November 2001 -- Finally a compressor
exists that can run air tools without a tank and can inflate large
tires in a timely fashion.
Mounted to the winch motor is a
York air compressor.
If the compressor head looks familiar to some of
you, there is a good reason for that. It is a York air conditioning
air compressor, powered by a 12Vdc winch motor. Now you can have
the performance of a belt driven air compressor (or better
depending on how fast you would have been willing to run your
engine while using the compressor - ours runs at 1650 RPM @ 50 PSI)
with the convenience of a 12Vdc compressor you can mount anywhere -
it can even be made portable! You don't have to hassle with
building a custom bracket, figuring out how to re run your belts,
giving up your air conditioning, or having to get a refill like you
do when your CO2 bottle is empty (don't get us wrong, Power Tanks
are fine units and we sell them as well - each has it's
place).
It will inflate a 35x12.50R15 tire
from 15 PSI to 30 PSI in less than one minute!Specifications:
Note: Our
performance measurements are made at an honest 11.8 to 12.2 Vdc,
unlike some of our competitors who test their units at an
artificially high voltage to make their products look better than
they really are! Current Draw:
For those of you
concerned about the amount of current this unit consumes, let us
take this opportunity to put you at ease. Compare the current draw
of the Trailhead Air Compressor at 50 PSI (150 Amps) to the new
Quick Air 3 compressor at 50 PSI (45 Amps). Then compare the flow
rates at the same pressure. The Trailhead Air Compressor pumps out
a whopping 7 CFM (cubic feet per minute) vs. the Quick Air 3's 1.8
CFM. Although the Trailhead Air Compressor draws 3.33 times the
current the Quick Air 3 does, it is 3.9 times faster, so you only
use it for ¼ the time. The result: the overall current draw
for both compressors in terms of Amp-Minutes to do any given task
is roughly the same. This comparison when made against other
compressors yields similar results (again don't get us wrong, we
don't have anything against the Quick Air 3; we sell them
too).Don't you need a heavy duty
alternator to supply enough power though you may ask?
Not really. Your battery really does all the work
at these kinds of loads. No doubt your charging system needs to be
in top working order, and we do recommend leaving your engine
running on at least idle when using the compressor for more than a
minute or two. But you would have to do that with every other 12
Vdc compressor anyway. How important is 100% duty cycle?
This compressor has a 25% duty cycle and can run for 12 to 15
minutes at 50 PSI after which it must cool down for 45 minutes to
reach ambient temperature again. Very few 12 Vdc motors have 100%
duty cycle and virtually no winch type motors do. A notable
exception is the Thomas 1/3 HP 12 Vdc compressor, so let's compare
the two in terms of real world performance. The Thomas (you may
also know as the Ready Air and the Currie air compressors) produces
an honest 2.2 CFM open flow. It also takes about 20 minutes to
inflate four 35x12.50R15 tires from 15 PSI to 30 PSI. The Trailhead
Air Compressor takes less than four minutes to do the same job. Or
one hour to do three vehicle's worth of tires for the Thomas vs. 12
minutes for the Trailhead after which is must cool down. At the end
of one hour both compressors can again do another three vehicles
worth of tires, but with the Trailhead, you could be 45 miles down
the highway. Note that if the Trailhead is mounted to your front
bumper (like a winch) the airflow while driving will actually cool
it off in about 30 minutes. So the Trailhead Air Compressor's
extremely high performance more than offsets it's 25% duty
cycle.The
Numbers
The information presented in this
material is based on technical data and test results of nominal
units. It is believed to be accurate and reliable. It is the
responsibility of the user to determine the suitability of the
product for his intended use and the user assumes all risk and
liability whatsoever in connection therewith. Oasis Off Road Mfg.
does not warrant, guarantee or assume any obligation or liability
in connection with this information.
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