Portable Air Compressor

[Mr Lynn]

I bought a Viair 90P from Amazon a couple of weeks ago (recommended by others), because my 100v AC one from Sears wouldn't get my Casita tires to 60 lbs (not 80—where did you get that number?). Haven't used it yet. It comes with clamps to run directly off the battery, as it needs 20A, and most cigarette-lighter type outlets are fused for 15A. Viair says to keep the TV engine running, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Viair-93-VIAI.../dp/B001MXL71A

/Mr Lynn

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi All,

Thanks for the great feedback regarding the air compressor.

I would get a 12v rather than a 120V air compressor. I know some folks have inverters for their RVs or have 120V outlets in their tow vehicles. Given limited access to 120V outlets when out on the road, I am go to go with a 12v unit. I can get one that plugs into a 12v outlet or one that clips to my tow vehicle's battery. I am thinking the one that clips to a battery would be more robust, particularly with the engine running. Of course, I will have to determine if the hose would reach the trailer tires or if I would need a longer hose.

It looks like several of you like your Viair units. Nice! However, others have other units that you like as well. I have read good reviews on some of the Slime units.

Regarding my tire pressure at 80 lbs., here is a quick summary:

1. When we got our new to us Casita, the tires were 6 years old. The Casita had the standard size wheels that came on a '05 Casita (14" rims). I was hoping to get one season of use out of the tires. LOOKED fine in terms of tread and no cracking. D'oh!
2. After our first trip out of town (460 mile round trip to the Smoky Mts), the tires were shot. I was lucky to get home without two blowouts. The old tires were 6 ply and C rated with a max psi of 65. From what I can tell, they were good tires. They were just old.
3. So I did my typical, I started researching. I noticed that Casita now offers 15" wheels on their trailers, which used to be their optional wheel.
4. I also noticed that I could get more variety in tires for 15" wheels in terms of number of plies and load rating.
5. So, I went to Trailer World and bought three 15" wheels.
6. I then went to my favorite auto shop/tire dealer and spoke with them about new ST tires. By going with the 15" tires, I upgraded to 10 plies rather than 6 and they were E rated rather than C rated. In addition, the max psi for the tire is 80 lbs.
7. There seems to be lots of opinions on how much pressure to put in a tire whether a car tire or a trailer tire.
8. I attended the RV Safety and Educational Foundation conference in May. Very cool. Walter Cannon was one the main facilitators at the conference. He is a tire safety guru. What I gleaned from the conference is that a tire is designed to be run at maximum psi. In terms of the tire pressure going up after it is warm, it will, but the manufacturer builds this capacity into the tire. I have not been running 80 psi in the tires, but I have chosen to keep them at around 76 psi (95% of max).

So the reason I want an air compressor that can easily handle 80 psi is because my tires are rated at 80 psi max.

I will keep ya posted on the air compressor.

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi,

Wow, several of you have mentioned other brands that you have purchased and liked. I will check them out!

Thx,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Mike!

Yup, Laura and I got off to a quick start this camping season with 20 nights camping from late March to early June. Unfortunately, I am bogged down at work now. The next 6 months are going to be brutal, but I am still hoping to camp at least another 10 to 15 nights between now and mid October.

Plus, I learned from my 1,900 mile trip that until I become more proficient, I would rather stay closer to home, drive less, and camp more.

Take care,

Dean

P.S. - LOL, you are right, a quick start for someone who was going to buy a trailer in a few years! Love fiberglass RVs and love our Casita!

[Mr Lynn]

Dean, I don't know enough to say this is a problem, but: Casita offers a 15" wheel upgrade with a higher-lift axle (which you can have done yourself by 'flipping' the axle), and a D-range tire rated at 60 lbs. So you have put a heftier tire on what I assume is their standard axle. It might be fine, but I'd check with Casita and ask them, just to be sure.

/Mr Lynn

[Franswa]

been carrying a small compressor for YEARS (towing boats before and TT now)......run 40 PSI on ALL my tires (TV and tow)

just what I do (?).....07 Nitro....97 BF17

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Lynn,

The PO of our Casita ordered it with the factory lift kit and then he had Orbital Machine Works add an additional 3" bolt on lift kit along with the Casita Shock Kit and a hitch receiver. So, I have plenty of room for the 15" wheel/tire combo. In fact, I made sure to to research the Casita website to order the same size wheels as they are putting on their current trailers.

I THINK I am in good shape. I appreciate your thoughts.

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Francois,

LOVE that combo. Looks great! I am a Bigfoot fan. And, my next tow vehicle will be white if possible.

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Here is my old tire and the blister I discovered when we returned from our 1st road trip. Ugly!

[DeanCHS1980]

Here are the new wheels and tires.

[Raz]

That tire is just scary. Any idea what the brand and date of manufacture was ?

