ARB Compressor Issues,

[Ridge Runner]

Couple of years ago I posted that I had bought the single portable ARB Compressor and then I bought the Twin, well I have used the Single a heck of a lot because it is just nicer to to use weighing about 6.3kgs Vs 15+kgs for the twin, I used the twin once as it inflated one of my 4b tyres in 20 seconds and I was impressed, Anyways I was playing around and wanted to know how fast it would inflate one of the Vans 205/60-16's, So I removed the Valve and let it drop to the floor and then I replaced the Valve and set up the Twin and Started the Van, I turn on the Twin it ran for 5 or 10 seconds and shut off as per the Norm, and when I went to inflate the tyre NOTHING Zilch, So I messed with the leads and the switch and checked the fuses, Bugga Still nothing So I got out the Single and it aired up the tyre in about a minute and a half, which I though was quick seeing as it went from 0 to 40psi,

A couple of days went by and this $1000+ paper weight start to gnaw at me so I pulled it apart and tried it again still nothing so I began to wonder if it coulb be the pressure switch so I made a bridging wire and sure enough It fired up like a good'un, Next day I got on to the dealer he promised me everything and that He would send me the switch for free but 6 days later he failed to get back to me even with me calling a few times more, So Bugga that, Because they want around 50 bucks for one,

Sunday I searched the Intergoogley thing and then I found a company that sells them for around $14 AUD for a pair of them So I paid the express postaged so they should be here on Thursday, But at $7 bucks each compared to $50 bucks each is an absolute steal.

Thing is these are Awesome Compressors and ARB make a point of saying that the TWIN has a redundant set up so if one fails the other will still works But the point is that only works if we are talking about fuses etc Because although they are made to keep going if one craps out they have run BOTH Compressors through the same pressure Switch so if it dies then the whole lot is cactus,

The singles very rarely fail and are the True workhorse of the range, The Twin is an awesome piece of Kit but If I was doing this again I would buy 2 single portables and buy a Peli type case and fit them both in there then you would have a true Twin with a true redundant backup kit, because 2 singles can be had for less than the price of the Twin so it makes more sense and at leased you would never be stuck somewhere,

Thing Is, If your Tyres are under 35's the Single will work fine although I have seen it inflate 35"'s in 2m 10s so the single is way more than up to the task,
the Twin is impressive but because how they have powered both pumps through the same pressure switch makes the whole concept useless, making 2 Singles the way to Go.

Hope that helps.

J.

 

[condor22]

Bought the Dr Air Pro Flow 150 in 2012 when I bought the FJ Cruiser. Did a lot of Club jaunts, Loveday, Bushies, Saunders Gorge, Little Desert NP and Flinders, as well as Murray mouth (13 km Beach drive). A lot of air up n down, or perhaps that should be down n up, lol. Not done as much with the C7, but do air up to tow as well as the airbags. Then drop a few PSI on the VIC tracks to protect the tyres and soften the ride.

Nine years on, still going strong. As much as I like the look of the ARB, I guess I'll turn to the phylosophy, "if it aint broke don't fix it".

Hope you get the switch and fix the twin... ")

 

[Ridge Runner]

It's crazy how the switch over here costs around 40 bucks for the one for the single and 50 bucks for the one for the Twin, But no where has the Twin pressure switches in stock,

I bought 2 that will work for the twin for 8.55 or $15.47c or I could of bought a pack of 4 for 12.26 or $22.19c,

I paid 552.00 or $999.12c AUD for the Twin and only used it once and that was just to try is out and it only took 20 seconds to Air up one Tyre, It is impressive but the single cost me 210.00 or $396.49cAUD and @ 2 and a half times cheaper is the better option and is more reliable, It's stupid how a $1000 machine can be rendered useless because of a switch that costs as little as $5.54c.

