03-01-2009, 11:01 PM
I have been looking for alternatives to the ViAir systems for awhile now. I found that PePBoys carried a line of portable 12 volt air compressors similar in shape/size to the ViAir and bought one.
It claimed to be able to inflate up to 33" tires in 2 minutes... Well I bought one and gave it a try on my spare from nearly completely flat and it filled the tire in just under 2.5 minutes.
I then cut off the gator clamps and extended to wires so that it could run from the bed of my truck to the battery. I bolted the compressor to the bed just behind the cab on the passanger side and ran the wires through a grommeted hole just behind it. Ran the wires along the frame and under the hood and connected it to the battery.
I then bought a plastic battery box and mounted it inverted over the top of the compressor to keep the dirt and water out.
It only came with a 16' hose, so I bought another 25' with a coupler. All of my tools are on quick connects, so it works pretty easily.
For everything including wire, connectors, a better fuse and some zip ties I was out of the store for under $100. Took about 45 minutes to install (took most of the time to figure out exactly where I wanted it. I first considered mounting it under the bed, but didnt want to have to crawl down there every time I wanted to use it.
Although I dont intend to use it for air tools, we tested it with an air grinder and it worked fine. I plan to only use it for airing up after being in the sand.
Mine is the MF-1050. I found that the MV-50 and the MF-1050 are the exact same compressor. THe MV-50 came out in 2004 and has been discontinued since last year. The 1050 came out 2 years ago and is still available.
Here is a link to a guy doing a comparative test between the one I bought and the QuickAir2 ($250)...
http://gearinstalls.com/pepboys.htm
I will post pics tomorrow.
T
It claimed to be able to inflate up to 33" tires in 2 minutes... Well I bought one and gave it a try on my spare from nearly completely flat and it filled the tire in just under 2.5 minutes.
I then cut off the gator clamps and extended to wires so that it could run from the bed of my truck to the battery. I bolted the compressor to the bed just behind the cab on the passanger side and ran the wires through a grommeted hole just behind it. Ran the wires along the frame and under the hood and connected it to the battery.
I then bought a plastic battery box and mounted it inverted over the top of the compressor to keep the dirt and water out.
It only came with a 16' hose, so I bought another 25' with a coupler. All of my tools are on quick connects, so it works pretty easily.
For everything including wire, connectors, a better fuse and some zip ties I was out of the store for under $100. Took about 45 minutes to install (took most of the time to figure out exactly where I wanted it. I first considered mounting it under the bed, but didnt want to have to crawl down there every time I wanted to use it.
Although I dont intend to use it for air tools, we tested it with an air grinder and it worked fine. I plan to only use it for airing up after being in the sand.
Mine is the MF-1050. I found that the MV-50 and the MF-1050 are the exact same compressor. THe MV-50 came out in 2004 and has been discontinued since last year. The 1050 came out 2 years ago and is still available.
Here is a link to a guy doing a comparative test between the one I bought and the QuickAir2 ($250)...
http://gearinstalls.com/pepboys.htm
I will post pics tomorrow.
T
