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posford

posford

Piece Of Shit Ford
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
62
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1,400
Loc
NH
I searched and saw old threads asking similar questions, but not the answer I'm looking for.

I was given a Viair compressor and the 1/2 gallon tank it came with, and decided to mount it on my 94 F250. My primary use for this thing is airing up equipment tires in places where we really shouldn't take the IH 4900, and being able to use a blow gun to blow out haying equipment. I have an old 5 gallon portable tank, so I've mounted that to the frame rail under the bed on the passenger side, and I'm going to mount the compressor on the passenger side inner fenderwell so its half ass protected. Drill a hole in the floorpan and run a union through the floor to a quick coupling, so the coupling stays out of the salt/mud.

The inner fenderwell is plastic, planned on drilling through and using a steel backing plate on the underside. Think the compressor will fatigue the plastic enough to fail?

I need to run a pressure switch, and I'm planning on a main switch on the dash, compressor doesn't need to run all the time. Its more convenient to mount the pressure switch with the compressor under the hood, but will that be inaccurate enough to affect anything with the tank being ~6' away through 1/4" DOT airline?

I have a pressure relief valve to mount at the tank. Being that its under the truck, in NH, I'm thinking of packing the exposed plunger with grease. if that pops off at its 165psi rating, I doubt grease will inhibit the air flow.
 
I hate to be one of those people, but what is 'equipment?'
If you're airing up anything of real size like a tractor tire you need a real compressor, like a york or something belt driven.
If I was lazy, I'd probably try a 120v pancake compressor and an inverter, that Viair will not be happy.
Heck most low riders with air bags have to run multiple viair compressors for them to keep up.
 
welndmn said:
I hate to be one of those people, but what is 'equipment?'
If you're airing up anything of real size like a tractor tire you need a real compressor, like a york or something belt driven.
If I was lazy, I'd probably try a 120v pancake compressor and an inverter, that Viair will not be happy.
Heck most low riders with air bags have to run multiple viair compressors for them to keep up.
Click to expand...
~80 hp farm tractors. We've gotten by for years with a portable air tank in the back of a truck, usually enough to bring up a soft tire from sitting. Concept being that its still a portable air tank, but with the ability to refill itself. Doesn't have to air up a fully deflated tractor tire in 30 seconds, but its 45+ minutes round trip to the farm from the fields where we spend the summer, anything to save from needing to make a 2nd trip, or drive the 4900 over when we don't need to. I don't mind if it takes a bit for the tank to refill, as long as I can be productive doing something else.
 
The pressure switch mounted away from the tank shouldn't matter. The entire system will be pressurized to whatever the switch is at (within reason) as long as you don't have a shutoff in there someplace to separate the system into different zones (I did this on my old truck so I could isolate the lockers from the tank if needed, that is not required here.)

Is there room to mount the compressor onto some kind of bracket up under the fender liner? I wouldn't mount jack shit to those things regardless of how much backing plate you have.

Can you put the compressor in a box and bolt it to the bed wall out of the way?

What's the duty cycle on that compressor and what is the max psi of OBA system versus the PSI the equipment will need to be inflated to? I ask because, for example, the tires on my 450 have to be 90/80 psi and some compressors won't get there, or when they do, run out of air at that psi too fast to be useful.

Even with a tank it won't add a lot of capacity. It's quickly drained with tires. I had a 5 gallon on my old rig with the CKMTA12 and it would air up the first tire about half way before the compressor kicked on... The compressor then stayed on until I was done with all 4. The nice thing was the pressure didn't drop below like 95spi but that thing was running the whole 10 mins it took. When I had a CKMA12, it would cut out when it got overloaded which was annoying.
 
westracing01 said:
The pressure switch mounted away from the tank shouldn't matter. The entire system will be pressurized to whatever the switch is at (within reason) as long as you don't have a shutoff in there someplace to separate the system into different zones (I did this on my old truck so I could isolate the lockers from the tank if needed, that is not required here.)

Is there room to mount the compressor onto some kind of bracket up under the fender liner? I wouldn't mount jack shit to those things regardless of how much backing plate you have.

Can you put the compressor in a box and bolt it to the bed wall out of the way?

What's the duty cycle on that compressor and what is the max psi of OBA system versus the PSI the equipment will need to be inflated to? I ask because, for example, the tires on my 450 have to be 90/80 psi and some compressors won't get there, or when they do, run out of air at that psi too fast to be useful.

Even with a tank it won't add a lot of capacity. It's quickly drained with tires. I had a 5 gallon on my old rig with the CKMTA12 and it would air up the first tire about half way before the compressor kicked on... The compressor then stayed on until I was done with all 4. The nice thing was the pressure didn't drop below like 95spi but that thing was running the whole 10 mins it took. When I had a CKMA12, it would cut out when it got overloaded which was annoying.
Click to expand...
No shut offs, I figured it would be fine but wasn't sure if there would be something fucky with it reading pressure through a long 1/4" line.

