On board air for farm truck

[Dadsgreenpsd]

Those York compressors work pretty well. Piston compressor, oil sump, check older dodge/fargo motorhomes in the scrapyard. (other older cars too)

[monckywrench]

Cheap and portable. I get a lot of use out of this:

CO2/nitrogen portable tire filler the cheap way. - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

[crazyal]

Did the F550 have the option for air brakes? I know my older international has a standard 2 cylinder pump mounted on the engine for the brakes. If you could find one in the junkyard it could be an option.

[Oldtractorfixer]

An A/c compressor will work well for quite awhile. The only problem is the little spring valves in them rust up and break. They are not hard to replace on the piston type compressors, just need to be aware.

[Case485Guy]

Have not tried this yet, but its cheap
DIY 12 Volt On-board or Portable Air Compressor for $35 - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

I have also thought about wiring up an inverter and buying a small 110v compressor, just have not got to it yet.

[Builder]

Have not tried this yet, but its cheap
DIY 12 Volt On-board or Portable Air Compressor for $35 - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

I have also thought about wiring up an inverter and buying a small 110v compressor, just have not got to it yet.

I like that one. Thanks for posting that up.

[Nicb7800]

Hello

There are a few different options you could do, I have installed several on different vehicles and some are easier than others. You need a York air compressor of of a jeep wagoneer 70s 80s or also ford had them in the 70s 80s on there full size broncos trucks etc, there are others I am sure but you just want to make sure that you get the kind that takes oil and has two ports out the top. You then will have to find a place on your engine to run it off of, sometimes you have to remove a idler or run another pulley to make it work. There is a place called Kilby enterprises i believe they are out of California, but the will probably have a bracket to attach it to. If not and you are handy at all it's not a a huge deal. That is the hardest part after that you will have to cutt the nipples of the top and drill and tap it. Then it's just running your tank and wires to your batt,pressure switch, toggle,etc. it actually sounds a lot worse than it is. As far as air delivery at 2500 rpm it will fill up a a ten gallon tank to 140 p.s.i in about 20 seconds. I personally have one on my jeep along with everyone else in our circle and when set up right you wonder how you ever done without it. If you decide to go this route let me no and I will give you better instructions how to do it. Thank and I hope this helped a little.

[tlbuser]

I like that one. Thanks for posting that up.

Take a look at harbor freight item 66399 on sale for 59.99 I got one a few years ago to have around just in case. Keep a portable air tank on the truck too ( actually a scba tank )

[pjbci]

Im with crazyal. Am I right that those power company bucket trucks are F550's. They have airbrakes. The engine block should have a spot machined for a compressor.

[SLHawkins]

Builder,
I have installed on-board air on every F350 that I have had. It is real simple and easy to do, and relatively inexpensive. The first two were just the air compressor and tank. On the last two, I had air springs installed and just tied into the system.

Go to AWDirect and order the air compressor, or firestone and order direct. Do not get a cheap air compressor, nor a used or one from a junk yard - unless you can clearly ID a model number and parts supplier. On my earlier 'projects'; I had to replace the motor or something on the compressors often. (about $200)

THen go to a junk yard and get one of the air tanks off an old truck. A 2.5 or 5 gal tank is fine. If all you are going to do is run a line for pumping up tires or blowing stuff off, one or two ports is fine. I ran air horns, air bags, and a line for pumping up tires. (about $5.00)

Go to any truck parts supplier and get the straps to hang the tank on the chassis of your F550. You will have to fabricate some brackets out of angle iron or something. This does not have to be a heavy piece of iron. I got what I needed from Home Depot.

You can get everything you need from AWDirect for about $600.

search air compressor


You can mount these on the chassis right under the passenger door or the bed.

If your F550 has the upfitter switches, you can tie into one of these to turn the compressor on and off. One of the advantages of ordering the kit, is will the pressure switch that will shut off the compressor and 100 psi and restart at 80 psi (I think).

Here is another site to get the parts that you need.
Hadley

I have done this a couple of times, and I will be doing the same when I pick up my F450 in May. So, if you have any questions, just drop me a line.

Hawk