On board air or portable tank

[Charles M]

Tanks of course are not for everyone but, I would like to point out a difference between a scuba tank and a co2 tank and why someone may be concerned with one more than the other.

Scuba tanks are filled by pumping more and more air into them until it is a highly compressed gas they can be up to 3500 psi. Kind of like blowing up a balloon and I would not want one rolling around in my vehicle either. You can determine how much is in it from the pressure. As you use up the air the pressure will get lower and lower.

Co2 tanks are filled with a liquid not a high pressure gas. First step in filling a co2 tank is to drain the tank so the liquid can be pumped in. Once it is filled with the liquid co2 some of the liquid will vaporize and cause a rise in pressure this pressure is what we use to fill our tires. How high the pressure gets is determined by the temperature. I was told the pressure could range from 600 to 900 PSI. There is not much danger of it blowing up. Unlike a scuba tank you can not determine how full a co2 tank is by the pressure because a very small amount of liquid will create the same pressure as a full tank. It must be weighed to determine how full it is.

 

[DOC N TENNESSEE]

Have a new 2019 Tacoma and want/need a air source for re-inflating tires. Options are the ARB vehicle mounted twin compressor which would be mounted under the hood or the Power Tank portable CO2 tank which would be mounted in the bed or on the rack. Just curious what you all are using and why. Thanks!!!

HI IM DOC HERE N TN,,,WELL PARTS R PARTS,,,SO WHAT EVER YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT ! IT DON'T MATTER WHAT YA USE,,WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU BUILD IT YOUR WAY. KEEP IT SIMPLE,ALSO I USE MY FRONT PIPE BUMPER FOR AIR & WATER STORAGE,DEPENDING ON WHERE IM @ & WHERE I'M GOING...

 

[Brewbud]

Tanks of course are not for everyone but, I would like to point out a difference between a scuba tank and a co2 tank and why someone may be concerned with one more than the other.

Scuba tanks are filled by pumping more and more air into them until it is a highly compressed gas they can be up to 3500 psi. Kind of like blowing up a balloon and I would not want one rolling around in my vehicle either. You can determine how much is in it from the pressure. As you use up the air the pressure will get lower and lower.

Co2 tanks are filled with a liquid not a high pressure gas. First step in filling a co2 tank is to drain the tank so the liquid can be pumped in. Once it is filled with the liquid co2 some of the liquid will vaporize and cause a rise in pressure this pressure is what we use to fill our tires. How high the pressure gets is determined by the temperature. I was told the pressure could range from 600 to 900 PSI. There is not much danger of it blowing up. Unlike a scuba tank you can not determine how full a co2 tank is by the pressure because a very small amount of liquid will create the same pressure as a full tank. It must be weighed to determine how full it is.

Yes, CO2 is liquid. The pressure is usually 750 or so at room temperature. But CO2 expands quickly as it warms up. At 110 the tank pressure can reach up near 2000 psi. However, the real danger with CO2 in the cabin isn't from an explosion. The danger is from O2 displacement. If a CO2 tank gets bumped on or a burst disk lets go you better get the windows down real fast! CO2 over 5% can be deadly. Even a small 10lb tank used for dispensing beer can be a real problem in the enclosed space of a car.

Nitrogen can be in liquid or gas form in a tank. The Nitrogen used for filling tires is in gas form. Like SCUBA cylinders, Nitrogen tanks are high pressure.

 

[Two Sheds]

This works for me, I’m able to run my hose to all tires via rear sliding windows. Only issue is “The Man” always coming up with some new test to sell you a new valve. Other than that. I had the mounting bracket welded to my unused 3rd row seat bracket just need to make sure the hose is ALWAYS on board,Doh!

 

[Two Sheds]

Oops. Try this

 

[dwb133]

Have a new 2019 Tacoma and want/need a air source for re-inflating tires. Options are the ARB vehicle mounted twin compressor which would be mounted under the hood or the Power Tank portable CO2 tank which would be mounted in the bed or on the rack. Just curious what you all are using and why. Thanks!!!

