Air compressor

Hi Damien,
Does it work?

Wouldn't have been the local 4wd store that told you that would it?

Mate, maybe the $80.00 jobby isn't as long lasting as the $300.00 puffer, but hey, are you enjoying your outings?

Anything man made regardless of the price will eventually break.

We just expect the higher purchase price to guarantee we have to wait longer for it to break.

I guess I'm just trying to say, how often do you use it and how far from civilisation are you when you do use it?

If you are 2k's from the servo on the local beach when the $80.00 compressor dies, who cares?

If you are 2,000k's from a backup compessor it might be a problem!

Geoff

Damien I recommend the Bushranger Maxair as a good value portable, medium capacity compressor which has excellent warrenty & a resonable duty cycle.
I like the new ARB compressor for mounting in a vehicle with slightly better capacity, compact size for fitting in a tight space & a quality unit that should last.
The best one if size is not a factor is the 'Boss' unit off ebay. It by far has the highest capacity of any of the electric stand alone compressors & Hobzee sells tham with cut out switchs, alloy tanks, braided lines etc for under $500. These will reseat the bead on a tubeless tyre & have a fan for continuous running. Mine is one of the original one's & has been going hard for 7 years. Only problem is they are large & require a fair bit of space to fit. To do better you'd need to look at the Warn winch/compressor all in one unit or a belt driven endless air type system.
Cheers Craig.......

Damien,

A good quality Air Compressor comes into its own when you really need it and you are in a remote area.

If you need it for more than adding a few psi, to your tyres or pumping up the kids footy or basketball, you need a real air compressor and these come at a price.

A compressor needs to do more than put a bit of air in your tyres.
It must be capable of reseating the tyre bead when inflating a tyre from flat.
It must be capable of operating consistently, with a reasonable air volume and not overheat. If you need to "air up" after driving with reduced pressures in sand or dirt based surfaces, you will appreciate the higher volume.

There are several good air compressors on the market, but if I was looking for another one today, the ARB portable compressor is a very good choice for quality, practicality and price.
I own a "Big Red" compressor that is contained in a "toolbox" so it is both portable and protected. It includes an on/off switch on the box. The ARB compressor is also available in this form and provides the best flexibility for most uses, unless you need an "on board" compressor for air lockers, etc.

Bill

G'day Damien

I have just bought an ARB in car compressor, these are supposed to be excellent from the research that I have done, but time will tell.

However for the past 5 years I have used bushranger power air $99.00 job, this has performed faultlessly and still is going strong.
They carry a 5 year replacement warranty and will pump up 4 tyres no problems at all....Great value for money.

Cheers

You might be interested in this Pump Overlander 4wd did a comparison on pumps

Go right down to the bottom and you will see a compressor comparison chart that rated all the top pumps. The sidewinder looks pretty good for the price and I might buy one for my next pump or as a spare for a big trip.

I currently run the older style ARB pump and find that it's doing a great job for the lockers and to air up again!

If you keep a cheap comoressor, its worthwhile buying a second one. It means that you can then pump twice as quick and also means you have a backup should one fail.

I managed with two Kmart compressors for about 10 years until buying a Blue Tongue III in 2000.

G,/day Damien,I have a Sidewinder from ABR,it does the job for me,I spend 3 months of the year beach fishing, so it gets a fair bit of use.

Damien, have you thought about installing an ex-aircon compressor, may require a bit of tinkering. You should be able to pick one up from any auto aircon repairers for next to nothing.

Thanks for your replies fellas, This will give me a bit of homework to do now. I will let you know what I get.