Best I could do on alternative mounting is turn it sideways and have a bracket come off the inside of the fender itself. Don't want it in the bed for space/wiring reasons.

Unsure of the duty cycle, not even sure what the model is :homer: Looks an awful lot like the Viair 450c, which is rated 100% duty cycle at 100psi, max psi of 150. Farm tractors are usually low pressure high volume, so once again, I think with my low expectation that it will suit the need fine.

If you had to choose between no tank and a 5 gallon tank, which would it be? I figured that given how much use we've gotten out of a 5 gallon tank with NO compressor, that a compressor with a 5 gallon tank would be pretty decent.
 
Well, there's where my experience and yours differs, especially as far as application goes. If you've had good results with a 5 gallon tank, I see no reason not to use it.

A tank never hurts, it just isn't the end-all-be-all some think it is. It won't make a dramatic difference but it certainly won't hurt and in this case it's an additional, what, 3 fittings including the safety release valve?

Fuck it. It's just an OBA system. Shit ain't rocket science so don't over-think it. Mount the compressor as securely as possible, mount tank, plumb lines, wire and throw the switch.
 
Have you (OP) thought of using a system that runs off the drive train ?

Depending on if you have a pto on your truck, buggy etc.
 
posford said:
If you had to choose between no tank and a 5 gallon tank, which would it be? I figured that given how much use we've gotten out of a 5 gallon tank with NO compressor, that a compressor with a 5 gallon tank would be pretty decent.
Click to expand...
Definitely have a tank.
 
PAE said:
Have you (OP) thought of using a system that runs off the drive train ?

Depending on if you have a pto on your truck, buggy etc.
Click to expand...
I'm cobbling free shit together for the price of fittings and a pressure switch (one I have is suspect) Need isn't high enough for an expensive solution.
 
Make sure the compressor is still good. The seals don’t last long and could be shot. Run it on the ground to find out fill time of the 5 gal.
Don’t plastic mount the pump.
Switch can be remote mounted as far as you want with 1/4” line.
Add a tank drain for water.
Add a check valve between pump and tank.
 
HYDRODYNAMIC said:
Make sure the compressor is still good. The seals don’t last long and could be shot. Run it on the ground to find out fill time of the 5 gal.
Don’t plastic mount the pump.
Switch can be remote mounted as far as you want with 1/4” line.
Add a tank drain for water.
Add a check valve between pump and tank.
Click to expand...
I've tested that I moves air, but haven't exclusively hooked it to a tank to see how it builds air. In regards to the seals, replaceable? I looked into maintenance and it says they don't ever need anything, which sounds like a BS claim. Would rather fuck with it now than later
Noted on the mounting. The factory viair leader line is still there with check valve, was planning on running it.
 
I have a viair portable for the past 4-5 years. It moves some air, gets hotter than hell. I would want to mount somewhere that it could get a little cooling air and not melt things.
 
ridenby said:
I have a viair portable for the past 4-5 years. It moves some air, gets hotter than hell. I would want to mount somewhere that it could get a little cooling air and not melt things.
Click to expand...
I have the superflow mv-50 and I put it in the foot well of the truck with the AC blasting on it when I use it in the summer. It keeps it cool while I'm airing up.
 
Slander said:
I have the superflow mv-50 and I put it in the foot well of the truck with the AC blasting on it when I use it in the summer. It keeps it cool while I'm airing up.
Click to expand...

I have an Mv-50 as well and it’s a great little compressor. I’ve never noticed it getting extremely hot.

In the 4Runner the ARB will get so hot it scalds you. Actually thinking about carrying the MV and just leaving the ARB for locker duty.
 
westracing01 said:
A tank never hurts, it just isn't the end-all-be-all some think it is.
Click to expand...
MEh, kinda it can hurt.
Now your little compressor has to fill a tank and the big ass tractor tire.
But a tank really is needed for anything, it's just the size that matters.
If I was filling tractor tires, I'd have a ball valve to the tank to where when I'm driving out to the field I'm pumping up the tank, when I get there, dump the tank in the tractor tire, close the valve, then only let the compressor fill the tire.
 
welndmn said:
MEh, kinda it can hurt.
Now your little compressor has to fill a tank and the big ass tractor tire.
But a tank really is needed for anything, it's just the size that matters.
If I was filling tractor tires, I'd have a ball valve to the tank to where when I'm driving out to the field I'm pumping up the tank, when I get there, dump the tank in the tractor tire, close the valve, then only let the compressor fill the tire.
Click to expand...
I get what you're saying. Compressor will be on a switch, just shut the switch off, no need to ball valve
 
FleshEater said:
I have an Mv-50 as well and it’s a great little compressor. I’ve never noticed it getting extremely hot.

In the 4Runner the ARB will get so hot it scalds you. Actually thinking about carrying the MV and just leaving the ARB for locker duty.
Click to expand...
It does if you are airing up 37s from 2psi to 25 in August in the south lol!!
 
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