Portable Tire Inflators

Hardwrkr13

Hardwrkr13

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Does anyone carry a portable tire inflator that runs off the 12v socket and have one to recommend? I usually just carry co2 cartridges but I’d like a 12v one that is small enough that I can carry both on tue bike sometimes and in the car on road trips.
 
I've carried a Slime unit similar to this for 15+ years, as well as a tire repair kit. Never needed them, but nice to have.

Walmart link......................


When you purchase one test it in your garage to ensure it works, and then every couple of years.

In the SUV I carry a Ridgid inflator I got on sale for $50 as the Slime would be way too slow for a tire that large.
 
ReSTored said:
I've carried a Slime unit similar to this for 15+ years, as well as a tire repair kit. Never needed them, but nice to have.

Walmart link......................


When you purchase one test it in your garage to ensure it works, and then every couple of years.

In the SUV I carry a Ridgid inflator I got on sale for $50 as the Slime would be way too slow for a tire that large.
Click to expand...
This is a photo of a cheapie that failed on me. It failed because of internal stresses and that would have happened between uses. It would have worked one day and not the next.

When the drive gear hit the gap, pumping stopped.

I'm not a plastics engineer but being made in China for a price point the nylon could have been recycled scrap and poorly, if at all, stress relieved.

I've switched to a more expensive higher output unit.


1781871308546.jpeg
 
Costco has a small Fanttik inflator. I haven't tried it but the Fanttik stuff I have tried isn't awful. For a bike I carry CO2 and/or a small manual stick pump. In the cars I have pumps that I like but they are bigger than I would want on a bike most of the time. I have found the trick for 12V pumps is to look for ones with low max pressure. A pump that will only go to 60 psi normally pumps about 3x the speed of one that will go to 200 psi as they put a bigger piston in the low pressure pump.
 
I wired a cigarette socket on my bike specifically for that reason. I have an old Cnd TIre cheapie, that I test out each year. I used to carry one in the car and when I needed it, I discovered the rubber around the nozzle had hardened and couldn't get a proper seal on the tire valve. I used slime fix a flat to get me home but I had to tell my tire guy who wasn't happy about it come change time. So watch out for that and check on that it works each year. Sometimes a back up compact bicycle pump is good to just get you enough air until proper access to air.
 
GreyGhost said:
Costco has a small Fanttik inflator. I haven't tried it but the Fanttik stuff I have tried isn't awful. For a bike I carry CO2 and/or a small manual stick pump. In the cars I have pumps that I like but they are bigger than I would want on a bike most of the time. I have found the trick for 12V pumps is to look for ones with low max pressure. A pump that will only go to 60 psi normally pumps about 3x the speed of one that will go to 200 psi as they put a bigger piston in the low pressure pump.
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My only concern is if the cannisters go bad. The one's I have are about 10yrs old now and although they look in good shape I don't overly trust them.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
My only concern is if the cannisters go bad. The one's I have are about 10yrs old now and although they look in good shape I don't overly trust them.
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I've never seen a c02 canister empty without being punctured but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. They hold 16 or 24g of c02 depending on size. If you have an empty one, it's easy to weigh the rest and make sure they are full.
 
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nobbie48 said:
This is a photo of a cheapie that failed on me. It failed because of internal stresses and that would have happened between uses. It would have worked one day and not the next.

I've switched to a more expensive higher output unit.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm........ Good to know. I've had no issues with mine so far. It has worked every time I've tested it. Maybe time to get a newer one.
 
Are any of those $100-150 combo jumpstart/inflater packs decent enough to start a typical car battery? Seems the name brand one's all start at $300+.
 
GreyGhost said:
Costco has a small Fanttik inflator. I haven't tried it but the Fanttik stuff I have tried isn't awful. For a bike I carry CO2 and/or a small manual stick pump. In the cars I have pumps that I like but they are bigger than I would want on a bike most of the time. I have found the trick for 12V pumps is to look for ones with low max pressure. A pump that will only go to 60 psi normally pumps about 3x the speed of one that will go to 200 psi as they put a bigger piston in the low pressure pump.
Click to expand...
The Fanttik S200 from Costco is a great little pump. I received one as a Christmas present and have used it quite a few times this year at the cottage. Small enough to carry on a bike, fairly quick inflating times, and the battery lasts surprisingly long.
 
ReSTored said:
Hmmmm........ Good to know. I've had no issues with mine so far. It has worked every time I've tested it. Maybe time to get a newer one.
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Mine worked every time until it didn't. That's the part that bothers me and it's not like the gear is visible and sitting in the open where, like a flat tire you notice right away.

Metal gears would be good.

Nylon could be good but going back to my model airplane days we learned that nylon propellers took impacts better than the cheaper wood ones however they still broke.

UNLESS you boiled them in water for 20 minutes. It seemed to take the stress out of them and they took a lot more abuse.

Was my failed gear heat treated? Did it miss the step? Did anyone care if it saved them a few minutes? Should I open up the pump I have now and see if the gear is nylon and then boil it?

Maybe my new one is belt drive. Belts fail too but the sander doesn't have pistons to take out.

Reliability is a two foot long metal tubed pump with a leather washer.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Are any of those $100-150 combo jumpstart/inflater packs decent enough to start a typical car battery? Seems the name brand one's all start at $300+.
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I have a separate jump starter. Couldn’t find one that would boost and fill more than a half a tire for a decent price.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Are any of those $100-150 combo jumpstart/inflater packs decent enough to start a typical car battery? Seems the name brand one's all start at $300+.
Click to expand...

I've bought 2 of these for the wife and i, both of us have jumped someone elses vehicle with it. You'll have to figure out just how big a motor you want to jump depending on the model etc. but this one for instance can jump up to 5.0L

most also have a flash light and extra bonus that it also becomes another battery pack if and when needed.
 
Evoex said:

I've bought 2 of these for the wife and i, both of us have jumped someone elses vehicle with it. You'll have to figure out just how big a motor you want to jump depending on the model etc. but this one for instance can jump up to 5.0L

most also have a flash light and extra bonus that it also becomes another battery pack if and when needed.
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Which size do you have? I read reviews on a different 3000a combo one that said it wouldn't start a truck but failed to say the size of the motor involved.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Which size do you have? I read reviews on a different 3000a combo one that said it wouldn't start a truck but failed to say the size of the motor involved.
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We both have the 2000A

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FWIW I have a decent little lithium-ion inflator that works reasonably well for cars and motorcycles. It can top up a light duty truck tire but not fill it, and for larger trucks it is useless.

It works well enough that I am convinced that it is possible to build a good quality combo jump starter / inflator
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