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Once we purchased our first Class A motorhome, a moveable air compressor was not on our listing of important RV must-haves, however we rapidly discovered how important an air compressor is for RV tires. If you happen to’re pondering “I don’t want an air compressor, I’ll simply use one on the gasoline station.” Suppose once more!
Fuel station air compressors are designed for automotive tires which want round 35 psi (kilos per sq. inch) of strain. RV tires however can have max pressures from 80 to 135 psi or extra! Sure, even these small camper vans have LT (mild truck) tires which might be rated at 80 psi.
Think about our shock the primary time we went to inflate the tires on our Class A motorhome at a gasoline station solely to seek out out we had been dropping strain! After that have, we determined to put money into a high quality moveable air compressor for RV tires.
However moveable air compressors can be utilized for a lot of different issues, together with winterizing your camper, which I’ll clarify the best way to do on this article.
Don’t have time to learn the complete submit on the most effective moveable air compressor for RV tires? That is the moveable air compressor we personal and love. VIAIR makes completely different fashions, which I’ll get to later on this article.
What’s a Moveable Air Compressor?
Moveable Air Compressors are smaller variations of the air compressors you may discover in an automotive or different kind of store however with out the massive holding tanks. These smaller moveable compressors are available in many differing kinds and types. For the aim of this text, I’ll be discussing 12 volt moveable air compressors. These are supposed to journey with you and run off of your automotive/RV battery or 12v outlet (aka cigarette lighter) in your automotive. Some are made for smaller automotive tires whereas others have the flexibility to work on the whole lot as much as and together with semi-truck tires.
One other kind of moveable air compressor is a scaled down model of their bigger counterparts and plug into a regular 120 volt family outlet. These are usually used on smaller building jobs or DIY initiatives at dwelling the place you want one thing small and moveable. They’ll run air instruments, paint sprayers and different kinds of instruments you’d discover on a building web site or in your storage that require compressed air. These moveable air compressors may also be used to refill car tires.
Nonetheless, I wouldn’t suggest the 120 volt air compressors for RV tires. They’re much bigger and heavier than the 12 volt moveable air compressors plus they require that you simply plug in to a regular 120 volt outlet. Whereas most RVs have these, you might not have a big sufficient inverter or large enough battery financial institution to run it. It additionally doesn’t do you any good if you wish to carry it alongside in your toad (towed car) for an off-roading journey the place you’ll must air your tires again up and don’t have an inverter to make use of.
Advantages of a Moveable Air Compressor
1. Capability to Air Up Your RV’s Tires Wherever
Earlier than we took off on our first journey in our Class A motorhome, I made positive to test the air strain for all six of our tires. Our tire strain was low throughout nevertheless it was ok to drive to the closest gasoline station to refill. Once we pulled into the gasoline station, I dropped 4 quarters into the air compressor and commenced filling up one of many entrance RV tires. After a pair minutes, I checked the tire strain once more and noticed that it had really LOST 5 psi! We then regarded for a truck cease to go refill at however, low and behold, there have been none the place we had been going.
Whereas some truck stops could have air compressors in a position to air up bigger, excessive PSI tires, they aren’t at all times out there. An under-inflated tire will be harmful and result in a blow out, so with the ability to air up your tires at any time when that you must is important.
Having an air compressor with you lets you make in-field tire repairs resembling a puncture or tear. Whereas we haven’t needed to make a restore within the discipline, we’ve been a variety of locations the place we had been no the place close to civilization and the closest restore store was hours away…or we didn’t have cell service to name for assist.
Once we had our Jeep, we had to make use of the spare tire a number of occasions and guess what? Once I put the spare on and lowered the car, I discovered that the tire strain was very low. A couple of minutes later, I had our air compressor out and the tire again as much as the right strain.
We’ve additionally been in a position to assist different individuals on the highway who wanted to air their tires up however didn’t have a compressor with them.
2. You Can Take It With You
Because the title implies, these 12 volt air compressors are moveable. The VIAIR air compressors are available in sturdy canvas carry luggage and are mild sufficient for most individuals to hold (the 450P-RVS is the biggest mannequin and weighs in at 13 lbs).
Once we towed a Jeep Wrangler behind our motorhome, we’d take our moveable air compressor with us once we went off-roading. This allowed us to air the tires down on the path after which, once we bought again to the pavement, we aired our tires again up. That is the place the 12 volt air compressors shine over the 120 volt variations as a result of we didn’t have a technique to plug-in a 120 volt air compressor within the Jeep.
I additionally want the moveable air compressors over on-board air compressors which might be completely mounted to the car as a result of for those who promote the car or want the compressor in a distinct car, the moveable compressor can go the place you do.
3. There are A number of Makes use of for a Moveable Air Compressor
Past simply inflating tires, a transportable air compressor could be very helpful when tenting. You need to use them to inflate inflatable kayaks, paddle boards, balls and plenty of different stuff you may carry in your subsequent journey. When the climate will get beneath freezing, we’ve used ours to winterize our camper. I’ll clarify how to do that beneath.
Moveable Air Compressor Options
As a result of there may be such all kinds of moveable air compressors, I gained’t be capable of cowl all the completely different options however I’ll attempt to cowl a few of the commonest ones you ought to be conscious of.
1. Max Working Stress, CFM, Responsibility Cycle and Extra
Pay shut consideration to the specs when looking for a transportable air compressor. Max working strain was necessary for us once we had been purchasing. Our RV tires on the time had a max chilly strain of 110 psi, so we would have liked a compressor that had a max working strain equal to or higher than that. We additionally needed one thing that had a 100% responsibility cycle which implies it may run constantly for an hour. An air compressor with a 33% responsibility cycle can solely run for 20 minutes (33% of 60 minutes) after which it would want 40 minutes to chill between cycles.
Smaller 12v pumps that plug right into a cigarette lighter (12v outlet) sometimes have a max working strain of 60 psi and have a brief responsibility cycle, 20 minutes @ 30 psi for instance. That is good for airing up bicycle, bike and automotive tires however can’t deal with even the smallest RV tire – the smaller tires on our Class B van are rated at 80 psi.
CFM is one other specification which measures the cubic toes per minute of air circulate. Because the strain in a tire will increase, the CFM will drop as a result of it’s taking extra effort for the compressor to push the air into the tire. CFM can be a sign of how rapidly you possibly can air a tire up and whether or not the pump will be capable of run air instruments.
2. Equipment
Air Hose. Primary moveable air compressors will sometimes include an built-in air hose that’s 3-5 toes in size. Relying on how lengthy the facility twine is, you might not be capable of attain your rear tires. Increased finish air compressors will include fast join fittings and air hoses. This lets you change out the air hoses if one turns into broken or for those who want an extended/shorter hose. Our 450P-RVS got here with two 30 foot hoses so we’re in a position to attain as much as 60 toes from the compressor! If we would have liked to increase even additional, we may add a 3rd hose.
Chucks. A chuck is the nozzle on the top of the hose that connects to the tire’s air stem. Customary, air compressors will include both the bike pump or gasoline station model chuck. If the top of the hose has a fast join becoming, you possibly can change out the chuck relying on what you want. Our VIAIR got here with a gasoline station model air inflation gun, 90 diploma screw on chuck, 45 diploma chuck (for attain the interior wheel on a dually) and a number of inflation suggestions. We will additionally add different equipment that use the fast join becoming. I sometimes use the screw on chuck because it’s the best to work with.
Inflation Gun. The inflation gun is, in essence, a valve. If you press the set off down, it opens permitting the air to circulate into your tire. I wish to have one with a strain gauge constructed into it so I’m able to simply see the tire strain quite than having to take away the chuck and test the tire with a seperate gauge.
Carry bag. These are good, particularly if in case you have a number of equipment, to maintain the whole lot in a single place.
3. Computerized Lower-Off
If you happen to’ve ever used a gasoline station air compressor, that when it activates, it retains operating till the time restrict is up. Primary moveable air compressors function in the identical method, they proceed operating till you flip it off. If the compressor has a brief responsibility cycle, this may occasionally require you to run backwards and forwards to show it on and off each time you turn tires.
