Coach Air Compressor

[Michael Rump]

I am going to buy an air compressor for the coach and have reviewed the VIAIR 400P.  It looks as though it will do the job nicely.
Has anyone purchased one of these, and if so, how do you like it?

Any recommendations for another brand which has worked well for anyone?

Thank you!

[Jerry Emert]

This has been discussed a couple of times.  Search Viair.  Gerald Farris I believe recommends one, I'm not sure of the model #.
Jerry

[Randolph Lewis]

Mike,
I have the VIAIR 400P and love it. Easy to use and quality constructed.

Randy

[Edward Buker]

Mike,

If you had the room in the bay, another option is to plug into 120V and purchase a compressor like this quality Makita unit that is just 10 inches wide. You would use a hose from the bay so you do not have to move the compressor at all. The volume of air that it will deliver would well surpass the 12V versions and shorten the job of filling tires and it would be durable and last. When home or on the road you could also use it for other things.

12V is not the best source of power for something like a compressor so the 12V units have to be very small and low capacity. If you do go to a 120V version, look for 130lb capability like the one in this link.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC700-Big-Bore-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VK0/ref=pd_sim_469_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ACCHXWM32A3RXVC1TAP

If you do buy a 12V version, the one you have identified is certainly one of the better ones.

Later Ed

[Bill Sprague]

I have the same Makita that Ed has.  No, it is not in my Beaver anymore but continues to do it's work in the the garage.   I suppose I should not admit to how many compressors I've had, but this is the best one. 

As I recall, to get enough useful volume, Gerald has engineered a unique system that uses two of those 12 volt units in tandem.   I suspect one would work fairly well on a car tire, but to get what it takes for 100 plus pounds in a Beaver sized tire, they could be working pretty hard and long.

[Michael Rump]

All,

Thanks for your input and recommendations.  I really like the 120 volt compressor, but need to evaluate where to store it on board. 

Be safe!

[Edward Buker]

Michael,

With compressor air pressure vs desired tire pressure, there will be times when you want to force the compressor to come on and reach a higher pressure for filling the tire.  If the cut in on pressure is 100lbs and cut off is 130lbs, but you need to fill to 115lbs you would need to bleed off enough air to trigger the compressor to come on. A device like this would be desirable.

http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-30227-Air-Inflator-Gauge/dp/B0046086MY/ref=sr_1_37?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1354991950&sr=1-37

You would hold the trigger on, while not connected to a valve stem, and press the side button that releases air until the compressor kicks on and then connect the inflator to the tire stem. The other nice feature is it locks onto the valve stem while filling a tire. Joel Weiss posted the link to this unit earlier. It is inexpensive but probably good enough to get this job done.

Later Ed

[LaMonte Monnell]

Michael,

With compressor air pressure vs desired tire pressure, there will be times when you want to force the compressor to come on and reach a higher pressure for filling the tire.  If the cut in on pressure is 100lbs and cut off is 130lbs, but you need to fill to 115lbs you would need to bleed off enough air to trigger the compressor to come on. A device like this would be desirable.

http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-30227-Air-Inflator-Gauge/dp/B0046086MY/ref=sr_1_37?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1354991950&sr=1-37

You would hold the trigger on, while not connected to a valve stem, and press the side button that releases air until the compressor kicks on and then connect the inflator to the tire stem. The other nice feature is it locks onto the valve stem while filling a tire. Joel Weiss posted the link to this unit earlier. It is inexpensive but probably good enough to get this job done.

Later Ed

That's how I inflate my tires, with the above method and it works fine.