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Orange01z28

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My SB 2781 died when I was in Moab. Apparently I was turning it off and on too much which might have contributed to its short lifespan, but that's neither here nor there.

I bought a mini Viair just to get me through the trip while I was there. It worked fine at 4400' and 35°F, but just like i figured, it struggled at 2000' and 95°F when I got home

I'm looking for a replacement now, the same 2781, the Bulldog Winch version of the 2781 (https://trailrecon.com/bulldog-winch-150psi-automatic-portable-air-compressor--41000.html), and various Viair solutions. Of course, while i'm going through this exercise i'm looking into onboard air as well

I'm not planning on adding air lockers, so what would be the advantage of mounting onboard air? I would go with the single ARB and the 813 underhood mount; what advantage would I gain for that extra expense?
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chorky

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Ease of use. Having to open the hood and hook ul to batteries every time is lame. IMO

i will be mounting mine in the bed. Its also helpful for more than just lockers or tires. Blowing off dusty clothes or muddy bikes or a kayak To clean things before putting away dirty gear is nice. Or dusting off the engine bay or a dusty bed after driving a dirt road for a while. Lots of uses aside from just lockers. Plus the simple reason of having air available to repair a flat tire, for those of us in remote areas, is pretty important
 

Rockabillyroy

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convenience. That being said, when I had my portable, I ran an anderson power pole pigtail off the battery so I wouldn't have to open my hood. Just had to snip off the alligator clips and splice on powerpole connectors.

I used that same pigtail when I wanted to plug in an inverter.
 

Frenzy

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My second build I had a portable Viair which cost $240 (years ago) and took 40 minutes to air up four 35" tires. My third build was a JK where I had a $750 Power Tank system which aired up four 37" tires in 5 minutes, but I hated driving to fill it, paying $30 per tank that only lasted 6-7 runs, having the fear of running low/out on the trail, and it took up room in limited cargo space. For my fourth build, the JT, I'll purchase an ARB twin compressor kit (ARBBCKMTA12) that costs $600 together with a DV8 engine bay compressor mount (CMJL-01) that costs $126, have a leader hose coming up for easy access and a on/off switch in the cab. This option will air my 39's as quick and convenient as the tank but I never have to drive and pay for refills nor do I have anxiety of running out so I could fill up a friend as well.
 

sass JT

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I have an arb twin. I first tried it In the engine bay with the DV8 mount. Got soo much heat soak, made it almost unusable. I moved it to under my passenger seat with an arb mount. Work great there.

having onboard air is great, you can use it anytime, anywhere as long as you bring your airlines.

good luck mom your decision
 

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just_another_guy

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I installed a good quality onboard air system because I'm much more likely to air down when I know it won't be a huge pain in the ass to air back up. The truck rides so much nicer and has a lot more traction at 20psi vs 36psi.
 

OffroadAlliance.com

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Mayhem 6

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@Frenzy did a pretty good job explaining some of the benefits, and I've gone through similar iterations with OBA setups.

I'd highly recommend the twin compressor over the single...it pays in the long run. Speed, duty-cycle, expandable...prefer to do it right once...even if that means waiting a bit longer to save up the difference.

In decided OBA vs a portable system, storage was a factor for me. Logically, if I always use it when I'm off-roading in the jeep, then it might as well be mounted to the Jeep and can be mounted in places I couldn't put a portable and not take up storage space. Safety also, which I'm less worried about in the truck, but in the Wrangler it was just more stuff to strap down when bouncing around on the trail in the passenger compartment.

I wont list out all the benefits of an air system beyond just airing tires back up...but a huge one for off-roaders that is often over looked...blowing out your air filter after a day on dusty roads/trails.
 

ShadowsPapa

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Depending on size, but if someone does a portable, maybe for other reasons, using it on another vehicle, away from the Jeep, whatever, there's enough power at the trailer connector to run some compressors if I recall correctly.
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