Tire air pump for hangar

Mistake Not...

Mistake Not...

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Mistake Not...
Moved to a new hangar. Threw out the Harbor Freight compressor when I left the old hangar. It had serve faithfully, but it was weak, the hose couplings leaked, took forever to come to pressure for one tire, etc.

Would rather not spend $$ on a good compressor just for the hangar when I only need it every few weeks.

Would a bicycle pump work?
 
I have an air compressor at home. When I want to check my tires on the plane I pump up a portable air tank to take to airport. I have a bicycle pump and it will work but does require a bit of work.
 
MickYoumans said:
I have an air compressor at home. When I want to check my tires on the plane I pump up a portable air tank to take to airport. I have a bicycle pump and it will work but does require a bit of work.
Click to expand...
I have a little campbell-hausfeld 120v walmart special inflator at the hangar. It works fine unless a tire is completely flat. Gotta get the air bubble then...
 
I like the idea of the portable tire inflator thingy. The pressure(s) should be in range (max 50psi for nose gear, I think).

Thanks.
 
Home Depot's little Ryobi 18v inflator is what I use. I keep it in the car with a charged battery, so I can use it on the car or airplane.
 
I bought one from Menards for not a lot of coin. I'd just scrubbed a flight for a low tire, and there was no can of air available at the airport. Decided there and then I was never going to scrub a flight again for a low tire. Whatever I spent on the compressor is dwarfed by all the other spending I do on aviation.
 
I ended up with three air compressors. The big ass one in the hangar in NC. My old home compressor that dates back to my air brushing days that had survived driving a variety of air tools (nailers and such) over the years moved to the CJR hangar. I bought a cheesy Craftsman thing for doing the tires at home. Now they're all sitting around in NC along with a couple of portable air tanks.
 
steingar said:
I bought one from Menards for not a lot of coin. I'd just scrubbed a flight for a low tire, and there was no can of air available at the airport. Decided there and then I was never going to scrub a flight again for a low tire. Whatever I spent on the compressor is dwarfed by all the other spending I do on aviation.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But this is temporary (the location) and I'd rather not buy a bunch of stuff I have to move. Last annual, I had the main tire tube replaced that was leaking, so it's pretty stable. Still, every now and then I top 'em off and there's no easy way to do that now.

The portable inflator looks like the ticket.... I can use it for the car too.
 
I have one of these for home use: https://campbellhausfeld.com/cordle...volt-power-outlet-cc2300.html?category_id=309
https://campbellhausfeld.com/cordle...volt-power-outlet-cc2300.html?category_id=309
It would pump up an airplane tire pretty quickly.
Hans-Franz.jpg
 
I have one from Lowe's and been using it for about 4 years for my car and now for the plane, it's electric though

Kobalt 12 volt, u can use from ur car lighter outlet too

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
A decent bicycle pump works fine... Most of the modern mountain bike tires run similar pressures and air volumes to a typical GA tire...

Scott
 
I use a bike pump put with a very thin screw on valve, works great for the hard to get to stems
 
Mistake Not... said:
Agreed. But this is temporary (the location) and I'd rather not buy a bunch of stuff I have to move. Last annual, I had the main tire tube replaced that was leaking, so it's pretty stable. Still, every now and then I top 'em off and there's no easy way to do that now.

The portable inflator looks like the ticket.... I can use it for the car too.
Click to expand...
I like the ones they sell at auto stores, but the widget that connects to the valve stem is too big on most to fit my aircraft. That, and all the automotive ones have used cheap little 9 volt chargers that break if you just look at them. I'm fairly certain that my little compressor cost about the same as a high end automotive pump. Still, to each his own, good luck.
 
While I have a pancake compressor, and a larger (quieter) model for the shop, if I just need to top off an auto tire/bike tire I have a small model branded by Slime (the tire seal/patch company) that works surprisingly well. It won't air up a flat auto tire (like a 285/60/R18) in less than 15-20 minutes, but for a small aircraft tire it'd be just fine. It's not as loud as the pancake compressor by a long shot, and I can set the dial on the pressure I want it to stop at and walk away.
 
Mistake Not... said:
Moved to a new hangar. Threw out the Harbor Freight compressor when I left the old hangar. It had serve faithfully, but it was weak, the hose couplings leaked, took forever to come to pressure for one tire, etc.

Would rather not spend $$ on a good compressor just for the hangar when I only need it every few weeks.

Would a bicycle pump work?
Click to expand...

I carried a 12 Volt compressor, the brand name of which I have forgotten, in my car for many years. Finally wore it out, and replaced it with one from Harbor Freight.
That one works well also - except that the screw-on fitting can be a PITA with some valve stems. I'll look for a clamp-on style if/when I replace it. I use it for tires of
all sorts - cars, bikes, airplanes, hand trucks, wheelbarrows etc. A most useful gadget.

Dave
 
No electricity in our hangar so we've used a bike pump for "forever"... I have little compressors in the pickup trucks but they're all tucked away and I don't feel like getting them out and getting the truck close enough to the airplane's nose to make the 12V cord reach. Mountain bike style big bike pump (with an thin extension to get into the wheel pants) works fine. Can also double as a tester for the O2 meter or fitness watch... just check that heart rate went up, so you know you're not dead. :)
 
I bought one of these: http://a.co/7Rv5ok0 to carry in the plane.
It seemed useless the time I needed it. Maybe there are other compact lightweight bike pumps that would work better.
We carry 12 volt portables in the cars like these: http://a.co/5i9WGsn
I have heard of guys using CO2 inflators powered by the small co2 cartridges.
 
My compressor size and anything else needing electricity is limited by the circuit breaker servicing my hangar; 20A. Since the hangar is rented from the city I don't have the option of going to 220. This compressor (DEWALT DWFP55126) will do most everything I need to do albeit not as fast as some.
 
I have successfully used a floor-type bicycle pump on 182s and 206s. You have to pick one that will fit onto the valve stem, considering the geometry of the wheel rim and pants, if any.
 
Here's what I do:

I have a portable air tank that has enough volume to refill tires for months and a portable AC electric compressor to keep the tank full.

This system works without worrying about whether there is electrical power available, either from an AC outlet or a battery!
 
Update: I found a clip-on adapter that the stock threaded chuck screws onto directly. Here is what the seller called it "8mm Clip On 5/16'' Auto Car Tire Inflator
Valve Connector Air Chuck Brass". Found on eBay for about $1.50 plus shipping. Big improvement!

Dave
 
06D55C75-0234-4DCC-8A45-7BECF25AA8F9.png Here’s what I use, fill it up at home. It’s a Jegs aluminum, likely just relabeled from wherever.
 
Mistake Not... said:
Moved to a new hangar. Threw out the Harbor Freight compressor when I left the old hangar. It had serve faithfully, but it was weak, the hose couplings leaked, took forever to come to pressure for one tire, etc.
Click to expand...

Is it possible that the problem was leaky hoses, not the compressor?
 
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