The new T-Max Adventurer air compressor........

[barcha]

Thanks for sharing the ebay offer. It seems to be a very good offer. I am looking for a new compressor for a while now but I haven't found what I have been looking for. Maybe this is the right offer for me. Until now I have always used air compressor rentals because this is the most convenient way to get an air compressor if you do not want to buy one.

{admin edit - PM me if you want to discuss}

 

[sae70]

I took my T-Max off its base today, turned the mounting supports ninety degrees and mounted it to the side of my rear storage system to create some extra space inside the storage system where it would normally be kept

I'm very pleased with the result

 

[Crispin]

That's pretty nifty!

 

[AndyCook]

i didn't know you could turn the mounting points around - i will have to go and fettle with my compressor and see if i can put it somewhere.
on trips it bolts onto back of fridge slide box, but i remove that at other times, so the compressor sits in footwell. i would rather have it mounted somewhere all the time!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

mine is in a similar spot but free standing so it's still portable. Better for being out of the way like that but it's still huge!

 

[Crispin]

Instead of bolting it on, could you not have it hang on 4 flat hooks? Like this: http://www.jmcmetals.com/product_images/2008723145550_10.jpg

Guess if you have a long enough hose then you shouldn't ​need to to remove it.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

As a matter of interest, the T-Max looks identical to the Dr Air Pro-Flow compressor as tested by Australian 4WD Action. They compared it to 23 other pumps and it won easily. It inflated 8 tyres, 33x11.5 x 16 in 25.5 minutes. It was 8 minutes faster than the TJM portable and 2 minutes faster than the Opposite Lock twin tongue. The ARB CKMP 12 DID did not finish.

Roger

 

[Crispin]

Only problem I have had with mine was in winter. When it was well below zero and the pump had been in the LC overnight, the nozzle would block up with ice. Warm it up with warm water and it would be fine. Guess they don't have that sort of problem in Aus

 

[sae70]

That's pretty nifty!

Thank you

 

[sae70]

i didn't know you could turn the mounting points around - i will have to go and fettle with my compressor and see if i can put it somewhere

It was easy enough to turn the brackets as the hole centers are the same all round but the bracket at the front needed a fettle with a file to get it to fit well

 

[sae70]

mine is in a similar spot but free standing so it's still portable. Better for being out of the way like that but it's still huge!

Not enough flat space in my cubby hole for it to be free standing. In fact it wouldn't even fit in that gap with the base plate still fitted Yes it is still a large lump, you do make me laugh

 

[sae70]

Instead of bolting it on, could you not have it hang on 4 flat hooks? Like this: http://www.jmcmetals.com/product_images/2008723145550_10.jpg

Guess if you have a long enough hose then you shouldn't ​need to to remove it.

I did think about making something to hang it from the handle, but as I said in my reply to Jon, it wouldn't fit in the gap with the base plate on. Once I'd removed it, I was halfway towards what I did in the end. The whole job took less than 20min from start to finish. It wasn't a planned job it just developed into a project while I was loading up ready for Lincomb

 

[sae70]

As a matter of interest, the T-Max looks identical to the Dr Air Pro-Flow compressor as tested by Australian 4WD Action. They compared it to 23 other pumps and it won easily. It inflated 8 tyres, 33x11.5 x 16 in 25.5 minutes. It was 8 minutes faster than the TJM portable and 2 minutes faster than the Opposite Lock twin tongue. The ARB CKMP 12 DID did not finish.

Roger

Yes it really is a great performing pump There's a link to another Australian 4x4 Mag test on this pump at the start of this thread somewhere

 

[sae70]

Only problem I have had with mine was in winter. When it was well below zero and the pump had been in the LC overnight, the nozzle would block up with ice. Warm it up with warm water and it would be fine. Guess they don't have that sort of problem in Aus

You can please some of the people all of the time but not all of the people all of the time

edit - Is that correct

 

[Chas]

You can please some of the people all of the time but not all of the people all of the time

edit - Is that correct

Yes, that's about right, I think the full monty is 'All the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but not all the people all of the time'

 

[Chris]

Sorry, I remember it as "There's just no pleasing some people"

And we know who you ARE!!!


