360 Diesel Pusher

[Air Dog]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

Like I said I am not familiar with you moho set up but the trucks I have worked on have the air source after the air cleaner. Taking air from the intake manifold would be after the turbo and is not normally done.

On the Cummins 5.9L 12 valve it comes from the intake plenum next to the #5 cylinder which is boosted air.

[Air Dog]

Originally Posted by Air Dog

On the Cummins 5.9L 12 valve it comes from the intake plenum next to the #5 cylinder which is boosted air.

Not trying to be part of the 10% or a know it all! Just want to make sure everyone has what I believe is accurate information. IMO, tapping off the air system is not a good idea. That said, I plan on adding a tank for an air ride suspension system some day.

[J. Morgan]

I know air brake systems pretty well, airing tires up won't make a hill of beans difference in compressor wear and tear, and plumbing into the air system won't hurt anything either so long as a leak isn't plumbed in, and the tank is properly tapped I am comfortable enough with these claims to state them as unequivocal fact.

It is not uncommon for an engine driven air compressor to last a million miles or more... I KNOW this is true.

These compressors won't make loads of air volume, especially at engine idle speed, bet it will quite effectively air up tires, not really quick, but faster than the the stupid air pumps at gas stations that you dump quarters into.

IMO, a means of airing tires without having to find one of these stupid machines is a bonus and a good expenditure of resources.

(By the way I will admit a bit of personal disdain for the little 12 volt compressors that plug into a cigarette lighter, yea it is good to have one if that is all you have..... But an engine mounted air compressor is just better.. . )

[J. Morgan]

I would put a valve in front of the hose and reel, and only turn it on when airing tires though.

[Air Dog]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

(By the way I will admit a bit of personal disdain for the little 12 volt compressors that plug into a cigarette lighter, yea it is good to have one if that is all you have..... But an engine mounted air compressor is just better.. . )

I haven't found a 12 volt compressor that is worth a damn. That Dewalt is 120 volts AC. 200 psi and does a fine job.

[Kota]

AS I mentioned earlier, this is not a large air system. It has a small split tank that operates 2 air over hydraulic master cylinders. Operating pressure is 115 and it wont kick in until 90. You will have to play some games to bleed down the system to get the pressure back up between tires. Unlike big tractors that have systems designed for trailer brakes. Most Ive seen have an airhose with a gladhand copuler. Those systems work a higher pressures of up to 200 psi.

[J. Morgan]

I have never seen a truck air system that worked at 200 psi.

The pressures you mentioned above are typical, on at 90 off at 125.

I imagine that the pump used on these motorhomes was identical to the pump used on era smaller trucks and school buses.

[Vycan]

Decided to add this to the cabinetry. Simple brass bottle opener, and a rare earth magnet to catch the cap. Total cost: $16.00.

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by Air Dog

I haven't found a 12 volt compressor that is worth a damn. That Dewalt is 120 volts AC. 200 psi and does a fine job.

This 12 volt compressor I bought is a brute. Designed by a very reputable off road outfitter in Aussieland, it can power air tools, easily run an air wrench and with the two 5 gallons aluminum air tanks I have mounted on the back of my 310 will easily blow up air toys (not those kind of air toys ).

Pricey, but has a brushless fan, washable filters and at almost 20 lbs, is a heavy duty piece of kit. The only thing plastic on this brute is the electrical connections and the air filter covers.

ARB On-Board High Performance 12 Volt Twin Air Compressor (CKMTA12)

Can be bought on sale at other places.

I also have an air line hose reel in my storage compartment with a shut off and adjustable air pressure. I love blowing up my tires no matter where I am as I have been told that the 19.5"s can lose their beads quite easily due to under inflation.

Cheers
Tony

[Air Dog]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

This 12 volt compressor I bought is a brute. Designed by a very reputable off road outfitter in Aussieland, it can power air tools, easily run an air wrench and with the two 5 gallons aluminum air tanks I have mounted on the back of my 310 will easily blow up air toys (not those kind of air toys ).

Pricey, but has a brushless fan, washable filters and at almost 20 lbs, is a heavy duty piece of kit. The only thing plastic on this brute is the electrical connections and the air filter covers.

ARB On-Board High Performance 12 Volt Twin Air Compressor (CKMTA12)

Can be bought on sale at other places.

I also have an air line hose reel in my storage compartment with a shut off and adjustable air pressure. I love blowing up my tires no matter where I am as I have been told that the 19.5"s can lose their beads quite easily due to under inflation.

