Air Tank with Air Bags

[Dave012]

I'm going to be putting on Firestone air bags with a Wireless Air Control. Was thinking about putting on an air tank as well for tires and toys. Has anyone set this up? Is it possible?

How big of an air tank should I get? And will the Firestone air compressors be adequate to fill up a trailer tire?

Any experience/advice would be great.

Thanks, Dave

 

[jayc]

I put a Viair compressor with tank in my v-tool box. It powers my air horn (GREAT for waking up those knuckleheads that pull out in front of me) and can also be used to air up my air bags on the rear, tires etc.

 

[lwmcguir]

Have a welder friend that mounted a home made schedule 40 pipe air tank under the frame ahead of the bumper. It is connected to the compressor mounted under and inside the frame. Primary use is air bags but he has a quick connector in the bumper that can be used to air up tires. The small air compressor is good for topping them off but not for high usage. Pretty handy though. I just have the compressor for the bags and mounted it on the frame after someone on the forum posted that idea.

 

[2010augusta]

I have not tried to use our on-board Viair compressor for tires, as it takes long enought to air up the air-ride system to 70PSI, I can't imagan trying to get the 19.5" tires up to 80PSI, We do have a 2 gal. Craftsman compressor mounted in the Landmark.

On my Jeep I converted a old York air conditioner compressor, to be an engine driven air compressor, and I welded up a 2x4 steel tube bumper to act as a small air tank and it works well.

 

[porthole]

I added the air bags and wireless system this past summer. I really think the included compressor is too small for anything other then the air bags, and I would not want the compressor going bad due to excessive use. With the wireless system the sensors are constantly checking and adjusting the air pressure as needed, so you need to keep the pump operating.

I installed mine inside the cab behind the rear lower floor cover.

 

[talley]

We check the air pressure in the BH Goodyears each time we pull. Also, will deflate the air bags and then inflate when towing. It became difficult to find an air station when needed. This past year we put a Viair compressor - Omega model with 150 PSI and 2 1/2 gallon air tank. This is part of an airhorn kit, however we did not have the airhorns installed. Compressor is mounted on passenger side frame rail forward of rear tire. Quick connect inside bed at tailgate. Normally the compressor would be wired to be active when vehicle is driven. I had a switch installed and normally the compressor is not on unless I intend to use it. I have been able to air the BH tires to the 105 psi that I run in the tires. Works much better than portable 12V compressors I have tired and the air stations at the convience stores.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Question folks, when I pick up my rig from the tow yard to go out on a trip, I have a CPO bought 150 PSI air compressor in my storage compartment. The problem is that without a plug, I can't inflate the tires, until my first stop at a campground with electricity. I am looking for a lightweight air compressor that doesn't require an electrical plug in for the initial day I am out there until we hit our first CG. I can check the air no problem, but without a electrical outlet, I am out of luck and if i have low tire pressure half to find a tire dealer close by. Any ideas would be appreciated. We have max 80 lb truck tires, and G rated Goodyear 614's that max out at 110 PSI. With an outlet it works fine, but I hate to have to worry especially if I haven't been out in a while.

 

[jnbhobe]

Larry; The easy fix to me would be to add a generator to your unit, either one on the trailer or in the bed of the truck. Then you have electric anytime you need it. Merry Christmas !! JON

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

Question folks, when I pick up my rig from the tow yard to go out on a trip, I have a CPO bought 150 PSI air compressor in my storage compartment. The problem is that without a plug, I can't inflate the tires, until my first stop at a campground with electricity. I am looking for a lightweight air compressor that doesn't require an electrical plug in for the initial day I am out there until we hit our first CG. I can check the air no problem, but without a electrical outlet, I am out of luck and if i have low tire pressure half to find a tire dealer close by. Any ideas would be appreciated. We have max 80 lb truck tires, and G rated Goodyear 614's that max out at 110 PSI. With an outlet it works fine, but I hate to have to worry especially if I haven't been out in a while.

Another thought would be to add a decent size 12 volt to 110 volt inverter to your rig. That way you "could" use it when boondocking also. That coupled with a small 120 volt compressor may just get you by.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

jnphobe,
Old buddy, buying that generator seems a bit over kill to put a little air in the tires before heading out. I like Rick and Debbie's idea. Now I have to figure out what that means in English. Sounds like it would also work for my bi pap sleep apnea machine requiring 110 volt as well. How many watts would it require do you think? And how come more folk don't use the inverter in the place of a generator? If you are going out boondocking for a week let's say or 4 days what would be the suggestions on inverters as a generator is a bit too expensive for me. Would it require those golf cart batteries as well. If so, guess I will have to go to another rally so my buds would have some fun installing it for their untechnical buddy. A case of beer just might do it as a cheap date. LOL

 

[lwmcguir]

We use a setup like this only it has two tanks. Battery clips and a 50 foot hose makes it pretty handy. We top off 110 psig on the camper and truck easily. Takes less than 3 minutes to get to 130 psig. It pulls about 50 amps at 12 volts.

