Most compact air compressor?

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Trail_pilot

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James
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Looking for recs for a portable compressor, the more compact the better. TIA!
Best compact compressor would probly be an ARB though you will definitely pay for it lol. They have a ton of mounting options though like under hood brackets and whatnot. What size tire do you need to fill and how fast do you want it to fill is the real question lol
 

ABerte

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i'm a pretty patient fella :sunglasses:

i'm looking to upgrade to a set of toyo open country AT III. if not that, something comparably sized.
 

Trail_pilot

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i'm a pretty patient fella :sunglasses:

i'm looking to upgrade to a set of toyo open country AT III. if not that, something comparably sized.
I used a Smittybilt for years and it worked great, still have it as a back up. It's a little on the slow side but cheaper than some. I run a 37" tire so I switched to a CO2 tank in the back because I am usually in a hurry for some reason. If I had the option I would go with an ARB under the hood and run lines to each corner of the Jeep. Something I have all the parts for ( minus the compressor) but have never got around to doing lol
 
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MMc

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Which model are you using?
I have 2 the first is 20 years old and I have no idea the model, it was about 35 to 45 mins to air up my 35’s from 20# to 60#. I picked up a 400 and now out 20 to 25 mins. To do the same. I do really like them both. The first is in the suv now.
 

ABerte

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Enthusiast I

404
Medford, OR, USA
First Name
Andy
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Bertell
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I have 2 the first is 20 years old and I have no idea the model, it was about 35 to 45 mins to air up my 35’s from 20# to 60#. I picked up a 400 and now out 20 to 25 mins. To do the same. I do really like them both. The first is in the suv now.
Thanks for the rec!
 

Boostpowered

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There are alot of small compressors that will work. You dont necessarily have to buy a name brand or expensive one. You can use a hand or foot pump if your feeling athletic.
 
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Pathfinder I

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Pacific Northwest
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I have a 40V lithium battery powered compressor. It takes about 20 minutes start to finish to air up four 33" tires. Battery charge well do this 3-4 times before needing a recharge. They have 60V now.
 

Alanymarce

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Trail Mechanic III

1,392
Colombia
...What size tire do you need to fill and how fast do you want it to fill is the real question lol
This is the key question. We have two - a small one which we've had for ten years and which takes 20+ minutes to inflate a tyre. and a newer one ( AC-PRO Air 150) which delivers 375 L/min at 150 psig which we bought to air up more quickly. Needless to say we've used the small one a few times and the new one not at all, so far.

The new one is not very big - 30 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm (or thereabouts) in the bag with the cable and tube.

As boostpowered notes, you can use a hand or foot pump - I carried a foot pump for a few decades and used it a few times...
 

Tundracamper

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There are alot of small compressors that will work. You dont necessarily have to buy a name brand or expensive one. You can use a hand or foot pump if your feeling athletic.
I wonder if anyone has bought two cheaper units to speed things up - if speed is an issue. Even two of the cheaper units can be las than one of the more expensive units - plus you then have some redundancy.
 

Trail_pilot

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I wonder if anyone has bought two cheaper units to speed things up - if speed is an issue. Even two of the cheaper units can be las than one of the more expensive units - plus you then have some redundancy.
Theres actually a YouTube video by dirt lifestyle where he has started to build a dual smittybilt setup for his rover
 

Pretzel

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I have the SmittyBilt 2781. It fits under my back seat, so it's small enough to keep in my truck full time. I've used it several times on 33" tires going from as low as 15psi back to 60psi, takes maybe 5 minutes per tire. I wasn't clocking it, but it was done way faster than I expected. They have 2 models, one is ~2.5cfm, mine (the 2781) is 5.7cfm.

My only real issue with it is how hot some of the fittings get, I let it cool off for a couple minutes before I pack it away just to make sure I don't melt a hole in the plastic hose. I don't think this is a problem exclusive to this compressor, though.