Dr Air was voted one of the best "In Test" and the Off Road Ammo Box version is awesome, wish I could get one here.

https://www.downundercamping.com.au/dr-air-pro-flow-4wd-air-compressor-150-litre-per-m

The only reason I went with the ARB's is because Dr Air or Thumper etc are not sold over here and the only other option was the Generic cheap compressors,

I did buy a Generic Twin compressor and the Valve connector broke and took 6+ weeks for the shop to send me a new one for a compressor that was only a week old, All the Heads were loose so just for a bit of fun I Set to work on it and Torqued up all the head bolts and then LOLOL I ported and polished the Output Stage/section of it and it now runs better and Cooler increasing the flow rate on a 245/70 R16 Tyre by as much as 2psi per minute :lol: :lol: layful: layful:

I then did a pressure test on it and it was rated at 150psi and on the test is was climbing fast past 187psi and still going up, LOL :lol: :lol: :inlove: :inlove:

As crazy as doing that sounds it also helped it stay a bit cooler for longer slowing the speed it got hot at.

What gave me the Idea is when you look at them they look like a miniture engine so if doing those mods on a Car works then there is no reason why it should not work on a Compressor,

I then gave it to my brother and he loves it, layful: layful: layful:

 

[condor22]

FYI - The ARB single compact is $215 and the twin is $650 (Piranha Off Road price) and I thought we had big price markups, lol.

As an aside the Dr Air 150 is around $280

All AUD prices.

My only criticism of the Dr Air is the fitting to the tyre, it''s a screw on fitting. I would like to see the push on lever clamp on the end instead. I find that unscrewing it causes a small reduction of pressure, which increases, the slower it's removed from the valve. The lever type comes off much quicker. Not a big issue as I overcome this by putting an extra 2 PSI in the tyre, then let a bit out with the end of my pencil gauge if a little over.

Where this makes a big difference are the airbag valves. I put around 30 PSI in them, the brief unscrewing of the pump can drop 5 or more PSI very quickly. So, here again I throw 35 PSI in them and then check and reduce after disconnect with the pencil gauge.

My pencil gauge only goes up to 50 PSI which is fine for the 4x4 tyres (34 PSI) and the airbags, but my single axle van tyre pressure is 54 PSI. Might go look for a higher range pencil gauge.

 

[Ridge Runner]

FYI - The ARB single compact is $215 and the twin is $650 (Piranha Off Road price) and I thought we had big price markups, lol.

As an aside the Dr Air 150 is around $280

All AUD prices.

My only criticism of the Dr Air is the fitting to the tyre, it''s a screw on fitting. I would like to see the push on lever clamp on the end instead. I find that unscrewing it causes a small reduction of pressure, which increases, the slower it's removed from the valve. The lever type comes off much quicker. Not a big issue as I overcome this by putting an extra 2 PSI in the tyre, then let a bit out with the end of my pencil gauge if a little over.

Where this makes a big difference are the airbag valves. I put around 30 PSI in them, the brief unscrewing of the pump can drop 5 or more PSI very quickly. So, here again I throw 35 PSI in them and then check and reduce after disconnect with the pencil gauge.

My pencil gauge only goes up to 50 PSI which is fine for the 4x4 tyres (34 PSI) and the airbags, but my single axle van tyre pressure is 54 PSI. Might go look for a higher range pencil gauge.

You can buy a replacement level type Chuck, Or put a female coupler on there so yo can run a normal inflator gauge,

I use to use those monroe Hi Jacker Air shocks, do the Air Bags work better ?? I thought of adding Air shocks or bags to the Van,

I have seen the ARB Twin for 699 or $1266.19c AUD this past week and I have also seen them going for $1554.00c over here they change the $ sign to a sign and and then add 20% VAT on top.

 

[condor22]

The airbags I use are similar to Polyair, they sit inside the rear spring of the C7 (Coil rear springs) They come in 2 variants - Standard, which is just the airbag and Heavy Duty, which has a Kevlar sleeve wrapped around the airbag.

The Std use 5-30 PSI and the H/D range is 5 - 60 PSI. In other words more load carrying with the H/D.

Reason I went H/D - my vans ball is around 180kg, however, I also have a drawer system @ 70kg, Engel, 100 AH AGM and the drawer contents which also add near the same weight.

I measured rear end sag unloaded, then with everything added. Then pumped up the airbags until the rear returned to near original and that occurs at around 32-35 PSI.

I figured that at and over 30 PSI the standard fit was at it's limit, so went the H/D. Also with the advice of the supplier. I think the variation of pressure also depends on temperature, a bit like tyre pressures, lol.

