CO2 RULES! Well, sort of. Of course it's not limitless, but if you have the compressor as a back up, you don't care as much. But, keep in mind that CO2 tanks don't like freezing temps much. I have seen guys on snow runs having to heat the tanks with blowtorches to get enough pressure to air up. If you don't wheelin the mountains, in the dead of winter, you shouldn't have too many problems, but if you do, don't count on CO2.

 

That would work good then. When the Co2 freezes you can use the compressor because it likes colder temps.

I talked to my supplier of oxy/ace and argon and I can get a 10lb Co2 tank for $100 and it cost $12 to fill. When it is empty you just swap out for a new on (full tank). They have a high flow regulator for $35. Some of the info I was reading on the sunperformance web site said you could fill 20 35's with their tank.

 

It helps a lot on the first tire because you can pre-fill the tank, which then dumps into that first tire. Subsequent tires then fill slightly more slowly than they would without a tank because the compressor is having to fill both the tire AND the tank 1 PSI at a time.

The ideal situation would be to have the tank to run the lockers, with the compressor just topping it off a few times a day. But then the time came to fill the tires, the tank would empty, then disconnect from the system.

Some folks accomplish that by putting an anti-back flow valve on the inlet of the tank and running the lockers off the tank. The tire fill port is then t'd off the line going to the tank. That way the tank supports the lockers, but when you are filling tires it's not part of the system.

 

I also wore out my little ARB but it served well. I run a 3/4hp compressor with a tank now and it takes about a minute per (32") tire. Here is a wiring diagram if you want to fab your own stuff. I also have the resources on my page for the plumbing, solenoids and switches.
http://www.larsdennert.com/4runner/arb/arbwiring.JPG

 

Ben,

I got a 10lb CO2 tank off Ebay for ~60 bucks (steel, not aluminum). My "other" vehicle has a York, so I'd be willing to sell the tank to you if you were interested.

 

I aired up one of my 32's from 15 to 35 psi once w/ my ARB compressor and that was the last time I tried airing up w/ the compressor. It took way too long (stopped timing after 7 min.) and it got extremely hot. Being mounted in the engine compartment doesn't help either. The compressor will only see locker duty now.

For airing up, I use a Viair 450 and it's a night a day difference compared to the ARB compressor. It's a lot faster and quieter too. I chose to make it portable because I want to keep it as cool as possible so mounting it in the engine compartment was not an option. This makes it easier to air up other vehicles too.

 

Is it possible to fill the air tank with a house air compressor (or at a gas station for example) before leaving to a trail, that way you can save the portable compressor for later that day when the tank empties?

 

Yes, but it doesn't gain you much. The air in a 2-3 gallon tank at 150PSI is just enough to put a dent in airing up A tire, but it will run your lockers for most of the day.

 

(These extra characters inserted to circumnavigate the silly "post must be at least 15 characters" rule)

 

I would be. Is it the one I used to fill my tires out at Carbanado? I hear those York's are like using the gas station air.

 

Would say that a 3 gallon tank is suffice or should I be going for a larger tank, maybe 4 or 5 gallons?

 

If you get much larger than 3 gallons, it gets hard to hide on these rigs and these little compressors take so long to fill it up that it begins to be a "diminishing returns" thing. Five gallons still isn't enough to air up and 2.5 gallons is enough to run your air lockers all day, so it's hardly worth the bother.

 

You're running 2.5 gallons, right?

Also, were you running the ARB locker prior to your SAS?

 

Yes, I have the ViAir 2.5 gallon tank under my bed, but in front of the axle. It's about 8" in diameter and 18" long.

I had the RD90 installed in the front when the rig was IFS and used it extensively