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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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An inflator and an inverter
I want to be able to deflate and inflate the tires on my Prerunner when we head down to Catavina, and I already have a pretty capable Craftsman
120-volt 300 psi inflator -- not a bogus little air-mattress model. An electronics shop told me that a 350 watt inverter would handle this load, so
I'm about to send for a 400-watt Vector invertor from JC Whitney. It's got a built-in fan, cig-lighter plug, and battery clamps for HD use.
Any thoughts before I commit fifty bucks?
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El Camote
Senior Nomad
Posts: 514
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Above the clouds
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Check out Costco...
They have a unit with the same specs for about half the price. I've gotten so much inferior quality junk from JCW I've stopped ordering from them.
oops, I was refering to the inverter only. I don't own one but was tipped off about it from this board so another nomad has one and likes it. I know
it has a built in meter and overdischarge protection.
[Edited on 2-3-2005 by El Camote]
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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I know it's kind of a crapshoot, but the range of inverters that Vector offers, and the fan and the alternate plugs, made me feel that they were a bit
more invested in the process than, say, Coleman or the ones that Harbor Freight sells. None of those offer fans.
The Sears near me doesn't have a powerful enough one -- and although Costco might be cheaper, their stuf's not necessarily that reliable, is it?
Ultimately, that's what I should be looking for. I'll try to check Costco out, though.
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El Camote
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I just went looking for the unit on the Costco website but they don't have it listed there. I remember it's a Xantrex which is a well known name in
inverters. I've had really good luck with Costco product quality plus they have a very liberal return policy. Like a friend of mine says, "they'll
take back a pair of pants with a turd in them". Now that's liberal. 
Plus, you can buy it at Costco, check it out and return it if you don't like, before JCW even ships.
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David A.
Nomad
Posts: 120
Registered: 9-15-2003
Location: Angelus Oaks, CA./Gecko, Bahia de Los Angeles
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I picked up a 700 watt inverter from Harbor Freight for 58 dollars. It has a fan, auto shutoff and alarm when voltage drops below 10.5 volts. It
worked great for me when I connected a large submersable pump to transfer water.
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Was that one of their house brands (like General Pneumatic, etc)? None of the ones that I saw in the current catalog mention fans, but they do have
the alarms, which seem like a good thing. .
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#1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 46
Registered: 12-26-2003
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Mood: Rings
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If you buy a 400W inverter from Toyota they throw in a '05 Tacoma w/tow package. 
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Arthur
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Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Sounds good. Does JC Whitney carry it?
I've always wished that they would take advantage of the fact that there's already an air-conditioning compressor on board, and give me two tasty
options:
* A refrigerated glove compartment (somebody already offers that)
* Compressed air for reinflating tires.
-- I rarely use the air conditioner. I'm waiting for wind wings to make a comeback.
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bajaandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 769
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: North County
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Wind wings.... poor mans A/C. I LOVE 'em on my '89 F250. Wish they still made trucks with wind wings.
subvert the dominant paradigm
"If you travel with a man, you must either fall out with him or make him your good friend."
JBL Noel
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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inverter
Bought onefrom ebay 1200 watt for$100 its been reliable so far./
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Arthur
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Posts: 232
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Location: San Anselmo, CA
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What brand, and what are you asking it to run?
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
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Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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Arthur
We bought one last summer at Harbor Freight 700watt $50.00
We use it for our blender on the boat....
and a electric coffee pot....it has a fan....
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Roberto
Banned
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Registered: 9-5-2003
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A 350W inverter sounds light. I have a similar setup, but I use a Husky (Home Depot) compressor, and I use a 1000W inverter I bought at costco, for
about $70. The compressor needs 800W continuous. One thing to check when using one of these is that the wiring is heavy enough to handle the required
amperage without a significant voltage drop.
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fishinrich
Nomad
Posts: 286
Registered: 8-28-2003
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west marine
So far all the inverters mentioned in my opinon are junk, I would never own. Remember you get what you pay for!!!!! If you want to purchase a
400watt inverter that can actually handle 400watts for an extended period of time and will continue doing for many years to come then check out west
marine. They do not sell cheap junk like the others mentioned. fishin rich
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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inverter
Ok if you really want a good expensive inverter get a Heart or trace then have less voltage loss and have the best sign wave for electronic equipment.
Seems like you want something to run the compressor sometimes, just about anything will work but give yourself room on the wattage. If you were asking
about mine its not available, good luck.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
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Registered: 8-20-2003
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Inverters
I've got numerous inverters: Trace, Statpower, Coleman, Vector.
The Vectors work just fine for something like an inflator. I've got one I've been using for casual, intermittent things like that for awhile now. No
problem. I haven't tried it on Electronics because I have others for that purpose.
By the way, I bought a Coleman 800 Watt and a Vector 800 Watt and they appear to be the same unit with different Logos.
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-15-2004
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Aurthur,
If you can find the plate on the side or bottom that states either the wattage you are all set. If not, any electrician can tell you the approximate
wattage based on the horsepower, if that is listed.
Buy an inverter that supplies at least 1 1/2 times the wattage you think your inflator will use and you should be ok.
The first few I bought were never big enough for very long.
I use the scuba tank method for inflation.
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Roberto
Banned
Posts: 2162
Registered: 9-5-2003
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By the way - the inverters sold at Costco are made by Xantrex. Hardly junk. Just for reference, there ARE NO Heart, ProSine or Trace inverters any
more. They are all Xantrex now.
The ones sold at Costo USED to be the Heart Prowatt and Portawatt brands. Not the top of the line, but certainly not junk. I have had some of these in
service in a marine environment for 5+ years, and they hold up.
[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Roberto]
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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I run my home (trailer etc) on a 1500W Zantrex from Costco - $84 I think at the El Centro store. Handles everything very nicely and has about #1 lead
cables.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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4baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1339
Registered: 9-4-2003
Location: morro bay ca
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at least a 1000 watter, you never know when youll want to run the microwave in the most remote places. got mine at boaters world and has never
failed,allways use large cable to the batteries.
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