Free air?

[Bird]

i made the mistake of trying to pump my own gas while passing thru oregon one time years ago....i got yelled at. I was so pissed off, i left without buying any gas. i got it in Wash state instead. The lefties of Oregon figure people are too stupid to pump their own gas i guess..... what other reason exists for this.

Yeah, I didn't know about that law the first time I stopped in Oregon and I started putting gas in my truck and an obviously mentally handicapped young man then came outside and bawled me out for it. Probably the only time in his life that he got to feel superior to someone, so I just ignored it. And of course I intended to fill it up, but he stopped a good 5 gallons short of filling it.

And of course he never mentioned doing any other service, and I didn't either.

The politicians claim the purpose of requiring an attendant to pump the gas is to keep the ladies from getting their hands dirty. But the real reason of course is to provide employment for otherwise unemployable people.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Sheetz here in PA has free air at all of their locations! They are expanding to MD, OH, NC and FL? I believe

 

[grsthegreat]

Yeah, I didn't know about that law the first time I stopped in Oregon and I started putting gas in my truck and an obviously mentally handicapped young man then came outside and bawled me out for it. Probably the only time in his life that he got to feel superior to someone, so I just ignored it. And of course I intended to fill it up, but he stopped a good 5 gallons short of filling it.

And of course he never mentioned doing any other service, and I didn't either.

The politicians claim the purpose of requiring an attendant to pump the gas is to keep the ladies from getting their hands dirty. But the real reason of course is to provide employment for otherwise unemployable people.

i never could figure out why. i just told the guy that people in Idaho were smart enough to know how to pump gas...didnt need instructions. then i left

 

[smstonypoint]

i made the mistake of trying to pump my own gas while passing thru oregon one time years ago....i got yelled at. I was so pissed off, i left without buying any gas. i got it in Wash state instead. The lefties of Oregon figure people are too stupid to pump their own gas i guess..... what other reason exists for this.

You surely have days when you wonder why Oregon and New Jersey don't allow self-service gas stations. Invariably, you come back to the same old realization: "I need the advice of an economist. An economist would know how to answer my question."

In this economist's opinion, this is an example of the Baptists and Bootleggers concept of regulation at work. The Baptists (advocacy groups for safety, the disabled, etc.) assume the "moral" high ground in arguing to keep the ban on self-service and the Bootleggers (the full-service owners who want to limit competition) lobby politicians to keep the ban.

Here's the view of another economist: The Oregon Economics Blog: Econ 101: Myth-Busting Self-Service Gas

Steve

 

[Diamondpilot]

Getting next to impossible to find air in my area. Truck stop had hose at all the truck pumps until recently. Put in vending machine air which is slow and expensive if you need air in more than one tire. I find these machines at some of the fuel stations, but most don't work or are stuck in a corner as an afterthought where you have no shot of getting close with a truck and trailer. Most fuel stops have nothing. I have a 12v compressor that works, but takes forever. I have a large compressor at home, but I am not always near home when I need air. I have gone to the tire store and shot a guy a couple $$ for the use of his air hose. This only works 9-5.After hours, you are on your own. How do you guys handle this?

Not to be smart but I have not had to add air away from home in 20 years. I am a stickler to tire maintenance. I guess this comes from working on trailers, most of which comes to me as junk.

I have tire pressure monitors in all my stuff and I physically check all my tires twice a month. Just did them today.

Chris

 

[deerseeker001]

Its getting harder to find stations that have air available.the ones that do have it do repairs on vehicles.

 

[jaotguy]

the reason most places around here don't have free air is because some of the local youth used to jab a stick in the air chuck to make it run all night , or cut the hose if they couldn't find a stick... after replacing a few compressors, the stations switched to the "pay for air" units and the problem goes away ....

 

[3930dave]

Not to be smart but I have not had to add air away from home in 20 years. I am a stickler to tire maintenance. I guess this comes from working on trailers, most of which comes to me as junk.

I have tire pressure monitors in all my stuff and I physically check all my tires twice a month. Just did them today.

Chris

Hey Chris - I'm going to get you to buy me some lottery tickets ! (I know you take good care of your stuff, just saying there is some luck involved too).

Best Personal Use of my 12v compressor:

Had to make an overnight drive suddenly, to deal with a family issue. Part way through that trip, picked up a big (industrial) staple in one tire. Noticed the tire low, and topped it up with the 12v comp. so I could get to a lighted gas station. I could have changed the spare at the side of a narrow rural highway in the middle of the night if I had to, but much preferred doing it off the road, in a well lit area.

Best Helping Somebody Else Use of my 12v comp.

Neighbour got married. Service was in a little rural church near here. Wedding party comes out to go to an arbouretum for pics. As the Best Man is heading to his CRV, I pointed out that his front tire is just about on the rim, then told him I had a compressor with me. Nearest commercial compressor is at least a 15 minute drive away in the wrong direction.

People often say things like this and not mean it - but I knew the Best Man wasn't blowing smoke when he said "First thing tomorrow, I'm going out and buying one of those".

Back when I started carrying a 12v compressor in my car, there still were some full service shops around. Even back then, I liked the convenience/security of having my own air source wherever I was - makes filling up air mattresses a lot less of a hassle too. With our climate here, outdoor commercial air lines can freeze up solid in the Winter - so even if you find one (not easy at times today), you can't be sure it's going to work. A basic 12v compressor is not that expensive, and the dual piston one I described earlier does a decent job even filling an LT tire. I've used 12v compressors enough that I've eventually worn out the chuck, but I've never had one freeze up on me.

Pretty well anywhere you jog or bicycle, you'll see tons of junk and scrap metal on roads. That's w/o even talking about construction sites - even LT tires get beat up there. Modern tires are pretty good, but once you consider all the garbage on the roads, it's a miracle that we don't get more flats than we do.....

(Knock wood... I'm tempting fate, as I'm heading out the door just now.....)

Rgds, D.

 

[Midniteoyl]

The politicians claim the purpose of requiring an attendant to pump the gas is to keep the ladies from getting their hands dirty. But the real reason of course is to provide employment for otherwise unemployable people.

:thumbsup:

 

[Bird]

Not to be smart but I have not had to add air away from home in 20 years. I am a stickler to tire maintenance. I guess this comes from working on trailers, most of which comes to me as junk.

I have tire pressure monitors in all my stuff and I physically check all my tires twice a month. Just did them today.

Chris

I'm not nearly as meticulous as you, but we sure have one thing in common. I do usually check my tires at home when the weather turns cold, and again when it turns hot; a few times a year anyway, and I can't even remember the last time I might have added air away from home.

I received one of the 12 volt compressors as a gift back about 1989 and used it one time only. A cousin had a flat on his pickup and we sat in the shade and drank 2 beers each while it aired up that tire. From what I've read, some of the newer ones are vastly improved.:laughing: