Hi All,
It's been a while and while I still don't have a Foretravel in the barn, I've seem quite a few FT coaches on the road and in various campgrounds and resorts. In fact, I was camped next to 2012 IH for three weeks in July...truly a beautiful bus!
I thought I would share this with you as it outlines my experience with the Viair 400P compressor. It's a fraction of the size of traditional compressors and it sure beats someone of my limited skills attempting to plug into the coach's air system to top off the tires!
As you'll see in the video, I had some issues with it during my first use, but a call to tech support explained what I was doing incorrectly and now I can say it works well. You'll see me referencing a folding electric bicycle in the video and if you're looking for one, I found one that's a lot of fun to ride and easily folds for relatively compact storage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkxJOzkybHc
Thanks for posting that, Andy. One comment - that red plug you pulled out, that's where the supplied filter housing screws in. Ours came with a couple of spare foam filters for it.
We recently went through the "analysis paralysis" of which portable compressor to carry with our new coach, since it doesn't have an on-board one. We also opted for a Viair, but this one
Amazon.com: VIAIR 45053 Silver Automatic Portable Compressor Kit (450P-RV),... (https://www.amazon.com/45053-Automatic-Portable-Compressor-450P-RV/dp/B0141KJTKQ)
We chose the 450 even though it has a slower output because it is rated for continuous use (I think the 400 can run for 30-40 minutes, then needs to cool down for 20-30 between uses). We don't ever hope to need a compressor to run a long time, but it's nice to know it's a robust unit.
Note for RVs you might want to make sure to select the 400P-RV Amazon.com: Viair 40047 400P-RV Automatic Portable Compressor Kit: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B68XGC/) or 450P-RV linked above since these are kits that get you additional hose length.
Now, for those who might ask "My Foretravel has the onboard engine compressor, why would I need a portable one?", well, you might not need it, but it does let you air up tires and things without firing up the coach engine, especially for the higher pressures.
We used ours yesterday to adjust the pressures in our new coach and it was very fast and very quiet. Steve even commented how much he loved the new compressor.
You can't go wrong with either Viair
That's because you're much smarter than me! Yes, there's a screw on filter with extra foam pads included in the kit!
Nice machine. That being said the idea of introducing air with water vapor in it into the tires is a no-no.
Rusts the steel belts from the inside.
A fix may be an air dryer in the circuit