Best affordable portable air compressors and winch?

for the compressor - there are options, it'll just take longer to air back up with a lower quality/cheaper unit. I had one that I used to use, and still carry as a backup - plugs into the cigarette lighter - takes about 12 minutes per tire to air back up from 15 to 35 psi - which is a long time. I finally bit the bullet and bought the ARB twin underhood mount from @4x4TruckLEDs.com - and yeah, it's not cheap, but I can air up ALL 4 tires (35" sasquatch) from 15 to 35PSI in about 7 minutes total using a 4way inflation system from Morrflate. Absolutely worth the money, in my opinion. I bought it when they went on sale for Memorial day, I think and saved some good money.

as for a 'portable winch' - I sorta played with this option as well - as I don't want to spend close to $3k to have a winch mounted, trail camera relocated, etc (I also have the 2.7 Lux, so we have to account for sensors, trail cam and oil cooler) - for something I'll likely NEVER need. So, I'm toying with getting a comealong or something to throw in with my off road gear, just in case I need it. I am curious about other options though.

Calgecko

for the compressor - there are options, it'll just take longer to air back up with a lower quality/cheaper unit. I had one that I used to use, and still carry as a backup - plugs into the cigarette lighter - takes about 12 minutes per tire to air back up from 15 to 35 psi - which is a long time. I finally bit the bullet and bought the ARB twin underhood mount from @4x4TruckLEDs.com - and yeah, it's not cheap, but I can air up ALL 4 tires (35" sasquatch) from 15 to 35PSI in about 7 minutes total using a 4way inflation system from Morrflate. Absolutely worth the money, in my opinion. I bought it when they went on sale for Memorial day, I think and saved some good money.

as for a 'portable winch' - I sorta played with this option as well - as I don't want to spend close to $3k to have a winch mounted, trail camera relocated, etc (I also have the 2.7 Lux, so we have to account for sensors, trail cam and oil cooler) - for something I'll likely NEVER need. So, I'm toying with getting a comealong or something to throw in with my off road gear, just in case I need it. I am curious about other options though.

Thanks for the reply! I really want that ARB compressor as well! Seems well worth the money but just didn’t want to drop another $1000. I guess I will have to start saving for it. I have someone who has offered to install it. He just put one on his 4Runner.
That is also my thought with the winch. Hope I never need it and don’t want to void my warranty. I know my husband has used a come along in our backyard to get his Yukon XL unstuck from the muck so I know it will work on the Bronco. I will probably go that route for now too. BTW, I love all your photos! If I ever make it out to Cali with my Bronco I might have to hire you for a photo shoot:) That Velocity Blue is so sharp! I drove one at the Moab Off-Rodeo and almost changed my color.

EGBronc

Thanks for the reply! I really want that ARB compressor as well! Seems well worth the money but just didn’t want to drop another $1000. I guess I will have to start saving for it. I have someone who has offered to install it. He just put one on his 4Runner.
That is also my thought with the winch. Hope I never need it and don’t want to void my warranty. I know my husband has used a come along in our backyard to get his Yukon XL unstuck from the muck so I know it will work on the Bronco. I will probably go that route for now too. BTW, I love all your photos! If I ever make it out to Cali with my Bronco I might have to hire you for a photo shoot:) That Velocity Blue is so sharp! I drove one at the Moab Off-Rodeo and almost changed my color.

I ended up paying $770 for the compressor and mount kit when I bought it on sale - so keep your eyes peeled. It's not too hard to install - and I hooked mine up to an aux switch - it's SO convenient!

Thanks for the compliments on the photos - these Broncos photograph really well :) would love to do a photo shoot for ya if you ever make it to the Sacramento area!

EGBronc

Help! So I was looking into a portable air compressor and a winch. Any thoughts on which are the best bang for your buck! I like the ARB brand for air compressor but they are so dang expensive!! How about a portable winch? I think I have the capable bumper?? (I have no idea what I have just that it is steel?) and have the 2.7 with Lux package so I don’t want to mess with a new bumper or hidden winch where things have to be modified or rerouted to make them work. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

If you can find it at your local NAPA the Maxi Trac compressor is your bang for the buck winner. There are many videos out there on how to "upgrade" it once you get it to make it more usable and build your own 4 way inflator but it's perfectly capable out of the box.

Re winch I have Lux 2.7 as well but with modular bumper. I have a solution I'll be posting about soon that does retain ACC.

