Heading out to some heavier trails, wondering about tire compressors.

[Hemisfear]

I use a modified Smittybuilt #2781 single cylinder compressor, which I have power running to the rear, so I don't have to open the hood and use the provided alligator clips and a homemade inflation hose. The power to the rear is handy for charging and running gear.

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[jtgensler]

I went dual ARB, mounted underhood, with the manifold & ran a stainless line to my front bumper for my chuck. So I don't even pop the hood, just click the air hose in place & go.

 

[TruckCamper]

ARB is the highest quality, longest lasting and smallest for the output. Nothing comes close for durability and longevity. I've been using them in builds for nearly 20 years. They just work. And much easier to fit as they are compact.

My favorite setup is two single ARB compressors. That allows redundancy and ability to fill two tires at once with dedicated compressors. Much faster than complex setups with tons of hoses and crap to setup/put away.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

To the OP … JUST a reminder that you don’t need to spend $1000, get quad hoses, digital readouts, or anything very fancy. You’re not on YouTube (yet). I have a simple compressor and one hose. Manual deflators. It takes about 10 minutes for me to air down (35s) and maybe twice that to air back up. No big deal. You have a digital tire pressure readout on your dashboard. It’s not a race out there.

 

[Demon4x4]

ARB twin with a Tireflate kit.

 

[MilesTeg]

As a 2DR owner, I had to go with onboard air (Dual ARB) because cargo space is at a premium.

My other vehicles carry smallish Viair compressors for emergencies, but Viair makes higher duty cycle compressors for offroad purposes.

The ARB compressor is decent, but I have found their digital deflate/inflate tool to be wildly inaccurate and difficult to use. I'd stick to something simpler.

 

[Gluestick]

Go apex precision tire inflator — has pressure adjustment for elevation. Works with single tire and multi tire setup!

 

[Camp Hell Yeah.]

I went the budget route as I am/was a beginner to off-roading. Bought the Napa compressor made a modification so I could do the "4-way" deflate/inflate. I keep the compressor in one of those hard plastic bins. All 4 tires air up in less than 9 minutes. Maybe one of these days I will splurge on an ARB and mount it behind my spare wheel. Until then I have no complaints.

 

[jtgensler]

To the OP … JUST a reminder that you don’t need to spend $1000, get quad hoses, digital readouts, or anything very fancy. You’re not on YouTube (yet). I have a simple compressor and one hose. Manual deflators. It takes about 10 minutes for me to air down (35s) and maybe twice that to air back up. No big deal. You have a digital tire pressure readout on your dashboard. It’s not a race out there.

I use oversand deflators & do one tire at a time when filling & just use the on dash digital display. I wait till it's 1 psi away from target & just walk over & pop the chuck off.
But a $15 locking chuck is a worthwhile investment

 

[Jamin K]

I had a bunch of Ford Points from buying a Bronco, and lucked into a short term sale on ARB dual compressor setup from the Ford Performance site. I was really struggling to justify full price before that sale + points opportunity came up. In retrospect, though, having used the ARB setup for over a year, I think it's worth full price for the performance, reliability, and saving of cargo space.

I've upgraded my inflator gauge to one of the 6' analog Ventoso units from PowerTank. It's the first "fancy" air inflator I've had, and I like it. Highly legible pressure gauge and easy push-on chuck. Feels like a solid piece of equipment that was designed to last and designed for DIY maintenance.

I use a manual deflator with an inline analog gauge as well. I'm not sophisticated enough yet to deflate or inflate all 4 tires at once, though I might look into a 4 hose setup. Right now I just go one at a time, and I have the timings memorized to go between street and trail pressures.

I also assembled a repair kit with replacement valve stems, valve cores, tread patch kit, sidewall patch kit. Haven't needed to use the kit yet, but all it would take is a problem like this happening twice on the same drive.

Oh, and I also put one of those TPMS reprogrammer gadgets in my glove box, so that when this happens I don't have to be annoyed by 150 miles of TPMS warnings.

Maybe one of these days I will splurge on an ARB and mount it behind my spare wheel.

There's a lot of dust that collects around the spare wheel in dry conditions. I'm no expert on compressor motors and how much they like dust, but machines generally don't like it much. Something to consider.

 

[Jamin K]

Pic is of recent install. It’s wired up now (please ignore the red white wires, they are gone now) still need to do a remote air chuck. Sucker gets HOT

I assume you've seen the ARB compressor manifold kit. Very small external tank, short hose, remote chuck. It still gets warm, but probably not as hot as yours. Also buffers the pressure demand, smoothing out compressor motor on/off a bit.

 

[RedBeardoh]

I assume you've seen the ARB compressor manifold kit. Very small external tank, short hose, remote chuck. It still gets warm, but probably not as hot as yours. Also buffers the pressure demand, smoothing out compressor motor on/off a bit.

I have, not sure if I need it or not though. I’m planning to remove my antenna (never use the radio) and run a remote line to an air chuck I mount in its place.

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