12v Tire Inflator (compressor)

[thoer]

I really like having a 12v tire inflator along on our travels to keep the Escape's tires at correct pressures as we travel thru temperature changes. Over the past I've had a couple inexpensive ones, but they were so cheaply made that I was usually afraid to use them - fearing they would let more air out than put in. The last time I tried the little thing it made so much noise I was embarrassed to use it in the nice quiet campground.

So this time I decided to find a quality one. After reading reviews, I found the Slime COMP06 at Woot.com for $30, but like everything at Woot, it was only that price for a day and may or may not be offered again. Amazon has it for around $50. I tried it out on our Tacoma tires and am more than happy with its power and noise level. Between the power cable and hose it has a long enough reach for our 17B.

One complaint on Amazon is that it needs a 15A socket and some vehicles only have 10A ones. Our Tacoma says 120W max which would be 10A and it worked fine in it. I don't know what the max of the ones in Escapes are -anyone?

[J Mac]

I bring along a bicycle pump. It's light weight and easy to use and doesn't need electricity.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by J Mac

I bring along a bicycle pump. It's light weight and easy to use and doesn't need electricity.

Great idea if you have a good one.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by thoer

One complaint on Amazon is that it needs a 15A socket and some vehicles only have 10A ones. Our Tacoma says 120W max which would be 10A and it worked fine in it. I don't know what the max of the ones in Escapes are -anyone?

Sorry, I don't know, but is there a fuse dedicated to the socket? The limitation is often the wiring - and the corresponding fuse - rather than the socket itself. What size is the Escape's fuse?

[LeonW]

I got this on sale at Camping World this summer. It was one of those impulse purchases after I noticed that a tire looked a bit low while we were in the parking lot. So far, it has worked fine.

I have several excellent bike pumps, but they are made for high pressure bicycle tires, and while they work great on my 120 PSI bike tires, they take a long time to fill up an automobile tire.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by LeonW

I got this on sale at Camping World this summer. It was one of those impulse purchases after I noticed that a tire looked a bit low while we were in the parking lot. So far, it has worked fine.

I have several excellent bike pumps, but they are made for high pressure bicycle tires, and while they work great on my 120 PSI bike tires, they take a long time to fill up an automobile tire.

This one and the Slime one look remarkably similar - probably made by the same company.

[J Mac]

Originally Posted by LeonW

I got this on sale at Camping World this summer. It was one of those impulse purchases after I noticed that a tire looked a bit low while we were in the parking lot. So far, it has worked fine.

I have several excellent bike pumps, but they are made for high pressure bicycle tires, and while they work great on my 120 PSI bike tires, they take a long time to fill up an automobile tire.

I just use the bike pump for topping up not for filling a deflated tire. If I was in a camp site and had a totally deflated tire I believe I'd use my spare.

[gbaglo]

I actually have two 12V tire pumps in my RAV storage compartment.
One is a spare .

[thoer]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I actually have two 12V tire pumps in my RAV storage compartment.
One is a spare .

I've got a couple more I can give you to add to your collection...

[Cypherian]

Originally Posted by thoer

I really like having a 12v tire inflator along on our travels to keep the Escape's tires at correct pressures as we travel thru temperature changes. Over the past I've had a couple inexpensive ones, but they were so cheaply made that I was usually afraid to use them - fearing they would let more air out than put in. The last time I tried the little thing it made so much noise I was embarrassed to use it in the nice quiet campground.

So this time I decided to find a quality one. After reading reviews, I found the Slime COMP06 at Woot.com for $30, but like everything at Woot, it was only that price for a day and may or may not be offered again. Amazon has it for around $50. I tried it out on our Tacoma tires and am more than happy with its power and noise level. Between the power cable and hose it has a long enough reach for our 17B.

One complaint on Amazon is that it needs a 15A socket and some vehicles only have 10A ones. Our Tacoma says 120W max which would be 10A and it worked fine in it. I don't know what the max of the ones in Escapes are -anyone?

I picked up a 110 volt one as I have the plug in the back of my Tacoma if you do not you can retrofit it the wiring is there. It puts out 110v 400Watts at idle and 110votls at 100 watts when moving. Just a thought If you run into power problems with the 12v one.

Cypher

[DavidF]

I've used these small pumps fairly often whilst on Safari in Africa. They work well, but draw a lot of amps and can get pretty warm if inflating a large high volume tyre. Most car accessory plugs though are not rated for the current that these things require, and the general solution we all came to was to attach directly to the battery with crocodile clamps... For safety's sake you could put an inline 15 amp fuse (or 20amp if the 15 blows routinely).

The alternative was to have dual battery system installed in the land rover and to have several hella 2 pole plugs and sockets placed around the vehicle, wired with heavy duty cable. We usually had these dual 12 volt battery systems for the Fridges anyway.


David

[thoer]

I checked my Tacoma manual and the 12v power outlet has a 15A fuse so I should be fine for the limited time use this pump is likely to get.

[Mike Lewis]

I'm resurrecting this thread-- I'm sure most of you have seen the power tools sold in Home Depot and Lowes that use their own brands of battery packs. The Ryobi tool collection sold in Home Depot includes a tire inflator that runs off the 18V battery that they use for their tools. There is also a Ryobi battery charger that plugs into a 12V socket. I bought both a few weeks ago (and a cordless drill).