The ARB is worth it in the long run. Buy once cry once. Have a plug in CH compressor and the first time I aired down it took an hour total to inflate my BD 31’s from 18 to 35 psi. Installed the ARB twin with the Grimm mount and next trip took maybe 15 min to inflate all 4. Plus the added benefit of not taking up cargo space, which is at a premium in the 2dr. For a portable winch I have no clue, plan on installing a rough country high mount plate once my wallet stops bleeding from the compressor purchase.

Agreed about the Maxi Trac compressor - but they are INCREDIBLY hard to find, and do require some modification to make them reliable (to address the electrical short that many of them are prone to) and to use a 'normal' air fitting. I also have one of these, but don't carry it with me any more due to the fact that I now have the ARB twin.

ne2000

If you can find it at your local NAPA the Maxi Trac compressor is your bang for the buck winner. There are many videos out there on how to "upgrade" it once you get it to make it more usable and build your own 4 way inflator but it's perfectly capable out of the box.

Re winch I have Lux 2.7 as well but with modular bumper. I have a solution I'll be posting about soon that does retain ACC.

That compressor is way cheaper than the ARB! I will definitely look into that one. I will have my husband (MacGyver) and son (MacGyver Jr) figure out how to modify it for me!

Looking forward to what you do with the winch without losing ACC! I love that option! I hated it on my daughter’s Mazda6 but now that I know how to use it, it makes driving so easy!! I love it on the Bronco.

EGBronc

That compressor is way cheaper than the ARB! I will definitely look into that one. I will have my husband (MacGyver) and son (MacGyver Jr) figure out how to modify it for me!

Looking forward to what you do with the winch without losing ACC! I love that option! I hated it on my daughter’s Mazda6 but now that I know how to use it, it makes driving so easy!! I love it on the Bronco.

There are some other companies that sell that same compressor just rebranded with some of the modifications already done to it. Can't recall the company but they look exactly the same but are green I think. I'm confident the MacGyver's in your fam can make the mods.

I would buy a Viair portable compressor, the 400P .

Harbor Freight has a 25% off coupon, off one item. If you want a winch, the Badlands is probably the best bang for the buck at 25% off.

AcesandEights

I would buy a Viair portable compressor, the 400P .

Harbor Freight has a 25% off coupon, off one item. If you want a winch, the Badlands is probably the best bang for the buck at 25% off.

I have that Viair compressor and it works well. Not the fastest, but it gets the job done in a reasonable amount of time. But, I have to admit, whenever I see someone with the ARB Twin mounted under hood I'm a little envious....

EGBronc

That compressor is way cheaper than the ARB! I will definitely look into that one. I will have my husband (MacGyver) and son (MacGyver Jr) figure out how to modify it for me!

Looking forward to what you do with the winch without losing ACC! I love that option! I hated it on my daughter’s Mazda6 but now that I know how to use it, it makes driving so easy!! I love it on the Bronco.

I won't touch on the mounting yet but the actual winch I have is the OpenRoad 4wd Panther Series 2 10,000lb. Got a good deal on it earlier this year and shipped quickly.

Check out the "Badlands" portable winch. We are considering it for rear on our bronco. You will need tow pack, winch installs into tow hitch when needed. We already have front winch but if ever go really far out would like a rear winch too...which honestly is better to have vs front.

relatively newbie question…. Other than sand is there a time to “air down”?? Im not expecting to spend much time in the sand, but likely will spend time in the snow, so wondering if people air down in the snow?

Bluestreak57

relatively newbie question…. Other than sand is there a time to “air down”?? Im not expecting to spend much time in the sand, but likely will spend time in the snow, so wondering if people air down in the snow?

I believe you would air down when rock crawling as well. We did the off-rodeo in Moab and I believe the tires were lower air pressure than normal. I am also new to this but I have always heard that you want “skinny” tires in the snow so I would assume not airing down for snow but I’ll let the seasoned off roaders clarify that one.

EGBronc

I believe you would air down when rock crawling as well. We did the off-rodeo in Moab and I believe the tires were lower air pressure than normal. I am also new to this but I have always heard that you want “skinny” tires in the snow so I would assume not airing down for snow but I’ll let the seasoned off roaders clarify that one.