[WaltP]

If tires are intended to run at their max rating, what is the purpose of the tire pressures listed on the door frame of your car or truck? And note they often recommend a higher pressure under full load, but even that is well under the max PSI on the tire. Or the factory sticker inside my Bigfoot that says run at 35 PSI? Or the manufacturers' tables of tire pressure vs load at each size tire?
I've upgraded my tires to a size that has a max 80 PSI rating. I run them at 50. I check them frequently on the road and they always run cool.

Walt

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi,

Raz, I have forgotten the manufacturer of the old tires. It was a name that I had not heard of, but I think was a pretty decent tire based on my research, but I went with a tire recommended by my auto shop/tire store. Great folks that I have worked with for 20 years. The old tires were manufactured in July, 2010. Obviously, my decision to get one more year of use out of them was incorrect. Luckily, I had no problems on the road and the OBVIOUS blister above hit me over the head that I needed new tires. In the future, I will probably change trailer tires a every 4 years (plus/minus 1 year) rather than 6 years (plus/minus 1 year). Also, tire covers were one of my first purchases after getting the Casita. For about $180 for three new tires, I would rather have the insurance of changing them too often than erring and keeping them too long.

Walt, understood. I have wondered as well about the descrepancy between what the tire says vs. what my car/truck says regarding tire pressure. My tire shop recommends going with what the car/truck recommends for psi.

In terms of the trailer, I don't recollect Casita recommending a psi for tires on their trailers. In my case, I was going with a different type and rated tire than what came on the Casita anyway. Based on the tire and the manufacturers website, the max psi is 80 lbs. Based on what I gleaned from the RVSEF conference and from some tire websites, tires should be ran at max psi.

By no means does this newbie (me) profess to be an expert about any of this. I want to get a portable air compressor to keep my tires "properly" inflated whatever the ding-dang that means!

Take care,

Dean

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

Here is my old tire and the blister I discovered when we returned from our 1st road trip. Ugly!

It's impossible to say for certain, but that blister could have been caused by an impact with something. That section of the tire where the bruise is, is a thin part of the sidewall of the tire. If you look at any tire that part just above the tread where the bruise is, is widest point on the tire. Since the thick tread is somewhat narrower than the lower sidewall and the thin part with the bruise is the most flexible, this is a common place for this to occur. The tire industry often refers to damage like this as "road hazard" caused by curbs, potholes, railroad crossings etc.

[Raz]

My trailer, bought new, came with Carlisle radial trail 175/80/R13 tires. Maximum load is 1360 lbs per tire or 2720 total. The axle, at 2200 lbs is the limiting factor. The factory trailer weight was 1400 lbs, with stuff it's up to 1700!bs. Trillium recommended 32 psi, Carlisle recommends 50 psi, the maximum. My guess is that Trillium derated because even with the trailer loaded, the tires are no where near there maximum load and it would provide a gentler ride. When two experts disagree you've got to make a decision on your own. Having had a bad experience with an under inflated tire in the past, I go with 50 psi. Raz

[rdickens]

My son got this compressor at Lowes and likes it.
http://m.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-12-Volt...flator/3522750
You plug it in, tell it what pressure you want, and press "Start".

It fills to that pressure and stops automatically. ☺

Ray

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Daniel A.]

I carry a small portable unit that goes to 120 PSI as it also inflates bicycle tires that require 100 PSI.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi All,

Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts about a portable air compressor. After reading and researching, I narrowed it down to going to Lowe's and buying the Kobalt model that Ray suggested for only $50 or ordering the Viair 88P for $66 from Amazon. Hey, I needed a 4" PVC cap for for my sewer hose storage that apparently fell off on the way home from our last trip. Since it was only $7 on Amazon, I needed to spend at least $35 for free shipping, so I bought the Viair 88P!

Actually, I am kidding a bit. I chose the Viair 88P. I also ordered a small canvas tool bag to store the air compressor and I ordered the 6' extension hose for the air compressor. And the sewer cap!

I will post an update after I get the Viair.

Thanks again,

Dean

[Bruce H]

I got a
MasterFlow Tsunami MF-1050 12 Volt Portable Hi Volume Air Compressor

Part # MF1050 SKU: 9357343

from Pep Boys $59.95

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9357343/00202

It is 12 volt but draws 30 amps. Too much juice for a 12 volt cigarette lighter plug. You raise the hood and clip the cables directly to your battery posts.
Not expensive and puts out a lot of air. I would buy another.

[flowman]

Another vote for Viair--I used to trail ride with my Landcruiser, and that was the standard in the offroad world. A lot of people mounted them in the engine compartment for onboard air, since you commonly let some air out of the tires when rock crawling, and have to air back up to drive home. I kept mine portable (it came with battery clips, 12v), so I can carry it in whichever vehicle we're driving.