Moveable air compressors with an automated shut off sometimes have a small holding tank. If you first flip the compressor on, it would run, filling up that tank. As soon as the tank reaches strain, the compressor will shut off till you start filling a tire with air. If you happen to take a break otherwise you’re achieved filling up the tire and the tank pressurizes, the pump will routinely shut off.
4. In-Line Stress Gauge
I feel an inline strain gauge is an important accent to have. Ours has one construct into the inflation gun and it permits us to see what the tire strain is with out having to take away the chuck and test the strain with a separate gauge.
Downsides of a Moveable Air Compressor
The draw back of 12v moveable air compressors is that the majority usually are not designed to run air instruments. The issue is that they’ll’t present a excessive sufficient CFM that an air software requires. Some compressors have small holding tanks which can give a fast burst of air once you first pull the set off nevertheless it’s solely sufficient to permit the software to run for a second or two however not a lot after that.
If you’d like or must run air instruments on the highway, my suggestion could be to take a look at 120v moveable compressors which have a bigger holding tank or get a seperate air tank which you can fill with you 12v air compressor.
Our Expertise with Moveable Air Compressors
A few years in the past, I had a pair cheap moveable air compressors that I stored within the storage for these odd occasions I wanted to pump up a tire. Inevitably, they’d work a pair occasions after which give up working. Whereas they had been low cost to switch, I didn’t need to hold throwing my cash away and resigned myself to drive to the gasoline station and refill there.
Once we bought the VIAIR I used to be skeptical at first, however I’ve since discovered to depend on them. Once we first bought it, we primarily used it to air up our RV tires. With our overland 4×4 truck camper, we’d use it regularly to air our tires again up from being on an off-road path or simply refill the tires as wanted. We additionally started utilizing it for issues like blowing out our water strains, serving to associates or utilizing it to blow the mud out of an air filter.
Now we have 34” tires on our truck and once we’ve taken it off-roading, we’ll air down the tires to round 25 psi. Once we air the tires again as much as 65 psi, it takes roughly 6 minutes per tire.
We’ve used ours in all types of situations like in the course of the desert in 90 diploma warmth with blowing sand and by no means as soon as had a difficulty.
Why the VIAIR 450P-RVS is the Greatest Moveable Air Compressor for RV Tires
Briefly, as a result of it really works for all RV tires from small Class Bs all the best way as much as massive Class A motorhomes. I even apply it to mower and bike tires. With a attain of 60 toes, you’ll be capable of attain these rear tires on a forty five foot Class A or a pull behind camper.
The air compressor and all of its equipment match within the included heavy responsibility carrying bag and it’s sufficiently small to slot in most storage bays or cupboards.
With the usual fast join fittings, it lets you buy extra hoses and different chucks or air weapons to fit your wants. We bought a blow gun for air compressor that works nicely for blowing mud and different issues out of an air filter.
Whereas the VIAIR air compressors include a 1 12 months guarantee, we’ve not wanted to make use of it.
It’s strong! After filling up the tires in our truck in the future, I used to be distracted and forgot to place the compressor away. As I began driving away, I drove over one thing and once I bought out, I noticed that I had pushed OVER our compressor! Come to seek out that whereas I’d bent the toes of the compressor and the alligator clips that connect to the automotive battery, the whole lot else was high-quality. I spent a couple of minutes bending issues again into form and the compressor has been operating high-quality ever since.
Which VIAIR Moveable Air Compressor is Proper for Your RV Tires?
VIAIR has a variety of moveable air compressors. The VIAIR RVS sequence of moveable air compressors are particularly made for RVs, each motorized and towables.
Class A motorhomes – VIAIR 450P-RVS
Class C motorhomes, truck campers and huge towables – VIAIR 400P-RVS
Smaller Towables – VIAIR 300P-RVS
Class B motorhomes and camper vans – VIAIR 89P-RVS
If you happen to additionally plan to make use of your moveable air compressor in your Jeep or off-road car, the VIAIR 400P is really useful.
