Question about air compressor

[Wallowa]

About to purchase a Viair 450P...anyone have one of these and not happy with it?

Thanks,

Phil

 

[Ace!]

So you're not interested in hearing from those of us that are happy ?

 

[Stalking Light]

FWIW, I have a 450P and it is a good compressor but it now mostly sits in my garage since I had ARB onboard air installed - primarily for rear lockers but I like it better than the Viair overall as well.

 

[Wallowa]

So you're not interested in hearing from those of us that are happy ?

Ace...you know me...I would rather sit on a happy face than hear from one!

As always you need to balance out + and - responses....but yes, positive feedback is of course welcomed...

I am only carrying one to air up after dropping pressures when I absolutely have to due to sand or mud or snow..otherwise pressure is your friend as you get fewer flats and it protects rims..

Also in my mind simpler is better...fewer things to go wrong...so a "built in" compressor is not only not need for my Tundra but a costly complication I wish to avoid...hey, I ain't in no hurry!

Thanks for any and all input folks.

Phil

 

[Stalking Light]

My ARB onboard compressor was slightly cheaper than my 450P, FWIW. For multiple vehicle use the portable makes way more sense of course.

 

[Ace!]

I was just joking. I too like to ask for the negative. I usually have the positives already in my mind and want to know, "why not." I really like the portability of it. I have a QuickAir II that must be 20 years old (close anyway). It's always worked fine, but I've gone to larger tires and wanted the larger compressor. I've used it to air up motorcycle tires and having it portable made it easier to get to the motorcycle than if it was fixed to some area of the truck, based on where the motorcycle was relative to the truck.

 

[ntsqd]

I kinda figure that I'm already going to have a hose out anyway, and hard mounted means that I don't have to dig it out from under who knows what. I bought a 30' self-coiling urethane air hose & keep that and the inflator under the driver's seat. After decades of having them loose I'm now going to hard mount a compressor on all three rigs, even the semi-DD/tow'd.

 

[DYNOBOB]

I put a Viair 450 in the bed and a 7gal tank under the bed on my truck ~8yrs ago - absolutely some of the best money I've ever spent. Here's my $.02.

- Don't put the pump under the truck, it will corrode and last half as long.
- Put it somewhere accessible in case you need to troubleshoot/fix something. My bed front location was fine for years with the Leer cap, but not with the Hawk I've discovered. A month ago I was 100 miles south of Prudhoe Bay and discovered both rear tires had punctures and were going flat (sick feeling sets in). The master arming switch had come unplugged and was a bear to get to. Thankfully I could and plugged/inflated and made it to Coldfoot for proper patching. A week later the on-board air quit working period. I suspected the Viair pressure switch/relay had quit working but could not reach it, thankfully I didn't need air the rest of the trip. Home now, I've confirmed it's the pressure switch/relay. I'm about to move the pump behind the back seat so it stays dry/clean and I can get to it.
- Carry a second pump of some sort if you're going to get very far off-road.

Had a third puncture two days later (just came off the Denali Hwy) and this was the last time the air system worked.

.

 

[Squatch]

Kinda funny that not long after my post in this thread I went to air up the Firestone air bags on the new rig. The combined cable and hose from the MV50 compressor was not long enough to reach my back bumper. So I hooked it up to the camper battery. For the brief squirt of air I needed the battery didn't even know it was there.


DYNOBOB, Can you give me some info on your rear steps.

 

[Wallowa]

DYNOBOB...What caused the punctures? What tires are shown in the pictures you posted [model and rating]? Still have my "C" rated Toyo ATIl s and will go "E" when these are replaced so I am already reviewing my options.

Thanks...Phil

 

[Backroad Joe]

The other reason I run the engine while airing up is the the compressor runs faster at the higher voltage.

I use the Viair as a portable because I have multiple vehicles.

 

[ntsqd]

I recently bought the Puma 3/4HP compressor/tank combo for the tow'd from aircompressorsdirect.com or something like that. I've got to say that for the size of it that I'm really impressed with how quiet it is. It filled it's 1.5 gal tank to ~120 psi in a very short amount of time. Granted, that's not a very big tank, and it still was impressive. I'm going to use the tow'd as the test-bed for quite a few things I'm considering for the Bronc-up. If this compressor works and lives under the tow'd I'll buy another for the Bronc-up.

About the only thing that won't work on the combo as delivered is the mechanical pressure switch. I don't trust an unsealed switch under the vehicle. So I'll have to buy a adjustable pressure switch to control one of my employer's contactors.

 

[DYNOBOB]

Sorry guys, I never came back to this thread...

Kinda funny that not long after my post in this thread I went to air up the Firestone air bags on the new rig. The combined cable and hose from the MV50 compressor was not long enough to reach my back bumper. So I hooked it up to the camper battery. For the brief squirt of air I needed the battery didn't even know it was there.


DYNOBOB, Can you give me some info on your rear steps.

Steps came with the camper and I'm not sure what brand they are. Closest thing I can find on the internet are Brophy.

DYNOBOB...What caused the punctures? What tires are shown in the pictures you posted [model and rating]? Still have my "C" rated Toyo ATIl s and will go "E" when these are replaced so I am already reviewing my options.

Thanks...Phil

I know one of the punctures was a small stone (I pried it out to plug) and believe the other two were as well. The tires are Firestone Transforce HT 285/70-18 10ply E. The wheels/tires were some new take-offs from a 2015 Ram that I picked up cheap so I didn't ruin my good H2 wheels with Haul Rd calcium chloride. I've hear rumors that they can call a tire "10 ply" now without it actually having 10plys. Don't know if that's true but I know these seem awful soft and were not hard to push a plug thru... ???

I do know this, when we head for the SanJuans and Moab I'll have the H2 wheels and 315/70-17E BFG All Terrains on the truck.

.