theksmith 3,685 Posted December 23, 2021 (edited) A few of us have bought the new "Napa Compressor" recently, so i figured i'd start a thread about it... Napa 300LPM MAxi-Trac 12v Air Compressor for $114 Use coupon code "NAPATEXT" during checkout to bring the price down to only $94! It's the hot-ticket right now in terms of bang-for-your-buck 12v compressor for 4x4 tire inflation. It's basically a dual-headed version of the popular Smittybilt 5.65 CFM compressor (which is the same as the Rough Country, T-Max, ALL-TOP, etc.). I've not even had a chance to test the one I bought yet, but here are some spec comparisons to the Smittybilt: Rated for almost double the air flow at free-flow / 0 PSI (Napa = 10.56 CFM) (Smittybilt = 5.65) Both rated for 150PSI max Nicer (rubber) hose Same foot pattern/dimensions (for those wanting to hard-mount) Same carrying bag Both use Nitto (Japanese) quick connects Both have thermal cut-off circuitry Double the current draw (90A vs 45A) Does not have the resettable circuit breaker (nor a fuse)! Does not have a safety relief valve! Much shorter duty cycle (Napa = 15 mins on then 5 mins cool-off) (Smittybilt = 40 mins on then 20 mins cool-off) Similar quality (i.e. some reports of dead-on-arrival units, metal or plastic shavings found inside, etc.) $30 to $80 cheaper (prices on all these fluctuate a bit) Also worth noting is that none of these budget compressors have integrated pressure cut-off switches and therefore can only be used with free-flow chucks/hoses/fittings (unless you hack a pressure switch in yourself, which is pretty easy). This seems to compete with the ARB Twin purely in terms of time to air up a larger-sized 4x4 tire. It's still nowhere near the same quality, doesn't have a built-in pressure switch, and isn't even close to 100% duty cycle. But, it's also less than 1/5th the price of the ARB Twin! If you're actually headed out on a remote expedition, or simply follow the "cry once" purchase advice, I still highly recommend the quiet & reliable ARB Twin. However, if you're on a tight budget but need to air up large tires quickly, and willing to roll the dice on how long it might last - I think the Napa Maxi-Trac compressor is your value ticket! If you have one of these, or the big Smittybilt (or similar), please post up and let us know how it's working for you. Edited December 23, 2021 by theksmith 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaZorraRoja 149 Posted December 23, 2021 How do you hook up the pressure relief switch? I bought mine last week. A test fill of my 35x10.5x17 from 12psi to 36 took just over a minute. I read some people found wires poking thru the heat shrink at the circuit board so I checked- no issues in mine. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,544 Posted December 23, 2021 2 minutes ago, LaZorraRoja said: How do you hook up the pressure relief switch? I bought mine last week. A test fill of my 35x10.5x17 from 12psi to 36 took just over a minute. I read some people found wires poking thru the heat shrink at the circuit board so I checked- no issues in mine. Here’s a decent Smittybilt version of the kill switch installation. The overall concept is the same. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,685 Posted December 23, 2021 (edited) this video shows exactly which wires to splice in the pressure cut-off switch on for the Maxi Trac version: Edited December 23, 2021 by theksmith 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,544 Posted December 23, 2021 1 hour ago, theksmith said: this video shows exactly which wires to splice in the pressure cut-off switch on for the Maxi Trac version: Oh laud! That bit at 9:30" on that video was a little wild! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaZorraRoja 149 Posted December 23, 2021 6 minutes ago, 4x4tographer said: Oh laud! That bit at 9:30" on that video was a little wild! That's why I took it apart to check. Apparently this guy's compressor just shut itself off due to thermal because it started working again after it cooled off. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 464 Posted December 24, 2021 (edited) Thanks for sharing the info and Video... Just picked one up, for use in the RV, (basically a portable that can be used with any of our vehicles which don't have an on-board air compressor). When I get it out of the box, will pull the top apart & verify the wiring under the covers are routed "cleanly", and be adding a fuse/circuit breaker in the power supply, and adding a pressure cut-off switch as well... Edited December 25, 2021 by ob1jeeper 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaZorraRoja 149 Posted December 24, 2021 Almost there. I need to hardwire it yet and finish the hoses for the 4 way. After much trial and error I settled on this for the install: I used a $16 E-track mounted to the factory weld nuts on the bedside. Keeping the base plate the compressor came with, I stiffened it with a couple of Simpson strong tie mending plates. I attached 2 HF ATV winch plates ($6 each) with M10-1.50 bolts to the base, and 3/8 bolts to the E-track to provide more support. The wheelwell hump slopes away from the bedside, so only the back side of the mount rests on the hump. The air hose goes to a 4 port manifold and I may decide to T the hoses for each side and only use 2 ports. Not sure which will work better as far as storing etc goes. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WILL E 384 Posted December 27, 2021 (edited) If you are going to do the pressure switch try to find one that is lower, like 50 PSI. It will be easier on the compressor each time it restarts. When I installed a hard mount compressor I also added a small air tank. Just a two gallon one. This provides two advantages. First, the compressor can be turned on before the end of the trail, this will fill the tank up and make the first tire fill a bit faster. Second, the compressor keeps running as you move from tire to tire, this speeds up each tire fill as you move around the truck. With a tank you can run air tools like an impact wrench too. Edited December 27, 2021 by WILL E 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WILL E 384 Posted December 27, 2021 I found some notes I had taken. This was using an ARB twin compressor, 2 gallon tank and 37" tires. When using the tank I started timing after the compressor turned off from filling up the tank. From 11lbs to 35lbs one tire no tank: 150 seconds one tire with tank: 135 seconds two tires no tank: 330 seconds two tires with tank 285 seconds How high you fill the tire matters and it's not linear. All of the following is with no tank 11 to 22 was 60 seconds 11 to 30 was 120 seconds 11 to 35 was 150 seconds 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