Once more, my decide would nonetheless be the VIAIR 450P-RVS as a result of it may do the whole lot besides run air instruments.
What Different Choices are There for Moveable Air Compressors?
The listing is sort of countless for the completely different makes and kinds of moveable air compressors for RV tires. If I used to be going to purchase one thing moreover the VIAIR, I’d search for one thing from a nicely established model that’s been utilized by off-roaders. I say that as a result of individuals who use an air compressor off-road, have a tendency to make use of them extra typically and in harsh environments. The compressors not solely have to resist the setting however they should be strong sufficient to be bounced round in a car for hours on finish and work each time. Within the backcountry, away from cell indicators and paved roads, your life might rely in your instruments, which incorporates your air compressor.
My first selection could be the ARB Excessive Efficiency Moveable Air Compressor. Many off-roaders will set up these on-board their automobiles however this mannequin comes with in a tough carrying case in order that it’s moveable. The value is on-par with the VIAIR however lacks a few of the equipment which might be customary with the VIAIR. The ARB can be has a better CFM than the VIAIR and is rated to run air instruments with an non-compulsory 1 gallon air tank.
If you’d like one thing bigger to run air instruments, my suggestion could be a pancake model moveable air compressor. They’re known as “pancake” due to the pancake formed air tank situated beneath the compressor. They’re all 120v so that you’ll both want an inverter and battery financial institution that’s massive sufficient to run this model of compressor out of your RV or be parked someplace like a campground the place you’ve got entry to an outlet. Whereas bigger and heavier than a 12v moveable air compressor, pancake model compressors like this Craftsman are a couple of third of the worth of the VIAIR or ARB.
Lastly, if you’re on a price range and don’t plan to be out within the backcountry, I’d recommend looking Amazon for “12v moveable air compressor” and discovering one in your worth vary that has good evaluations and the options you want in a transportable air compressor.
What’s the appropriate tire strain(s) in your RV?
The right tire strain in your RV tires goes to differ primarily based upon the the burden of the car and whether or not you’ve got single or twin rear wheels. For instance, on our truck camper, the tires on the max chilly strain of 80 psi are load rated for 4,050 kilos. Earlier than you possibly can decide what the right tire strain is, that you must weigh your RV. This may be achieved at any truck cease that has a CAT scale. Merely drive up onto the size and observe the instructions. They’ll give you entrance, rear and trailer axle weights. With this data you possibly can lookup the inflation chart in your tires and decide what the right tire strain is. Right here’s an instance of Truck Tire Load Inflation Tables from Bridgestone.
Right tire psi, particularly on bigger motorhomes is a vital security merchandise. In case your tires are beneath inflated, that may trigger extreme warmth, put on and ultimately a blow out. We’ve had associates in bigger Class A motorhomes expertise a blow in and out one case they misplaced full management and totaled the RV and within the different, whereas they misplaced some management, they had been in an space with a large shoulder and had been in a position to safely cease.
A method to assist forestall tire blow-outs and monitor your tire strain is by putting in a TPMS (tire strain monitoring system) in your RV. Many new automobiles include these now however many RVs nonetheless don’t. They’re straightforward to put in and displays just like the TST or TireView include 4-12 sensors relying on what number of tires that you must monitor. Here’s a hyperlink to the TST Tire Stress Monitoring System.
The best way to Inflate RV Tires
You need to by no means stand subsequent to an RV tire when you’re inflating it. RV and truck tires can explode when being inflated and every year, persons are killed and critically injured by them. That is why, for those who look in a truck tire store, you’ll see metal cages the place they set the tire earlier than inflating it.
To start inflating your RV tires, begin your engine for the reason that compressor can be operating off your automotive battery (you don’t need to air up your tires solely to seek out you’ve drained your battery). In case your compressor has an on/off change, set the change to the off place. Insert the 12v plug into the car’s 12v outlet or connect the black (floor) alligator clip to the car – sometimes uncovered metallic like a bolt or nut on the facet wall inside your engine bay. Test your car’s homeowners handbook to see the place to connect the bottom when leaping the car if you’re undecided. Subsequent, connect the constructive (pink) clip to the constructive terminal of your battery. If you’re prepared to start inflating your tires, flip the pump on if it’s not already and inflate every tire to the right tire strain. Ensure that to face away and off to the facet of the tire.
