Tire inflator

[John C Marsh Jr]

Can anyone recommend a reliable tire inflator?  Looked at Amazon and they all seem like garbage, too many negative comments.  

[John E Davies]

I assume you mean one that inflates as well as has a gauge….. you are correct, most are garbage. You have to pay for a decent one. I have had this for four years and it has been great. Highly recommended, if mine broke or disappeared I would buy another one without hesitation. These inflators are bulky and not great for travel, mine hangs from a hook on the wall directly over my shop air compressor. I carry a cheaper analog gauge when on the road, to use with my Smittybilt high volume (almost 6 cfm) low pressure compressor.

Astro Pneumatic Tool 3018 3.5" Digital Tire Inflator with Hose

I have a couple of other Astro tools, they seem to be a good combination of value and quality.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Katjo]

My husband got this one on Amazon. He really likes it. 
 

Avid Power Tire Inflator Air Compressor, 20V Cordless Car Tire Pump with Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, 12V Car Power Adapter, Digital Pressure Gauge, Portable Auto Air Pump for Many Inflatables (Blue) https://a.co/d/1hlzkOo

[John E Davies]

OK, I guess you need to say what you want, a portable compressor or a gauge/ inflator…. And do you want it for your garage, or for topping up a low tire on the road, or airing up all eight tires after driving on rough dirt roads? 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Guest]

1 hour ago, John E Davies said:

have had this for four years and it has been great. Highly recommended

I have that one also! It has worked great. I have had it for over 2 years. 

[Steve Morris]

The Viair 400P-Auto is recommended on many off road and travel forums for a portable compressor/inflator. I have the 450P auto. The 450 has a 200% duty cycle while the 400 has 33%. But the 400 pumps 2.3 cubic feet of air per minute, while the 450 does only 1.8. So  either works fine. 
 

both have auto power at the nozzle, so when you release the lever the compyturns off. The non-auto versions only have the switch on the compressor itself. 
 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X9B32M/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t

 

[CnC]

We bought a digital-powered pump from Harbor Freight (in lieu of installing a truck-mounted pump for our air bags).  We set the PSI needed, push the button and it fills about 0.5 PSI beyond the setting so when you unclip the air hose it is at the right amount.  Sure works well for us as we can use it anywhere - no long 12v cords - no long air hoses.

Charlie.

[MobileJoy]

8 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:

The Viair 400P-Auto is recommended on many off road and travel forums for a portable compressor/inflator.

I have the Viair 400P-RVS and it works very well. If your goal is to air down and reinflate, it seems the 450 version might be better for you. My goal is to maintain tire inflation (i.e., top off) and to handle emergencies, so the 400 works well enough for me. The RVS version comes with an extension hose so it will reach all tires on the Oliver and the F250 when powered from the truck battery.

[Patriot]

9 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:

The Viair 400P-Auto is recommended on many off road and travel forums for a portable compressor/inflator. I have the 450P auto. The 450 has a 200% duty cycle while the 400 has 33%. But the 400 pumps 2.3 cubic feet of air per minute, while the 450 does only 1.8. So  either works fine. 
 

both have auto power at the nozzle, so when you release the lever the compyturns off. The non-auto versions only have the switch on the compressor itself. 
 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X9B32M/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t

 

I have a ViaAir and carry it full time in my TV. It has served us well. If you have an SUV and are short on cargo and storage capacity  just know this will take up a fair amount of room. Shop around for the best price.

[Steve Morris]

42 minutes ago, Patriot said:

 If you have an SUV and are short on cargo and storage capacity  just know this will take up a fair amount of room.

In the supplied bag, yep! The 450P, hose, power cord, and nozzle/gauge fit nicely in a Cabela’s plastic ammo can. Still occupies the same volume, but easier to stack. A tip I found a few years ago on the Toyota 4Runner forum. 

[mossemi]

20 minutes ago, Steve and Deb said:

In the supplied bag, yep! The 450P, hose, power cord, and nozzle/gauge fit nicely in a Cabela’s plastic ammo can. Still occupies the same volume, but easier to stack. A tip I found a few years ago on the Toyota 4Runner forum. 

Is this the ammo can you are referring to?

