gsengle Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 I want a tire pump to keep in the hangar. What do people use? What's my cheapest non aviation option? g Quote
MARZ Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 Although there's a full blown compressor where I share space I have one of the basic plug it in the cigarette lighter compressors available at any auto store, or Harbor Freight Quote
gsengle Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Posted January 17, 2012 Quote: maropers Although there's a full blown compressor where I share space I have one of the basic plug it in the cigarette lighter compressors available at any auto store, or Harbor Freight Quote
201er Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 Ok, for a hangar guy this may not be as appealing as someone who has to go portable to a tie down you can't even pull car up to but I'll throw it out there. Black and Decker cordless inflator This thing is awesome. Charge it at home or in the car (comes with both cables). It pumps slowly but to any PSI well in excessive 150. Just hook it up to the tire and it gives you a digital readout on the display. Use the +/- keys to input the desired PSI and let it run. You can walk away to work on something else and come back in a minute when it is done (automatic shutoff). It has additional hoses for inflating balls, airbeds, etc. It's lightweight and portable so easy for me to carry from car to plane or take on board just in case. When I had a leaky tube, I'd bring the unit with me to top the tires off as needed. The battery lasts for at least a dozen inflations. Even has a built in light for night time inflations. I also got one of these Black and Decker jumpstart/inflator things. To be honest I haven't used it as an inflator cause it has a less precise analog gauge and mostly used it as a battery source. It's pretty heavy and not as good but convenient as an all in one electric/air source to have for the plane. I think it even has an AC inverter built in for low power 120v devices as well. Note I don't work for home depot or black and decker, just really happy with the quality, usefulness, and value of these devices for my airplane. Quote
jwilkins Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 My shared hanger has an air compressor but I use an airtank which I fill at home. I can top off all three tires and still have air left over. The air tank is light and I use a small diameter hose so it is really easy to move around wherever I need it. If you going to keep your compressor in the hanger where power is available and not carry it around with you, there are some 120 volt compressors available at reasonable prices. I bought one for my son on sale at Lowes with a short hose and a nail gun kit for $60. It works great and then you'd have an airgun to blow dirt out of parts and crevices, too. I have a couple 12 Volt compressors but find them slow, noisy, cords are typically too short for aircraft use, and I don't want to run the A/C battery down. We also have a small Black & Decker Air Station that runs on both 12 V and 120 V. Also a little slow, but it works fine. It would be a good choice for something you want to carry in both the plane and your car trunk for ocassional use. It has an automatic shut off when you reach a preset pressure. I set the pressure shut off point a little high then deflate to spec when I use it. It's small and only weighs a few pounds. My bicycle pump is a floor pump and would be a little difficult to position under the wing to pump it up. In an emergency a hand pump would work but I sure would not want to do it if I had a compressor available. I'm having a new tube put in the nose wheel today as I don't like the slow leak down. The mains are fine with the AirStop tubes. The nose wheel needs air every week or two. Not a big problem but I feel better getting it changed out. Jim Quote
Hank Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 I keep a small pancake compressor in the hangar, with the long inflation valve, an air pressure gage and a blow gun. Shop Sears, Wally World and Harbor Freight sales, I think mine was ~$50 on sale. It's not real big, but if I run it til it stops, it will push all three tires from 15-20 psi up to the book number of 30 psi each, although the last one is a little slow because it's running out. For a car tire, it's not nearly enough power or volume. The whole thing is about a foot square, except its round ["pancake" is a good description of the tank shape, the motor sits on top of it]. Quote
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