120 mods and 12 Volt Compressor question

[JaCaDaK Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JaCaDaK]

I have an old "Truckair" 12 volt air compressor , very slow 45-60 mins to pump 4 tyres 16lbs to 38lbs now we have the camper got 6 tyres to pump up , my question is what brand compressor are good and what ones to steer away from ,
I want a portable one and now with the camper the air hose has to be minimum of 8 mts long , or capable of joining ,found these on the net ,
Thumper MKII for about $90ish or Thumper Max Dual for about $130ish also sell a 4mt extention as well for $20 these compressors seem way to cheap to be a reliable product ,
also Dr Air Pro Flow AC495 Off Road from $229-$299 has 8mt hose its got good reviews but most reviews seem to be done in 20011-2013 ,
TJM 013TJMCOMP around $200 only has a 7mt hose not sure if it can be extended ,
also I could cut the alligator clips off and put an Anderson plug to go in the one near tow bar on Prado , that would solve hose length issues , but I recon it may void my warranty , don't want to fit a compressor under bonnet too much extra weight under there now , plus a portable unit makes it more versitile , regards john

[Guest Close Guest]

I gave up and blew an eyeball after the second line.

[JaCaDaK Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JaCaDaK]

Thanks Piggy for responding to my first serious post in a couple years , hope you get over your eyeball injury , much quicker than the 2 years it took me to get over the medical and physical injury I have finally been given the all clear (around xmas time) , be it careful what I do , I didn't realize I could offend anyone with my post , john

[Atherton Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Atherton]

Not to be unkind, but it's so much easier to read if you space it out into paragraphs- Very hard to read a "wall of text".

EDIT: To address your question I have had positive experiences with the Thumpers. They are fine for what they are, as you say I'd not like to have my life depend on them, but I've yet to see one fail and there are a lot of them getting around. If the worse does come to pass and they die, 4wd supacenter are fantastice with warranty claims and returns (in my experience). They offer free postage back of the old one, and will ship a new one to you pretty well as soon as you lodge a warranty claim.

If you're looking for something permanant and reliable you can't really go wrong with ARB- They've got the dealer network to back it up if something breaks, and they're really reliable. I guess it depends how often you use it, and most importantly, how much you're willing to spend.

[Guest Close Guest]

Don't take it personally, No offence was meant. I struggle to read big walls of text.. And have to have a look a few times to get the gist of it.

Compressor wise there was a recent thread a few days ago. I have broken many ARB compressors and would not recommend them to anyone unless you needed a fishing line weight. Anything with VIAIR on it is what I recommend. You can make up your own hoses, get away from the low flowing ARB type fittings and go to Nitto or Ryco stuff, also available at any bunnings etc, if you need to repair.

[JaCaDaK Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JaCaDaK]

Thanks Atherton , for your kind advice about my original post , I have taken your advice , not used to writing much ,
I recon I will get a "Thumper" for now ,at least I have a backup , for now and when we decide on the big drive to the top of WA we will get an ARB , regards john

[JaCaDaK Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JaCaDaK]

all good Piggy ,i see what you and Atherton mean about " a wall of text " and modified it ,
I just read your post after I replied to Atherton ,
I read what you recommended on your other posts , interesting with the problems with the ARB compressors , maybe newer ones arnt as good as the older type ,
I will ask around in SA who deals with VIAIR gear , regards john

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Airbag man in victoria, don't think anyone here stocks them.

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

From my observations all the twin cylinder compressors seem to pump at similar rates and pricing is much of a muchness.
Mine came wired with Anderson plug and also an Anderson plug/ battery clip cable.
As most of us have Anderson plugs on the bar we don't need much air hose.
But the air chuck was total crap, leaked like the proverbial as did the adjustable pressure valve.
Everyone stocks the fitted/plastic coiled hose which seems indestructible but sourcing a good quality air chuck is challenging.
If your Anderson plug wiring isn't decent sized cable you'll notice the compressor's output will be lower.

[GXL.15 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GXL.15]

Best bet is a twin compressor and more importantly, a tank. ARB sell a 4L tank for about $100. That will do more for you than the compressor will.

[Guest Close Guest]

Sadly most of the twin head compressors on the market are under performers that I have seen.. A 4 litre tank is a total waste of time. wont help at all with inflating a tire. From memory a tyre 265/70 holds something like 80-90 litres of air? then to add pressure to it.. Its a lot of air pumping to be done. Requires a torus calculation to figure exact air volume to be 100% accurate.

I run an 18 litre tank and almost another litre in the lines. It gives a quick burst to a tire when airing UP. But nothing that is really that noticeable gauge wise.

I find my VIAIR which has a 100% duty cycle works for me.. Last weekend I had to help a numpty get his bogged BMW X5 off the middle of a salt pan down at the coorong.. Decided he would be Ken block and impress the girls with his sideways driving, till he broke thru the crust. They had been there 3 hours before we rolled up. A 150 mtr walk out meant no way a strap or winch were gonna help him.. Aired him down to 4 PSI (Low profile HWY tyres). a light push and away it went, managed to drive out under its own power.. Insert airing down jokes here..


I aired his car back up to 35 on 2.5 of his tyres and my own car back up to 38 from 10 PSI (265/70) on 4 tyres as I'd just come off the beach thru the dunes, in the time his twin head "china number 1 compressor" took to do just 1.5 of his tyres. (And that was only to 31 as the gauge on it was so inaccurate.)

VIAIR didn't even break a sweat, even though it was a 34 degree day and it was under my bonnet. Horses for courses I say, after killing a few big brand name $$$ compressors I know what I reccomend.