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Air setup question

jbbies

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
494
Loc.
Durango
I bought an electric air compressor and I want to hard mount it to my bronco I also want it tied into a tank (so I can start it early and fill tires faster maybe run a air tool if I need it) my question is where would be the best place to mount this Im afraid under the hood might expose it too many elements rain, mud exc. Also what components will I need to run it to a tank and last what are some good ideas for a tank.

Thanks
Bies
 

Simpson

Full Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
168
Loc.
Montana
Is it a good 12 volt compressor or one of those "buy these steak knives and get this air compressor free" deals. With a good comp. under the hood is OK. Inside will be noisy. I built a set of tube bumpers once. sealed them up and they held alot of air. What I always wanted was a cheap way to make the comp come on automaticly when the tank PSI got low. Sold the truck first.
 
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jbbies

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
494
Loc.
Durango
Yeah that would be a good idea, I was thinking about mounting in behind my rear sidepanels on the inside I know it would be noisy but only when it was on. Do you think it would get to hot in there. And would there be enough air?
 
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jbbies

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
494
Loc.
Durango
What kind a things will I need for the tank like a pressure switch or how does it keep from overfilling.
 

trailpsycho

Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
4,856
Not trying to be shitty, but do a search; this info is out there in many threads multiple times. I was researching aspects of it here earlier today, in fact. There are several excellent links hidden within threads, some are to "sales sites" others are diagrams on peoples personal sites....some of the sales sties do offer excellent diagrams as well. If you search "on board air" you will get alot of reading adding words like diagram, schematic, solenoids and other keywords will narrow it a bit. Good luck. It looks like you are making quick and solid progress...any final decisions on your pin-stripe color ideas yet. Orange or lime would be choice, IMO.

John
 
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jbbies

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
494
Loc.
Durango
Im thinking orange maybe with a custom ford or bronco outline at the front of it

thanks for the advice Im dont think your being "shitty"
 

scsm76

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
1,433
Loc.
Shaver Lake, CA
What kind a things will I need for the tank like a pressure switch or how does it keep from overfilling.
Use a pressure switch about $30 bucks at most hardware stores just plumb it ino the air line and wire it in before the compressor. As a back up it best to also use a pressure pop off valve.
 

scsm76

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
1,433
Loc.
Shaver Lake, CA
Does that switch wire into the power to the comp.?
Yes, I use mine to run the clutch on a ac compressor but would work the same for an electric, most of them should be capable of handling the amps of the electric, if not you can use it to control continuous duty relay. I pull power from a toggle switch to the pressure switch so I can still manually shut it off.
 

tj

Jr. Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
64
Loc.
Elkhorn, CA
jbbies said:
I bought an electric air compressor and I want to hard mount it to my bronco I also want it tied into a tank (so I can start it early and fill tires faster maybe run a air tool if I need it) my question is where would be the best place to mount this Im afraid under the hood might expose it too many elements rain, mud exc. Also what components will I need to run it to a tank and last what are some good ideas for a tank.

It would be helpful if you mentioned which kind of pump.

Air pumps draw air and create heat. Better electric pumps are like little one cylinder engines with a piston moving up & down to draw then push air. Clean air intake is the key to keeping this kind of pump alive. They come with an intake air filter that you should clean every so often and the cleaner the air you can give it the longer it will work and remain trouble free.

The electric motor generates heat and the pump will break if it runs too hot. Better pumps have a thermal power cut off that turns off the motor before it gets too hot.

This is a long winded way of saying the best place to put a pump is in a place where cool air can freely flow around it and in the least dusty spot where you can easily get at the pump's intake air filter. The engine compartment is one of the worst places to put one though many people do. I ended up putting my QuickAir2 pump inside at the rear corner where I could drop the tail gate to hook up an air hose.

How you set one up depends upon how you want to use it. Mine drives an ARB locker, airs up tires and is used to blow out dust, so the maximum pressure needed to be governed by the ARB working pressure. If you are not running an air locker just using the pump for airing up, you have 2 choices: a low pressure high volume pump (tank optional) or a high pressure pump and a tank (tank a very good idea). Volume counts when airing up. I have a 2.5 gallon tank and it doesn't hold all that much volume of air. What it is best for is collecting air as I switch between tires. It probably only saves me 4 or 5 minutes airing up all the tires, but it allows me to run the ARB with the compressor off. If you have one of the newer high volume low pressure pumps you really don't need a tank for airing up, and a higher pressure lower volume pump can get by without a tank, but the tanks does save some time during air up.

