on board air pressure booster

[kenrobertson]

I may have missed this on an earlier thread somewhere, so at the risk of being redundant.......customers are showing up with this air pressure booster. It's small, affordable, fast, and it works. Check it out at www.dickmantires.com

[dalej]

or try this one... www.dickmantires.com

[kenrobertson]

Yep...thats what I meant

[rahangman]

Is this what I might want? My bus "Aux" system goes to #120 with the engine or even with the 12vdc aux pump, but does not seem to have the CFM to do much (probably due to tank size in Drive lower compartment). I am considering just buying a small 120v ac that will go to 120+ that will deliver more CFM and have the added versatility of being AC and not having to do the tires with the engine running. What say thee?:o

[sawdust_128]

I carry my Hitachi:

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-EC12-2-Horsepower-4-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0000225DO


I like it because I can grab it and go with it in the toad. The only thing that I have found is that you will want it running when you start to pump up your coach tires. Let it treat the tire like it is part of the resevoir system. Other wise, you will need to monkey with the shut-off switch which then limits the versatility of carrying this compressor.

Also. since I am going to carry it, I am considering plumbing it in to the aux air system on quick connects so I can eliminate use of the aquairium pump that is curently installed.

[kenrobertson]

rahangman - I'm not selling these........just sharing info, but our customers are very happy with them. Probably an option worth looking into.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Just to be a smart ass here these devices have been called "doublers". I believe Tuga's Newell came from the factory with one.

I propose we set up a demo with one. Since it will double the pressure in the bus system it appears to be a good way to air up tires for example. However, it doubles the pressure, but halves the volume so I think we need to set up a timed event in OKC to determine if it does actually fill a tire needing air any faster.

When we are done with that we can use it to see if we can explode airbags.

[dalej]

I'm in that class...

I will bring the air bags!

[dale farley]

I bought one of the Porter Cable compressors that goes to 150 psi a couple years ago, and it works great. Keep it in my tool bay. I bought it off eBay for $125.

[phorner]

I opted to install one in the steer bay of the bus.

I'm real happy with the way it worked out..:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Uh, Dale.........When I said blow up air bags, I was thinking some that are installed. Like on someone's bus.

Since I learned (for example) that our shock absorbers limit upward travel on the front suspension, will an air bag explode before it tears the attachment ring off of a shock absorber?

Air bags carry a max pressure limit of 100 PSI (molded into the body of the air bag). Is that really true? At what pressure will they explode.

If a doubler really doubles pressure, what happens when we hook a pair of them in series? Will that pressure explode tires? Or will the wheels fail first, both of which have a stated pressue limit of 130 PSI.

At what pressure will our bus air tanks explode? Can we run brake system pressure into a doubler and then into the aux system and see if pocket doors and floor slides will really slam shut?

The OKC rally can really be fun if a few of you will volunteer to let me use your coaches for experimental purposes. I usually calm down after I take my meds, but I really like destructive testing.

[lonesome george]

Jon,
I'm thinkin' if you get on the proper medications first, some of this destructive testing can start on your bus.
Just a thought.
lonesome

[truk4u]

I think the sun may have done damage to your gourd today while you were weeding!:cool: Please wear your hat in the future, Jon Boy...

[Will Garner]

Maybe it was not the sun getting to Jon's gourd, maybe it was the weed!:D

[Jeff Bayley]

Related enough to avoid thread creep I think, I've heard of newer conversions that have the air bags on the generator tied into the air system. Mine keep falling no matter how much changing of the fittings or teflon tape I use. Two air bags on each side are tied into together creating 4 bags on two valves. I was thinking of making something to keep these aired up one side now is not leaking at all and the other side will stay up for about a week.

Maybe the easier and more sensible answer is to use soapy water and find the leak I guess now that I've worked my way though it in writing. Can we have a generator air bag day at POG and are the fittings generic to most of our buses ? Speaking of the compressors, I got tired of running the 12 volt cord (which I lengthened) up through the drivers side window to put air each time so I bought one of these cordless compressor/combo units.

http://www.rvtoyoutlet.com/p-RVT1073.html

The compressor is really slow but it works for the air bags. Specs for 260 PSI but I doubt it would work. Haven't tried. It's a "get what you pay for" product. I also liked that we could run our lap tops off it to work in case there was some place else we wanted to sit and work besides our pad/spot.

In searching for it again, I found this one but my guess is it's junk also.

http://www.rvtoyoutlet.com/p-RV5135.html

I like the Hitachi gas one that Sawdust Ed has because you don't have to wrangle with a bunch of hose all the way around the bus. Found more than a half dozen of that model on Craigslist but none in my area. Several in California. If anyone wants the listings let me know.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Has your trlr arrived yet?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You folks are all sissies. I think of an excellent form of entertainment and you all think I've been out in the sun too long.

[kenrobertson]

Sorry guys.....I should have known better than to bring up something that would get Jon wound up. BTW... What do you guys think about nitrogen in tires????

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Sorry guys.....I should have known better than to bring up something that would get Jon wound up. BTW... What do you guys think about nitrogen in tires????

