Tire Inflator/Air Compressor Recommendation

[dmayo13]

Originally Posted by msveggie

Hi All!
Looking for a recommended portable air compressor/tire inflator, both for my camper and SUV tires. I want one that will power from both the "cigarette" port in the car, as well as regular plug-in. I want it to inflate fairly quickly, not be too noisy, fill up to 65 psi, have a display, stop inflating at the set psi, not be too heavy, and priced $50-$100.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I purchased the Dewalt 20 volt tire inflator. Was on sale for $99 at the time. I would NOT go back to one which requires a cord plugged in. Charge the battery, put it into the inflater, check the pressure, dial desired pressure if needed, stops at set pressure. It also has cigarette lighter connector for using if the battery is dead. Will inflate up to, I think, 120 lbs pressure. Also has optional 120 volt adapter available.

[jeffrim]

Originally Posted by Traveling Circus

Another Viair recommendtion.
https://www.viaircorp.com/

Yet another Viair recommendation.

[mixerman]

If I was in your situation I would get 2 compressors from HF. Buy one 12v and one 120v. Leave the 120v in your garage all the time and take the 12v with you for emergencies. You can get a small compressor from HF for around $100. We bought a Truck Air for around $60 which has lasted us for at least 10 years. It doesn't have auto shut off but I'm wondering why you need that. Just use an air gauge.

[milosusa]

https://www.amazon.com/Compressor-Po...12-spons&psc=1

[Irene D]

Originally Posted by msveggie

Hi All!
Looking for a recommended portable air compressor/tire inflator, both for my camper and SUV tires. I want one that will power from both the "cigarette" port in the car, as well as regular plug-in. I want it to inflate fairly quickly, not be too noisy, fill up to 65 psi, have a display, stop inflating at the set psi, not be too heavy, and priced $50-$100.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Love my Kobalt from Lowes. Set the pressure your tire is supposed to be, plug into 12 or 120, and it auto shuts off when the tire reaches the level you set it to stop at. Very quiet. I paid in the mid $60's but they they have gone up considerably. Lightweight, I keep it in my vehicle at all times. It came highly recommended from other RV'rs. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-DC-1...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[elob_tx]

I use a DeVilbiss oilless compressor without a tank. They are used for airbrush or just general inflation. Had it for years and the replacement parts are the same as for some Porter Cable and other brands of pancake tank type units. I just plug it into my outside receptacle on my motorhome and if necessary start the generator. Since there is no tank it is light weight and can generate pressures up to 150 PSI. Recently replaced the cylinder sleeve, piston and crank after 25 years use. Parts cost was about $45 including shipping.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by msveggie

Hi All!
Looking for a recommended portable air compressor/tire inflator, both for my camper and SUV tires. I want one that will power from both the "cigarette" port in the car, as well as regular plug-in. I want it to inflate fairly quickly, not be too noisy, fill up to 65 psi, have a display, stop inflating at the set psi, not be too heavy, and priced $50-$100.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Look at the Viair brand compressors. Ours is the top of the line to hit 115 plus for our DP tires. They are pricey but have a heck of a duty cycle and are really well made. I smoked a couple harbor freight knock offs before taking the jump. Wonderful product. Look at TechnoRV.com those guys are RVers and know there stuff.

[mnoland30]

Plug in your trailer and use that battery, as suggested above. With my Viair it takes less time to fill the tires after off-roading than it does to deflate them. It is so quick, that the set-and-forget feature isn't needed.

Small compressors, like the ones in the combination jump starter/compressors tend to burn up pretty quickly.

[Jeff_W]

This one works good for me.

https://www.amazon.ca/Milwaukee-Elec...ps%2C69&sr=8-1

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by Tom48

Look at the Viair brand compressors. Ours is the top of the line to hit 115 plus for our DP tires. They are pricey but have a heck of a duty cycle and are really well made. I smoked a couple harbor freight knock offs before taking the jump. Wonderful product. Look at TechnoRV.com those guys are RVers and know there stuff.

