tap'n into the suspension compressors

[scott]

has anyone found away to tap into the air suspension compressors so that you can reinflate the tires after airing down for wheel'n?

[bbyer]

suggest a portable air compressor, however ....

Per the link below, an Australian outfit has a kit that screws into a removable bung on the front end of the air tank.

The newer 3's do not have the bung any longer mounted on the airtank, however the early ones have the bung located at the front end of the tank. With the kit, one just removes the bung and screws in the valve and attaches the regulatorand air line connector. An included air line is then plugged into the connector.

The reason for a regulator is that the air tank pressure runs somewhere near 250 psig, (17 bar). This high a pressure is dangerous when not under control.

While using the 3's air system seems to be an elegant solution, myself, for a number of reasons, (safety and operational and design considerations primarily), I think that a portable 12VDC compressor is overall, a better method for tyre filling.

With a portable air compressor, you need either a long power cord or long air line. The long power cord takes less space than an air line, so overall, the space required to store a portable air compressor and power cord is not much more than for 30 feet of air line.

The real reason for preferring the portable air compressor, (air compressor in a bag), relates to the air dryer system on the 3. The air dryer desiccant is located within the air compressor assembly. When compressing air, the desiccant absorbs water; when the 3 exhausts air, the exhaust air runs back thru the desiccant and in theory, removes the water, (ie, dries the desiccant). The design concept is that the 3 air system is a closed system; that is all the air that enters, also exits back thru the system.

When the compressor is used as a tyre filler, the above is not true any longer. In brief, the air system air is just too high class; it is dry, dust free, and compressed up to 250 psig. A tyre does not need that kind of high spec air.

http://store.mitchellbros.com.au/discovery-3-tow-hitch/discovery-3-air-off-kit