DWilly Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I am looking at installing my air tank under the cab near the gas tank. Has anyone done this and have pictures they can share? Thanks in advance, ~Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd21overland Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 How big of a tank are you planning to install i have pics from a Austrailian Site that install a 5 Gal air tank on the passenger side under the rear seats basically opposite of the exhaust so they could bolt it up high so it wouldn't get damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWilly Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 would be good for the future as it stands I have the 2.5 gal cylinder tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I didn't find space under the body...this has to be redone...compressor is lower than the tank (bad) and tank too far forward (bad) other than that it works good for my locker and airing back up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWilly Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 I have the compressor mounted under the hood. I moved some electrical pieces and placed it just behind the battery. Gauge and switch are installed. Filter is in the cabin area just behind the glove box. I have the box sliders sealed and plumbed into the air system for a little more volume. I just have the tank strapped down with plumbers strap in the back cargo area and want to get it out of the way, underneath preferably, and just a quick connect where I currently have hoses running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Gotcha...yea mine will change eventually and get more volume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Is that a Viair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hmmmm, this has got me thinking... A few years back I did an S10 Blazer body swap to a K5 Blazer frame. Mounted a 5 gallon tank just forward the fuel tank with a motor mounted and driven compressor. Worked great... On our Pathfinder's however there is not much space in front of the fuel tank... unless a body lift is applied. I have a 3 inch on mine, and there is a ton of space available for a small cylinder or a large pancake tank. I like the idea of having one in the cab, but at the same time I dont like it... My wife and kids go everywhere in the Pathfinder, and if that tank suddenly ruptured, or it was punctured etc, I would feel terrible if one of my kids or even the spousal unit were hurt... Now on that same thought... A buddy of mine built a rear bumper out of 1/2 walled steel pipe, 6 inch diameter, welded the ends and installed nipples and a gauge. Had lines ran along the frame to a pump mounted in the engine bay. The thing worked great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I would bet you could take that tank to 500 psi and it wouldnt rupture...I don't reccomend trying it but to each their own...I couldn't find a good place for mine under with the 3...also keep in mind a cylinder is a better pressure vessel than a box...pressurized airplanes, gas cylinders and automotive air tanks are all cylinders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 A buddy of mine built a rear bumper out of 1/2 walled steel pipe, 6 inch diameter, welded the ends and installed nipples and a gauge. Wow, that would have been around 150lbs of metal just for the "bumper"! nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I wasn't knocking your design bra, I personally like it... to me it is more protected INSIDE then outside... Yes, we used a fork lift to hold it while we mounted it up.... Although it was only 4 feet wide... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I like the idea of having one in the cab, but at the same time I dont like it... My wife and kids go everywhere in the Pathfinder, and if that tank suddenly ruptured, or it was punctured etc, I would feel terrible if one of my kids or even the spousal unit were hurt... I doubt you would have more than 90-100 PSI in the tank. Atmospheric pressure is almost 15 psi at sea level so its only 6-7x pressure. It is quite safe, even if it was breached it would just vent, not burst or shrapnel. You are thinking of scuba tank pressures 1500+psi) and yes, those can be dangerous... There was someone who made square wall tubing sliders, sealed them and used them for compressed air storage. Seemed to work just fine but I'm not sure of the volume... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I used to have a air tank mounted where the winch would go in my winch bumper on the hardbody, off topic not the PF but here's mine in the Sentra: I only use it for my 2 air horns!! LOL small horn: BIG horn: air gauge in dash, it's sitting straight up now: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I doubt you would have more than 90-100 PSI in the tank. Atmospheric pressure is almost 15 psi at sea level so its only 6-7x pressure. It is quite safe, even if it was breached it would just vent, not burst or shrapnel. You are thinking of scuba tank pressures 1500+psi) and yes, those can be dangerous... There was someone who made square wall tubing sliders, sealed them and used them for compressed air storage. Seemed to work just fine but I'm not sure of the volume... B I agree with what you are saying, I guess I am just overly anal about it... The last trail ride I was on we had a guy in the group who had a C02 cylinder, small in size, said he bought it from 4WP. It had a coiled line and gauges regulator etc. He kept having to put air in one of his 40 inch TSL's, and must have done it probably 20+ times. That cylinder held some serious air.... probably in the scuba pressure range. I figure that might be a viable investment, but if you ran out you would be screwed. Not sure how they fill those tanks up, but the local FD has a compressor to do their SCBA tanks....(I am thinking out loud here...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Air horns on a sentra!!! So a douchebag in a Mercedes cuts you off, and you scare his pants dirty....with a simple push of a button... AWESOME... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Please don't be too quick to discount the power of compressed air at only 100 or 130 psi. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69953 An air pig tank that is 12" diameter and 24" long has an internal surface area of about (roughly) 1300 in.sq. x 100 psi = 130,000 lbs of force total. A little moisture cuases some rust at the welds over time... could be a pin hole leak. Could be cause the parent material in the heat affected zone of the end cap weld to tear and ... boom. Treat compressed air like you would with electricity, with respect. Not trying to be a hard-ass, but I have seen air cylinders for machines fail at under 100psi and it shoots the piston across the shop and embeds into a skid of product. Not pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Odd, I have never heard of that and I have worked with shop air for decades. My guess is that this is only with large volume tanks and is highly unusual. We are talking about 2-5 gallon tanks here and you can't add up the entire surface area, multiply it by the pressure and say that is the stress. If that was the case, your body would be crushed in an instant where you stand. LOL!! Ok, now something like an air cylinder that launches a projectile out of a bore is a completely different situation, and yes, this can be dangerous, but it is a function of the mass/velocity of the projectile. I have and will shut off shop air leaks (blown lines and even air pipes) with my bare hand (120 psi). It really isn't dangerous, they are used day in and day out in almost every industry without rampant deaths and injury. Accidents can always happen, but hell, you can kill yourself with a pensil if you try hard enough. I agree with what you are saying, I guess I am just overly anal about it... The last trail ride I was on we had a guy in the group who had a C02 cylinder, small in size, said he bought it from 4WP. It had a coiled line and gauges regulator etc. He kept having to put air in one of his 40 inch TSL's, and must have done it probably 20+ times. That cylinder held some serious air.... probably in the scuba pressure range. I figure that might be a viable investment, but if you ran out you would be screwed. Not sure how they fill those tanks up, but the local FD has a compressor to do their SCBA tanks....(I am thinking out loud here...) No problem, always error on the side of comfort/caution, especially with you wife and kids!! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) You are right in the accidents are not common occurences, or the compressed air would be banned or have much heavier safety around it. The calculation I showed is not the stress. Is is simply sum of the force on the vessel. The point being that if there is a breach, where a pc of the metal, the connector, the fitting that fails, whatever, has an incredible amount of force available to make it a projectile, just like the piston example. The size of the tank relates to the volume of the compressed air. The force that is acting on the vessel is only about pressure and surface area. You shut-off 120psi with your barehand? - I hope you didn't mean you put your hand over the the leak? That can kill you as it can force air bubles into your bllod stream. OSHA and other safety sources train people to not use an air gun to blow dust of their clothes for reasons such as this. I have personally witness a service tech removing a 1.5" ball valve from a 120psi airline that he thought was isolated. The blast of air that came out not only sent the valve flying chipping the concrete floor but the air hit the back of his hand hard enough to force blood out of the pores of his skin. B, you personally may have sufficient training and experience to handle compressed air just fine, but for newbies - around air please, please take caution. If you are reading this and are new to using compressed air - here is a 3 minute video that save you injury, maybe your life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdVx220PNRE Again, no intent to rag on you or anyone in this great site, just relaying my experience and training from mechanical engineering plus 20 years in a manufacturing environment. /soapbox Edited January 13, 2012 by BowTied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Again, caution is best followed and advised. If you aren't sure or don't feel familiar with it, be careful or don't even touch it. This is a simple life rules that applies to everything from compressed air to your neighbor's daughter... All jokes aside, follow safety principles at all times!! It is complex but to set a standard, a .22 long rifle bullet with 100ft/lbs of energy can kill you, and not just if it hits you in the head just right. That means a 3 gram projectile launched at 1000 FPS is the same thing. A source of compressed air can accelerate 3 grams (.1 oz) quickly, but it is a function of PSI and time accelerated. 100 PSI will need some sort of focus point (barrel) to launch a projectile to that sort of speed. I am not being blase or advising anyone to be incautious though. You shut-off 120psi with your barehand? - I hope you didn't mean you put your hand over the the leak? That can kill you as it can force air bubles into your bllod stream. OSHA and other safety sources train people to not use an air gun to blow dust of their clothes for reasons such as this. Copy on that, I have seen the videos myself. I have grabbed blown flex air lines, worked down to the end, grabbed it and capped it off with my thumb enough times to know it works just fine. I have butted my hand to the end of a copper air line to seal it temporarily; I do have strong hands and tradesman conditioning. Again, do not do this at home!! I really don't see a problem with most small air tanks at shop pressures (90-120psi) with proper handling, storage and precautions. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.510 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 The last trail ride I was on we had a guy in the group who had a C02 cylinder, small in size, said he bought it from 4WP. It had a coiled line and gauges regulator etc. He kept having to put air in one of his 40 inch TSL's, and must have done it probably 20+ times. That cylinder held some serious air.... probably in the scuba pressure range. I figure that might be a viable investment, but if you ran out you would be screwed. Not sure how they fill those tanks up, but the local FD has a compressor to do their SCBA tanks....(I am thinking out loud here...) I use a CO2 tank for airing tires as well. I use CO2 for shielding gas with my MIG welder so I have a few of the 20 pound aluminum cylinders. These are the same cylinders that restaurants use with their pop machines: CO2 is stored as a liquid, and maintains a steady tank pressure of about 800psi until there is no liquid left, then it drops rapidly. I have not done the math to figure out how much volume of CO2 is actually in one of these tanks but I could easily air up 100 33" tires with a full tank. Exchange of these tanks at the local welding store is about $22 and I typically get at least a dozen trail runs airing up 2-5 trucks with a tank. Since the tank maintains pressure until the liquid is gone you have to weigh a CO2 tank to know how much you actually have left. The gauge is meaningless until you run out of liquid and the pressure starts to drop. Also keep in mind that a CO2 tank must be in a vertical position to use it or you'll get liquid CO2 out of the regulator and this is a *major* frostbite danger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWilly Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 So at this point I am guessing that nobody has pictures of a tank under the truck between the frame rails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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