Blue Tongue Compressors
Submitted: Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 18:19
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Ianwa
Hello everybody,
I would appreciate your comments on the following : Since I bought the Blue Tongue I have only had occasion to use it twice - it did the job but I was not really impressed. Just recently I was out with a friend who had a "cheapie"compressor bought at a
general store for a third of the price - it did the same job as the B/Tongue plus it had an in-line switch on the electric cord, a built-in pressure gauge and it plugged easily into the "lighter" instead of cumbersome Ali clips to the battery terminals-(I bought it from one the national 4WD specialists) Are we being seduced by clever advertising ? What do you think ? Thanks.
Reply By: Footloose - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 18:30
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 18:30
I don't trust the el cheapos. Wore two out fairly smartly. My $300 jobbie has outlasted both, and is often used around the property to do sit on lawnmower tyres, etc etc.
My feeling is that the cheaper ones might look flash , but...
I'm sure that someone has a $50 one that proves me wrong, but my experience suggests that, dare I say it ?
"You get what you pay for".
AnswerID:
249026
Reply By: Geoff (Newcastle, NSW) - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:22
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:22
Hi Ian,
I have a $100 Chinese Bushranger ripoff, looks like a Bushranger, once performed like a Bushranger.
Notice I said once performed like a Bushranger!
It started to take longer and longer to pump up tyres. Traced the problem to a loose bolt holding down the head. Easy I thought, just tighten it!
Nope, the aluminium is that poor its actually vibrated the threads out of the compressor body.
It still pumps but it leaks half of what it pumps.
Where am I heading? The dearer compressors are usually built to a standard rather than a price.
My ripoff is less then 12 months old, now I'm in the market for a new compressor. I'm actually looking at the 100% Duty Cycle jobs the doof doof brigade use for their air
suspension. Do a fixed install and off I go.
As too the alligator clips, I call them a positive. Any compressor worth owning will draw far too much current for a cigarette lighter socket. The risk here is melting the ciggy circuit and burning your car.
Did I get value out of my $100 ripoff? No way!
Geoff
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Follow Up By: Member - Karl - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:31
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:31
Yes - I found this out the hard way, my cheapie did my cigerrette lighter in real good.
Will be buying myself a decent one shortly and will either mount it and hardwire it or run it directly from the battery.
Karl
FollowupID:
509956
Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:40
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 19:40
I have had a mk1 blue tongue for 15 years.
It does occasional service, maybe a few tyres a month.
Yes, it can be slower than some of the newer bigger pumps.
So I have made a line that goes from the pump to my spare, and tees off to my standard hose.
The spare is now acting as a reservoir.
So with the spare at 60 psi (10 ply tyre, 80 psi max) I can pump 4 tyres from 25 to 32 psi in about 3 minutes.
Cost me about $100.00 to set up, including a proper valved chuck and guage on the end of the old hose. Like using the air line at a garage.
More air might take a bit longer, but while I am walking around the car going from tyre to tyre, the spare is being recharged.
So I am happy again :o)
AnswerID:
249055
Reply By: porl - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 20:16
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 20:16
I had a Blue Tongue mk III, occasional use, trips to Moreton, Teewah and Fraser. Lots of footballs and some bicycle tyres now and then. When I bought it the guy said it would live longer than me.
Well that was 4 years ago and it is now down in some workshop in
Sydney because it doesn't work. Checked everything I could but could not find anything wrong so off in a bag it went. That was 6 weeks ago and I'm still keen to hear about this rarely used compressor that was supposed to last forever. Even my 4yr old waeco FF30 outlasted it. But you know, there's always a lemon in a good batch and always a winner in a bunch of lemons. I think I was a bit unlucky.
AnswerID:
249068
Reply By: Rossco td105 - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 22:14
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 22:14
Hey there Ianwa,
I have a Twin tongue compressor (blue tongue x2), use it every weekend and it has never let me down. Started with an ARB and it was great, when I went to bigger tyres (33inch) and more regular 4WDing it started to struggle and was repaired and died three times before I called enough. The big one pumps 35"s no problems, over and over (and quicker than my mates single piston jobs).
I guess it depends on your use. "Twice" in a month may mean that a cheaper copy will be more than adequate for your requirements. A dozen times over a weekend (including helping with your mates tyres) may require the better quality compressor.
I started with the ARB because it was a better quality compressor... Clever advertising? I have fitted an in-line gauge myself, and run it straight off the battery
Cheers,
Ross.
AnswerID:
249120
Reply By: Rainman WA - Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 23:08
Monday, Jun 25, 2007 at 23:08
I bought a cheap Grunter from Marlows a few years ago, it was good but it decided to pack it in at a less than opportune moment.
I then bought a
twin head Bushranger look alike that pumped out a reported 150 litres per minute. It lasted two months and then the fuse melted. Some times it wouldnt start and the on/off switch always looked like it was about to fall off.
After having to drive 20 kms into
Lancelin over the Foundation Day long week end to pump up my tyres when the
twin head died, I decided I'd go for something with a reputation and went out and got a Bluetongue 4.
Its now mounted under the bonnet (and takes up less space than the
twin head unit) and can be switched on by using an ARB look alike switch on the centre console.
Its not the fastest but after two cheap units, I'm now over the speed aspect and want something thats going to last. The Bluetongue certainly has a solid look and feel to it.
Only time will tell, but we spend big dollars on buying vehicles and then try and save a few dollars on what is an essential part of off roading, a decent air compressor.
AnswerID:
249137
Reply By: Wizard1 - Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007 at 07:49
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007 at 07:49
I guess the cheapie did do the job as
well as the more expensive Blue Tongue, but how often will it do it?
Bought
mine second hand after it had spent the first part of its life as an under bonnet unit.
Mounted it in a Bunnings plastic tool box. Attached a cigarette lighter plug to the wiring plus extemded the cord and fitted an inline switch.
It has never let me down. On one occassion it was used to re-inflate a tyre several times to get us back to civilisation after a
puncture and no usable spare. I was glad I had a realiable compressor.
AnswerID:
249183
Reply By: jeffwa - Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007 at 16:17
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007 at 16:17
If it plugs into the ciggy lighter then it can't be too good, those things only put out a tiny amount of power. The bluetounge draws 16amps, you plug that into your ciggy lighter and it'll melt it seconds.
I've had my Bluetounge for years now, it runs everyday charging up my air tank to 120psi (automatically running of a $30 pressure switch) and I have pumped up 16 tyres in a row in 40c heat. Do that with your cheapy.
Ok the bluetounge may not be the fasted thing out there, but its deffinatally one of the toughest.
Before I had the bluetounge I went through 3 cheapies. One left me stranded in the middle of nowhere with 10psi in my tyres.. I was not happy.
AnswerID:
249274
Reply By: Member - Dale A (VIC) - Thursday, Jun 28, 2007 at 22:41
Thursday, Jun 28, 2007 at 22:41
I've had a Blue Tongue for about 5 years,
mine was second hand when I bought it.
have no idea how old it is really (
mine is a darker Blue than the current ones.
Was mounted in a tool box with an external on/off switch , a jamec hose coupling ,and 10M of air hose.
Has been used monthly since I got it and hasn't let me down.
Any compressor built with a Thomas Pump ( Blue Tongue, Big Red, OX etc ) should last you a long time .
The Blue Tongue being fan cooled is continuous rated.
Cheers,
Dale
AnswerID:
249756