first posting and on board air system

[lbouisseyjr]

hey everyone, I been on the site for a while reading and obtaining a lot of information, however never really communicated. my name is Lawrence, I have a 2010 Tahoe LT. the best vehicle I have ever owned at that. stationed in New Jersey for the US Air Force, also a volunteer Firefighter for the township I live in.
anyways, I have the idea of getting an on board air system on the Tahoe, for use with an air horn, and in case of a flat, the air is right there. could also come in handy when someone is stuck on the side of the road because of a flat. has anyone on here ever mounted an air tank (approx. 2 gallons) underneath a Tahoe/Yukon? I think it would be a great investment. been looking into Viair quarter duty OBA system since it is all in a kit. what do you all think, would that be a good idea if it is possible to mount it underneath? thanks for the help in advance!! attached is a pic of the Tahoe.

 

[NathanJax]

I have 2 tanks up front behinds my bumper with 2 compressors... Of course it's running an air ride setup, but I can use it for the same things as you're wanting to.

Mine is from kelderman and there's a guy on this site Yates (Derek) who can sell you just the tanks and bracket.

 

[GM Customer Service]

Hello lbouisseyjr,

Thank you for serving our country! I understand that you are seeking technical advice from your fellow forum member but I just wanted to stop by and let you know that GM Customer Care is here on the forum and happy to assist with any general questions or concerns you may have about GM products. We are only a private message away!

Safe Travels,

Jennifer T.
GM Customer Care

 

[NathanJax]

BTW, here's a couple pics of my tanks and compressors.

 

[lbouisseyjr]

That looks great!! I really like how you have that mounted up front..I have been doing some research on this as well, and may have room to fit a tank underneath in the rear of the Tahoe, just to the left of the spare tire (would have to make a bracket also)..so far it is looking like my set up will be the Viair quarter duty Oba system with a Wolo the chief air horn. Then I will connect 2 lines (one to the front and rear each) for air connections for like tire inflation and air tools..I will post when I purchase and take pics as I install the system.

 

[timjohnson22]

I am running the Kelderman setup just like NathanJax. I also have another on board air system for my train horn setup which is in the rear. For my train horn set up I am running the HornBlasters Conductor's Special Model 240 Train Horn Kit. With these kits you can add to the tank to fill up tires. http://www.hornblasters.com/ My train horn is tied into my horn. Make sure that you have a switch to turn off your compressors and another switch to turn off your horn so you can pass state inspection. This is my old set up before I had the Kelderman system added http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te3_iHr3kp4 Now everything is totally different. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVhc-EGmixU

 

[YukonXLPerk]

Guess you can set it up just like i did on my Peterbuilt when I drove for a couple of years. Just have an aux line set up out of the way with a good chuck. Whenever you needed the air, pull out the hose and fill-er-up. Set ups like your talking about got me out of a lot of jams.

Similar pumps like the ones on NATHANJAX can be found at Harbor Freight Tools. They plug into a cigarette lighter port and can reach nearly 20 ft. Not a bad option if you dont want to mount a tank under the vehicle, or keep extra hose inside the car. Think you can find them during a sale for right around $20.

 

[Mgyver1]

As far as compressors go, I would recommend the Puma air compressor. I have a similar compressor that I paid a lot more for. Once I compared my compressor to the Puma one my buddy had I found they were very similar, only his was cheaper. The compressor is 100% duty cycle and pumps out 3.4cfm at 40 psi. It comes with a small tank and needs to be wired with heavy guage wire since it pulls a fair amount of juice. Here's one on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PUMA-12-VOLT-1-5-GALLON-OIL-LESS-AIR-COMPRESSOR-FREE-SHIPPING-/280790586347

 

[lbouisseyjr]

well i finally have the time to put the post up of the install. tried to take pictures as i did the install, but it got dark so i finished the install and took pics. i went with the Viair quarter duty OBA, Wolo the chief air horn, along with a Wolo electric solenoid for the air horn. the pics of the air horn and solenoid are without the air line yet. soon i will be attaching a multi-port connection and more air line to add in a couple connections for using air tools and inflating tires, etc....air tank and compressor are mounted using ratchet straps, only as a temporary means until i get some brackets made.

 

[lbouisseyjr]

here is a video of the Wolo the chief air horn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNx0z5wREZc

 

[Atomic]

The ratchet strap cracked me up! I would recommend some brackets pretty soon haha

I used to have an onboard air system, 5 gal tank, 2 viair compressor, nathan k3, etc. Lot of fun but it seemed like I was always having to mess with wiring, pressure switches, leaks, etc. Very useful though!

 

[lbouisseyjr]

Yeah I am working out something for brackets right now..guess the anticipation got the best of me on that one..lol..

 

[lbouisseyjr]

finally had the time to make a bracket for the tank. took me a few hours to make and a lot of patience with it, but its better than the ratchet straps..i can now put my spare tire back on and call it a day. the only thing left i need to do is order the Viair mounting bracket for the compressor and that will be set. so far this thing has been awesome!!

 

[livingez_123]

Well I see an issue with your setup. You have all of your fittings on the bottom of your tank. Where does water collect? On the bottom. Your pressure switch and wiring are on the bottom asking to be knocked off from road debris. All of the water will be blown out the horn causing a short life span. Time to re-think your install and move it to a better/safer place.

 

[NathanJax]

Well I see an issue with your setup. You have all of your fittings on the bottom of your tank. Where does water collect? On the bottom. Your pressure switch and wiring are on the bottom asking to be knocked off from road debris. All of the water will be blown out the horn causing a short life span. Time to re-think your install and move it to a better/safer place.

x2

fittings, lines need to be up top and drain plug on bottom. You're almost asking it to fail

 

[lbouisseyjr]

makes sense...honestly did not even think about any of that happening. with that said, i can just switch where the safety relief and drain fittings around and flip the tank so everything is on top. ill get on it probably tomorrow when its nice out. not sure where else to mount the tank itself but ill look underneath and see.. thanks for the help and advice guys, its a big help!!

 

[Phil DeVtec]

Nice system. I was looking for something like this because I air down a lot when I'm on the beach and need something to get me back up into the 30's quickly. Thanks for this thread man.