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View Full Version : So I bought some stuff for a trip....



Dredwolf
11-13-2017, 10:09 PM
Since real life seems determined to prevent me from ever actually doing anything on my XJ, or doing anything to my WJ except drive it, I jump at the chance to do any off-pavement driving. For our anniversary this year, Mrs. Dredwolf and I are headed to the Outer Banks in NC this coming weekend, for a vacation and hopefully a side trip to the 4x4 Beach up near Corolla, NC. And any other off-pavement driving I can manage.

Since we were not taking my XJ (insert sob story here), I managed to convince her we needed equipment to make her '03 Explorer ready for the trip. So I ordered a Viair 88P Compressor and a budget set of tire deflators. I was temped to try the HF route for the compressor, but my wife encouraged me to "buy a real one".

So this is going to be a "as I used them" review.

Viair 88P Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ASY23I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Deflators
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0L7JS2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just got done setting the pressure on the deflators, and it was not that bad.
I just used a spare tire, sat on a stool in the garage, got my reading glasses because I am getting old, and took my time.
They are heavy, and machined pretty clean, and really did not take that much time to set. I spent 30 minutes at it, and probably 10-15 minutes of that were me being particular and triple-checking the settings, and looking for three pencil-type air gauges to check the dial one in the kit against. As some of the reviews mentioned you could loose the setting installing them on the tire, I tightened the lock rings very finger tight, and used a marker to mark the body and adjusting ring. After this trip, if they work, and are accurate, I'll use a scribe to make a permanent mark for roughly 16 psi.
We'll see how they do.

I also ordered a cheap light bar, mag mounts, and a lighter socket cord with a switch, to experiment with making a temporary light bar (trip was an excuse for this :D). With the farm and current vehicle state, several vehicles may be pressed into duty going into the pastures at light to check the horses or goats, so this could serve other purposes if it works, plus I need to get lighting on my tractor once more. Unfortunately, the light bar and etc did not arrive today, so I may not have time to assemble them for the trip.

4.3LXJ
11-14-2017, 09:55 AM
All that is fun stuff. I am thinking of getting some preset deflators. I have been doing it old school with deflators that just depress the valve stem. Let us know how they work

Dredwolf
11-27-2017, 09:34 PM
My apologies for being very over-due on the follow-up, I'll also try to write up a trip report for another section of the forum.

The deflators worked better than I was expecting, but don't expect perfect accuracy. I had no issues with the deflators losing the pressure setting, but the deflation rate slows as the air pressure in the tire drops. In several cases, we were trying to be at point X by a specific time, so I dropped enough pressure for good performance on the sand, but usually did not wait until they hit the set pressure. Regardless, it was WAY easier than crouching at each tire, and the few minutes spent deflating (sadly, I don't think I ever waited a full 5 minutes) was easily spent making sure gear was stowed away and cameras were ready.

In theory, you are supposed to be able to drive slowly with them while they are letting the air out, but I never tried it. This set was machined very cleanly from brass, with solid weight and heft. They should last me a long time, provided I don't crossthread any of them. The included gauge seems to be decent quality, and fairly accurate, and the case appears to be mainly for shipping protection, but it worked well enough. I might switch over to a more Pelican-style case if I was going to keep these in a rig that sees more dirt than pavement, or have the case out in a cargo area instead of in a tool bag with a 12v compressor. All in all, the kit with the gauge, extra caps, deflators, and little pouch for the deflators was well worth the money spent.

4.3LXJ
11-27-2017, 09:45 PM
Been thinking about a set like this for myself. I use keychain deflators now. You said something about accuracy?

Dredwolf
11-27-2017, 10:08 PM
So on to the Viair compressor....

