Bumper as an air tank - Would it work??

gofalls

Observer
I need to build bumpers. I also want an onboard air tank to fill tires up and run air tools.

Anyone ever build a bumper to hold air and then hook their onboard compressor to it?

I was thinking of a large diameter tube bumper with capped off ends and air fittings welded on. Then hook my ARB compressor or get another compressor to have the bumper-tank filled to 100psi to run tools. Maybe even do it to the front and hook the front and back together to get more volume. Prefill the tank with the garage compressor to spare the onboard compressor from doing all the initial work.

What about a bumper-fuel tank or water tank? I got this idea from Buell, the frame hold fuel and the swingarm holds oil.
 

cruiseroutfit

Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Can, has and does. There are tons of DIY bumpers out there that hold air and water. Even seen a roll-bar built as a pressure vessel to hold a volume of air backed up by a compressor.
 

w squared

Observer
Just understand that when you compress air, water also goes with it. If you trap that moist air and leave it stagnant inside your bumper over the long term, you're going to have rust issues.

Bleed your tank frequently and understand that you may have to replace it because of internal corrosion at some point in time. Or you could set up a system so that you're running very dry compressed air, but that would involve spending a fair amount of money and isn't very practical for a rig that being used in the real world. Sounds like a neat idea for a show truck though:jumping:
 

Remote

Observer
I did this one. http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33094&page=2 Reply #13
It is coated with marine epoxy inside. I went to great lengths to clean the insides of the welds for adhesion of the paint. Obviously the last weld can not be cleaned.
I went to the trouble to make it a tank just because I always wanted to. I don't use it in the real world. Hand tools are just fine. If you want to run air tools enough to justify packing them and the accessories needed, shoot for at least 4-5 gals of capacity and still plan on waiting for the pump to catch up unless you go the engine driven route or around a $$$60A electric. Plan on putting at least $200 into a pump at the bare minimum for air tools.
I have a co2 tank set up and a small electric. The co2 just sits at home as the little electric fills the tires fine and takes up little space.
On a side note it actually kind of neet to pump up the tank and blow off the trail dust on the rear of my camper shell before opening it and dusting my interior.
 

Curmudgeon

Adventurer
Just understand that when you compress air, water also goes with it. If you trap that moist air and leave it stagnant inside your bumper over the long term, you're going to have rust issues.

Bleed your tank frequently and understand that you may have to replace it because of internal corrosion at some point in time. Or you could set up a system so that you're running very dry compressed air, but that would involve spending a fair amount of money and isn't very practical for a rig that being used in the real world. Sounds like a neat idea for a show truck though:jumping:
The amount of time it would take to rust out a bumper from internal condensation would, in most cases, be longer than the useful life of the truck. It's no different than the tank on an air compressor. And in Phoenix, where the OP lives, the problem would be pretty insignificant. I live in an area with a very damp climate, and my 40 year old air compressor tank has yet to rust through.

The downside is the small amount of air contained in a bumper. Unless it's a very large bumper, even at 150 psi you may not have enough air to fully inflate a single large tire. But even that is no reason not to do it. Even a small amount of air can be useful at times.
 

kellymoe

Expedition Leader
The first time I saw a air tank like that was actually a Land Rover 110 non USA spec with side steps or sliders that were turned into air tanks on both sides. It was kitted out as more of a overland vehicle than a rock crawler so it worked out very well.
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Keep in mind that air tanks are round with rounded ends for a reason. Square or rectangular tanks when under pressure will be trying to become round. Every pressure cycle will be another fatigue stress cycle that may or may not be significant to the tubing used. I witnessed an extremely rectangular "tank" with 1/4" walls try really, really hard to become round at what ever a Thomas 12 VDC compressor can put out at max. They abandoned the idea after that.

Also, on mobile air tanks charged to over 125 psi in the U.S. the DOT has regs on what they can and can not be, who can make them, etc. I found the pertinent regs once in the CFR's. Shouldn't be too hard to find them again. I mention this not because the DOT is likely to randomly rain on your parade, but because if the tank is determined to be a contributing factor in an accident your Ins. may take a dim view of it. So CYA.

Put me in the for ~$70 for a truck air brake tank it's not worth it group.
 

SAR_Squid79

Explorer
The famous Marlin Crawler "Crawler Truck" has been running the rollbar(s) as air tanks for years and years and years. I don't think he's had any problems...

 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Pressure vessel design and fabrication is highly codified, regulated, and controlled because people have died from poorly designed and built vessels. OBA tanks teeter on the edge of where the pressure starts to get high enough that these codes and regulations kick in.

I'm not claiming that you're going to be driving around with a hair trigger bomb that is about to go off. I am saying that the potential for a catastrophic failure exists.
For the ~$70 that a truck air brake tank costs (new) it just isn't worth it.
 

Remote

Observer
Keep in mind that air tanks are round with rounded ends for a reason. Square or rectangular tanks when under pressure will be trying to become round. Every pressure cycle will be another fatigue stress cycle that may or may not be significant to the tubing used. I witnessed an extremely rectangular "tank" with 1/4" walls try really, really hard to become round at what ever a Thomas 12 VDC compressor can put out at max. They abandoned the idea after that.

Also, on mobile air tanks charged to over 125 psi in the U.S. the DOT has regs on what they can and can not be, who can make them, etc. I found the pertinent regs once in the CFR's. Shouldn't be too hard to find them again. I mention this not because the DOT is likely to randomly rain on your parade, but because if the tank is determined to be a contributing factor in an accident your Ins. may take a dim view of it. So CYA.

Put me in the for ~$70 for a truck air brake tank it's not worth it group.

Can't argue that. At 105 psi mine "inflates" close to 1/8". Years of experience with pressure vessel design and spec told me it would, long before the first cut. At 2.5 gal with no associated hard mount pump it's just a novelty anyway. I would not drive with it under pressure for the above mentioned liability reasons even though if it ever fractured for what ever reason it would just make a big hiss, been there.
If anyone seriously needs to hold air in something other than a DOT tank, go round.
Folks should keep in mind that any modification, be it a comercially sold "air bag compliant" bumper or a map light, could cause liability issues. In the accident scenario, just because it is a DOT cert tank does not in any way release you from the liability of the results of you putting it there.
Just about any rig on this board is frankly an "ambulance chasers dream come true".
 

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