There are several things to consider when talking about inflators for RVs. Firstly what size tire. A 22.5 is going to need a much longer duty cycle than a 16. And if that duty cycle is going to need repetition on 2 or more wheels, it gets quite tiresome if you have to stand around for 15 minutes waiting for the pump to cool down. So a 19.5 or a 22.5 is going to need much more than a 130 psi theoretical (some term it experimental) maximum capacity in order to have a duty cycle that will be long enough to put more than 20 psi into the tire let alone inflate from a flat.

To get a 20 or 30 minute duty cycle will require a robust power lead. One capable of handling at least 15 amps. And that's generally not going to happen with a cigarette lighter plug. Which means battery clips and a lead or hose long enough to reach all the tires. And as some have written, its better to have a long hose rather than a long power cord because that cable eats the amps needed to power the pump.

Lastly, its been my experience that the plastic coiled hoses supplied with many of these pumps are very fragile, prone to crack if bent as easily happens when dragging the thing around an RV in a hurry. So I only use pumps that have removable hoses so that I can pack them away separately and replace them.

Lastly, in my experience, one needs to have the capability reinflate a tire from zero. It can easily happen on tire pressure check that a valve gets damaged or stuck and if the pump cannot deal with that, what's the point. And as load rating increases take place, the pressure required increases from the conventional 65 to 80 to 115 or even 130 and most of the Chinese made pumps just cannot handle more than one duty cycle of a full inflation without overheating, burning up the cable or melting the plug.

[dedobias]

A compressor that has any volume and can handke 65+ psi needs battery clips. Cigareyter lighter socket does not have enough amp capacity. Wiring is too small.

Also have at least a short puece of rubber hose before coiled hoses. Coiled hoses melt with the high discharge temp of the compressor. I just use rubber hose all the way.

[efrulla]

I had a compressor for my Class C that plugged into the 12 volt receptacle and house current. I found that every time I wanted to use it I needed to extend the reach using assorted lead cords. Then once I was done, I needed to coil everything back up etc.

I now use a battery powered Dewalt inflator. It reads the current pressure and inflates tires and air shocks with no effort and automatically turns off when the pressure reaches the preset amount. It was pricey but I also use it around the house as well so the additional cost was justified in my mind.

[bergy]

I believe the (Dewalt 20-Volt MAX Inflator has been mentioned 3 times above, and I'd like to add my recommendation. The ease of using a cordless inflator makes it so painless (as much as possible) that I find I check my tire pressure more frequently. The fact that this makes me a little safer justified the bigger price in my mind.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by efrulla

I had a compressor for my Class C that plugged into the 12 volt receptacle and house current. I found that every time I wanted to use it I needed to extend the reach using assorted lead cords. Then once I was done, I needed to coil everything back up etc.

That's the advantage of a compressor with a good-size tank. Run that 10-gallon tank up to 90 psi while plugged into the house, then wheel it out to the car, truck, or trailer needing inflation. Pretty rare that I have to wheel it back for a second fill.

[ferrisjc]

Black and Decker air compressor, 20v Lithium battery can work cordless w/20v battery, 12v or 120v without battery. Has components to also inflate air mattresses, inflatable rafts, etc. Digital readout with automatic shut off. Has no problem airing up to 65psi or higher. Under 100 bucks from Amazon.

[G37x]

I use the Milwaukee cordless inflater but they are pricey

[Pacifictime]

I almost hate to mention this, it's completely off topic about tire inflation compressors, but my local Costco has a tire inflation station that works great and fills the tires free with Nitrogen. I assume that other Costco's have the same station.
Reason I hate to mention it is that if a ton of people start sucking up the free nitrogen, I'm afraid they might stop offering it.

[zanoffmj]

Ryobi has a handheld inflator that uses the 18 Volt recargable battery. It has a digital readout.

[flyflotrtim]

Originally Posted by bob213

I would be afraid to run one of those inflators off my cigarette lighter. The only way I would use one is with an adapter straight off the battery with a long air hose NOT power cord.

I agree. I bought this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[heavy hauler]

i have a compressor mounted under my truck than runs on 12 volts.also have the 5 gal tank.it is wired to the up fitter switch in my f350.i just added a chuck for connecting air hose.it also supplies air to my train horns,good for stupid drivers cutting me off.

all is made by wolo and is available on amazon.