Compressor to inflate airbags and able to used as an accessory pump

Initially hoping to add the bluetooth controlled firestone airbags from a local retailer I was informed they couldn't supply them for likely 6 weeks so I ended up just taking home the basic kit that is just the bags, lines, brackets and schrader valves.
My question, while i really like the compressor option it would be considerably more useful if it could also double as a accessory pump to fill bike/truck tires along with the bags.
any recommendations?

 

I'm honestly thinking of plumbing in something aftermarket like

$30 Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor - Lamicall 150 PSI Cordless Car Air Pump, 4X Faster Pump with Rechargeable Battery, 12V DC, Digital Pressure Gauge, LED Light, For Auto, Bike, Motorcycle, Ball

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9N6PGV7

My idea is to mount it at the rear of the cab under the seat or maybe in the truck bed since I have the topper and plumb it to the airbags. Haven't thought about making it available for other items but it's doable for sure.

 

Do you want a compressor plumbed directly to the bags or independently so you can turn it on and air up the bags/accessories? I cheap tire inflator like linked above would do great at pumping stuff up. If you want to adjust the bags on the fly, youd want a compressor, tank and valves...a lot more costly.

 

I really like my DeWalt 20V cordless inflator.

I have other DeWalt 20V tools and multiple batteries so it made sense.

The versatility and portability is nice, set it right next to trailer or truck or bike tire you're filliing.

Battery life is pretty good, I can go from 20 to 36 psi on the truck tires after exploring and still have plenty of battery left.

 

Good questions and advice.
Ideally adjustable but i'm sure that opinion could change as you make a good point, a tank and associated parts to manage that will certainly make the price steepen up. Whether or not it makes sense will depend well these bags work on its first line of duty coming up in a few weeks.

 

Ive thought about this too. A hardwired compressor with a pressure switch. Split the lines out. One to the bags with a cut off valve you can access. The other to quick connect you can easily get to connect a line to fill tires, etc.

 

There are some threads on the forum about guys mounting a compressor under the driver's seat...

 

Anything for engine bay or tucked under the body? Sounds system takes up the free space under seats and behind rear seats.

 

I concur ... it also has a high volume side to inflate/deflate portable boats, kyaks and stuff.

 

I ran helper bags and train horns on my previous truck. Had a 5 gallon tank, single Viair 444c pumping 200psi to the tank. Bags were controlled with up/down switches at the dash and the horns with their own switch as well. Costly but was nice having on board air, bag adjustments and the horns. Every port had a regulator so the bags got full tank psi, horns at 120 and my air chuck at 150psi.

So people make it work with just the bags and a schrader valve too.

 

Exactly my hopes as well.
ARB has some decent looking options that could fit the bill but as previously mentioned, at what cost and complexity?

 

This. I have the HF Bauer line of 20v specifically for the truck/travel trailer and these little pumps work really well. Fast on the air bags, acceptable on the 33s, works well on tubes, and is "okay" on a foldout bed with an air mattress. The battery is great, but having it chorded as well is great. Must have, IMO.

 

For what it’s worth, you can fill a set of Firestone bags with a bicycle floor pump to 25-30 PSI in about 10 seconds. They’re a very small air volume and it doesn’t take much.

 

I used to run airbags and started with an Airlift Wireless-1 compressor system. Then I wanted to have an air compressor I could use for tires and other stuff. But, I did t want to have two separate systems. Since the Airlift was a bit of a cheap-ass setup, I did the following:

Airlift system consists of two major components. The compressor and the control box. Wiring harness plugs into the control box, with an output wire to the compressor that is switched in the control box. Sweet!

Rip out the air compressor and throw it away. Replace it with a 12VDC 1/4” solenoid valve. One wire from solenoid gets connected to the control box wire that used to go to the compressor. Other wire on solenoid goes to ground.

The air line that used to connect the compressor to the control box now connects the solenoid to the control box. All I did was replace the compressor with a $15 solenoid.

I installed an ARB dual motor compressor and put a 1.5-gallon tank under the bed. On the air line from the compressor to the tank, I put in a tee and ran a small 1/8” line to the solenoid for air supply.

Now, when I hit the remote to put air in the bags, it simply opens the solenoid and adjusts as needed, right? Well, close. Unfortunately, the air source was too much volume for the control box to work with. It would put air in faster than the controller could manage, so the bags weren’t filling properly.

Easy fix…. I put a simple needle valve in the air line on the input side of the solenoid to slow down the air. Perfect! When I wanted more air, it would smoothly boost up. Still about 10 times faster than the little old compressor, but super manageable for the system.

Works exactly like the original system did. I can use the wireless remote or my phone to adjust air bags. Since the control box manages the bags, it doesn’t matter what else I’m doing with the ARB compressor. The bags stay where they were set.

But, I don’t use that shit anymore. I have Deavers now and don’t need bags. Still use the ARB pump though.

 

this is the initial plan as the trip they're going to be put to practice is in 2 weeks. The plan is still to add an onboard compressor but for now will just be deciding how far to take it and getting my pressures sorted out.

 

I always appreciate when people leave their post-install impressions so here it goes.
I spent some time on the garage floor this weekend and after about 2 and a half beers had the bags installed. First impression, I was a little surprised to see how much they physically lift the bed of the truck after very little being mentioned about it. I'd guess the rear of the truck gained an extra inch at minimum pressure (5lb). At that pressure and up to roughly 12lbs the bags added a little extra support and dampening but almost feel invisible which is exactly what I was hoping for on my soft feeling rear suspension.
They still haven't had a heavy load to deal with but overall I went away feeling very positive about the changes and given how easy and quickly it is to adjust pressure I am less intent on buying their bluetooth/compressor add-on and more inclined to just add on-board air under the hood for half the money.