I use the ARB dual portable compressor. Love it. Went portable because there is always someone who needs air that your hose won't reach to. This way I just carry it over there and they're set. A bit pricey but worth it.

 

[Brewbud]

I use the ARB dual portable compressor. Love it. Went portable because there is always someone who needs air that your hose won't reach to. This way I just carry it over there and they're set. A bit pricey but worth it.

I have the same. I really like it but I haven't had it long. It is larger and a bit heavier than I expected from seeing it in the photos.

 

[old_man]

I have been rock crawling for 50 years. I have run a CO2 setup for 20 years. I love my 20lb CO2 setup. You can find the tanks and regulators fairly cheap these days. I could score a 20lb tank and a fixed point high flow regulator for less than $100. It costs me $18 to refill. I can air my 4 35's from 10 to 28 about 6 times minimum. I like it because it is quick and fairly compact. I run my impact wrench with it as well as my air/hydraulic bottle jack. I can change a tire in 5 minutes. You will melt many cheap compressors on one of my tires. I do keep a Ryobi battery setup handy In my teardrop since it uses air bag suspension and it acts as a quick top off for normal driving, but using it to air up all four would take at least an hour with cool down times and use a full battery minimum.

 

[DBAR]

I also use a Harbor Freight compressor, it’s still going strong after a year of use. Find the right sale and coupon, and it will only cost around 40 dollars.

Same here, I use a little 1-gallon one made by Fortress I got on sale for $70 or something like that. To be honest though, I don't own any air tools so I only use it for tires and I work in IT so I clean computers with it. If you do own and run a bunch of air tools then maybe the onboard air is the way to go.

 

[HeliSniper]

I have several CO2, Nitrogen and SCUBA tanks in my garage, but I don't want the extra weight or the hazard of high psi compressed gas in the interior of my rigs. I know many people love them but they are not for me. I am looking at getting a portable ARB twin right now. I have been using a couple of MV50s in my Jeep and truck for many years now but I have had to repair them many times. This weekend one let me down. My buddy's Vivair let him down and other Jeep's Vivair compressor had too light of a duty rating to be of much help. I am taking it as a sign that I need to invest. Actually, to be honest, it is my excuse to my wife to invest. A lot of gift cards for Amazon help too.

Do you want to sell any or all of your CO2 Tanks? They are all I use, carried externally. Cost to fill is a non-factor ($8.00 per 20lb).

 

[Brewbud]

Do you want to sell any or all of your CO2 Tanks? They are all I use, carried externally. Cost to fill is a non-factor ($8.00 per 20lb).

I still use my tanks - I just don't carry one in my vehicles. I wish I could get $8 fills

 

[HeliSniper]

I still use my tanks - I just don't carry one in my vehicles. I wish I could get $8 fills

Understood. Try fire extinguisher re-fill stations instead of welding supply shops, they tend to be cheaper and appreciate the business.

 

[Funmobile]

I run an aluminum/carbon SCBA tank with an Victor O2 welding regulator. Filled, my tank pressure is 4K psi and my line pressure is 100 psi. It provides multiple fills for my tires, is extremely light and much faster than an onboard compressor. I keep a small 12v compressor onboard as a backup, but I have never needed it.

 

[Graeman]

I use a Viair 88 on my Jeep. I took the spare tire/wheel to a shop to have another tire valve drilled into the wheel. So, I hook up the air compressor to the battery, then run the air line to the spare tire. Then I attach another hose to the spare tire and run it to the tire that needs to be inflated. 2 reasons for this - the spare tire now acts like a huge air tank and takes up no extra space, and the second reason is that I hate running from tire to tire releasing the air buildup in the hose so as not to blow the hose.

 

[HeliSniper]

"Lindenwood, post: 376278,
I like numbers, so this just caught my attention :) .

Two questions:
1) Is it 3 or 4 times? That is a 33% difference :) . It depends on how low I go when I air down and also for comparison it would depend on the tire size and pressure you are going back to.
2) Do you really fill your tires up 3 times and take the near-empty tank out? I do 3 times because I do not want to be inconvenienced with running out of air in the middle of nowhere.