Thanks!

definitely air down for the snow, as well as just dirt trails, sand, rock crawling - pretty much anything off pavement - it helps soften the ride, give you a better footprint, and helps reduce the risk of puncture

Bluestreak57

relatively newbie question…. Other than sand is there a time to “air down”?? Im not expecting to spend much time in the sand, but likely will spend time in the snow, so wondering if people air down in the snow?

As @Calgecko mentioned... anytime you go off-road you can air down if you want. Sand is probably the environment you'd want to air down the most in (down to single digit PSI in some cases). But you can air down in most off-roading situations.

Snow is kind of tricky, cause it depends on the snow and the width of your tires. If you have wide tires (like the Sasquatch package), or if it is deep, heavy, wet snow... then you'll want to air down. If it's a few inches of fresh, light, whispy, dry snow... you actually want to "cut" through the snow to hit the packed surface under the fresh layer, in which case you wouldn't want to air down.

Typically that dry snow only occurs when it is really cold outside, which most of us in the lower 48 don't normally deal with (although you wouldn't know it based on last week's weather). And if you are among the select few in the lower 48 that do deal with that type of weather on a somewhat regular basis, you likely are already fairly experienced driving in the snow.

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ANYWAY... I came here to say what @AcesandEights apparently already said... so... ditto on Vlair compressors and Harbor Freight's Badland Apex winch.

Harbor Freight also has some spunky 12 volt 100 PSI air compressor that has their Pittsburgh Automotive brand on it. It is surprisingly good, but if you are airing up 30"+ tires (which all of us with a Bronco are)... it doesn't quite make the cut. It'll work in a pinch, but that's about it. Still a handy little air compressor to have kicking around for the rest of your vehicles/kid's toys/etc.

RagnarKon

As @Calgecko mentioned... anytime you go off-road you can air down if you want. Sand is probably the environment you'd want to air down the most in (down to single digit PSI in some cases). But you can air down in most off-roading situations.

Snow is kind of tricky, cause it depends on the snow and the width of your tires. If you have wide tires (like the Sasquatch package), or if it is deep, heavy, wet snow... then you'll want to air down. If it's a few inches of fresh, light, whispy, dry snow... you actually want to "cut" through the snow to hit the packed surface under the fresh layer, in which case you wouldn't want to air down.

Typically that dry snow only occurs when it is really cold outside, which most of us in the lower 48 don't normally deal with (although you wouldn't know it based on last week's weather). And if you are among the select few in the lower 48 that do deal with that type of weather on a somewhat regular basis, you likely are already fairly experienced driving in the snow.

---------

ANYWAY... I came here to say what @AcesandEights apparently already said... so... ditto on Vlair compressors and Harbor Freight's Badland Apex winch.

Harbor Freight also has some spunky 12 volt 100 PSI air compressor that has their Pittsburgh Automotive brand on it. It is surprisingly good, but if you are airing up 30"+ tires (which all of us with a Bronco are)... it doesn't quite make the cut. It'll work in a pinch, but that's about it. Still a handy little air compressor to have kicking around for the rest of your vehicles/kid's toys/etc.

Thank you! I will certainly look into that Badland Apex winch. I think my only option on the air compressor is to save my pennies and go for the good stuff! Otherwise I will spend an hour airing my tires back up with the other units.

"Tricky Dick" is a sponsor and frequent (and knowledgeable) poster on the other site. Check out this thread, lots of info. He also sells an affordable variant on the MaxiTrack.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...al-rebranded-compressors-some-in-stock.43685/

As you think through your compressor options, consider (1) you may find yourself utilizing it more than you're planning to right now as you get more into off-roading, so consider performance, speed, and accessories. That means a 4-way hose setup, which allows you to air down and air up all four tires simultaneously. That means a fairly powerful machine. "Cheap is expensive," the say, in that cheap products wear down, break down, and have to be fixed or replaced. There's also the matter of time and inconvenience, like arranging a tow because you skimped on maintenance.

With that in mind, consider the ThorsLightning setup. At $669, you get a powerful 1000 lpm compressor, and all the harness, hoses and fittings you need, plus a cage-like mount that goes over your right rear wheelwell. I got it for $560 on their Black Friday special, and they told me they have a Memorial Day sale, too. It's a Colorado outfit run by a couple of retired cops. They shipped for free, and didn't charge my state sales tax (I wonder about that).

https://thorslightningairsystems.com/collections/ford-bronco-2021-present