4 crawler, I have been looking at how you wired your setup. My question is, why do you have a toggle switch (under the hood) as well as a pressure switch? My thinking is the only reason to have a toggle is if your system leaked so you could turn your compressor off so that it doesnt keep kicking on. Why not just run a pressure switch? I am just curious.

 

Yes, that way you can shut off the compressor when it is not needed. I have mine wired directly to the battery so I can run it with the engine on or off. With the pressure switch only, the compressor would cycle on and off 24/7. And I think almost all compressed air systems leak someplace. I now have the switch in the cab along with my ARB locker switches.

 

I'm not arguing, just trying to understand. If you had it wired directly to the battery, with no on-off switch and just a pressure switch, with NO air leaks in your system, then why would the compressor cycle on and off. The only think I can think of is if you had leaks, but if not then it should be ok. All in all, it seems the toggle switch is cheap insurance to keep your compressor from running excessively.

 

If you had no leaks, then yes the compressor would not cycle, but that is a big IF. Also, if you ever wanted to work on the system you would need some way to shut it off, suppose you could pull the fuse or disconnect the wires, but a switch is so easy and inexpensive to add.

 

Good point, I think I will add a on-off just to make life easier. On a side note, I have set a few trucks up with air suspension. If loctite thread sealant is used on the fittings, and they are good and tight, there shouldn't be any leaks. On another side note, what kind of relay are you running? You are running power from the battery and power to the pressure switch, off the same connection on the relay?

 

Yes, you can make something like that air tight, for the most part. I have air adjustable shocks on my '85 and they will stay aired up for many months. And on those types of systems, you press a button to activate the compressor to air up the system, then release it when you hit the desired pressure.

But by the time you add hose to the front and back of the truck with quick disconnects, gauge, pressure switch, unloader valve, a tank and what not, it gets harder to make a leak free system. And over time, even a leak free system will start to leak. Mine used to hold good pressure for a few days and now it is a few hours before it leaks down.

 

I have had a Viair in mine for about 4 years now and it hasn't ever broke down, but it takes forever. A buddy I always wheel with has an AC compressor and he is able to fill all 4 of his tires in the same time it takes me to fill two, then I end up using his air.. If it would have been simpler to mount an extra AC compressor in mine I would have went that route.

 

What compressor are you running and do you run an air tank?

 

I can't remeber if it is the 460c or the 480c. I know that it was a 400 series and 100% duty. I am running a 5 Gal Tank.

 

Where are your compressor and tank located? Still trying to decide where to put them on my truck.

 

I have the compressor mounted in the rear cargo area and the tank is where the spare tire used to go.

 

Sounds like a 450C or a 460C. Both are rated to 150 PSI and are 100% Duty Cycle. Have you considered adding a second compressor to speed up refresh time on your tank? That would cut your time in half essentially.

Also, if you're running a 110-145 PSI pressure switch on your tank, you should take no longer than approximately 2 to 2 and a half minutes to refresh the tank and shut off the pump.

If yours is taking longer, perhaps a once-over is in order. You can replace just about every part on the compressor with factory new parts that will restore performance to like-new condition.

 

I have it in my '95 4R. Engine driven A/C compressor. Two changes I'd make are ½" line from the rear-mounted tank (vs 3/8s now) and a larger, better built manifold. Both easily swapped out at this point.

Build;
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...s-pics-155109/

 

I have this exact same system in my truck:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12L-3...6663QQtcZphoto

It works great and gives me plenty of air for my use. I just stuffed it all in the toolbox.

 

Had it...sold fj40...miss it now. It was a york but looks like I'll be going electric.

**NOTE for anyone using this pump from Harbor Freight**
I got mine for around $30 when it went on sale + 20% off. Anyway, you will notice that it sits on a square metal plate and has 4 rubber pieces between the plate and the compressor. I thought these were for vibrations - turns out this is not true. It has some sort of weird polarity to the unit. The case is actually 12V+...so naturally when I bolted this guy down (without the plate) it blew the fuse ever time. 2 Fuses later I pulled out my multimeter to find out the now obvious.

So....OvrrDrive it looks suspiciously like yours - you might want to check the polarity on the case.

As for a tank - drive by your local Fire Department and see if they have any fireman's tanks that are out of regulation. I ran one of those for years and it worked great. I even had the mount for the truck. Easy way to get a tank with a shut off valve.

 

Just bolted a York air compressor to my 22RE. Its quite the compressor. Here's my thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...mplete-155162/

 

Mine's a Viair 380C and I used the rubber isolators... No problems at all in almost a year.

 

Now that's what I like to hear!

While EDCs are awesome at filling volume quickly, the maintenance required is often more than many would like to undertake. A quality electric compressor and tank as part of a thought-out OBA system, installed properly, can make a huge difference in your experience.

 

I'd go for the electric compressor (or an A/C one) and a tank with pressure switch.

I have an quickair compressor in the rear, on the sides behind the interior. I just have a switch in my dashboard to switch it on and off. Never had any heatin' issues. But I plan to put a large tank where the spare tire used to be (not like I'm goin' to fit a 44" spare tire there anyway...lol)
It takes me 'bout 30mins to fill up the 44s without the tank. But I plan to get myself an A/C compressor and a tank for it. Also there hasn't been any heatin' issue in the back yet. But it's usually less than 60°F (and sometimes around -4°F) where I wheel.

Just remember to run a pretty huge wire to the compressor (not sure how many gauges, but I have an 16q wire for mine)
I have pictures of this somewhere and could prolly dig 'em up if ya'd like.
But like I say, I'd go for the compressors instead of CO2. It may be quicker with the CO2, but at least there is always air where you are at, it's very bad to have forgotten to fill the CO2 tank up...

But on the other hand, I'd always carry a small CO2 tank in the truck to get the bead back on in case of that happens! (unless you have a very powerful A/C or a huge tank for air)

Hope this helps any.

 

Sweet...
I was going to mount mine sideways on the frame rails - I'm going to have to fab something up to make it work.