I only ask because I would be surprised if most folks go longer than two trips (1x re-inflation each, with maybe some dust-blowing and such) before refilling. I did 2 trips once with two days of blowing off a lot of dust each night to cook and also other around the shop projects and it still had a little left in the tank. So, 3 trips of just airing up is easy to do.

So, that $600 compared to a $150 tank* is really about 180 tires, or 45 wheeling trips, before you break even and the ARB wins the cost debate. At my rate it will take a few years to get to 45 trips.

Three final considerations, then:
1) Isn't the Powertank like $300+? Don't waste money on a power tank. Can your average bro reliably get a functional 10lb tank setup for $150? Getting a tank for $150 is easy, just go tot a gas supplier and buy a tank , get a regulator and hose. I paid $150 and a guy In our Reno OB club picked one up even cheaper.
If so, it is probably fair to also consider the occasional ARB Twins on sale for $450-500. (Also, of note, my Puma 12v is only ~90 secs slower for all 4 tires than an ARB Twin, but only costs about $250-275--the Smitty 5+ CFM compressor is in a similar arena for even cheaper).

2) Going back to the relatively extreme $600 to $150 comparison, we basically come down to folks evaluating how long they are willing to wait to make up the difference. If you wheel every weekend, and especially if you inflate other rigs' tires, even the ARB is going to pay for itself pretty quickly. If you wheel once a month by yourself (and never inflate pool toys or use air tools, it would indeed take years to make up that difference.

3) Finally, it is worth noting the convenience of having CO2 filled. I use $50/hr as my personal labor cost, and 20 minutes of my time running to the paintball or SCUBA shop nearly doubles the time-cost of a CO2 fillup. So, using the above example, I would be looking at ~25 trips--less, if I air others' tires-- before I broke even. If you use $50.00 as your personal time cost then you need to add that to air up time to right? For me a fill up takes maybe 15 minutes of my time I drop it off and pick it up and my gas supplier is 100 yards from where I work. I am adding a few more hoses and fittings to my set up and I think I will be able to air up 4 tires in less than 5 minutes time.

Just some thoughts :) .

Why would a SCUBA Shop do CO2 refills?

 

[kwill]

I use a Viair 88 on my Jeep. I took the spare tire/wheel to a shop to have another tire valve drilled into the wheel. So, I hook up the air compressor to the battery, then run the air line to the spare tire. Then I attach another hose to the spare tire and run it to the tire that needs to be inflated. 2 reasons for this - the spare tire now acts like a huge air tank and takes up no extra space, and the second reason is that I hate running from tire to tire releasing the air buildup in the hose so as not to blow the hose.

Brilliant!

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

I use a super tank...doubles as huge canned air to blow out computers since I am a IT professional
View attachment 106596

What kind of Matt is that on top of your Decked Draw System?

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

Have a new 2019 Tacoma and want/need a air source for re-inflating tires. Options are the ARB vehicle mounted twin compressor which would be mounted under the hood or the Power Tank portable CO2 tank which would be mounted in the bed or on the rack. Just curious what you all are using and why. Thanks!!!

I'm looking into the same options as you are, and I'm not only thinking about the air source for airing back up, but I would also want a air source for power tools on the trails. So I'm thinking the ARB dual compressor and a Power Tank or Smittybilt Air Tank is the way to go.

 

[Charles M]

Why would a SCUBA Shop do CO2 refills?

I guess you are directing this question @"Lindenwood post: 376278,
But, I have no idea why a scuba shop would fill a CO2 tank... That is certainly not where I would take one... I get mine filled at industrial gas suppliers.

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

Why would a SCUBA Shop do CO2 refills?

I guess you are directing this question @"Lindenwood post: 376278,
But, I have no idea why a scuba shop would fill a CO2 tank... That is certainly not where I would take one... I get mine filled at industrial gas suppliers.

While I never tried a local scuba shop, I was always told that it was a great place to stop by powertank owners back in AZ.