If you use a tank you will want to have a mechanical pop valve in the air circuit and a water drain valve at the lowest part of the air circuit where water can collect. If you are using a tank, route your hoses so they do not have a dip to collect water and keep the bottom of the tank as the low water collection spot.

I have a stack of brass 'T's where my pump is mounted. One for the air hose connector, one for a gauge, one for an electrical pressure cutoff switch and one for the ARB air relay.

The electrical pressure cutoff switch needs to be rated for less than maximum rated pressure for the pump and any air tanks you have. Since I have an ARB I purchased ARB's cutoff switch to make sure the air locker is not over pressurized. It turns off the pump at 90 lbs pressure.

Where you put air tanks is up to you but I might suggest spending a little time laying under your Bronco looking for unused protected spaces. And there is no reason you can not use a couple smaller tanks instead of one larger one. Some folks have been known to use sliders as air tanks.

I figure only you know where space is in your own rig and I've hopefully provided you with enough ideas do decide what stuff you need and where to put it. Good luck!
 
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jbbies

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
494
Loc.
Durango
The one I bought was the one everyone has been buying from checker. I dont think its the most high end one on the planet. Maybe ill leave it like it is and buy a better one. I want to stay away from engine ran one AC comp. because I like less clutter in the engine compartment so its easier to work on. Where is a good place to buy a pump and what are the better brands. Also what would it cost me on average?
 

tj

Jr. Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
64
Loc.
Elkhorn, CA
jbbies said:
The one I bought was the one everyone has been buying from checker. I dont think its the most high end one on the planet. Maybe ill leave it like it is and buy a better one. I want to stay away from engine ran one AC comp. because I like less clutter in the engine compartment so its easier to work on. Where is a good place to buy a pump and what are the better brands. Also what would it cost me on average?

Why not use it as it is, a portable unit you can just throw into the back for trips. That unit has very good air flow into open space, just not at higher pressures. You paid for it. It will air up tires. So get your money's worth out of it.

They don't spec the airflow at higher pressures, which implies that it is not all that good. Your pump should work fine for airing up tires but not much else and its not worth plumbing a built in air tank unless you plan to use the tank later with a better pump when the one you have wears out.

It has been well over 10 years since I last went pump shopping so there has got to be a slew of new choices out there. You best bet is to look at the specs for as many as possible and buy the one that best fits your need within your price range.

First decide what you want your air supply to do for you.

If you want to air up and not bother with a tank, the highest air flow at 60 lbs pressure is likely your best bet.

If you want to run air tools you really want a belt driven pump. The 12V pumps just don't have the volume of air at high pressures.

If you want to run an air locker and air up tires you want a system rated for 100 lbs or better with the best possible air flow at 60 lbs.

On board air tanks are usually rated around 150 lbs pressure or slightly less. It takes really large volume tank to inflate big tires from that low of pressure. But a smaller tank will collect air when you go between tires and before you start filling and can save a few minutes when airing up. In that case you want to look for the best pump you can find for air flow at the highest pressure you set your system up for.

Important specs are air volumed pumped AT ELEVATED PRESSURES, and heat duty cycle (how long the pump can pump without shutting down to cool off).

Air pump volume specs given without a pressure are free flow pressures at ambient pressure and doesn't mean anything when you are airing up above room pressure.

Cheap air pumps use a vibrating diaphragm. These can have impressive free flow pumped volume specs but do not pump much volume into higher pressures.

Piston pumps work much better pumping air into higher pressures. Generally the bigger the piston the more volume pumped but the harder the motor has to work at higher pressures (more heat and higher drain on the battery).

When it is time to replace the pump you have, there are a lot of piston pumps to choose from, some of which are very good and very expensive. Just find the best performance/price pump you can with the best flow characteristics and heat duty cycle spec for the operating pressure you choose.

When I looked over a decade ago, the Quickair2 was the best pump I could afford for running an air locker and airing up tires. It has done a lot of airing up over the years and is still working like a champ. There are probably better pumps for the money out there today so do shop around and compare specs, but ignore the free air pumped volume specs and insist on looking at volumed pumped at pressure specs.

Hope this helps you understand what to look for next time.
 
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