Portable Air Compressor

-

 I need a means of airing-up and down when off-road, plus fixing flats, etc. I.e., I need an air compressor to carry with us in the truck at all times. So which one did I end up with? To answer that, we have to start with the requirements:

  1. Quality. Foremost, I wanted something high-quality that will last me my lifetime. Of course, price was a factor, but I’m also a big believer in the time-tested adage that when buying tools you can “cry once or multiple times”. 
  2. Portability. I wanted something portable. I will primarily take my Gladiator off-road and on trips, but occasionally will take the wife’s Jeep (when it shows up). In other words, I don't currently need something permanently mounted under the hood of the truck; rather, I want something I can move from vehicle to vehicle as required.
  3. Capacity. I may end up running larger tires in the future, so wanted something that could grow with me as my tires changes. It’s overkill a bit, but I decided I wanted something capable of up to 80psi and around 2cfm. Also wanted a compressor with a 100% duty cycle spec, primarily so that once I start airing up on the trail I won't have to wait for the unit to cool down if it overheats. 
  4. Automatic. I wanted an "auto" compressor, meaning it has a pressure transducer that turns the unit off and on by itself when air is flowing. It's a small thing, but everyone that moves from a manual to an automatic version says that they'd never go back.
  5. Permanent Mounting Capability. Yes, this conflicts with the portability requirement above, but in the future, if I want to permanently mount the compressor, I wanted something compact and durable enough to accommodate this need.

With all these requirements in mind, I looked at lots of brands, models, and options. I read reviews, watched YouTube videos, and scoured the forums. The candidates were far and wide, and included no-name cheapo unites all the way up through top-of-the-ine ARBs, et al. In the end, I chose….drum roll… the VIAIR 450P - 45043 Automatic. It's a 100% duty cycle, 12VDC, 150psi, 1.8CFM high-quality unit that I bought via Amazon.


Is this overkill for my application? Yes, probably. But I *know* it’s going to meet my needs. Pictures below:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holding Stuff Down - Cargo Net for the Gladiator's Bed

-
Image
As mentioned before in this blog, one thing I'm still getting used to with the new Jeep is how little cargo space there is. We're going up to our cabin this coming weekend, and we're bringing two full-grown adults to accompany my wife and myself. Four people are a tight squeeze in the vehicle's cab, which means all of our combined gear, cooler, etc. that normally would live in the back seat area will have to ride in the truck's bed. Combined with highway, bumpy washboard dirt roads, and of course rock crawling... well, stuff can leave the bed on its own accord if not properly secured. To address this issue, I purchased a heavy-duty cargo net that I'll keep in the toolbox and use in instances like this upcoming weekend jaunt. The unit I purchased was a Mophorn 50"x66" heavy duty cargo net that came with four tied down straps and carabiners. It's probably too big for typical loads (e.g., coolers and such) but I erred on the side of too big, rather th
Read more

First Offroad Shake-Down Run in the Gladiator

-
Image
 Took the Gladiator off-road for the first time this fourth of July weekend. Specifically, we drove up to our family cabin, which requires some pretty serious 4x4 capability (and, if I do say so myself, some driver skill). The route includes everything from mountainous 2-lane blacktop, to 65mph posted highway driving, to long washboard dirt roads, to deep sandy sections and wash-running, to steep & technical rock crawling and narrow single-track roads. 4x4 high, low, locked... you name it, it requires it. Very diverse and challenging..... and the truck handled it all with aplomb. On this inaugural run (literally, my first time ever driving a Jeep off-road), the things that stood out to me include: Nimble . Compared to the old monstrous F250 Crew Cab, this Gladiator feels like a sports car. It's much narrower and easier to maneuver in the tighter sections of the trail. Downright fun to drive. Sway-bar Disconnect.  Wow. The ride quality off-road once the sway-bar was disconnected
Read more

Stowing a Recovery Shovel

-
Image
An indispensable recovery tool every serious offroad vehicle should carry is a good shovel. I've only had to use a shovel once in an emergency off-road situation--but it was truly needed that time. Unfortunately, the shovel I had at the time was a tiny "fold-up" camp model that I kept in my truck's tool box. It was way too small for the job at hand, taking close to 30 minutes to dig us out of a sandy rut that should have taken, at most, 5 minutes with a properly sized tool. So... for the Gladiator, I decided it was time to carry a bigger implement for the (hopefully rare) times when I will need it. I chose a modest 36-inch model that we already had sitting unused in a shed. The bad news is that because of the constraints of the tool box size on the Gladiator, I can't keep it locked up inside. Instead, I have to keep the shovel in the truck's bed. The solution I settled on is to use a "quick fist" rubber tool mount that is screwed directly into the si
Read more