internet for the key words "on board air" you will find volumes of information as well as debate about what is the best way to set your truck up with an air source.


Electric pumps
http://www.viaircorp.com/
http://www.oasismfg.com/
http://www.pumaaircompressor.net/buy-puma-air-compressor-12v-online/

Mechanical air pumps are generally converted AC compressors and are driven by a belt from the engine. Search on "York" or "Sanden" "OBA" to find many links on the conversion procedure.

This is one of my favorites;
http://www.grungle.com/endlessair.html

 

[Sinister]

f you just like to spend money you can get complete set ups from places like Power Tank. At the end of the day there is little difference between the cheaper exchange tank & beverage regulator and the pricey Power Tank. Each have its unique features and plus point as brand changed.

Agreed look into power tank as they have some real nice setups and package deals. I use a viar setup that works pretty good and Is quick enough for me. I'm done filling within 10-15 min going from 18psi to 34 psi with no problem.

 

[rusty_tlc]

f you just like to spend money you can get complete set ups from places like Power Tank. At the end of the day there is little difference between the cheaper exchange tank & beverage regulator and the pricey Power Tank. Each have its unique features and plus point as brand changed.

Sorry to disagree with you, the differences between power tank and exchange tanks are purely cosmetic. If appearance is important to you then the power tank may be worth the extra money, my feeling is that the extra money is better spent elsewhere.

 

[e9999]

it is very easy to overestimate how much air you can "store" in a tank at typical homeowner's pressures - say 150 psi or so. Just think in terms of the volume of the tank compared to a tire and then compare pressures. Doesn't seem like the typical portable tank is much bigger than a 33" tire or so. Then 150 psi would give you 4 tires worth of 30 psi air. (Oversimplifying.) Now, if you could go to 2000 psi we'd be talking but then you need serious tanks (and a way to fill them up).

 

[toy4xfun]

a guy at fall-crawl just showed me his power tank set up he used an exchangeable tank, but got his regulator through victor regulators i think he said he did it for around $150.

 

[Bogo]

A big thing with purchased CO2 tanks is where would you get a tank filled? Many welding supply places are now exchange tank only and don't have tank filling facilities. So, buy your pressure regulator, fittings and hoses, but get an exchange tank.

 

[rusty_tlc]

^^^^This

The places here in town have to send your tank out to get filled, I don't think I'd like trusting my expensive powder coated tank to some guy driving a compressed cylinder truck.