One more reason I just like the VIAIR 450P-RVS is that it comes with a 90 diploma screw on chuck and twin hoses. To maintain myself protected, when I’m filling our tires, I connect the primary hose to the air compressor, then I join the air inflation gun between the primary and second hose and the 90 diploma twist on chuck will twist onto the top of the tire valve after which I can stand away from the tire (as much as 30 toes) and safely fill the tire. The gauge on the tire inflation gun tells me when the tire has reached the right strain after which I can take away the chuck and transfer on to the following tire.
The best way to Winterize Your RV with a Moveable Air Compressor
Many individuals are conversant in the pink RV anti-freeze that’s pumped by the water system of an RV to winterize it. Personally, I’m not a fan of these things. I gained’t get into all of the the explanation why however briefly I a lot want to blow the water out of my camper’s strains.
To do that, we used an air compressor and a blow out valve like this one.
Disclaimer: The directions beneath are how we winterized our truck camper and are supposed to provide you with an thought of the way it’s achieved utilizing compressed air. These usually are not directions on the best way to winterize your RV. Each RV is completely different. If not achieved appropriately, compressed air may harm water strains, water heaters, pumps, valves and different elements of your water system. You should definitely learn your homeowners handbook and get in touch with your RV producer on the most effective course of to winterize your RV.
- Drain all water from the camper’s contemporary water tank, water heater, filters and low level drains. If there’s a tankless water heater, be certain to empty the water out of it as nicely. On our camper, I’ve discovered that if I open the drain valve on our water heater and activate the water pump, it rapidly empties the contemporary water tank.
- Activate the water pump and open every scorching/chilly water valve (sinks/showers/bathrooms/and many others) to filter out extreme water left within the strains.
- Set up the blow out valve to the contemporary water fill inlet and open the drain valve on the contemporary water tank. Start pumping air into the contemporary water fill and there needs to be air/water popping out of the drain valve. If there isn’t, cease instantly. Proceed till water is not popping out of the drain.
- Transfer the blow out valve from the contemporary water fill inlet to town water inlet. Open every water valve (sinks/showers/bathrooms/and many others) one by one, cold and hot facet, after which blow air into the system. Have an individual contained in the RV monitoring every valve to make sure air/water are popping out. If it’s not, cease instantly. Proceed till no extra water is popping out of the valve.
- Repeat Step 4 with every water valve, cold and hot. I additionally like to return to the recent water heater and open up the valve there once more and blow extra air to make sure it’s fully empty in addition to the contemporary water tank.
- Lastly, empty each gray and black holding tanks.
When freezing temps are over, merely refill the contemporary water holding tank, activate the water pump and open the suitable valves to start getting water again into the system.
Here’s a video of how we winterize our camper van:
The best way to Restore a Flat Tire
Whereas I’d love to have the ability to clarify the best way to restore a tire within the discipline on this article, it’s just too in-depth. As you’ll have guessed nevertheless, one important software for repairing a tire within the discipline is an air compressor. The opposite is a top quality tire restore equipment. The one we personal is the Outback Excessive Final Puncture Restore Equipment. That is marketed to work on something from ATVs to semi-truck tires.
An excellent useful resource to discover ways to restore tires within the discipline is the e-book Elevating Your 4WD Car Off-Street & In-Subject Tire Restore by Bob Wohlers. I took Bob’s class and have this e-book. It’s a wealth of data and vital for anybody venturing off the crushed path.
Abstract
A top quality moveable air compressor in your RV tires will be an costly buy however, as we’ve discovered, it’s nicely well worth the funding. Whereas we’ve had nothing however good experiences with VIAIR, there are lots of different choices on the market. When you have moveable air compressor you actually like, tell us within the feedback.
