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Posted by David Sherman on Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 18:50:42 :
In Reply to: Re: ARB Lockers posted by MoparNorm on Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 17:27:13 :
How much power does it really sap? I know it will theoretically sap some due to belt friction, windage, etc., but a belt-drive compressor unloads once the air pressure is up, and at that point it's not drawing much power.
It really comes down to what you intend to use it for. There's no point in having a big compressor, electric or belt-drive, if all you need it for is to lock the differentials, and maybe air up a tire in an emergency. Electric has the advantage of being easy to mount and to turn on and off as needed. Most 12 volt compressors are very light duty, flimsily built, and would be hard-pressed to even air up one tire in an emergency. I assume the humvee one is heavy duty, but probably not nearly so easy to scrounge up as an old air conditioner pump or an air pump off of some old truck. I think once you decide you need more air than a small electric unit can provide, the choice between a heavy-duty large capacity electric powered compressor and a belt driven one mostly a matter of what you happen to be able to find and which one you feel like trying to mount.
I'm kind of surprised that a 2 gallon receiver is enough to run your air tools. I find that even with about 10 gallons of receiver on my big truck, I can't run a 1" impact wrench at all, and I can only run the 3/4" one in short bursts. Even so, that 3/4" impact wrench and a hex/square Budd socket makes changing tires on the side of the road way easier.
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