Air Compressor Emergency Backup

[steve averill]

We went skiing for the last time this season on July 4th in the GMC. After
dropping the rear end to level the coach, what did we find the next morning
but an inoperative compressor! 50 miles from the nearest town of any size,
I had fears of being stranded for a long while before we could get help,
but just then, an idea popped into my head. Took the little 12v tire
inflator compressor we carry along to pump up mattresses & other small
stuff, hooked it up to the schraeder valve on the air tank & voila! The
little guy pumped up the suspension to normal height and we were on our way
back to civilization and an opportunity to get a proper compressor.
Considering the small size & convenience of the tire inflator, it also
makes a dandy emergency substitute for the coach's own air system.

By the way, the compressor that failed wasn't an OE compressor, but was a
"ride rite" that was substituted by the PO in an attempt to "modernize" the
air system in the coach. I think it just had to work too hard for too long
& pooped out. I sure hope Gatway has some of those "internet special" air
compressors left for $159. I checked the local junkyards, but no one had
anything that would work - the closest was something out of a Buick Regal
that the guy wanted around $100 for & it had extra mysterious wires running
into it...
-Steve A.
1977 Elegaza II

 

[john dolan]

>We went skiing for the last time this season on July 4th in the GMC.
>After dropping the rear end to level the coach, what did we find the
>next morning but an inoperative compressor! 50 miles from the nearest
>town of any size, I had fears of being stranded for a long while before

Great solution... but where did you go skiing?

Regards,
John

- --
"I do whatever my Rice Krispies tell me to..."
John said, from inside a 1974 Glacier on the
Potomac, just north of the White House.

 

[steve averill]

>
>>We went skiing for the last time this season on July 4th in the GMC.
>
>Great solution... but where did you go skiing?
>

We went to Crystal Mountain in Washington State. First time they've had
skiing this late in at least 20 years. A bit slushy, but there were even a
few flurries while we were up on the hill. I WAS glad I brought my "rock"
skis instead of my good ones, however & now I've checked that box off so I
won't feel compelled to ski on July 4th ever again. Somehow it just didn't
seem right to come off the slopes & set off fireworks the same day.

Speaking of skiing & GMC's, I noticed a really nice ski rack installed on
the rear ladder of a SOB. It looked as if he took a standard bar-mounted
car ski rack, & mounted it to two bars running crosswise across the ladder.
Considering that people also use those bars to mount bikes & ski pods, it
might be worth considering for extra storage - an upright pod mounted on
the ladder. Hmm - anyone tried this? If Heinz thought his "ski pod" worked
on TOP of the MH, it'd be MUCH more convenient at "real people" level. You
could even put shelves in it if you didn't want to only store tall, narrow
stuff. If you really wanted more storage, you could rig up one on each side
of the back window & get quite a bit of storage while keeping your rear
visibility and existing spare tire. How resistant to inadvertent opening
are those car "pods?"

One last item - this about air compressors. After considering the options,
I decided to go with the Thomas pump. Gateway has it on sale for $159 or a
"heavy duty" version for $192. Anyone familiar with the difference between
the two? The $192 one sounds priced comparably to others I've read about
here.

-Steve A.
1977 Eleganza II