Which air compressor??

[Gary Stockton]

Looking for a robust (ish) compressor for use in the LC. I have a Ring compressor which is OK but hasn't really impressed yet - and I want to keep that at home with SWAMBOs car. So other options are:

ARB
VIAIR
T-MAX Adventurer

Note that I won't be fitting this permanently to the truck yet although that is an option. I also won't be running an air tank yet either but this may be an option in the future. I also don't have an air locker in the back - again may be an option if I can't get the Toyota electric locker working.

Cost aside - that may be the deciding factor - which is the best to consider and are there any other options I should think about?

Cheers

 

[J66P]

I have one of the ones below, used many time over the last 2 years and still spot on

http://www.paddockspares.com/twin-cylin ... 00gbp.html

 

[Crispin]

I have the larger T-MAX (£75IIRC) and it's great. Pumps up all my tyres from flat without getting upset. Very quick.

edit:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Max-12V-Air ... 237wt_1163
I got it cheaper though, I'm sure

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

The T-Max seem good and if I were starting from scratch I'd be tempted by the one Crispin linked to but obviously they're cheap for a reason so I might play it safe and get a Viair. I took apart an older T-Max compressor of Ray's that had made some rattling noises and then stopped working. The pin connecting the con-rod to the motor appeared to be made of grey cheese and had broken up and there were various other parts that made me wonder a bit how it had lasted as long as it did.

 

[sae70]

I've been very, very impressed with my T-Max Adventurer

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8804

It stomps all over the ARB compressors in terms of performance and out performs my m8's Vivair 440 for one third of the price

You do need to be a little careful when buying the T-Max Adventurer though! There is a slightly smaller version of the same type of thing with the T-Max name that I noticed when looking into buying mine that a lot of dealers list as the Adventurer also

This is the chap that I bought mine from off of http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Max-Portabl ... 2268wt_905

Happy hunting

 

[Rob]

This one has been working fine for 2 years now, however I suspect it was a bit faster when I first bought it but still does the job without issues. Bear in mind that it survived the vibration from thousands of miles of Mongolian and Russian roads so it deserves some recognition.

http://www.paddockspares.com/portable-1 ... essor.html

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

This one has been working fine for 2 years now, however I suspect it was a bit faster when I first bought it but still does the job without issues. Bear in mind that it survived the vibration from thousands of miles of Mongolian and Russian roads so it deserves some recognition.

http://www.paddockspares.com/portable-1 ... essor.html

That's what Ray had (or one that looked just like it) and for the money I don't think he had any complaints but I don't think it was worked all that hard. Maybe his had lower quality cheese than most

 

[Gav Peter]

Beware expensive imitations of the Paddock compressor - I bought an Ironman compressor that seems to be little more than the Paddock one rebranded...

It works well though for what I have used it for - no sign of cheese yet...

 

[fridayman]

I have one of the ones below, used many time over the last 2 years and still spot on

http://www.paddockspares.com/twin-cylin ... 00gbp.html

I have an identical one branded T-Maxx. Haven't used it that much, but worked perfectly when I did.

 

[Crispin]

One "issue" I have with the tmax is I think the cable is a but thing. 4 tyres later and the whole cable is toasty warm. Croc clips not the source of (much) heat.

When I get around to fitting the Anderson plug it'll pump faster

Sent from TapaTalk

 

[fridayman]

One "issue" I have with the tmax is I think the cable is a but thing. 4 tyres later and the whole cable is toasty warm. Croc clips not the source of (much) heat.

When I get around to fitting the Anderson plug it'll pump faster

Sent from TapaTalk

I have also bought some new wiring and anderson fittings for mine. And a better inflator/gauge. I also have some air tanks that I want to use to mount an onboard air solution at some point - just need to decide if I need an aux fuel tank first as that will determine where I can mount the air tanks.

 

[BrendanB]

I have tried various compressors over the years. Personally I would not bother with cheapo ones. Yes have tried them, they might be OK for small tyres, however we run 255/85/16 tyres.

The Viair 400P have but I do not think it is as good as the ARB one that we have..

However our engine mounted one with a 9 litre air tank sat at 150 psi beats both of them.

When either deflating or inflating tyres it is not just the time to do a single operation but total time from start to finish. With the engine mounted compressor the inflator in bungeed to cargo barrier so it is a case of open door, switch compressor on, undo bungee and off I go. Have inflated all 4 tyres from about 18-20 psi to 40 psi fro stopping vehicle to ready to move off in less then 8 minutes.

If using portable electric compressors with an Anderson connector say SB175 provide some form of strain relief on connector attached to compressor. OK you could get away with the smaller SB50, as compressors are normally fused at 30-40 amps but we use the SB 175 for things like jump leads etc.


Brendan

 

[Chris]

Twin VIAIR 400c with 2.5 gallon tank - but then you know that.