So on a cold day I'll put 32 in them, because as they work they warm up. On a hot day, I put a little more in as they are already warm and the pressure will drop when they cool down. Either way doesn't make a lot of difference to pressure, but they make a helluva difference in ride stability with the van on the tug.

Unlike stiffer springs, when the tug is not loaded and I drop the airbags to near empty, the ride is almost back to OEM.

 

[condor22]

Re the compressor fittings, will look at some options when I have some spare time to head to Repco and ilk.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Re the compressor fittings, will look at some options when I have some spare time to head to Repco and ilk.

I was thinking ?? If you want to keep the hose as close to standard and not add a female coupling you could just cut the screw on fitting off the hose and add one of these for a simple quick fix then you would not have to mess about when pumping up the Air Bags, If you can't get them I can always order some for ya.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087M3M...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[Black Bull]

I run Twin Boss/Viair 480C's, with a 175PSI pressure switch and a 15L tank.

Both my Tourer and my Winch truck have basically the same setup.
the Tourer is more complicated as it's in a fan cooled enclosure under the wings of my draws.

Have done back to back tests against guys with ARB twins, Thumper etc and My setup is always faster.
Obviously speed is a godsend when you have bung knees and run 35" tyres

 

[Ridge Runner]

I run Twin Boss/Viair 480C's, with a 175PSI pressure switch and a 15L tank.

Both my Tourer and my Winch truck have basically the same setup.
the Tourer is more complicated as it's in a fan cooled enclosure under the wings of my draws.

Have done back to back tests against guys with ARB twins, Thumper etc and My setup is always faster.
Obviously speed is a godsend when you have bung knees and run 35" tyres

If you run big Valves the ARB will inflate a 35" in 17 seconds, Trouble is the standard inflators are low out put so they always restict any compressor no matter what system you use, Get they big Valves and they really hammer the Air out.

I have seen the the ARB Twin inflate a 37 from 15psi to 35/36psi in 90 seconds using standard valves, and it will Air up a 31 in around 27 seconds or less, which sounds impressive but it all boils down to the start and finish pressures, On most 4b tyres it takes longer to set up and pack away than it does to Air up 4 tyres.

One thing that will save the knees is buying that new ARB Digital Gauge because it has a 2ft hose on it and then you can stand up straight and use it,

hope that helps.

 

[condor22]

Re the compressor fittings, will look at some options when I have some spare time to head to Repco and ilk.

I was thinking ?? If you want to keep the hose as close to standard and not add a female coupling you could just cut the screw on fitting off the hose and add one of these for a simple quick fix then you would not have to mess about when pumping up the Air Bags, If you can't get them I can always order some for ya.

Thanks for the offer, I'm pretty sure I can get something similar here. However, I like the idea of a female coupling as it opens up other accessory options.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Re the compressor fittings, will look at some options when I have some spare time to head to Repco and ilk.

I was thinking ?? If you want to keep the hose as close to standard and not add a female coupling you could just cut the screw on fitting off the hose and add one of these for a simple quick fix then you would not have to mess about when pumping up the Air Bags, If you can't get them I can always order some for ya.

Thanks for the offer, I'm pretty sure I can get something similar here. However, I like the idea of a female coupling as it opens up other accessory options.

Yeah my 2 have them and it makes for an easy life thats for sure,

I just weighed that ARB Portable Twin and it weighs 2.3kgs more than the Genuine 48" All Cast Hi-Lift Jack so theres another reason to buy a single compressor. The ARB weighs 15kgs/33Lbs

 

[condor22]

One thing I will note - My Pro Flow has around a 2 metres of electrical cable and 8M of hose.

Scenario -
1. If I connect the Pro Flow to the main battery via alligator clamps, engine running, the Proflow barely reaches my caravan wheels when hitched.
2. I then turn the compressor on near the front of the car and go to the wheel to observe the gauge, I then need to go back to the front of the car to turn it off. In the meantime, the pressure continues to rise and, the gauge when turned off then settles to actual pressure and may not be enough. Compressor then gets turned on again.
Pain in the proverbial and a lot of walking.

