Corey

iTrader: (1)

Was doing the good neighbor thing earlier tonight.
Neighbor had a flat tire and their spare was flat too.

Opened up the back of my rig and he said "dang", you have a regular shop in the back of your rig.

He had never seen a Power Tank before, and I explained to him and his wife how they are good for running air tools and filling tires.

Just got his spare pumped up and it was coming out slow.
I suspected it was getting near empty as the tank pressure gauge had been sitting on zero for awhile.
Normally it sits between 500 and 1000 PSI.

If any of you WA. state guy's who are local in my area, this is the place to go to get filled back up again.

It cost me about $16 to fill mine, and that was over two years ago, more like 3 I bet.
This tank has lasted quite awhile, and I feel I got my $16 of C02 out of it.

This shop also fills your original tank.
Some shops make you trade your tank for a full one.
No shop is taking my shiny PT from me and giving me a scratched up piece of junk

Ben(Miami)

Dude, that's pretty cool!

At first I thought it was a tank for compressed air (fill 'er up with a home compressor and use as needed, refill as needed). But a CO2 cylinder is a good idea. How much did you pay for it when you purchased it? Am I mistaken or are you also running air tools off of it (saw an impact wrench and some tubing). Is it a standard fitting for air tools or did you need some sort of adaptor?

Thanks.

Regards,
Ben(Miami)
'02 Limited 4X2

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Ben.
The C02 in a 10 lb tank like mine will re-fill about 40 tires sized at 31x10.5x15 from 15 lb back to street pressure again after you get done off roading.

I have more info on my write-up page here.

Also on the page is a video of me using the impact wrench.
No adapter needed, it works just like a compressor you will find at shops.
Hook it right to the hose with the quick disconnect.

Here's a vid of "Air Nissan Jim" filling up his tires with my Power Tank and Griot's hose filler after our Fall Colors run last November.
http://www.pnw4runners.com/runs/11_9_02/37.mpg

The guy today really digged the huge dial on the air gauge when he filled his tire today with it.

The tank set me back about $300 when I bought it about 3 years ago.
It comes with a cheap air chuck, and that is why I have the better one now.
The tank is worth the money in peace of mine, and a Power Tank is also the fastest air source when you air back up your tires.

Air tools such as an impact wrench like I use require 90 PSI.
The Power Tanks can go upto 150 PSI with ease, and that is what I set it at to air up with.

airrikk17

what type of fitting is on the neck of your tanks ?
you might check out paintball stores for filling co2 tanks , i realize a ten lb tank is pretty big , but in a pinch they might do .
its all going to depend on the fitting though.

also for a compact tire inflater, stop by that paintball store and ask for a 16 oz co2 bottle , make a fill adapter , and carry it with you , small compact , and it works .

beware , never carry these tanks in an air tight container ,like a ammo box , they ca nleak and if they do and fill the air tight container , they will cause severe damage to yopu whe nyou try and open the container up .

dont get me wrong these tanks are safe if used and stored properly.

airrikk17

seafarinman

My PowerTank went dry last time that I was on leave in California. My dad had gotten one of those cool freestanding porch swings and I was using mine to power the 3/8" air ratchet, and it went dry halfway through. The worst part was that I drove all over the Sacramento area looking for a place to refill it, but all of them were on an exchange/while you wait (a few days) basis. I finally found a fire extinguisher service place that did all their CO2 filling on premises. That place was a life saver. That is why I want to get either another 10lb bottle (any brand) or just pick up one of the 15-20lb ones and get rid of my 10lb PT bottle.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I am not sure of the fitting, but I do hear that paintball and beverage places can also fill it, only thing is none are close to me.

That shop by me that fills them took today off, so I will have to wait until Monday am to get my tank filled back up.

airrikk17

like the previous post said , check into the fire extinghisher places also.

auburn, wa , how close is that to port orchard ?

also if you wanna spend a little money , theres a paintball tank out there that is 114 cubic inches , and fber wrapped , i cant remember how many lbs of co2 it holds , but they are about 18 inches long and maybe 8 inches across, they look like a mini scuba tank or as some firefighters will know the scott air tanks they use.

i sold all my paintball gear , now i wish i had kept my large fiber wrapped tank.

airrikk17

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Port Orchard is a few hours away from me.

There also is a fire extinghisher shop down the road a few miles from the welding shop I posted about above, but most local shops are closed today to give the employee's a 3 day weekend.

Plus that welding shop is only 10 minutes from my home.
I'll hit 'em on Monday when they open.

seafarinman

Since I usually go to Everett/Lynwood every once in a while, I get mine filled at Central Welding Supply. They are a welding supply chain, and have multiple locations here in WA. The closest ones are the one in Bellingham and Lynnwood to me. They charge $11.00 and some change for 10lbs of CO2 there.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a nice place.
http://www.centralwelding.com/welding_processes.htm

If they had a shop closer to me, I'd go there since the place I go gets $16 for 10 lb.

