ENDLESS AIR
Whether
you're a beach fisher, a rock hopper, or an outback track junkie; someday
you'll need a compressor.
A flat tyre could strike at the far end of Seventy Mile Beach, halfway up a mulga-strewn sand dune in the Tanami, or deep in a mountain valley miles from civilisation.
If it's only the first, perhaps you can change it for the spare. By the time you've had three flats you'll be digging out the bead-breaker, the mallet, the tyre levers and whatever puncture repair kit you have.
Okay! Fine, you've repaired the tyre. Now get out the hand pump and . No, just kidding. Flick the ignition, fire up the donk in the trusty fourby, whip out the air hose, connect it up to the Endless Air compressor outlet and, hey, presto! In 55 seconds you will be on your way.
There may be other compressors on the market, some of them extremely capable, but can they inflate a fourby tyre in 55 seconds? Probably not.
The main advantage of this type of air compressor is that it is robust and manufactured from automotive components, modified especially for the job at hand.
If your vehicle is fitted with a snorkel, it is sensible to plumb the intake for the compressor into this, so that you can have the compressor running even under water - something that can be dangerous with 12V electrical compressors.
Originally
an air-conditioner-type compressor, Kareela Engineering converts the unit
for use as a pure air compressor. This involves re-engineering bearings
and seals, as the air-con type is designed to have lubricant flowing around
the system, which is not good in an air compressor.
The fitted electric clutch makes it work just like the air-con - only when you've switched it on - the rest of the time if freewheels on the fan pulley bolt. Unlike 12V compressors that only operate when switched on, the engine-driven type has a pulley and bearing which constantly spins. Of course, it's designed to do just that on a car, so this should not worry anyone.
One of the key differences between this and other compressors is the quantity of air pumped out. Enough to inflate a standard fourby tyre in 55 seconds is great, but it also has the capacity to run a rattle gun! When fitted with a small reservoir, the maker claims as small as 140 x 200mm (6" x 8"), it can also operate an impact wrench for removing wheel nuts and other mechanical work.
In addition, if your fourby is fitted with air-operated locking diffs (all right, Air Lockers is what everyone calls them, but it's a brand name, yer know!), you can also use the Endless Air compressor to run them.
Fitting a reservoir, which can be pretty much any container of the right strength, also enables the tyres to be pumped up quicker. It also enables use of the airline for blowing dirt and mud off the rim and beads when repairing a tyre. It will even inflate the airbed and the kids' swimming pool toys!
Not every engine bay can be fitted with an Endless Air compressor, but if yours can, it's a particularly useful accessory to have on board. Especially if you don't want to wait around to pump up those tyres.
Reproduced courtesy of 4WD Monthly.
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