Chris

 

[occamsrazor]

Hi,

Thought I'd post in this thread as it's along the same line. Getting tired of the time it takes with my crappy cigarette lighter inflator to pump the tyres (275/65/R17) on my 100 series. Done some reading, decided to go for a T-MAX compressor - the smaller 72lpm model as I don't need super-fast pumping and prefer the smaller size and weight. My questions relate to where I connect it to.

Anderson connectors seem to be the way to go, and will also be of use to run say a 400W inverter. The question is where do I put them and how do I wire it, I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to wiring and electrical mods. Two options:

1. Around the dashboard, either in passenger footwell or through unused ashtray - Pros: shorter cable needed to battery, more useful to have inverter in front. Cons: may have to swap sides when using compressor on each side of vehicle to reach all tyres.

2. In the boot - Pros: where the compressor will be stored most of the time. Cons - Longer cable length needed.

3. At the front grille - Pros: good location for the compressor to work from. Cons: Ensuring water-resistance, no option to run inverter or other devices. Have to bring compressor from boot to front (not a big deal).

As well as the location, have some questions regarding connectors and wiring. I don't see that I will need to use the connectors for jump leads - on those rare times I can just lift the bonnet up. So which connectors and wiring can I use? The compressor says 30A maximum draw, so will a 50A Anderson connector be OK (maybe that's obvious, but I'm checking on what safety factor is good to have). And what thickness wiring is needed for that load? I started looking at 175A connectors with 25mm wiring which is clearly the heavy-duty option but it costs a lot and is bulky, so hoping I can get away with the 50A connectors and thinner wiring.

I guess routing such cable to the passenger footwell isn't so hard, but how does one route it all the way to the boot without taking the whole car apart?

Final question, where do I wire these cables up to? Directly to the battery? Or to somewhere else? Is it OK to have them directly connected like that with no "off" switch? Should the cables be fused if so how and where? What would be the best but relatively easy option?

Sorry, some of these questions must be basic, appreciate any advice... Ben

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I have used 50amp connectors on mine which is the larger model so they should be fine for yours. You don't need massive cable, I have used 16mm2 which should be adequate for devices that are not sensitive to a little voltage drop. You should put a fuse inline, close to the battery. I would run the cable into the boot. There is usually a convenient grommet in the bulkhead to get from the engine bay into the passenger compartment and from there run it under the edge of the carpet by removing the plastic trim panels.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

As they say 30 max. I will assume that includes the surge you get at the start to overcome initial inertia. In this case your 50 amp. connector is ample. For wiring you will need 44/0.3mm cable. This consists of 44 strands, each 0.3mm in diameter. This cable is rated at 33amps. This is used for battery feeds in a normal car.

On a personnel basis, I would use the cable I have listed but fitted with a pair of crocodile clips. This way you can connect the pump to the battery, without a fuse, as and when required.

If you do want to put in a permanent wiring system, then you need direct connections to the battery, with a suitable fuse adjacent to the positive output battery terminal. You can buy a midi fuse holder and fuse that will pass a continuous 40 amps.

I would suggest you pay particular attention to the routing of your cables. Use flexible convoluted tubing to protect the cable and keep it away from heat and damage from anything underneath.

Roger

 

[occamsrazor]

I have used 50amp connectors on mine which is the larger model so they should be fine for yours. You don't need massive cable, I have used 16mm2 which should be adequate for devices that are not sensitive to a little voltage drop. You should put a fuse inline, close to the battery. I would run the cable into the boot. There is usually a convenient grommet in the bulkhead to get from the engine bay into the passenger compartment and from there run it under the edge of the carpet by removing the plastic trim panels.

Thanks Jon. Looks like 50mm is the way to go. So basically I just run the cable into the passenger footwell, then under the carpet all the way to the boot? That doesn't sound so bad. Any idea what length of cable one would need (UZJ100)? How and where did you mount yours in the boot?
Roger - Thanks. Any idea where to buy such cable online? I googled a bit but didn't find much, or does it have another name?