portable tyre compressors - help a clueless girl please!

[Potchkai]

Help!  I'm trying to find a good, reasonably priced portable tyre compressor to take with my 300tdi Landy on my big overland trip.

So far I've found that the 2 most popular brands are TruckAIR and VIAIR.  Does anyone have any experience/advice on these for me?  I'm on a really tight budget so I'm looking at the TruckAIR one which appears to be cheaper - but not sure of the quality.  Another thing is that I'm asking a friend to bring it in her luggage from the UK for me - are they easy to carry?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

[Xtremeteam]

my dads just bought a Tmax one which looks like the Viar one & was £50 ish i think,

[Potchkai]

thanks for your speedy reply, Mike!  Will check out the tmax!  Do you think it's light enough for a girl to carry on an aeroplane?

[wing nut]

halfrauds do a battery booster pack with tyre compressor :lol:

[the loon]

I've heard a few good reports about the tmax jobby

have a look at 4muddyfeets sight (link is in signature below) as they have them on there pages
 

[DiscoJim]

I bought 60 of the T-max ones in June to sell on. They are really good, more so when you consider the price. I keep one in the Disco and have used it for tyres, airbeds etc. Inflates a flat 245/75 very quickly.

They are fairy lightweight, I would guess about 4-5kgs and come in a neat bag.

[Daz800]

mm4x4 do tmax ones at about 50 notes.

Daz

[thermidorthelobster]

I've used both the Truck-air and Viair ones.  Truck-air are basically souped up cheap compressors.  Still plenty of plastic in them.  They'll do fine for a standard 4x4 vehicle for normal usage, where a Halfords-type compressor would take an eternity to pump up the tires and probably fail after reasonable use.

Viair are properly engineered compressors and use decent quality components.  Fine for expedition use (eg if you're constantly going to be raising/lowering your tyre pressures for sand driving) or if you expect to hammer them.  They're also quicker, which is handy if you have 6x 41" tyres to inflate :)

I use a Truck-air in the Discovery, and a Viair in the 101.

HTH
David

[Potchkai]

thanks, everyone, for all the advice!  I've gone for the t-max one for £42 - arrives next week...

cheers!

[andyhubbard]

Hi POTCHKAI i think PADDOCKS do the Tmax comp.,so if it's over £50 they will send it out to you and save your friend the job.

[TDi90]

i got a free one from texaco once a couple of years ai, takes an age, but really useful. plugs into the cigarette (yuk) socket.

[Jim-Willy]

I have a TruckAir, it was not cheap but is very very good.

[Manicminer]

Is there any decent 240v electric ones with an air tank that will fit into the area of a 5 gall drum or less? It would have to be less than 1000W.

[Range Rover Blues]

I'd imagine you will be looing for an airbrush compressor, they do exist and I have one (mine's a bit large though and will just about run a spray gun, with patience).

I don't know where you'd get one though.

[freeagent]

just come back from a Sahara trip... couple of the guys i was with had Truckairs.. absolute garbage didn't work at all in hot weather or high altitude, but several others had Tmax pumps... seamed realy good, and excellent value at £55ish....