Handheld tire inflators

If you decide to buy a hose for your glad hand,buy a rubber hose so that they are good for cold weather. Those vinyl hose or whatever they are made of get really stiff in the cold and you have a hard time rolling them up when you want to put them away! Also make sure you buy a air chuck that is good for aluminum wheels.

 

Buy the same air chucks tire stores use. They hold themselves on to the tire valves so you're not sitting there bent down on the ground holding the thing on.

 

Like that^^^

 

Hand held inflators are junk. I had one for my pickup and a really good one too. It burned up trying to get my rams tires to 35. Trying to get a semi to 105+......not happening.

Just get a gladhand inflator, ive had mine for 5 years and it works great.

 

Most drivers that carry ANYTHING carry a air hose that connects to the truck's air brake gladhands.

 

what's the advantage over using the truck's air compressor?

 

The problem is that inflator doesn't have the fitting to connect to the inside tires on the drives or trailer where you need to pull on the standard truck inflator head instead of push, like you do for car tires and half of the tractor tires. Since it uses a screw on fitting to connect to the valve stem it will not connect to almost half of your tires. If you truck and tractor only use super-single tires it would connect. But as others have said it likely has a low cubic foot per minute rate so you will be airing up a tire for a long time compared to the $30-50 gladhand air hose. I agree with the other driver about getting the rubber air hose versus the less expensive vinyl air hoses. Rubber will last longer, if you don't abuse it and will be usable in cold temps.

This tire pressure gauge has the head that can connect to the valve stems you push and the valve stems you pull to connect the gauge.

 

They also make gladhand valves with the ability to put a 3/8 quick connect plug on the side so you can connect a shop hose to it.

 

I have one of these made by Rigid (Home Depot), I used to carry it (I now have a $700 ARB OBA system instead) in my pickup when I go off-roading to air my tires back up. With the large 18V fully charged battery, I can air 4 285/75x16 tires from 25 psi to 45 psi in about 40 minutes, and it will use about 65% of the charge. These do not "lock" to inflate, you have to hold the trigger. They will get super hot and overheat. No way would I ever consider airing the tires on the semi up with this.

Spend the $50.00 for a 50' hose with gladhand connection, buy a good extended tire chuck and tire gauge. Probably in the first 6 months I was driving I bought one at the truckstop, 25 yrs later I still carry the same hose, chuck and gauge.

A free option, if you're motivated, ask your company shop if they have an old air hose lying around. Every few years my boss replumbs the shop for the hose that runs from the compressor across the ceiling and to outside the shop doors, he takes the old 300' of hose, cuts it into 50' sections, puts connections on it and offers it to drivers.