The inflator is easy to use and works fine. You just connect it to the tire, set the desired pressure, and turn it on. It costs about $40. The 12V charger costs about $30, I think. The Home Depot I visited had both of these in stock.

There are also two Ryobi fans that run off the same battery packs. One is a small 12V/120V fan that I saw on the shelf. The other is a larger 12V-only fan that you have to order. I've put that one on my list.

[Greggo]

Originally Posted by thoer

I really like having a 12v tire inflator along on our travels to keep the Escape's tires at correct pressures as we travel thru temperature changes. Over the past I've had a couple inexpensive ones, but they were so cheaply made that I was usually afraid to use them - fearing they would let more air out than put in. The last time I tried the little thing it made so much noise I was embarrassed to use it in the nice quiet campground.

So this time I decided to find a quality one. After reading reviews, I found the Slime COMP06 at Woot.com for $30, but like everything at Woot, it was only that price for a day and may or may not be offered again. Amazon has it for around $50. I tried it out on our Tacoma tires and am more than happy with its power and noise level. Between the power cable and hose it has a long enough reach for our 17B.

One complaint on Amazon is that it needs a 15A socket and some vehicles only have 10A ones. Our Tacoma says 120W max which would be 10A and it worked fine in it. I don't know what the max of the ones in Escapes are -anyone?

Great minds think alike! I just bought a similar Slime compressor at Walmart along with a can of tire inflator/sealant. Great insurance while we're out exploring rural Northern Nevada, Montana and Idaho on the way to the rally at Osoyoos.

Greg

[steve dunham]

We purchased the 12VDC Slime air compressor at Menards for $25. Seems to work well . We made up a 20 ft, extension cord that plugs into the
7 pin receptacle on our TV . So far it has worked well for pumping up a low trailer tire. and the air suspension on the TV
.

[Daubsy]

Got this compressor kit for $10 off eBay years ago...

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=291349107438

... And I use it, a LOT. It's cheap and it's loud. And it can take a while for tires under inflated by more than 10psi. I'm sure there are better ones, but it works, and it's reliable.

[Brian B-P]

I bought a decent tire air compressor at Canadian Tire when it was on sale (Heavy-duty Air Compressor), mostly because it had a screw-on end fitting (the quick-attach ones often don't work well), and because it can handle the pressure of our motorhome tires. Anyone running Load Range C or especially D tires on their trailer should keep in mind that they are likely using higher pressure than the tow vehicle, and some cheap air pumps really slow down and have problems with any significant volume of air at higher pressures.

What I try to pick now for a 12V plug-in unit are compressors with a good pressure display (the digital ones work well), and preferably the ability to set the pressure so it stops automatically. I have a MotoMaster 12V Multifunction Digital Compressor.

Although the tug and trailer (and motorhome, in that case) have 12V DC and (in some cases) 120V AC power, the most useful compressor I have is actually the one built into a portable power pack (almost identical to the MotoMaster Eliminator 1000 Booster Pack). It can be a pain stringing the power cable - and extension dependin on the tire - from a socket to the compressor, and it's much easier to just take the pack to the tire.

I have an old foot pump which wasn't built well enough to work really well, and didn't have a wide enough base to be stable, but the idea is great: foot power beats hand power, and the design is inherently simple and so there's less to go wrong.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

It can be a pain stringing the power cable - and extension dependin on the tire - from a socket to the compressor, and it's much easier to just take the pack to the tire.

Yes. This is what attracted me to the Ryobi inflator; it's self-contained. Before I left on my current trip I bought a Slime 12V compressor but I found that stringing the power cable to the tires was sometimes difficult. When plugged into the Tacoma's 12V socket it also blew a fuse, which surprised me. It shouldn't have.

Ryobi also has a handheld mini-vacuum that uses their 18V battery. I may get one of those at some point as well.

[LarryandLiz]

Brian wrote: "Although the tug and trailer (and motorhome, in that case) have 12V DC and (in some cases) 120V AC power, the most useful compressor I have is actually the one built into a portable power pack (almost identical to the MotoMaster Eliminator 1000 Booster Pack). It can be a pain stringing the power cable - and extension dependin on the tire - from a socket to the compressor, and it's much easier to just take the pack to the tire."

? I've followed this thread with interest and have been on a crash course trying to learn about portable tire inflators. My question would something like the MotoMaster Eliminator work to blow the water out of our 17b lines for winterizing?

It seems like the 12-volt inflators may lack the power to work effectively on trailer tires.
The eliminator battery seems like a possibility

Larry

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by LarryandLiz

It seems like the 12-volt inflators may lack the power to work effectively on trailer tires.
Larry

I used the Ryobi inflator to inflate my trailer and truck tires. It works okay. It takes a few minutes, but it keeps chugging away until it's done.

However, I don't know if the Ryobi would put out enough volume to blow out water lines. I've never blown out my water lines, so I don't know what is required. The Ryobi inflator has an attachment for inflating large inflatable items such as floats, etc., but I'm guessing this takes a while.