On Board Air Systems (What do you guys have?)

[BurnMac42]

So my portable air compressor (cheap-o) took a dump while I was trying to over-inflate my 5th wheel tires for storage. I went to look at the next step up and honestly the price is creeping slowly towards an OBA. I've looked at Viair and ARB which seem to be the two most popular. I don't have any intention to use air tools with this setup. It would be used primarily for filling up the truck and/or camper tires (80 psi) with a possible air horn and MAYBE rear air bags in the future.

What system do you guys recommend? ARB single vs dual pump, air tank/no air tank (I believe with the horn i would need a tank)......OR do the on board air systems leak/fail often enough to not really make the hassle worth it for the little things I would plan on using the system for?

 

[ShadowMTN]

I have been running the Viair 20002 for airing up and down on the trail. Seems to be a good system. My first choice was the ARB dual but at the time they were all on back order everywhere. Haven't had any leaking so far in terms of the tank and all the fittings. System seems solid.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

ARB high output single mounted midship.

Quick connects with dust covers mounted F&R

 

[jeffn]

Viair 450C with a 2.5 gallon tank. I mounted it on the frame rail on the passenger side and mounted a quick connect in the bed. Airing up a tire can be time consuming but it does the job.

 

[el_barto]

Details Posted elsewhere, but I installed ARB Single under the rear seat and put ARB air chucks in the front and rear bumper. Convenient for airing up. Not as fast as an Arb Twin or a Power tank, but quick enough. And I don’t have to fiddle with alligator clips like for a portable unit.
No tank, wouldn’t provide much benefit for airing up. If I had air horns it would be needed though.

 

[Robtheelder]

I put a 10 pound CO2 tank in my Tacoma and liked it so much I put the same in my 2500. I seldom need it for my 2500 but the tandem axel gooseneck two car hauler needs boosting occasionally and I travel with a car club where someone always needs some pressure.

 

[BurnMac42]

Do any of these kits come with mounting hardware or are you guys fabbing up your own?

 

[jeffn]

Do any of these kits come with mounting hardware or are you guys fabbing up your own?

fabricated my own. The compressor was easy, I bought the Viair mounting bracket and used Rivnuts to secure it to the sheetmetal above the running boards. For the tank I fabricated some mounting brackets and welded the entire assembly to the frame in a position that would allow me to remove the tank, should I ever need to. It’s all a snug fit but not tight. Out of the tank I ran 1 air line to a 6 port manifold mounted up under the bed. My tank has 5 ports, I use 1 for inlet, 1 for outlet, and the port on top for the pressure release valve. Wiring is straightforward, quick release air fittings are easy but require some care when cutting the lines and I still have a few leaks but nothing serious enough to redo anything.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Do any of these kits come with mounting hardware or are you guys fabbing up your own?

Made my own / modified arb base

 

[Brewbud]

Mine is mounted in my Decked system. Or actually carried in my Decked system. Mostly so it can be moved from one vehicle to another. If I was going to mount it I would steal ideas from the threads posted by RockCrawlerdude, El Barto, and a couple of other guys to create my system. There are some great installs on the forum.

 

[BurnMac42]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I've got more research to do but this is a great start!

 

[Gswain]

Arb high capacity single with a 5 gallon tank, works great.