OBA with Co2

[JeepJunkie]

well after roaming the internet looking for a way to piece together a co2 system i came across a guy selling his...heres what i got for 80 bucks

5lb Co2 Tank (im thinking it will be able to air up my 31s from 15-30psi maybe 20 times?)
dual guage adjustable regulator with femal air fitting

and i just bought some stuff to get it all workin...hose, more fittings, thing to inflate tires and some other stuff....

anyone here running a co2 setup that can tell me approx how many tires i can air up and how long i can run air tools with a setup like this?

if not ill keep everyone posted, ill try to find a shop open tomorrow(sunday) but if not; monday afternoon.

[Black & Tan TJ]

Good price, I have the same system in my TJ (Powertank) with the tank bracket mounted tightly behind the rear seat and tail gate. Not much room for anything larger so I'll carry a spare tank when possible. Yes about 20 air-ups with 31's aired down to 15#. Air tools? Haven't tried those but I don't think you'll get very far since it's a small tank. If you have the room you might want to up grade at some point to a larger tank. It's costing me about $7-8 to refill one and I think $2 may be the "set-up" cost so I try to fill both at the same time.

B&T TJ

[JeepJunkie]

There we go....

regulator; dual guage, female air fitting




first guage is tank pressure, got it filled today at a paintball place $12 bucks and the guy wasnt sure how much he could put in it. put the regulator on and it was at about 800 psi which is where it should be(psi fluctuates with temp can get up to 3000psi before the relief valve opens)

Second guage is to measure how much pressure is going into the hose, up to 150psi....black knob is used to adjust it

filled one of my 31s up from probably 0 psi(didnt check it) to around 30 in probably less than 30 seconds. was able to fill it up quicker than airing down.

[RUGD JP]

I was supposed to have that tank, only cause your local to him i guess, he didnt wanna ship it.

Sweet set up for a awesome price.

[JeepJunkie]

I was supposed to have that tank, only cause your local to him i guess, he didnt wanna ship it.

Sweet set up for a awesome price.

there will be another one somewhere....

plus you dont want it anyway...its got a little scratch on the bottom of the tank.

check out http://beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/tanks/co2.shtml

55 bucks for a 5lb tank or even the 10lb one for 84 and then you just need a regulator and some fittings...i bet you could do it for under 100 especially if you can get the regulator at a welding shop local to you.

[jmbrowning]

Nice CO2 setup! I like the shiny 5# tank! Way cool! The size is very cute!

My write-up on CO2

The welding regulators are fairly inexpensive and allow for adjustable pressure rates if you are running airtools that you care about (I just use ChiCom Harbor Freight disposable tools). I have heard that they can freeze up if you use them for extended periods (over four tires in rapid succession). My regulator cost me $37, after I mentioned my "My Jeep Rocks" club discount (they offer a small discount for any Jeep club).

I highly recommend the 150 female rather than the male as you can just drill out a broken fitting (if it falls over onto the regulator) rather than replacing the whole $37 regulator. The end PSI seen at the hose is a little less than the regulator PSI, so if you are using nice air tools go with a 100 PSI regulator. The flow rate should be the same as any of the other higher PSI regs.

There are sneaky ways to get a cheap aluminum tank too. Put a deposit down for a steel lease tank and when you get it refilled ask if they have any aluminum tanks for exchange. It may be beat-up and have a year or two less on the hydrostatic test date, but you can just eat the deposit on the steel tank (usually much less) and keep the beater aluminum tank and ask AirGas to fill while U-wait (alternatively you could ask the fill station to just fill while U-wait on the ltwt tank and just return it for your deposit when the hydrostat test date comes around).

As Brett has said, airing up with CO2 is probably faster than airing up at the gas station compressor.

Edit-
PS. Don't forget to weigh your tank after you get it filled. The tares weight (empty) of the tank is stamped next to the hydrostatic test date on the shoulder of the tank (my 10# tank is 14.5# so I know around 25# is a good fill).
#1 Ensures you didn't get ripped off with a light fill
#2 More importantly, ensures you don't get a dangerous overfill that might cause the valve safety pop-off to release. This requires a new valve to be inserted.

[JeepJunkie]

jmbrowning, you said you run air tools with your 10lb tank...how long does the tank last when you run the tools? i was thinking about getting some cheapo harbor fruit tools just so i have them just in case.

[jmbrowning]

I almost never run just tools, but mix it up with a bit of tire fills.

Here is a link on what to expect from a 10# and 15# tank with a PowerTank adjustable regulator. You could probably extrapolate from that for your pony tank.