Ben(Miami)

Wow. Not cheap, but I guess a decent alternative to an air compressor and portable to boot! I wonder, though, if it would be cheaper to get a decently sized air compressor for home use (I love working with air tools) and buy a portable tank? I mean a compressor should set you back $250-300 and a portable tank another $50 or so for a 10 gallon tank. Makes you wonder how long 10 gals of 125 psi air will last though...I dunno.

Anyway, cool toy. Something to think about.

Regards,
Ben(Miami)
'02 Limited 4X2

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I have one of those 2.5 gallon tanks I think it is, that you can buy at most auto parts stores.
They hold enough air to do one tire

The Power Tank is really cool as the 10 lb model I have will air up about 38 tires sized at 31x10.5x15 from 15 PSI to street pressure.

When the C02 exits the tank, it exits as air and expands.
That's how it is able to contain so much volume.
Not even a scuba tank can so that.

The danger of a scuba tank is that they operate at about 2500 PSI, and if the regulator gets knocked off, you have a deadly missile.
Not so with the PT, as it operates at 500 to 1000 PSI, yet can inflate way more tires than a bigger scuba tank.

Power Tank has a pretty good FAQ on their site that explains all of this which makes for pretty good reading.

Gadget

James with TTORA-VA is in the group that I regularly wheel with. He made his own power tank out of a CO2 fire extinguisher and fitted it with a regulator. Appearently it did not cost him much at all to put it together.

It is really nice and after the wheeling trip is over everyone lines up behind him to air up. Everyone gives him a 5 spot for the service.

For those that are interested, Group Buy Mike has a deal on the Outback CO2 rig. It is like the Power Tank, but much cheaper. It uses a fixed regulator to cut the cost way down. I am sure he would do a group buy on the Outback or Power Tank if you want to put one together.

I am looking at maybe getting a compress instead and connect it to a small tank. The initial cost is going to be a little more, but I won't have to worry about refilling it.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

midiwall

I just got done fitting a Viair 450c with a 2L tank under my hood and love it. The upside is that I'll always have air, the downside is that it won't fill a tire as fast as a CO2 tank.

I run the tank at 150psi, but at just 2 liters, it will purge VERY quickly. The tank is actually they just to provide a solid blast from my air horns. In the case of filling a tire, once the tank is purged then the compressor provides air directly and I can push a tire from 15 -> 30psi in about 3 minutes.

A couple of guys run a much larger tank, for example, I think WATRD's (Rob) tank is 5 gallons, but space quickly becomes an issue. Rob has his mounted up under his rig in front of (if I remember right) the rear diff. There's still the pressure issue though. 5 gallons of air at 150psi is just not THAT much air when comparing to a 10lb tank of CO2 at 1000psi.

For me, I feel I made the right choice with a compressor, but your mileage may vary - as they say.

Oh... Cost wise, the Viair system (compressor, tank, pressure switch, solenoid, fittings, hose, etc), ran about the same as what Corey's talking about with the tank. eBay rocks.

Watch the sizes of the bigger compressors... The 450c fits pretty wll under my hood (had to move the ATC relay and the cruise control), but there was no way I would have been able to get it's bigger brother (550c) in there or an ExtremeAire which a lot of folks run.

asudan96Runner

so wait.... can I take the co2 tank off of my keg fridge when I go wheeling? I never thought of that... it has a regulator and everything. Neat.




P.S. That isn't me. But it is my keg fridge. Yeah, that's Sam Adams on TAP!

Dan

Firefyter-Emt

Yea, you could Dan... But I would get a high flow regulator.. Some flow in the 50psi range while some can go over 100psi.. But if you had a regulator and hoses in the truck, grab the tank and go!!

Gadget

No, that will not work.

You have to bring the whole keg and everything wheeling with you for it to work. It is just one of those things that is hard to explain, but just trust me.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

Corey

iTrader: (1)

That pic reminds me of a friends kegger I was at back in '76 or '77.
He had a keg inside a fridge in the basement, and the taps were on the outside drilled into the door.

This way you never had to open the fridge up until it was time to change out the keg.

'76 or '77?
Man, I'm an old

asudan96Runner

Ours is that way. We even got a Sam Adams Tap handle.

The regulator we have goes all the way up to 60psi. Wouldn't that be enough?

Dan

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Air tools require 100 PSI, and tires fill up fast with 150 PSI.

My PT tank has the adjustable reg on it, and that is what I set it at for either tools or airing up.

If you don't mine dropping a little cash, here are some ideas.
http://www.powertank.com/Merchant2/m...egory_Code=ACC

For about $200, you can use the kit with the handle and reg to put on your C02 bottle to take it off road.
It comes with the cheap air chuck which activates when you put it on the tires air valve.
Go to Sears and get a gas station type with the gauge that pops out the end of it for about $15 or so.

The other regulator on that page below for $159 is the non adjustable type.
If you won't be using air tools, it's set at 150 PSI which is perfect for airing up your tires.
Plus it too comes with the bottle handle and gauge protector.