Powertank

[haggishunter]

So I do some sand driving and go down to about 18lbs. I air back up using a 12v vair system. It does job but damn it takes awhile and when the sun is pounding down can be a pain. So have my eye on a power tank and just checking in to see if those that use em luv em. Thanks

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[Road]

Hey - good question. I was looking at Powertank awhile back and found this vid, and though it's from 2.5 yrs ago and may not be up to date on most recent Powertank gear, has some interesting history of Powertank and some comparative testing/demo.

 

[Kent R]

Bought all the parts separate, 10 lb tank from beverage distributor, fixed high flow regulator from Wheelers Off Road in Grants Pass OR., hose and filler I had but can be bought at Home Depot. the whole set up was 1/2 the price of the Power Tank.

 

[Renegade]

Add one of these kits and air up/down all 4 tires at once.

https://updownair.com/

 

[v_man]

I also pieced together a C02 tank for filling tires. Got a 20 lb tank from CL, and bought a regulator and hose and fittings separately. All in it was about $150.

The biggest drawback to Co2 is getting it refilled. If you have a convenient place to refill that is near you then that makes tjings easier. Other considerations with Co2 include making damm sure it is secured properly in your vehicle, that it is secured upright more or less, that you know how to figure out when it's running low, and that you are okay waiting around for 10 minutes while your buddies continue to air up with compressors :)

Long story short I used Co2 for awhile but just went back to a compressor rather than deal with the hassle of refilling it. Oh and there's no way i would shell out 500 hundred plus for powertank, just put together a system for a quarter the price....

 

[Road]

Bought all the parts separate, 10 lb tank from beverage distributor, fixed high flow regulator from Wheelers Off Road in Grants Pass OR., hose and filler I had but can be bought at Home Depot. the whole set up was 1/2 the price of the Power Tank.

I also pieced together a C02 tank for filling tires. Got a 20 lb tank from CL, and bought a regulator and hose and fittings separately. All in it was about $150.

The biggest drawback to Co2 is getting it refilled. If you have a convenient place to refill that is near you then that makes tjings easier. Other considerations with Co2 include making damm sure it is secured properly in your vehicle, that it is secured upright more or less, that you know how to figure out when it's running low, and that you are okay waiting around for 10 minutes while your buddies continue to air up with compressors :)

Long story short I used Co2 for awhile but just went back to a compressor rather than deal with the hassle of refilling it. Oh and there's no way i would shell out 500 hundred plus for powertank, just put together a system for a quarter the price....

Yeah I didn't even bother looking at the price now but thought the vid was interesting for history and comparisons. I ended up not going that route back when I was looking into it all, for the reasons stated above, but use an ARB compressor. Air is always around to be compressed and used, and though slower, it's free once you buy the unit.

 

[Kent R]

I use both the compressor and CO2, I can get the CO2 refilled at the local welding supply shop in about 10 minutes so its not a hassle and I like to use CO2 for the quick air up.

 

[HeliSniper]

I have to agree with Kent R., I also use both whereas my compressor is the backup because I hate the sound of those small compressors (and leaf blowers on a Saturday morning). I also get my refills at my local welding shop. While I'm there I also check my propane level. If you just start talking to the people there they have all kinds of interest as well as some pretty cool ideas. Last time there I had about 4 or 5 guys around my rig and before you know it they were topping off my propane and deflating my tires a re-filling with nitrogen saying it would hold pressure around town better. I like good people.....

 

[haggishunter]

Nice thank you all for the input I appreciate the feedback. I'm going for the powerpak. I will return and update how it works for my application versus my vair 12v system. Thanks.

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[Kent R]

One more thing for thought is the redundancy of a duel system.
I was on a dirt road off of Hwy 395 last year and needed to air up so I took out my Vair 400P and it wouldn't get pressure, found out it blew the reed at the top of the piston and was now JUNK!!! Good thing my buddy had CO2 and toped my off.

 

[haggishunter]

One more thing for thought is the redundancy of a duel system.
I was on a dirt road off of Hwy 395 last year and needed to air up so I took out my Vair 400P and it wouldn't get pressure, found out it blew the reed at the top of the piston and was now JUNK!!! Good think my buddy had CO2 and toped my off.

You know that's a good point. My biggest gripe is running in sand and then coming into hard pack only to stop in desert sun with no shade I don't want to sit out in 90 plus degrees sun beating down hoping the wee vair won't blow up. I'm sold.

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[HeliSniper]

You know that's a good point. My biggest gripe is running in sand and then coming into hard pack only to stop in desert sun with no shade I don't want to sit out in 90 plus degrees sun beating down hoping the wee vair won't blow up. I'm sold.

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I agree on the 90 to 100 degree heat. With a CO2 tank you could cut and tape a box around the main valve while airing up, hook up a 12 volt fan and a duct and you have yourself a McGyver Air Conditioning unit.

 

[haggishunter]

I agree on the 90 to 100 degree heat. With a CO2 tank you could cut and tape a box around the main valve while airing up, hook up a 12 volt fan and a duct and you have yourself a McGyver Air Conditioning unit.

Nice you need to be in sales.

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[HeliSniper]

I am in sales, but I sell beef......

 

[TerryW]

So I do some sand driving and go down to about 18lbs. I air back up using a 12v vair system. It does job but damn it takes awhile and when the sun is pounding down can be a pain. So have my eye on a power tank and just checking in to see if those that use em luv em. Thanks

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I can tell you that I like my PowerTank setup. I ran with 12v compressors for years and when I finally gave one of my son's the old rig ('92 K1500) to go play with, I figured, "what the ****" and bought a 10lb PowerTank..
I mounted it to the bed of the new rig and use it for everything from inflating tires, pneumatic impact wrench( lugs and every thing in between) and most recently for drilling 14" lag screws into the ground to stake out the tent for the duration... Using the impact wrench makes very quick work of that process..
I've never counted the number of tire inflation's nor how many lugs I've pulled off and put back on, nor exactly how many lag screws I've screwed into the ground, (there are 17 lag screws that have to go in and back out on the tent) and I've had that tent up 4 times, but after a year of this new setup, I've been into the back country 5 times and done all the above a few times and I've re-filled the tank once at work when it was only 1/2 down, and again at home when , after a trip I used it at home instead of the floor compressor to do some automotive and wood work with framing and finish nail guns. That was about 1/4 full when I refilled.
I'm lucky enough to have a CO2 supply tank at work as some years back we got into paintball activities and it was easy to store the CO2 at work. Now I just use it for the PowerTank . I'm also fortunate to have a Praxair facility about 10 miles away from the house if I don't feel like filling up at the hangar.
I will say that the price point of the PowerTank is a bit of a problem, but once I was able to use it and appreciate the quality of the tank, regulator, most of the early buyers remorse left me.
I could have gone the DIY route and pieced together the components of a CO2 system, but I must admit to getting lazy about such things these days and as mentioned before, PowerTank puts together a nice product so for me, it was worth it... Your mileage may vary of course. Cheers.

 

[Corbet]

I've been running a powertank for over 10 years. No failures, still running all the original components. It works great but for the amount of CO2 I've purchased I could have one hell of a 12v compressor. It is fun however to tap a keg of beer with the powertank.

 

[haggishunter]

Ok so I finally went out and come time to air up I was excited to use new tank. From 20 to 44psi in less than 2min a tyre. Sold. Luv the powertank. Thanks for all the responses.