On-board Air

[XPLORx4]

I've seen some pretty creative on-board air setups, so I thought I'd share the system I added to my rig.

 

I originally used the ARB RDCKA air compressor to operate my rear air locker and to air up my tires, one at a time. However, using the ARB compressor and its single air chuck for tire-inflation duties proved to be excessively time consuming and inconvenient.

 

First, the ARB air compressor isn't very fast, and second, it takes quite some time to continually check each tire's air pressure as it fills, then move the air hose to the next tire, until all 4 are filled.

 

To combat the first problem (ARB compressor speed), I replaced the ARB compressor with a "Super Flow MV-50" compressor that in 2005, was discovered to be an incredibly good bargain, due to its incredibly low price and good performance.

 

 

To combat the second problem, I took advantage of the air-holding function of my rock sliders by adding a pressure regulator, quick-disconnect fittings to the front and rear of the sliders, and building 4 short hoses to reach each tire's valve stem. This now makes my air-up process non-interactive; I hook it up, and when the compressor shuts off, I'm ready to roll.

 

Here is my original installation of the ARB compressor, tire-inflation kit, and rear air-locker solenoid:

 

This second revision was done when I got rock sliders that were plumbed to hold air (about 2 gallons total capacity). In this configuration, I rarely used the air-holding function of the sliders because the ARB compressor took so long to fill them.

 

This photo shows the latest configuration, the MV-50 hard-mounted where the ARB compressor once lived in my Pathfinder:

 

To accomplish this, I first removed the handle, outer cover, brackets, its air gauge and 1/8" NPT fitting from the MV-50. I then re-used the ARB compressor mounting bracket, whose diameter exactly matched the diameter of the MV-50 motor case. After mounting the compressor, I built my own air manifold using common 1/8" and 1/4" NPT brass fittings. I also created a small air reservoir using 2" galvanized pipe so that the air lockers can operate without frequent cycling of the compressor.

 

The pressure regulator governs the air pressure that gets routed to the rock sliders, which I drilled, tapped with a 1/4" NPT tap, and installed quick-disconnect fittings in:

 

 

The air fittings are protected by rubber caps when not in use. The caps are simply rubber feet for a folding chair.

 

Finally, I made 4 short lengths of air hose with clip-on tire valve stem inflators. I made them long enough to reach the valve stems, even if they are on the far side of the wheel:

 

To air up my tires, I simply turn on the compressor, open the valve to the sliders, and plug in the 4 air hoses. The regulator is pre-set at 32psi, so the compressor will automatically shut off when the tires reach 32psi. If I want to have a different front-to-rear bias for air pressure, it's simple to just use the tire gauge to reduce pressure.

 

When finished, the 4 air hoses are easily stowed in the canvas bag that came with the MV-50 compressor:

Edited April 15, 2007 by XPLORx4

[RedPath88]

Nice... I have been considering one of those pumps for the Pathy for a while now, but was worried about how good they really were. You have had this pump since 2005? How is it holding up?

 

I have destroyed three or four of those small tire inflators on my Yota's 33's.

 

For the Yota I have almost all the parts for on onboard air system using a Toyota AC Comp. But for the Pathy this is the route I will most likely go

[XPLORx4]

I actually haven't had the compressor since '05. I've only had it for a few months, so I can only hope its long-term reliability isn't that bad. What compressor part(s) failed on you when you used it on your 'yota?

[RedPath88]

They were cheap little things... not really meant to be used continuously for the that amount of time. The type you would keep in the truck of your can in case you have a minor leak, which just needed topped of so you could get to the tire shop.

 

The one you have now is more like the type I have currently been looking. It's just that I was kinda leary of another small portable air pump.

 

Until now I have never known anyone who actually had one like that.

[Jarsiff]

I dont know much about air lockers or their setups but that looks very creative to me, way to go

[87pathmaker]

Aren't you worried about a rock taking out one of the fittings on your sliders? I love the setup by the way.

[XPLORx4]

Aren't you worried about a rock taking out one of the fittings on your sliders?

Actually, yes, a little bit. I installed the fittings as high on the inner slider bar as possible so that they would be less likely to get damaged. If you look at the rock rash already on the sliders, you can see that most of the scrapes are on the bottom of the inner bar or on the outer edge of the outer bar. Hopefully the close proximity of the lateral bars on my sliders will protect the fittings. There's not very many scrapes on the lateral bars. But, I will probably need to pay more attention to the line I drive on really tough trails. If it does prove to be a problem, I may just add a 45° elbow between the slider and the fitting to angle it upwards a bit.

Edited April 16, 2007 by XPLORx4

[Mookie]

Very nice setup! Thanks for sharing.

[88pathoffroad]

Cool beans, man! Good thinking and mods.