Home made air tank?

[Stonestacker]

I need an air tank for 4 wheeling, and i thought about using a 5 gallon propane tank as a
portable air tank, with 130 PSI.
Do you guys think it can handle 130 psi safely and leagally. Thanks, Stonestacker

[MXtras]

Safely - yes. Before I knew any better I had done this very same thing every weekend for adjusting the tire pressures on my bikes at the track. I did not have any problems and it was a pretty common thing to do back in the olden days....

Legally? I am not sure about that.

Scott

[Zrexxer]

Geez, just get an air tank. You can find them everywhere - Craigslist, pawn shops, etc. - for $10-$15. Then you're done with it.

[Blacksmith]

1) Hot Rod magazine had an article on how to do this in the 60's
2) What Zrexxer said; you can probably spend more on the fittings, adapters, etc. to convert a used propane tank.

[malibu101]

My old converted freon tank to air tank went bad about a year ago. Hose rotted away but I had years of good use out of it. You used to be able to buy kits for freon or propane cylinders to do the air tank conversion.
I agree with Zrexxer, I just snuck into HF and got a new tank there. About the same size as my old tank and more stable with a little better valve.
How sad is it when HF is a step above what you had?

[MXtras]

I agree - you can get an air tank from just about anywhere now for about $20 and you will be good to go.

This wasn't the case 20 - 25 years ago! One thing to thank China for - cheap air tanks.

Scott

[dbldubg]

here's a thought, use an old ac comp. and tank right on your truck for air all the time not just one fill

[xxjeepxx]

I have am old beer keg that I use as a extra air tank. I want to turn the keg into a fuel cell ( I wish I had the time )

I have also seen a whole roll cage used as a extra place to store air. He welded a few bung bushings to tap into & made sure it was air tight It probley dosent hold much but a cool idea!

[DavidLH]

I suggest you use a 10 or 20 lb CO2 tank for airing truck tires on the trail. I have airtanks and they are great for my ATV tires but will only fill 2 15" truck tires. A 20 lb CO2 will fill approximately 60 full size 15 " truck tires. Go to the Powertank website for info. Powertanks cost $400 but you can put together your own for under $50 (I have done it several times). New regulator with 125 PSI spring is $35, used tanks are not hard to find (I have purchased about 20 and never paid more than $5). Hose and a quick coupler and air chuck and you are ready. I pay $12 (Modesto,CA) to get my bottles filled.

[ArcBurn]

I built a combination rear bumper air-tank with receiver hitch for a '74 F-350. You could haul your trailer full of toys, and fill 2 truck tires from the air spigot if needed. With some 6" channel iron, some 6" x 1/2" strap and a half sheet of tread plate, you can build one pretty easily. Looked good, too. Granted it's not as easy as going out and buying an air tank, but when you hook the hose to your bumper and fill your mudders that you dropped to 12 pounds to get up the hill, it makes the newbies take notice.
(I'd hate to get rear-ended with 120 Lbs in it though!)

[TozziWelding]

I made my friend one from a piece of sch80 6" pipe that also doubles as his bumper. Old #20 propane tanks make great bead seaters.

[flexlarson]

David H
Can you email me the particulars on what is needed to do the CO 2 tank for air?
What regulator and what thread for the tank.
What valves needed
What tanks to look for.

If you have a tank and reg setup I would be interested in purchasing

email or post on here
bmlarson@usd.edu

[Winger Ed.]

Something I used to see in the old days was folks using a 'air hold' fitting that you could put in a spark plug hole.

This thing was used to presurize a cylinder to hold the valves up while you changed the valve stem seals without pulling the head off.

It screwed down into the spark plug hole, then you plugged a air hose onto it.

It also works backwards too.
Put it in a spark plug hole, connect a air hose to it, start the engine, and you have a real handy air compressor.

.

[Zrexxer]

Put it in a spark plug hole, connect a air hose to it, start the engine, and you have a real handy air compressor.

I have one of those I bought off the Matco truck years ago when I was wrenching for a living. There are two things wrong with that theory:

1) Without a check valve, which an air hold hose doesn't have, the cylinder will suck the air right back out as soon as the piston goes on the downstroke.

2) If you do find a way to make it work, you now have a highly compressed container of volatile gasoline vapor. Can you say "BOOM?"

[wrenchbender]

I have one of those I bought off the Matco truck years ago when I was wrenching for a living. There are two things wrong with that theory:

1) Without a check valve, which an air hold hose doesn't have, the cylinder will suck the air right back out as soon as the piston goes on the downstroke.

2) If you do find a way to make it work, you now have a highly compressed container of volatile gasoline vapor. Can you say "BOOM?"

Eggzackery Zrexxer dis is da truff, But I've seen guys do it using a one way valve inline. But I ain't never been that hard up for air.........(explosive gases)......... yet in my tires.