Hey Lightwater, your work there is very impressive. I reckon you and Vesko would get on like a house on fire. He's always inventing and installing all sorts of gadgets and contraptions to make overlanding more civilised. He has a very good 2nd battery system and on tap water storage and delivery that would probably interest you.

Thank's for your comments. I like more mechanical side of things & if reasonably possible quite happy to modify & improve off the shelf items where I see poor design. As long as I don't have to get my hands too dirty! Getting older! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Mate, I'm already old

Hi lightwater, nice job! Congratulations
In Argentina we also carry a compressor when going to the beach. I have one in the boot and I was thinking of getting a proper one under the seat as you did.
A couple of questions: what's the tank for? For having compressed air ready to inflate you tyres?
Did you try to fit it under the hood? Is there room for it, or is it the only alternative to have it under the driver's seat?
Did you consider having a dual battery system? I'd like to but I can't find room for the second one.

Thanks,
Juan

The tank is not necessary but while between actually pumping up each tyre or double checking tyre pressure. The pump can continue to pump and store air so the overall process is a quicker.

Since getting back from holiday I have found using a blowing/dusting nozzle on the end very useful for blowing dust and sand out of difficult to get to locations like the boot hinges.

Blower in one hand and vacuum in the other works well.

It is possible to get 1 compressor under the hood in front of the air filter box. I had made a template for a bracket to be made. In the end I put the compressors under the seat.

Two advantages of under the seat is the compressor will be pre-cooled with the air conditioning and being in the car less dust and dirt getting into the compressor. Compressors get seriously hot and the cooler you can run them the better for safety and due point. The colder the air goes into the tank the more effectively moisture is removed.

One more advantage, simply having a tank even without a moisture trap will dry the air. The tank should be able to be emptied every now and then. Aluminum tanks are safer in the long run than steel as they don't rust.

Moisture traps (mine has a regulator) are cheap and the further they are along the line the better.

The second compressor is hanging off the side of the aluminium bracket via a second bracket.

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Here is a replica of an old fashion dual compressor setup. I prefer the electric version!

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Added a venturi blower which can be used as a vacuum. The vacuum works with short bursts, I might add a second 4 litre tank. Adding more compressors would be better but it's getting a bit expensive! The blower works well when you need a large volume of air but it is only for short bursts of 5 seconds & volume then has to keep up with the compressors.

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Overkill setup for LR2 but nice
I have both LR2 and LR3, portable air compressor (bushranger max is more than enough for me)

2018 Update, rather than starting a new thread:

ARB triple compressor setup: 200 LPM @ 29 PSI, or 125 LPM (4.4CFM) @ 90 PSi (90 PSI industry standard).

More to come!

But in the meantime I have but removed the plastic door mouldings for running compressed air line, easy enough, but, other than the simple clip with basic water sealing, I would not want to leave the Freelander in water for any length of time for more than is absolutely necessary! This is a side issue!

3 holes to the road:

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Getting the ugly bits out the way. I am a bit surprised at the amount of dust behind the trim I have removed, to try & find a suitable mounting position for the air line outlet.

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Compressor #2 disconnected to allow more access for wiring for compressor #3. Pulling air hose & wire loom must be half the effort of any job! But it will be worth it in the end.

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The third compressor is bolted to a block of timber with a nylon M6 nut at the bottom edge of the timber.

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On your recent travels "We drove about 9000km around Victoria & SA"......... did you have cause to use the compressed air set-up ???

.

I had one puncture about 100 km from a town! I also did not have my second spare wheel as we had not intended to go very remote.

It is recommended when remote to keep repairing your damaged tyre so you have the best possible backup!

Also helped out another driver who had the same compressor as me, but he had forgot to put his tyre repair kit in his car from their other car (same kit as mine)! Their puncture went right through the thickest part of the tread of the off road tyres on their Toyota Landcruiser. This was also about 100 km from a town & the dirt roads in the area were a pretty horrific road base. Tyre puncture material!

He previously had a puncture where he used 5 plugs & a stick jammed into the hole to limp back to civilization.


Compressor, repair kit, at the very least is peace of mind when you are remote. It gives you far more options! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I will also add that you don't have to be that far from civilization. 100 km, +45°C, not much water left & 2 flat tyres! I have had 2 flat tyres in one go & it really makes you sit up & think about basic survival! I have driven all over Italy, France, Germany, England etc. The Australian outback at the best of times is a whole different situation!

We were here during a "cold snap" of +35°C & planned to get out the next day before the central Australia heatwave hit the following day. Kangaroos were digging holes in pebble laden creeks to try & reach water. I had killed a goat the previous day, it had fallen off a cliff the & broken its back & only one leg moved. I didn't want it to suffer any longer so found a 15 kilo rock to get a quick as possible outcome. As I said it gets back to basics out here! The kangaroos didn't flinch at our presence within 3 metres walking along the same creek with our water bottles!

When we stopped the car & looked around this area, not too far from the car, 300 metres or so, we simply left the car running with air conditioning running. I also noted that the closest petrol station, west of Blinman was on holidays until February, so it was a long drive to the second closest petrol station & I didn't have my 40 litres of backup on the LR roof racks, as we had no plans to be here this time of year originally. It was only because of the "cold snap" that we decided to duck up to the north Finders Ranges!

The engine cooling fan was running flat out about 95% of the time! We also had 50 litres of water, which is not actually that much, but it would give us 5 days of backup as we were each drinking 3 liltres a day & not wasting a drop on anything else, like cleaning teeth, let along cleaning a saucepan!

South Australia aerial maps: http://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/

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