4 x Air Up System

[Cardinal Fang Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Cardinal Fang]

BACKGROUND

Got tired of kneeling down at each tyre airing down and airing up every time I go on sand so I made my own 4 x Tyre air up/down system from components sourced off ebay (I did check out Pirtek and EnZed for parts but these guys were way too expensive for my limited budget). Now, instead of kneeling at each tyre while airing up/down with one eye on the pressure gauge and the other eye on my watch, I just let the compressor run in the background while I relax.

This 4 x Air idea is hardly original and I basically copied the idea from the websites below, but I used my own design. Like one of the sites said, there is nothing complicated about this job, if you can cut hose and tighten screws (and use ebay) then it is a cinch.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/4air.shtml
http://2manytoyz.com/4air.html

The hardest part was standardising all the hose, coupling and fitting sizes so that they all fit together. If you are going to make one I recommend that you spend a little time making sure everything will fit before making your purchases. Once the sizes were sorted it was just a matter of assembling. Took about 2 hours.


MATERIALS

4 x female plug to manifold Nitto Type quick release couplings (screw fit end)
4 x male plug to hose Nitto Type quick release couplings (hose fit end)
1 x 7 way aluminium manifold
2 x In line ball valves
4 x Clip on tyre chucks
2 x brass 3 way T junctions
1 x Pressure gauge with screw fitting
1 x Schrader valve (tyre valve) to hose fitting
Thread tape
Several metres of air hose
Numerous small hose clamps

[Cardinal Fang Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Cardinal Fang]

BUILDING THE 4 X AIR SYSTEM
Refer to Diagrams 1 and 2.

A. Assembling the manifold.
Note: It’s important to make sure all the screw-in components fit the manifold snugly.
1. Screw the plugs into each end of the manifold. Use thread tape.
2. Screw in the 4 Nitto Type couplings into the manifold. Use thread tape.
3. Screw the gauge into the top of the manifold. Use thread tape.

B. Assembling the Compressor to Manifold adaptor
Note: I created this adaptor rather than rigging a hose directly between a compressor and the manifold so that I could attach it to air hoses at service stations if I needed to.
1. Cut short length of air hose (0.2 of a metre is plenty)
2. Put Schrader valve to hose fitting on one end of adaptor hose and secure with hose clamp
3. Put Nitto Type male coupling into other end of adaptor hose and secure with hose clamp

C. Assembling the Tyre air hoses
Note on hose lengths: there are no rules of hose lengths. The lengths I used here are for my vehicle, but you should cut them to suit your own purposes/vehicle.

1. Cut 2 x 1.0 metre lengths of air hose
2. Cut 2 x 1.5 metre lengths of air hose
3. Cut 2 x 0.6 metre lengths of air hose
4. Cut 2 x 4.0 metre lengths of air hose
5. Put Nitto Type male couplings into one end of each 1.0 metre hose and secure with hose clamp
6. Put ball valve spur into the other end of each 1.0 metre hose and secure with hose clamps
7. Put ball valve spur into the end of each 1.5 metre hose and secure with hose clamps
8. Put brass 3 way T junctions into the other ends of each 1.5 metre hose and secure with hose clamp
9. Put 0.6 metre lengths of air hose onto brass T junctions and secure with hose clamps.
10. Put clip on tyre chucks into other ends of the 0.6 metre air hose and secure with hose clamps.
11. Put 4.0 metre lengths of air hose onto brass T junctions and secure with hose clamps.
12. Put clip on tyre chucks into other ends of the 4.0 metre air hose and secure with hose clamps.

Diagram 1:

Diagram 2:

[Cardinal Fang Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Cardinal Fang]

USING THE 4 X AIR SYSTEM

Airing up - See diagram 3:

1. Clip the Adaptor between your air compressor and the manifold
2. Make sure the ball valves are closed and clip Nitto male coupling into the manifold and the tyre chucks onto your tyres
3. Open the ball valves
4. Turn the compressor on and watch the manifold’s needle gauge till you get the required pressure.
5. Turn off the compressor and close the ball valves
6. Remove tyre chucks from tyres.

Airing down - See diagram 3:
1. Clip the Adaptor to the manifold
2. Make sure the ball valves are closed and clip Nitto male coupling into the manifold and the tyre chucks onto your tyres
3. Open the ball valves
4. Use key/stick/tyre deflator to let air out of adaptor’s Schrader valve until required pressure is reached.
5. Close the ball valves.
6. Remove tyre chucks from tyres.

Go crazy.

[Symo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Symo]

Cool idea, but too filly for me. I'll stick to the ARB inflator with which I can hold while filling up, having a beer. Deflating only takes 20sec with the easy deflator, not assembling meters of tube and packing up again.

I'd like to see real world benchmarks against normal methods, and how the fittings hold up with repeated uses, lying in sand, dirt, mud etc. Still a cool idea!

[Cardinal Fang Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Cardinal Fang]

Cool idea, but too filly for me. I'll stick to the ARB inflator with which I can hold while filling up, having a beer. Deflating only takes 20sec with the easy deflator, not assembling meters of tube and packing up again.

I'd like to see real world benchmarks against normal methods, and how the fittings hold up with repeated uses, lying in sand, dirt, mud etc. Still a cool idea!

Thanks Symo,

Not too fiddly at all actually. Rolls up in a bag real easy. Beat my mates filling tyres every time, sometimes by about 5 minutes. I just sit and watch them do the 4 corner shuffle around their vehicles filling up tyres while I sit and wait. I made 2 more for 2 of them cause they got tired of it too. Another advantage is that you also get consistent pressure across all 4 tyres.

Used it for about 2 years now mostly in beach sand and some mud in the wet (maybe 15 to 20 uses) with no dramas regarding dirt. Easy to replace single fitting rather than whole unit if something does happen, unlike many bought products where you have to replace the lot. But I have never had to replace a part. Buy good parts to begin with and you are set. You get what you pay for!

[talk2tiny Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close talk2tiny]

Nifty idea. When you starting describing it I was starting to picture it being mounted to the car with a little outlet behind each mud flap. Clip on 4 short 60cm hoses and then kick it on or off. Not sure how that would hold up to the 4wding though. You'd have to be careful where you tucked it up. I'll have to think about it. Cool idea though.