 

[jnbhobe]

Larry;yes its expencive. But golf cart batteries and inverters are also, especially the good ones.A 3000 watt Honda is under 2 grand. and it will run everything but 2 AC units, it will run one. I bet you will have over $500 in 2 golf cart batteries and a good inverter, and it may not start your compressor. and it will drain the batteries pretty fast. There are charts to tell the draw of various appliances and the capacity of different batteries

 

[talley]

Larry... I shared your concern until I installed the 12V 150 psi Aivair compressor + small air tank on my TV, I no longer am concerned about finding an air station with an adequate and working air station. Works for me

 

[jgallego]

One of the reason I bought my 5th wheel with the 5500 Onan Gold generator was for this type of situation and also stopping in rest areas for lunch or a break.

Jaime

 

[caissiel]

I have a 1200 Watt inverter that I installed to plug into the slides 120V plugs, I can operate the 32" TV and the air bed. The inverter hardly uses power when idle. Just swing the switch on / off when required.

 

[jbeletti]

Larry,

Like some of the others have done, I too have added a 12 VDC compressor and tank to my truck. I carry 50' of air hose so I can reach all the tires on the RV from the truck. I think that setup was maybe $400.

For you, needing the Bi-Pap when boondocking, I too would lean more towards the inverter system. That system would be an inverter sized to at least cover the draw of your compressor for a decent amount of time, paired with a battery bank to sustain DV power to the inverter as needed.

Many on here may now know the current requirements of your bi-pap device. Take a look at it, where the power cord connects to it and look for the power requirements there. Look for the voltage, amperage and/or wattage. Or, reply back here with the brand and model and we'll figure it out for you. My sense it that it is a pretty small requirement. And nothing like what your compressor will need. That thing will likely be a power hog. Here again, look at your compressor for the requirements or provide brand/model here and we'll look it up.

If your compressor is similar to Forrest's, you may need an inverter no larger than he has. I think his is 2,000 watts.

For batteries, as others have suggested, at least 2 Trojan T105 Golf Cart batteries are a good choice. But there are many other decent choices too. Sams/Costco carries a good supply of alternate brands of deep cycle batteries as well. And sometimes, Costco carries the 2,000 watt Xantrex inverter. It's the cheaper, MSW (modified sine wave) model but your bi-pap and compressor may work fine with it.

Find yourself an installer for this sort of work and tell them what your requirements are and what suggestions you've been given here are and go from there.

Good luck.

Jim

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

Just one more thought on the 12volt system: The 12 volt is lots more quite than the generator system. You can recharge the 12 volt with solar panels or a wind turbine or both. If you have a freezer on board you can run that also. As well as the tv, vcr, satellite dish dvd player, etc. etc.......

 

[porthole]

Some thoughts.

An inverter big enough to run a compressor under load would probably be in the 2-3000 dollar range - before batteries. And don't forget proper wiring to move all those little electrons.

Inverters are not 100% efficient. Maybe 80 % or so. That is way you cannot use an invertor to run a battery charger to keep the inverter batteries charged.

12 volt compressors will be pricey to get one strong enough to "fill up" 110 psi tires. But if you are just topping off ................

I have one of those portable air compressors, type sold at Costco.
When I got to Elkhart I used the compressor to top off the trailer tires (80psi) and filled my truck tires for the tow home (from 55 to 80).

I don't recall if I finished the truck tires or not before I went to the local Menard's and bought a nice Porter Cable 150psi pancake style compressor.

I threw the portable away.

I know this doesn't help the original question .............

But, a Honda 2000 and a small 110 compressor ......... and they can both do double duty.

Buy a 1/2" air gun and socket and now you have an easier way to change tires.

I have one of those "smaller" 2kw inverters ($300). It will not run most heavy load tools.

I had a Heart Interface 2.5KW ($2000) on my boat. That would run the AC, microwave or coffee pot (not at the same time).

I do have an advantage being a SCUBA diver. Before I had a compressor and a built in generator to tow along, I would carry a SCUBA tank and air chuck adapter

 

[lwmcguir]

Not to denigrate having a 120 volt air compressor, nothing at all wrong with that. However we use the one pictured in the post to fill everything up to tractor tires. Works great but you are going to spend in the $300 dollar range for it. If you truly want a good portable 12V then that is the way to go.

 

[Dave012]

Thanks everyone for responding. Its clear there's a number of ways to tackle some of this.

At this point I'm leaning towards the air tank w 12v compressor system as my air source and need to decide how to hookup/control the airbags from there.