I only did this once, went to a car accessory joint and picked up a 10 M heavy duty Anderson Extension lead. Now I can move the compressor around the car and caravan to every wheel, with the switch in reach of the gauge.

In effect the 8M of air hose only needs to be 2M.

The other use of the Anderson Extension, is that I can also tap power from the car main battery, Anderson hitch for the fridge or the Aux battery in the rear to power my water pump to fill the van tank when camped up. As well as any other 12V needs where extra length is needed.

 

[Ridge Runner]

One thing I will note - My Pro Flow has around a 2 metres of electrical cable and 8M of hose.

Scenario -
1. If I connect the Pro Flow to the main battery via alligator clamps, engine running, the Proflow barely reaches my caravan wheels when hitched.
2. I then turn the compressor on near the front of the car and go to the wheel to observe the gauge, I then need to go back to the front of the car to turn it off. In the meantime, the pressure continues to rise and, the gauge when turned off then settles to actual pressure and may not be enough. Compressor then gets turned on again.
Pain in the proverbial and a lot of walking.

I only did this once, went to a car accessory joint and picked up a 10 M heavy duty Anderson Extension lead. Now I can move the compressor around the car and caravan to every wheel, with the switch in reach of the gauge.

In effect the 8M of air hose only needs to be 2M.

The other use of the Anderson Extension, is that I can also tap power from the car main battery, Anderson hitch for the fridge or the Aux battery in the rear to power my water pump to fill the van tank when camped up. As well as any other 12V needs where extra length is needed.

To save you keep having to turn the compressor off because of it keeps running all the time, In those hose kits ARB sells there is a little Screw in Block that accepts a female coupling and a pressure switch so if you fitted them and ran one of your On/Off switch wires to the pressure switch and then run a wire from it back to the On/Off switch it would shut off every time you released the trigger on the Inflator, Another thing is the Blue Analog ARB sells is pretty cheap and accurate, I got a couple of them 1 as a spare just in case and they are nice and light to work with, Their Digital one goes up to 200psi and has 4 scales in it but the best part is it has a 2ft hose so you don't have to squar down all the time, And it's useful at night coz it has a blue backlight, :Y:

 

[condor22]

RR Got this link via email, looks a nice piece of kit.

https://rvdaily.com.au/tjm-announce...heel&utm_campaign=RV+Daily+EDM+-+14+July+2021

Let me know if you can't get to the link,

 

[Ridge Runner]

RR Got this link via email, looks a nice piece of kit.

https://rvdaily.com.au/tjm-announce...heel&utm_campaign=RV+Daily+EDM+-+14+July+2021

Let me know if you can't get to the link,

Yeah thats a winner, I'd guess that would be on par with the ARB Twin, It has similar specs, It will handle 40" tyres No worries :Y:

I use to love shopping at TJM they were the first 4x4 accessories shop up on the Sunshine Coast and I think they were the only ones back then long before ARB set up shop.

The pressure switches turn up for mine yesterday Trouble is I now have to buy a Thin Walled Box Spanner in order to get the old switch out what a PIA this is turning out to be and I still haven't heard from the company who said they would get me a replacement switch, LOL.

 

[condor22]

Sounds like 4x4 accessory availability in the U.K. is somewhat limited and bloody expensive.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Sounds like 4x4 accessory availability in the U.K. is somewhat limited and bloody expensive.

Well just to give you an Idea, Here is the ARB Twin Portable compressor for 695.52p @ the current Exchange rate to AUD being $1.86 to the pound, works out to be $1293.66c AUD and I have seen them going for over 850.00 / $1581.00c AUD

https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/arb-twin-p...mGeDAOk_ZhoCL1QFmSaaNk58Fbg6T9xhoCQpoQAvD_BwE

HERE's The Real Shocker, How about the New ARB Jack at a mere 802.64p OR / $1492.91c AUD @ 1.86c per UK Pound. I only paid under 60 or / $111.60c AUD for my Genuine 60" Hi-Lift X-Treme Jack and it has at leased 10 other uses where the ARB can only do 1 job. The ARB Jack is almost 14X the price of the Hi-Lift X-Treme and it multi tasks. :inlove: :inlove: Where as the correct price of the ARB jack should be around 431.52p.

