BajaNomad

We've beat up this air compressor topic before but....

John M - 4-12-2018 at 02:03 PM

A pretty good comparison test from "Overland Journal" - and not just airing up tires.

https://expeditionportal.com/the-overland-journal-air-compre...

tease - low cost model does good!

John M

[Edited on 4-12-2018 by John M]

mirko - 4-12-2018 at 04:08 PM

My wife's new MBZ C300 comes with run-flat tires and NO SPARE !!!, which I don't like. I've heard that most MBZs now come that way. In any event, I've upgraded our AAA membership and I'm now looking for a good compressor/run-flat goop combo. I will get regular tires when it's time for a change as I suspect the car will run smoother. In the meantime, I want to stash temporary flat repair stuff in the trunk. No room for spare either way. When you think about it, we haven't had a flat in 30 years. Sorry to have highjacked your thread.

David K - 4-12-2018 at 04:39 PM

I have the MV-50... it is a champ. I also have the Harbor Freight pump which I got first... to replace my Coleman cigarette lighter plug-in pump. The Coleman could only add 2 psi per minute, requiring 9 minutes per tire to fill!

The MV-50 adds 6 psi per minute to my 32" tires, so only about 3 minutes to air back up from 16 psi to 34 psi. Just be careful when bringing the hose around to the other side of your vehicle to continue filling. I left it running as I moved to fill more tires and the hose P-nched, causing a valve inside to pop from pressure buildup.

The Harbor Freight pump was slightly faster... However, it was cursed with very hot fuse holder that actually melted a bit and I had to replace the fuse often. Not because the fuse blew, but because its plastic melted. Also, the Harbor Freight came in a bulky hard plastic case, so it didn't pack as nicely as the MV-50 does.



JZ - 4-12-2018 at 06:27 PM

The one David has is discontinued. It was a marketing spin off by the same company that makes the exact same one, but branded differently. I've got two of those. I inflate my E load tires with them. The thing is a beast.

BajaNomad - 4-12-2018 at 06:27 PM

Be sure to have a backup fuse (or 2) with the MV-50.

David K - 4-12-2018 at 07:06 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
The one David has is discontinued. It was a marketing spin off by the same company that makes the exact same one, but branded differently. I've got two of those. I inflate my E load tires with them. The thing is a beast.


I showed two, the MV-50 is very available and is the one in the video John posted a link to. The Harbor Freight on was from 2005 or about.

[Edited on 4-13-2018 by David K]

David K - 4-12-2018 at 07:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaNomad  
Be sure to have a backup fuse (or 2) with the MV-50.



In all the years and two MV-50s, not one blown fuse... Lucky, perhaps?

John Harper - 4-12-2018 at 07:20 PM

I've had great luck with my Viair 85P cigarette lighter model. Just got back from Mike's and I went from 24 (hot) to 38 (hot) in probably 2 minutes per tire at the end of the road out to Hwy 3. I have 235/75-15.

Cold Pressure Inflated: 34 PSI (Hot pressure was 38 PSI at turnoff)
Cold Pressure Deflated: 20 PSI (checked at Mike's on way out)

So, I found a 4 PSI difference between cold and hot inflation pressures. Set my deflators at 24 PSI for hot tires, which is 20 PSI cold. 20 PSI is what 4x4abc says works best, and it's good for me.

Hope this makes sense to some. There was some debate about deflating hot or cold tires a while back. I have no idea what tire temps were, but it was a warm day I was driving 55 most the way. I was more interested in hot versus cold inflation pressures to calibrate my deflators.

John


[Edited on 4-13-2018 by John Harper]

PaulW - 4-13-2018 at 11:15 AM

DavidK
Looks like HF 93186??
That is the one I have. No fuse issues.

David K - 4-13-2018 at 04:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
DavidK
Looks like HF 93186??
That is the one I have. No fuse issues.


Yes!! #93186
Melts the fuse case every time! I just bought extra fuses... until I got the MV-50 and never a blown or melted fuse since.

Funny how Doug had fuse problems with his MV-50 and that you did not with the Harbor Freight pump... both the opposite of my experiences.

[Edited on 4-14-2018 by David K]

PaulW - 4-13-2018 at 05:09 PM

I suspect a bad fuse holder some times the wire connecting the terminals ("faston") inside the molded part has a bad crimp which leads to heat and melting. A defect I have found over the years on various fuse holders.
I also have a couple of fuse holders in service the need to be replaced due to bad tension for the "faston" that holds the fuse. Not an immediate need since the current is very low, but I hate it with I loose or have intermittent power on the circuit. On my to do list, but rather than replace I will use the plier squeeze first.
I always worry about the 93186 because it get so hot and maybe is will melt the nice plastic case. So far I am OK.
=== ===

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
DavidK
Looks like HF 93186??
That is the one I have. No fuse issues.


Yes!! #93186
Melts the fuse case every time! I just bought extra fuses... until I got the MV-50 and never a blown or melted fuse since.

Funny who Doug had fuse problems with his MV-50 and that you did not with the Harbor Freight pump... both the opposite of my experiences.

caj13 - 5-15-2018 at 01:56 PM

anyone try that Bon-Aire 2 cylinder unit from Costco - 30 bucks?

David K - 5-16-2018 at 09:00 AM

Quote: Originally posted by caj13  
anyone try that Bon-Aire 2 cylinder unit from Costco - 30 bucks?


How is it powered?

caj13 - 5-16-2018 at 10:35 AM

hand pump David - you just pump away !
either that or cig lighter assembly - would rather see battery clips

basautter - 5-17-2018 at 05:17 AM

Great article, thanks for sharing! I have owned a Viair 400P for a number of years, and it's gotten some hard use. I agree with the overall best value assessment. I had to replace the cheap plastic air hose which got hot and split, and re-furbish the vibration dampers which wore out. Still works though, and still gets hard use. I would recommend it for someone with a moderate budget. I may upgrade to the ARB after reading this. It appears to be the holy grail of portable compressors, and comes with a pitcher of margaritas! How cool is that? :bounce::bounce: