As any off-roader will tell you, airing down your tires is pretty much mandatory when hitting the trails. If you don’t already know that, well…you will soon enough.
Now most of us when we start off, will start with simple air-down tools like the brass screw-on types (I’m not a fan), or if you like more control you may get a rapid deflator with a built in gauge (essential piece of kit). Most of us start off that way and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s an affordable way of airing down your tires.
When it comes to re-inflating your tires, we generally start off with hopefully the best air compressor that we can afford at the time. If you’re just starting out and thinking of getting one of those emergency tire inflators that plug into your 12v socket, you’re wasting your time, and probably your money. They are fine for the trunk of a Honda Accord when you need to deal with a flat tire, or top off a few psi on all four tires when the temperatures drop. However, they aren’t designed inflating four large-volume off-road tires. Most of them will overheat and stop working by the time your first tire is done. If it doesn’t stop working altogether, it may take up to an hour to reinflate all four tires. Ask me how I know.
Spend the money and buy a proper compressor designed for handling large-volume tires, and frequent use.
But regardless of what you buy, one commonality is that you’re deflating and inflating one tire at a time. You’re also bending over, kneeling, or even sitting on the ground by each tire waiting for the task to be completed. It’s a common sight and comical.
Then we have multi-tire hose kits. You can make your own, or buy one of the pre-made kits that are available on the market. I’ll say it now…making your own quality kit is only slightly cheaper than buying a kit. So unless you really love doing things on your own, just buy a kit.
There are a few to choose from but we use the MORRFlate 4-tire hose kits. They allow us to air down, and air up, all four tires at once, quickly and easily, and without all that bending over. Once mated to a quality air compressor (MORRFlate makes those also), you’re tires are inflated in minutes. Personally, I that found the time needed to deflate and inflate my tires was reduced by 50%, and my back and knees are much happier.
If you’re in Canada, we encourage you to visit the website of Krave Automotive in Calgary, Alberta. They have good customer service, and fast delivery. If you’re in the USA, you can order from MORRFlate directly.
In short…buy the best that you can afford, but if you can afford it, buy the MORRFlate 4-tire air hose kit. You won’t regret it. Actually…just save up and buy it. It just makes life so much easier. Buy once, cry once right?
We actually love this product so much that we reached out to MORRFlate directly to discuss a partnership, and as a result, we are now able to equip many of our instructors with a 4-tire air hose kit of their own, and we are happy to show off their products.
Just be sure to purge the air pressure from the hoses when you put it away, or the batteries will drain quickly. Ask me how I know. 😉
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