If you do any real off road driving in sand eventually you will get stuck.
I know I have lots of times over the years when hunting, fishing, running
trap lines, and sometimes just going for a drive.

One of the easiest ways to get unstuck in sand is to break out the old farm
jack, lift the vehicle, fill in the holes, and flatten (drop down to about 8
PSI) all your tires. Doesn't always work, but when it doesn't you are in
real trouble. Sometimes it works in mud too, but it's hard to control with
four flats in mud.

Anyway, I have had 4 or 5 different 12 volt air compressors and none of them
have done a decent job of refilling 4 flat tires when I get back to hard
ground. Does anybody know of a GOOD compact air compressor I can carry in
my truck? I don't mind paying a little more, but throwing a Honda Powered
Roll-Aire or Sanborn compressor in the back of the truck is a little more
than I can justify.

Something that can fill a truck tire in a reasonable amount of time and
doesn't burn up or blow a fuse if you try to fill 4 of them. I'm not
thinking of even being able to fill them to full pressure. Just 30-35
pounds so I can safely drive to someplace with air and finish filling them
to road pressure.

Way back when I was a kid some of the farmers used to have an engine driven
compressor under the hood that was engaged with an electric clutch like an
an air conditioner compressor, but there just isn't a lot of room under the
hood on a modern truck much less a place to put one more belt.

That reminds me. After today's fishing adventure I need to remember to
throw my farm jack and my shovel in the truck. LOL.

Bob La Londe
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

"Bob La Londe" <nospam (AT) nospam (DOT) no> wrote

As an avid bass fisherman I was recently introduced to surf fishing by a
dear friend.
We generally fish Hatteras Island NC, usually for Blues & Drum.
We often have to drives miles in the soft sand beach to reach productive
holes.
I have found that 15-20 psi works best for my GMC Yukon. 8 psi seems like
overkill,
but your conditions may be different.

15 psi will still allow you to drive on pavement for a short distance,
making allowances for speed & distance.
On hatteras Island there are many stores & bait shops providing free air.

As to your need for a compressor , almost all of the 12 volt portable
compressors are of the
diaphram type compressor. These will buid to a reletivly high pressure but
cannot deliver the volume
you need for a quick refill.

A standard diving cylinder filled to 2000 psi and fitted with an adapter
(all off the shelf accessories)
should top up your tires quickly & safely as long as you monitor the tire
pressures during the refill.

Other wise I'm afraid you are out of luck unless you want to carry a large
gas powered contractors
compressor with you.

Regards,
JR

"JR" <racmsc (AT) epix (DOT) net> wrote


Basically I just drop that low if I am already stuck. If I know I'll be
getting into sugar sand, and plan ahead I'll drop them down to 10-12 before
hand. Also, I run a fairly stiff sidewall tire since its my 4x4 is a 3/4
ton crew that I actually use for work.

Sounds about right.

7 miles to air last night.

Looks like HF might have one. 1.4 CFM at 40 PSI. Sounds like a 3-5 minute
refill to safe road pressure if not full pressure.

I was thinking maybe a CO2 bottle since a lot of contractors use them for
shooting a mouse and string through a conduit, and I could just put it down
as a tool expense for my business and get dual use out of it.

Yeah, I would have to rule that one out. Costs too much for as often as I
would use it either for work or for off roading. For work when I need a
compressor I just bring my roll around and my generator. Both combined cost
less than most gas powered compressors. Unfortunately those are things I
would not want to leave in the back of my truck while I am traipsing through
to brush to a fishing hole.

You gave me some good ideas. Thank you.

Bob La Londe

http://www.YumaBassMan.com

On Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:30:26 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
<nospam (AT) nospam (DOT) no> wrote:

Of the half-dozen or so 13.8vDC air compressors I've had for my
pickup, none of them worked when needed. Now I carry a bicycle
tire pump that has a pressure gauge on it, and it gets my tired to
20 PSI or so after a bit of hard work on my part. I also carry
four 2x12 pine planks six feet long, in case I need to drive out
of a sand pit: these blanks also made a four-foot-wide bed that I
sleep on.


--
http://desertphile.org
Desertphile's Desert Soliloquy. WARNING: view with plenty of water
"Why aren't resurrections from the dead noteworthy?" -- Jim Rutz