Ken, DON'T GO THERE ! There is a 32 page link somewhere here already about Nitrogen. :D

Gary S.

[dalej]

Gary, don't know for sure..... but I think Ken was just throwing some bait in the water.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Dale, I thought so, but I didn't take Ken for a trouble starter? :)

Gary S.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Just for the record I use nitrogen in both my tires, air bags and brakes.

Of course I mix it with a little oxygen and a few other gases to get the precise blend for may particular bus.

[GDeen]

Just for the record I use nitrogen in both my tires, air bags and brakes.

Of course I mix it with a little oxygen and a few other gases to get the precise blend for may particular bus.

Methane and oxygen would give you a lot more power....

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

There's definitely too much Methane being used around here.;)

:DJIM

[Jeff Bayley]

Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, you people are all so joking around and this is such a very (so very) serious forum for serious bus issue discussions. (weep, weep, weep) (cry,cry,cry). I can't belive your taking such serious issues as air presure and making jokes about other various gases. (ohhhhhh God). My gosh, isn't there anyone serious here? Buses, flying, and gases, either natrual or excreted from the body, should be taken VERY serious or should not be taken at all. You, you, you, you..............you jokesters you. Oh, what is a serious person like myself to do ? Oh my. Oh my. I thought you guys were all serious. Now come to find out this is a light hearted thing for you all. Oh dear Lord !

[kenrobertson]

Jeff - Sorry for getting this started - I'ts a little slow here today and it's raining too hard to go fishing...............

[Jeff Bayley]

You know when real red necks can't go fishing, they can always resort to watching either a fishing video or fishing on TV.

[sawdust_128]

I like the Hitachi gas one that Sawdust Ed has because you don't have to wrangle with a bunch of hose all the way around the bus. Found more than a half dozen of that model on Craigslist but none in my area. Several in California. If anyone wants the listings let me know.


That would not be a gas Hitachi, but electric.

[lewpopp]

If you guys are bored, you could always go to the extreme subject of lounge chairs that some here think is high tech.

BTW, it is for me but the general audience, well, you can hear them laugh all the way back to the slack adjuster polisher.

[sawdust_128]

Sorry to have woken you from your nap Lew.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

So is this topic still on for OKC??????

JIM----:D

[LarryB]

So was the "air doubler" tested at OKC? What was the result?
Also the gauge on the doubler, will it read IN pressure or Out pressure?
Was unable to attend so missed the Test.

Thanks,

[gmcbuffalo]

Larry if it was presented at OKC I missed it also. I did see the one Tuga has and tried to get one here in Oregon since Les Schwab is big here, but the dealers here have know idea what it is.
GReg

[phorner]

So was the "air doubler" tested at OKC? What was the result?
Also the gauge on the doubler, will it read IN pressure or Out pressure?
Was unable to attend so missed the Test.

Thanks,

Nope, no air doubler demo at OKC last year. You can see a picture of my installation earlier in this thread, and still very happy with it.

I do not have any problems "topping off" my tire pressures, the highest of which are my steer axle tires at 115 psi. Doesn't take long at all, however, I have never tried to fill a tire that was flat. You can easily top your tires off to 120 psi if need be. I used to haul around a small pancake compressor but that still struggled to maintain 112-113 psi in the front tires.

[Woody]

Nope, no air doubler demo at OKC last year. You can see a picture of my installation earlier in this thread, and still very happy with it.

I do not have any problems "topping off" my tire pressures, the highest of which are my steer axle tires at 115 psi. Doesn't take long at all, however, I have never tried to fill a tire that was flat. You can easily top your tires off to 120 psi if need be. I used to haul around a small pancake compressor but that still struggled to maintain 112-113 psi in the front tires.

I see the picture - could you give me more detais re what the installation consistes of?

[gmcbuffalo]

Tuga I think the beauty of the doubler is you can bring take a flat tire up to 80 or 90 with regular bus air then top of with the doubler. The problem with regular air compressors are the long time it takes to top off the tires.
Greg

[LarryB]

Paul, does the pressure gauge read 'in' pressuer or 'out' pressure? I like the install on yours but my bay is stuffed with a bunch of alarm stuff. Would need to find a different location.

[phorner]

Paul, does the pressure gauge read 'in' pressure or 'out' pressure? I like the install on yours but my bay is stuffed with a bunch of alarm stuff. Would need to find a different location.

The doubler doesn't come with a gauge. The one seen in the photo was added by me and displays the "out" pressure. It would be easy enough to carry the doubler in a small tool bag, add a couple of quick connectors, and the whole deal is then completely portable.

[phorner]

Tuga I think the beauty of the doubler is you can bring take a flat tire up to 80 or 90 with regular bus air then top of with the doubler. The problem with regular air compressors are the long time it takes to top off the tires.
Greg

That's exactly right. "Regular" compressors take an extraordinary amount of time to produce much more than about 100psi or so, and my never achieve in excess of 110-112 psi.