Based on a limited budget and an "up to 33" tires" sizing guide, I bought this Viair 88P compressor:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ASY23I?tag=viglink21720-20
Even though the 88P has 10' of 12v power cord and 16' of hose, I also bought the 6' extension (https://www.amazon.com/Viair-00016-Portable-Compressor-Extension/dp/B00ELJD0BW/ref=pd_bxgy_263_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=07N9D5M3PBK08BKFP8T4), to avoid actually needing it.

The '03 Explorer is fitted with 265/70-16 Cooper Discoverer A/T3's, so they are under the 33" spec for the 88P with 1.47 CFM @ 0 PSI. Having burned up my share of 12v socket bargain compressors, going straight to the battery for power was the solution. Had the budget allowed, I would have gotten the 300P for the increased CFM, but the issues with the clip chuck and pressure gauge being in-line on the hose, instead of near the switch, made the 88P's lower price even more attractive (plus I am cheap.)

So did it work? After airing down multiple times (sometimes multiple times in the same afternoon) during our adventure on the Outer Banks, the 88P worked well. Yes, it did take more than 10 minutes to air up all 4 tires back to 35+ PSI, but never more than 15 minutes. Because we were not traveling on interstates during much of the trip, I did not bother with airing back up to the usual 40 PSI for highway travel.
I also thought the threaded hose connection for the valve stems would be annoying, but it was well machined, and it was nice to stand up after connecting and handle another task while the tire was being filled (like trying vainly to empty the sand from the floor mats).
One note for using the built-in air gauge, you have to shut off the compressor to get a reading. From my use, the built-in gauge seemed to be about 2 PSI low.
Also, like it's large brothers and a break-in period, the Viair compressor seemed to improve performance during the course of the trip. The night before we left Ocracoke Island, I aired back up to our usual highway pressure in less than 15 minutes. I also never needed the extension hose, because I had it with me ;). The 10' power cord and 16' hose was able to reach all 4 tires without much trouble. The little built in LED light was marginal, but better than nothing. The 88P with it's cable and hose, plus extension hose, and the deflator kit, all fit easily in a 12" tool bag picked up from Home Depot for that purpose, with a little more room to spare, and the external pockets to store a pencil air gauge, etc.

Dredwolf
11-27-2017, 10:17 PM
Been thinking about a set like this for myself. I use keychain deflators now. You said something about accuracy?

Yes, as the deflation rate slows as the air pressure decreases, I did not get a chance to see how accurate my 16 PSI guesstimate was (because Mrs Dredwolf was in a hurry to take sunrise/sunset/lighthouse/wild horse/etc pictures), but in the 5 minutes I managed to wait, the pressure dropped to about 20-22 PSI, when I checked it at next chance. I basically installed them, let them run for 3-4 minutes by my watch, then started removing them in the order I put them on.

Dredwolf
11-27-2017, 10:22 PM
Been thinking about a set like this for myself. I use keychain deflators now. You said something about accuracy?

Ironically, during a moment surfing the Internet during the trip, I found a better set of instructions for another brand that seemed to imply there was a PSI to portion of full turn of adjustment ratio. I need to find that again.

And to be clear, none of the four ever dropped the tire pressure further than expected, but I did check each to make sure my marks were still aligned.

Dredwolf
11-29-2017, 08:50 PM
Okay, so I covered the deflators and the compressor. As we were getting ready for this trip, I realized a regular d-handle shovel was too large, and most of my entrenching tools had given up, or hopelessly buried in one of the storage buildings....but I needed something that could stow easy in the Explorer.

So I did some looking.....and found this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X47NJY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the price, it's perfect. Small but sturdy, good fiberglass handle. I did test it on the beach, just to see how well it worked, and I excavated a good size trench, like you would to free a buried tire, in minutes.
Add your favorite "quick-fist" style clamps to mount it and you are good to go.

For those so concerned, a little sharpening will make it multi-function.:rolleye0012:

4.3LXJ
11-29-2017, 09:02 PM
I have one like that I use around the farm. Very handy

carloxj
11-08-2018, 01:23 AM
I also have a Viair. It's a 450p model that works fine.