Does the T Maxx have a pressure cut off? The problem with closed chuck pumps is that they don't like running when they are not connected to the tyre. It knackers the seals. With an open chuck you have air p'ssing out between each tyre. Which is a waste plus you chance a smack in the face! having an on / off switch on the pump is good so that you can control it.

Chris

 

[fridayman]

Twin VIAIR 400c with 2.5 gallon tank - but then you know that.

Does the T Maxx have a pressure cut off? The problem with closed chuck pumps is that they don't like running when they are not connected to the tyre. It knackers the seals. With an open chuck you have air p'ssing out between each tyre. Which is a waste plus you chance a smack in the face! having an on / off switch on the pump is good so that you can control it.

Chris

Is your air hose & inflater permanently attached to the system? I am wondering if I can just unplug (and plug back in) my inflater hose from a pressurised system.

 

[clivehorridge]

Mine's an ARB. It's been reliable and I use it a lot, not only for the car but for all the bikes, the kid's footballs, the paddling pool (and anything else inflatable ).

Slow as hell on a 305 from flat, but it's my only complaint. There must be 'higher volume' units out there for faster fill from empty situations, if that's what you want.

 

[sae70]

Ah the ol' compressor thing......................

I'm still very happy with my T-Max

Takes me no time at all to air up after a weekends lanes from 22/24 to 40psi Not timed it with my 255/85/16's but with the previous 265/75/16's it took just 55 seconds to blow the tyre up from 18 to 30psi and from atmospheric pressure, that's completely flat to the layman to 30psi it takes just 1min 55sec

When I'm out for a weekend of testosterone filled fun in my truck the compressor is all set up ready to run the second I require it and all I have to do is open the rear door, uncoil the inflator and Bobs your mothers uncle (as they say) I'd happily do the 18 to 40psi challenge in under 8min with my 255/85/16's and my T-Max, I think Lol If I get a chance I'll do it and let you know how long it takes.

I've never used the croc' clips on mine except for when I first bought it, but I've never experienced hot wiring after airing up the four tyres!!!

There's no pressure switch on the pump but there is a mechanical pressure relief valve set at I don't know what pressure, but with my closed PCL Vertex fittings and calibrated pressure gauge between tyres it seems to blow off with no ill efect what-so-ever We went away on holiday over the half term and I used it to blow up the tyres on five push bikes the car and the truck and a kids paddling pool to repair a puncture before we left. It was probably on for 15min or more without any trouble. No blown seals, no hot wires and a week later when I blew the paddling pool up again to fix the holiday punctures, still working

It would be very easy to retro fit a pressure switch as sold by Matt Savage, under the plastic end cover that houses the ON/OFF switch is a 40Amp relay that would be easy to tap a retro fit pressure switch into.

BUT the best thing about it was that it was only £80.00

and if it busts, I'll buy another

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I just took delivery of one of those 160l T-Max compressors. Something I hadn't noticed and I'll point out in case it catches someone else out - they are massive and quite heavy compared to the other compressors I've had they might be good but the bulk is way overkill for my intended casual use. I'm stuck with it now but a normal sized model and waiting a bit longer would suit me much better

 

[sae70]

I just took delivery of one of those 160l T-Max compressors. Something I hadn't noticed and I'll point out in case it catches someone else out - they are massive and quite heavy compared to the other compressors I've had they might be good but the bulk is way overkill for my intended casual use. I'm stuck with it now but a normal sized model and waiting a bit longer would suit me much better

I mentioned its size in the first page of my original thread I started about it, The new T-Max Adventurer air compressor........

Look @ the size of the box this thing came in

And here it is

It's big

More later Must dash

I linked to it on the first page of this thread

I've been very, very impressed with my T-Max Adventurer

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8804

It stomps all over the ARB compressors in terms of performance and out performs my m8's Vivair 440 for one third of the price

You do need to be a little careful when buying the T-Max Adventurer though! There is a slightly smaller version of the same type of thing with the T-Max name that I noticed when looking into buying mine that a lot of dealers list as the Adventurer also

This is the chap that I bought mine from off of http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Max-Portabl ... 2268wt_905

Happy hunting

I too thought WTF have I done here!!! But there's no denying its performance and when stood alongside many other compressors its actually not vastly larger

Why not buy the smaller one as well, then you'll have both and will still have only spent a little over half the money you would have had to spend on one Vivair

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I don't think the giant proportions really comes across properly in the pictures so I'm spelling it out I should have checked the size but all I was interested in was price and performance. It's not like I'm short of storage space but I would have been happier allocating less of it to something I'll use very infrequently. For more regular use it's probably ideal.

Sent from my HTC ChaCha A810e using Tapatalk 2

 

[Chas]

Hi Jon,
Wht are the physical dimensions please? just in case I'm tempted to get one