Mossey

[dhaig]

I purchased the Viair 300P RVS inflator based on a review of the specifications and the recommendation of another Oliver owner.  I keep it onboard our LEII.  I purchased it for use when traveling with our trailer.  I suggest comparing the specs, which are easily accessible on the Viair website.  Smaller, lighter and cheaper led me to choose the 300P RVS over the larger models. I have other compressors at home used for a variety of applications.

[BBL]

I have used the Viair 400 RV model for over three years now and it is an awesome setup. However, and this is just personal preference, I don’t use their inflator. I use an ARB digital inflator/deflator that I have had since my off-roading days. I also have a dedicated ARB deflator with an analog gauge. What I like about the deflator is that it will rapidly deflate a tire in a controlled environment by removing the valve stem and keeping it captured in a sleeve. The advantage of this is that you can reduce the air in your tires quickly and then ensure your valve stem is seated properly each time.

Edited August 17, 2022 by Brian and Brandelyne Lewis
Spelling

[John E Davies]

Brian, what precision does the ARB inflator have, does it read tenths of a psi? The Astro does, and is super easy to over inflate slightly, then drop the pressure exactly from say 42.1 to 42.0 psi. I quite like the ARB one and might have bought it instead, I am a huge ARB fan though their stuff is really over-priced. An overland rig with ARB parts all over and inside it represents an owner with very deep pockets. 

This thread is drifting way off topic because we still don't know what John C Marsh Jr actually wants to do with it.... from the picture in his post I can guess he isn't going off-road. 😉

John Davies

Spokane WA

[dewdev]

I have a older Black and Decker Air Station (my model 9527 can be bought used on e-bay for $49.00) and has worked great for me.

I think the new Black and Decker air stations would preform well and are not expensive.

[Steve Morris]

3 hours ago, mossemi said:

Is this the ammo can you are referring to?

Yep! Note that I don't have the RV version, so I don't know if the additional hose length would fit. I also have one with tools in it.

I use the included Viair inflator and gauge to inflate my Land Cruiser and current Hiker trailer tires, but usually overinflated a bit. Then bring them down to the desired pressure using an accurate gauge from my autocross days. I also have auto-deflation gizmos for off-roading. Screw them on and they drop to the pre-selected pressure.

[BBL]

59 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Brian, what precision does the ARB inflator have, does it read tenths of a psi? The Astro does, and is super easy to over inflate slightly, then drop the pressure exactly from say 42.1 to 42.0 psi. I quite like the ARB one and might have bought it instead, I am a huge ARB fan though their stuff is really over-priced. An overland rig with ARB parts all over and inside it represents an owner with very deep pockets. 

This thread is drifting way off topic because we still don't know what John C Marsh Jr actually wants to do with it.... from the picture in his post I can guess he isn't going off-road. 😉

John Davies

Spokane WA

John,

I agree with you on a couple of points. First, the ARB is expensive but built very well. These are the only two ARB products I own, for that reason. It does do tenths of a PSI, so I like that aspect of it. Batteries last a long time and there is an indicator. The built-in deflator button (most have this feature) is handy as well.

I like the ARB fridge but, dollar for dollar, my Truma 60 QT is a better value though not cheap by any measure.

Yeah, anyone fully equipped with ARB and Old Man Emu products has very deep pockets.

Second point, it is getting way off track. 

Brian

 

[John E Davies]

31 minutes ago, Steve and Deb said:

I use the included Viair inflator and gauge to inflate my Land Cruiser and current Hiker trailer tires, but usually overinflated a bit. Then bring them down to the desired pressure using an accurate gauge from my autocross days.

Good point, I do the same. These little compressors run very hot, so your tires end up being at a higher pressure than the recommended cold setting, after airing up, because you are pumping a bunch of superheated air into them, and they are already pretty warm from driving. The same with deflating, Your normal running pressure is a lot higher, so my deflators are set to 22 psi for a "cold" pressure of about 18. For SLOW driving only, below 25 mph....

I always recheck them the next morning when they are cold, they usually need some readjusting.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Kansa]

I have a 12v  inflator with the battery clips for power..... is it possible to hook up to the  6v agm 4 battery setup on the E2 (2022) ....unfortunatly the truck batteries require me to use a med step ladder to reach them.  🤣