Cheers
Tony

A bit pricy at $500. I used to build rock crawlers and other off road vehicles. We often ran tire pressures as low as 5 psi. Airing up at the end on the day for the trip home was a requirement. In the early days of running the sand dunes we had these check valves devices that screwed into a spark plug hole. They sucked in air and discharged it through a hose. They worked pretty well but probably pumped some fuel/air into the tire. Doubt if they were good for much over 40 psi.

Over the years several solutions were investigated including converting A/C pumps and installing truck air compressors. The 12 volt cigarette lighter pumps were always a slow option that were junk and didn't last long under the demands put on them.

CO2 tanks and high pressure nitrogen were popular. ARB differential lockers became the rage. They use air pressure to lock the clutches and thus a need for a continuos air supply. The ARB compressors work well but at nearly 60 amps they put a pretty good load require on the electrical system and are generally hard wired.

I've actually found very little need to adjust air pressure on the new Goodyears. I am looking at a set of those fill/balance manifolds for the rears.


Still think this a good option with lots of other uses. Watch for Father's Day sales!

http://t.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-2-5-...word=DWFP55130

[mayco]

Where would you plan on storing the dewalt while on the road?

[Smartstream]

I installed one of these VIAIR Corporation - 450C-IG Compressor (P/N 45050, 45058) to operate my air suspension system. It is a brute and works very well. Because of the limited storage in the older classic mohos I bought one of these as a back-up. Porter-Cable 6-Gal. 150 psi Oil-Free Pancake Compressor-C2002 at The Home Depot I removed the tank and built a manifold that has both regulated and unregulated air couplers. It fits nicely in my small compartments and has no problem airing up tires.

[mayco]

Wow smartstream, what a great idea to remove the tank! I have that porter cable compressor and have been trying to figure out a way to have it on board. Im so new to this. I couldnt come up with any solution for storage. Thats really interesting. Sounds like a future project for me. If you have a pic, would love to see how you set it up. So, did you hard wire it to your 120v or just leave the chord attached in case you need to power it from an outside source for some reason?

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by mayco

Wow smartstream, what a great idea to remove the tank! I have that porter cable compressor and have been trying to figure out a way to have it on board. Im so new to this. I couldnt come up with any solution for storage. Thats really interesting. Sounds like a future project for me. If you have a pic, would love to see how you set it up. So, did you hard wire it to your 120v or just leave the chord attached in case you need to power it from an outside source for some reason?

Here are a few pics.





As you can see I added a nipple and T on the left side so I could have an unregulated air source and a short nipple and another coupler on the right side providing two regulated air sources but probably more to balance the manifold and add a mounting point. I did have to take the plastic housing apart to access all the fasteners to get the tank off.

I do have a small medical oxygen tank that I can connect to the unregulated air coupler for a reserve tank but it works so well without it that I don't even carry the tank anymore.

I put this together about four years ago and use it quite often simply because it is so light and portable.

[mayco]

That is so cool. What a good idea. So, without a tank, when plugged into the regulated side and filling a tire for instance, you can set the regulator on what ever tire pressure you desire and it will shut down when it reaches that pressure. Then on the unregulated side it will just continue to run. Correct?

[Air Dog]

That Porter Cable is on sale at HD right now for $99. Great idea.

I've got a bunch of room up in the front compartment on mine. Especially after relocating the coach batteries to the engine compartment. I've got my compressor, shop vac, wash bucket and tools up there.

[Air Dog]

Originally Posted by mayco

That is so cool. What a good idea. So, without a tank, when plugged into the regulated side and filling a tire for instance, you can set the regulator on what ever tire pressure you desire and it will shut down when it reaches that pressure. Then on the unregulated side it will just continue to run. Correct?

I wouldn't trust that regulator to adjust your tire pressure precisely. They seem to be better at regulating line pressure at a flow rate. The line pressure seems to bump up a few pounds when the flow stops.

[mayco]

Absolutely, i was just trying to think of an example of how the regulator would work. It just seems like a really good, portable solution to carrying a more powerful compressor on board. Its another one of those "duh, why dont i think of things like that" moments.

[mayco]

Please refrain from answering my self imposed question above.

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by mayco

That is so cool. What a good idea. So, without a tank, when plugged into the regulated side and filling a tire for instance, you can set the regulator on what ever tire pressure you desire and it will shut down when it reaches that pressure. Then on the unregulated side it will just continue to run. Correct?

It still has the pressure switch inside the plastic cover that turns it on and off at I think about 120 psi. Without the reserve tank it cycles more frequently but not as much as you would think. I don't use the regulated side to inflate tires because the regulator probably restricts the air flow a bit and the higher pressure differential fills the tire faster. I use the gauge on the tire inflator. When I blow out the water system to winterize I set the regulator to about 40 psi. and connect it to the water inlet and let it run.