https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/arb-hydrau...l4AHl0cmrkbq0-L408BaMCFVns5J3LPBoCi7QQAvD_BwE

Or a set of Maxtrax Extreme's @ 483.00 / $898.38c AUD

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...EtKok6bjyuSdcl5g4RUB-ODfuuRpBI6RoCDsAQAvD_BwE

What they do with a lot of prices here is just swap the $ sign to a sign but then they add 20% VAT tax on top of that so then you really get screwed, I am all for people making a living but these prices are just taking the Pi$$,

How about a New GPX 6000 at a mere 5799.00 or / $10,786.14c AUD
https://www.crawfordsmd.com/minelab-gpx6000

OR a GPX 7000 at 7949.00 or / $14785.14c AUD WAS $15808.14c
https://www.crawfordsmd.com/minelab-gpz-7000-gold-detector

Vs Miners Den at $9499.00 AUD which is $5286.14c cheaper.
https://www.minersden.com.au/minelab-gpz-7000-metal-detector

 

[condor22]

So what kind of average income do people get compared to OZ. I'll do some research this end, but in the mean time...

I'm on a Centrelink Govt pension, which is more or less close to the maximum I can get as I think I lose $3-4 due to deemed interest. As I'm married we get a little over $700 per fortnight (PF) each. All amounts are PF. Although well over the aged pension age, I stayed on the Carers payment as I get an extra amount for that. I also get the carers allowance as well as a Military Pension. If I take the net amount we receive and extrapolate to a gross pay amount etc, I'm on nearly what I would earn in the job I had. I don't pay tax on those pensions.

I was working nearly 10 years ago as APS level 5, the current pay at that level is around $75,000+ P.A. Also our pensions are combined and my wife was also working before we retired.

If I had been contracting as a sole trader, I could have earned almost double what my Public Servant pay was, but with nowhere near the security of the APS or the Superannuation scheme it attracts.

Some might say "swings n roundabouts", but as a Pommie migrant that has lived most of my life in Oz, I know where I would rather be, especially in these difficult times.
Plus the weather is heaps better lol, I still have memories of walking to school in the U.K. on black ice, slush or pea soup fog where you couldn't see your own feet as you stumbled. Or icicles hanging from curtain rods in my bedroom in winter.

Edit - Just went online to check APS salaries - As of 24 Jun 2021, my APS salary were I still at work would be $80k P.A.

 

[Ridge Runner]

In Australia you work to increase the quality of life, In the UK you work to survive, There is no incentive to work here because how we build and make things back home here they spent tax payers money on inventing rules and regs to stop us doing things, It's total BS

Here you pay your tax and then you have to pay National Insurance and by the time you have paid them you have lost around 33+% of your pay, then you have to pay in to a pension and based on how much you earn that can add another 5 to 10% to what you loose, so if you said that you loose around 40% of your pay to the Gov, that leaves you with 60% of your money left and then the moment you spend it 20% of it is VAT/Tax, so earn $1000 and you only get about 40% of the true value of your $1000,

Smokes beer and petrol/Diesel always go up without warning and so does the cost of Rego and Insurance companies are allowed to scam customers for the slightest reason, IE I took a vehicle off the road coz it died and because I didn't drive for 2 years the insurance company Stole my 21 years No Claims bonus, So I told em that it was wrong and just because I had not driven does not mean I had my brain taken out or lost my driving skills. So my Insurance went from around 360 per year up to 670 per year, And I had no choice but to pay it because with out it The police will take your car and if you don't get insurance they will Crush your car/Truck regardless if it is a new Range Rover or a Porche or a Lambo etc,They don't have a system like in Oz with paying ya rego and the compulsary SGIO, Over here they spend more time in thinking up ways to screw the common Man than on anything else. and now we have an extended Low emission zone where you have to pay 25 bucks a day for a Car and about 800/ or $1488.00AUD per day to drive within a 30k radius of the City. And there are than many speed cameras over here at nearly every set of traffic lights and every couple of Ks on every highway and Within a 100metres to 500metres apart on other roads,

When I first came here I was a really happy go lucky sort of a bloke but within a year or two of being here I because a lot more aggressive, If it wasn't that I have a Son here I would of been gone bloody years ago.