Pumping Trailer Tires, What Air Compressors do you use?

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dbFL

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I need a way to safely pump up before we move to the next destination and I don't want to haul around my big husky air compressor. What do you guys use to keep your tires up to the safely rated pressure? My tires are E rated 80PSI
 
I use this one. I like that it's dual voltage, although I haven't used the 12V side yet. It's best used for topping off and doesn't really take too long per tire. A few PSI might take just a few minutes per tire.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-12-Volt-120-Volt-Home-and-Auto-Inflator-HD12120/204260884
 
I recently bought a Ryobi 18v battery hand-held compressor. It's able to pump up to a 150psi.
Great little gadget that takes up little room with little weight. 
 
I use a Craftsman model 169150. It's a small oil lubricated type, 135 psi.
http://www.sears.com/3-gallon-1.0-hp-oil-lubricated-air-compressor/p-00916915000P?plpSellerId=Sears&prdNo=9&blockNo=9&blockType=G9
 
Bolted this six gallon/150 PSI into my rear compartment along with 50' of flexible hose.  Only takes be a couple of minutes to do the rounds.  Had a 12 volt  VIAIR in my old camper van.  Took longer than I had patience for. Glad I have the room for this one.
 

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If its just for a daily psi check & possible top off, you don't need high air volume (cfm) and the pressure need only be adequate for whatever you have to inflate. Compressors typically advertise a high max psi to attract buyers, but rarely deliver much cfm at those pressures.  The one Lou suggests only delivers that 1.35 cfm at a much lower pressure than the 150 max, but it's probably adequate at the 80-90 psi you will be using.

Most inexpensive 12v compressors have small wires, which both increases fill time and causes overheating and premature shut down. If you go for a 12v model, make sure what you get has decent wires and battery clips. Viair makes good stuff but it costs more.

120v is a better choice IF you will be at campsites with power or carry a genset. If not, a 12v model is probably a safer choice, even though they tend to struggle at higher volumes and pressures.
 
I keep one of these in each of my cars, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZBWKAU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I also keep a portable battery for emergency jump starts if ever needed. I plug the tire inflator into the battery so I am not needing to run any long cords to the trailer battery or the car battery. My trailer tires are supposed to be kept at 65 psi so this little gadget is easily capable of getting my tires to where they need to be. I find it also very useful for my cars and my motorcycle, and they are only $30. Noisy, but it works just fine.
 
Hmmm. That one says it is designed for a maximum of 35 PSI Vito.  Not sure it would reliably pump mine to 80 PSI.
 
Old Radios said:
Bolted this six gallon/150 PSI into my rear compartment along with 50' of flexible hose.  Only takes be a couple of minutes to do the rounds.  Had a 12 volt  VIAIR in my old camper van.  Took longer than I had patience for. Glad I have the room for this one.

OldRadios, you ever worry about combustion with that one? I have the same model at home but opted to leave it due to weight and fear of the tank causing damage to the camper, god forbid something happened
 
I have a Toy Hauler with a 10' x 8' garage that is big enough to carry all my stuff, including a DeWalt 6 gal. pancake 120V compressor.  I've also got an onboard generator that would certainly power it, but honestly, if you start out from home with the tank fully charged, you've probably got enough air in it to air up several tires if they needed it.  I also carry a 50' 12/3 extension cord and a 50' air line to be able to reach anywhere I need to reach with compressed air.
 
I have a 6 gallon Ridgid pancake compressor but I don't take it with me all the time. If my tires need a couple pounds on the road they will make it to a gas station and if they need more than that then removing the wheel and going on the spare is what is required. I won't risk driving on a tire that has lost a significant amount of air overnight even if topped off.
 
bugsplatz said:
I recently bought a Ryobi 18v battery hand-held compressor. It's able to pump up to a 150psi.
Great little gadget that takes up little room with little weight.
I already have a bunch of Ryobi batteries,  and these things are cheap at HomeDepot.

But, can it really fill up a flat tire ?
 
Just picked up a Viair in prep for our next trip.

Slightly off topic but related. I've gone through several air chucks and several air gauges. With the chucks I'm finding they require significant pressure against the valve stem to start air flow, much more than seems necessary even given the higher pressures. Recommendations for double headed chucks appreciated.

For the gauges, it's accuracy. I've got a handful ranging from "old school lollipop" to needle to digital. Every one of them gives me a different reading, with differences between gauges of as much as 8psi. I'm willing to pay more for quality equipment I can trust, are there brands others have used which they know to be accurate?
 
You might try  a digital gauge. The pressure sensors are certified to four percent and in my experience (I've used a bunch in test equipment) they are good to one percent and don't change as a mechanical gauge will.

Ernie
 
TonyDtorch said:
I already have a bunch of Ryobi batteries,  and these things are cheap at HomeDepot.

But, can it really fill up a flat tire ?

I don't know that I've ever used mine to fill a completely flat tire, but I use one of these for all my tire top-offs now: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Dual-Function-Inflator-Deflator-Tool-Only-P731/203060297  I did have a tire get pretty low recently (25 or 30 PSI) and was able to fill it back up to 50 no problem with this.  Didn't even come close to using up the entire battery charge.  I keep it in my truck at all times and it has saved me once when I was out camping and a tire had a slow leak.

I also have one of these in my second car: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Power-Inflator-Tool-Only-P737/206159256  I've never used it on the trailer though so I don't know how it works with higher pressure tires.  Claims up to 150 PSI though.  It's quite a bit smaller, but you lose the auto-shutoff and the high volume side if that matters to you.
 

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