What's the deal with hard-mounting your air compressor?

[jaymz]

Shots fired!

What about CO2?

Co2 is an option, but can be inconvenient. They need to be refilled regularly depending on how often they’re used, and if you have a leak go unnoticed, you’re SOL at the end of the trail. Tanks also need recertification every few years (5 IIRC). Not to mention proper mounting and mounting location is much more critical than with a compressor. You don’t wanna knock off a valve or smash it against a rock.

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[Jeepeto]

Co2 is an option, but can be inconvenient. They need to be refilled regularly depending on how often they’re used, and if you have a leak go unnoticed, you’re SOL at the end of the trail. Tanks also need recertification every few years (5 IIRC). Not to mention proper mounting and mounting location is much more critical than with a compressor. You don’t wanna knock off a valve or smash it against a rock.

Lol, I was just playing with @AcesandEights more than anything

I'm the guy he was referring to with "no wrong answers". I'm sitting happily in the compressor camp. Both portable and hard mounted. I couldn't pull the trigger on CO2 it seems like more trouble than it's worth. Solid reply though, I hadn't even considered them needing to be re-certified from time to time. I suppose if you had giant tires it might make sense, but for my little 37s I'm perfectly happy running a compressor.

 

[hiimmike]

So I got to talking to a guy the other day -- in person -- about air compressors,

At this point, why are you even asking this question? You’re going to be dead within minutes if you talked to someone in person! Don’t you know the Rona days holiday is still being celebrated and billions of people are dying per second? A little selfish of you to just having killed 3 billion people by talking to a guy in person about an air compressor.
That being said, I also have a Viair that I love! Brother in law got it for us last Christmas, we have the 240 I believe and it’s worked well for my outback .when I finally get my Jeep, I will consider mounting something just so I don’t have to pull this one out, drag the cables, have the clamp slip off the battery node, etc. convenience is the only reason I see for mounting something.

 

[RemisPaPa]

Babies are soft, they don't rattle.

Boobies too!

 

[JimLee]

I had a Viair portable that I gave to a buddy who had a TJ when I went with hard mount, he traded his TJ in on a Bronco. The real question of this thread should be whether I should murder him and get my compressor back.

 

[GearWhore]

I've carried portable compressors for more than 20 years but last month I finally went the hard-mount route with the MORE mount in the cargo area. The cheaper portables take forever to fill the larger tires and this year I've finally converted to the air-down early and often camp. It is also very nice to have the compressor for the water toys when heading to the lake.

It is very nice to not have to dig out the portable compressor from whatever niche it gets fit into and then worry about the power and air hoses and then packing all that stuff back in. Just like hard-mounting the fridge, it make the vehicle more user-friendly.

 

[At Risk Ute]

No judgement on how anyone airs up. Personally, I’m too lazy / cheap to hard mount a permanent air compressor.

Might be more tempted if mine had come with factory aux switches. Don‘t mind opening the hood and alligator clipping my portable.

 

[Thane]

I carry 2 chinesium 5.65 CFM, 45 min duty cycle, portables, $110 ea., for over 5 years now.
35's from 18psi to 38 PSI street takes 3 minutes a tire, in tandem less then 10 minutes for all 4.
I commonly loan out the 2nd to trail buddies. Had one hose leak so used 2nd as backup. Should one lock-up I would toss it, replace it with no down time.

Even if you have a monster, singular Oasis XD4000 ($2,000) hard mounted, one failure and you're done (neighbor has one and it is a beast).

 

[Some Random Guy]

If someone new asked me, I’d say go hard mount ARB twin inside the cab if you don’t care about cost. It is so convenient, and can be plumbed to be useful. Mine puts out 2 QDC fittings, 1 to each rear passenger door. I then plug in 2-tire whips to each of those and can have perfectly matched PSI on all 4 tires. I’m on 39’s and I think it takes me about 3 minutes to air up to street PSI from 8 on all 4. I also made an adapter so I can hook up a standard no-kink hose and air gun from my Viair kit (which I carry as backup/loaner). Works for air tools too.
If someone was budget constrained or just on the frugal side, I’d say do a portable 30A with the 7-pin trailer hookup and a regulator. Switch on, wait to hit target while you snack/drink, then switch off. You can still do multiple tires if you want to plumb your own whips, or just switch as each tire gets full. I hated squatting over tires with my fill gun attachment on my 440p.
Now, my twin is faster because I use 3/8” lines. I prefer to do 1/2 days or drive out to a trailhead in the morning and return that evening. My air up time savings is important to me because by then I’m usually tired and just want to be home with a beer. To each their own, I just wanted to point out some of the drawbacks of each can be mitigated a bit with some ingenuity. Portables can be easy, cheap, and convenient. Hard mounts can still be flexible and useful to assist others.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Man… people are really divided on this topic.

The way I see it. Portable is the perfect option for 33s, and still a very decent and economical option for 35s.

Once you get to 37s you’re probably going to want more speed. Beadlocks make it an even longer process. I used to spend 5+ minutes airing up from 15-25 psi on a single 35x12.5 I now spend the same time airing all four 37x12.5s from 6-27psi. It‘s saving 20-25 minutes every time I air up. Like I said earlier, I go to Moab a couple times a year. While I’m there on 35s it’s once down to 15 and once up to 25, no big deal. But on 37s/beadlocks I can’t drive for an hour on the highway at 6 psi. Airing up in 5 minutes vs 30 every trail I hit adds up to hours of vacation time and that is worth the $500 premium over a portable.

There’s no right or wrong answer here. Just personal preference. I got by with a portable for years, it’s definitely a great option. If your portable is working for you, that’s great! Put that money towards a wheeling vacation! If you need more speed, a hard mount twin compressor is a great option too!

Yeah, if I had larger tires or aired up/down more often I would just invite my mother-in-law along. She is basically just a vat of hot, compressed air.

 

[AcesandEights]

The last four pages has me wondering, why is everyone packing the portable air compressor on the bottom of everything else? What are you going to use first/last? It's like a self-imposed hardship; I'm going to pack what I need in the most inconvenient location.

 

[JEEP4U]

Hard mount your compressor if you have ARB lockers........ Otherwise, it does not really matter.

FYI - Had a belt driven York Onboard Air compressor on the Jeep TJ.....That thing rocked! But, It still did not beat airing up using a C02 tank.

 

[intentsrig]

Lockers

 

[One_off]

I have the Viair 440P-RV

It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Fills my Rv tires in minutes flat to 80psi and can do the same with my Jeep. I just take it with me!!
"400P-RV Automatic Compressor | VIAIR" https://www.viaircorp.com/portables/400p-rv-auto

 

[luna4x4]

The last four pages has me wondering, why is everyone packing the portable air compressor on the bottom of everything else? What are you going to use first/last? It's like a self-imposed hardship; I'm going to pack what I need in the most inconvenient location.

If I am going on a camping/off-roading trip for several days, my camping gear is what I access most, so that has to be more accessible than a compressor. Having a portable compressor isn't a big deal if I am on dirt the entire time because I only have to air up once. But if I am doing a trip that requires me to hop on/off the freeway 3-4 times it starts to add up.

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