[LarryB]

Paul, I thought the gauge should read 'out' Pressure , but I hooked mine up to my shop compressor for a source of air pressure and the gauge reads the same as the compressor gauge regardless of how much I increase the pressure with the knob on the doubler. I haven't tried to air up anything with the doubler but was surprised that the gauge was reading the same as the compressor gauge. Do you think I have a malfunctioning doubler?
Another thought, does the doubler gauge read 'out' pressure only with a demand for air pressure or all the time it is connected to a source?

Thanks,

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I hope everybody understands a doubler.

It takes the incoming air pressure and doubles it. It does not increase the volume of air. Where it can be best appreciated is using the aux air compressor that is set to cut off at 80 or 100 PSI and doubling the pressure to 160 to 200 so tires that take 115 to use Paul's example can be filled.

FWIW my aux air compressor is set to cutout at 80 PSI. So I run my engine and use the 125 PSI the bus compressor is set to produce to fill my front tires. A doubler has 1/2 the flow rate, but twice the pressure. For those few times when I use aux air for anything other than the built in systems I will just run the bus if I need greater pressures. It is often not the pressure I need, but the volume and the bus air compressor can deliver a lot of volume of air.

[phorner]

Jon is exactly right on. There is no free lunch and the air doubler isn't magic. The trade off is volume for pressure. I use mine most effectively with the bus running and the aux tank at 125 psi. I found it to be a handy tool that hopefully makes me a little more self reliant while on the road.

Nothing is going to replace that high cfm shop compressor!

[phorner]

Paul, I thought the gauge should read 'out' Pressure , but I hooked mine up to my shop compressor for a source of air pressure and the gauge reads the same as the compressor gauge regardless of how much I increase the pressure with the knob on the doubler. I haven't tried to air up anything with the doubler but was surprised that the gauge was reading the same as the compressor gauge. Do you think I have a malfunctioning doubler?
Another thought, does the doubler gauge read 'out' pressure only with a demand for air pressure or all the time it is connected to a source?

Thanks,

Sounds to me like you have either a plumbing problem or a defective doubler. Mine reads the "doubled" outlet pressure regardless of whether there is an air demand or simply a static condition. Are you sure the air regulator is working properly?

[LarryB]

Paul, I used the shop compressor and tried various pressures, the doubler gauge just follows the compressor pressure. Tried to air up a tire and no luck, pressure dropped below tire pressure instantly.

I vote for a bad doubler, good luck on getting it repaired huh. Should have been happy with my little air compressor from Home Depot.

[LarryB]

Well, hopefully not a bunch of folks have followed this thread as I have to admit I screwed up. I had used the single threaded outlet to mount the gauge. Well that is NOT where it is designed to be mounted. No flipping wonder I was getting 'in' pressure readings.

The device Works as it should and I am Red Faced. My supporting paperwork is in some Asian language so I just shot from the hip, my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Paul thanks for the help.

[phorner]

Glad to hear it's working out.

Now.... try not to blow anything up with all that presure :D

[stevet903]

If anyone is looking for a build your own version of these for low $, do a search on ebay for NVBA1110-T02N SMC Booster regulator. Can't beat the price for $55!! I bought one, and with a few fittings to match my air hose, I'm fillin' tires!!

Steve

[dale farley]

Steve,

I searched several different ways but was never able to find it on eBay? I would like to build one for $55.

[HarborBus]

Me to, come on Steve give us a link. Remember most of us a challenged in some way:o

[stevet903]

Try this link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180526633712&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR4 0%26_trksid%3Dp3907.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D1805266337 12%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

or search for

180526633712

Let me know if you can't make it work!!

[HarborBus]

I'd say congrats is in order because you got the only one that is set up with the digital pressure switch and priced at $55.00, way to go Steve.

[stevet903]

Hmmm..... There were 7 left yesterday, and someone bought the remaining six about 30 minutes after my last post.... Maybe someone here??
Steve

[gmcbuffalo]

Steve did you get yours from a guy named deustch***?
GregM

[stevet903]

His ebay name is duftech, located in Canada.

Steve

[gmcbuffalo]

Steve I bought one I hope I got the right thing.
Greg

[HarborBus]

Greg, where did you find it?

[gmcbuffalo]

Ebay
The guy Steve got his from. He has some others of a different style.
Greg

[HarborBus]

Greg, have you gotten the Booster Regulator yet. Can you tell me what the maximum pressure output and the maximum input on yours is? The one Steve bought has a max output of 280 PSI with a max input of 140 PSI.

Thanks

[gmcbuffalo]

I haven't recieved kit yet.
GregM

[HarborBus]

If anyone is looking for a build your own version of these for low $, do a search on ebay for NVBA1110-T02N SMC Booster regulator. Can't beat the price for $55!! I bought one, and with a few fittings to match my air hose, I'm fillin' tires!!

Steve

Steve, did you get your booster set up? I was able to get one from the lady in Canada and I'd like to know what fitting you used to make it work with the bus air. A couple pictures would be nice as well. Are you going to Kerrville?

[gmcbuffalo]

Harborbus I have the same pressure in and out as Steve.
Greg