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Tire Deflator

20K views 38 replies 29 participants last post by  MSRIEF 
#1 ·
How do you guys deflate your tires? I heard people use defaltors... any suggestions?
 
#9 ·
Yep, one of those.
Get a pack of spare valve cores in case you loose one.
Just take the core all the way out, count the number of seconds to get to the right preasure and then reinstal the core. Very fast! Repete on the other tires.
It also makes a good show. Everyone is looking and betting on weather you get the core back in before the tire goes flat!
 
#5 ·
I do the same thing, but a buddy with commercial tires (80 psi) uses the deflators they sell in some shops. Will have to admit it gets a little hard on the old back when bending over to deflate the tire for long periods- it takes awhile for him to get down to 20psi - in his case I think the cost is justified
 
#6 ·
Yea. I hear ya surf cat. Im only dropping about 20psi per tire so it doesnt take to long. BTW you can pick up a tire gauge for free at any local auto place and i am pretty sure napa gives them away for free or they might be like $2. Deff an inexpensive way to airdown.
 
#8 ·
I have the screw on kind

I use the ones that you can set to a certain psi, like 10 psi. All you do is screw it on, it makes an annoying whistle sound, but stops automatically when the desire pressure is reached. They are like $10-15 in area tackle shops. I find its easier to screw it on, set it and forget it.

I was worried about using a valve stem unscrewer thing as I did not want to let out too much air, but they work much faster than what I got.


I have a tire gauge that has a bleeder valve that i also use. this has a about a 8" hose (between the stem and the gauge) lets you bleed out air after airing back up (if you over inflate).
 
#11 ·
Well I have D load range tires and run mine at around 65 PSI and deflate down to 25 on the sand.
The heavier load range tires such as D & E have a much stiffer side wall and just letting out to say 35 will not let the side walls out enough to make a big enough foot print in the sand unless your carring a camper in the bed and the extra weight will help flaten out the side walls.
 
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#12 ·
I got a set of 4 screw on deflaters came with a key chain and all screw back to back after use 11.95 fatboys. Screw them on and since it is slower than pulling the stem once the first one is on and you get around to the last one the first is ready to be checked. Saves my BACK! Cheap and easy.
 
#15 ·
You got it man. Got it in my Favs.

BTW SOL had a real good thread about them, alot guys had all kinds of them and they were stacking them up against eachother, pros, cons and some of them have been using them for years. Worth a read.
 
#23 ·
I apologize for bump an old topic from the dead, just have a few interesting observations from personal experience, maybe someone will need this information in the future.I had an ARB, and somehow misplaced it.
I've since had 2 sets of the Trailhead deflators https://mechanicguides.com/best-tire-deflators/ , and am now back to the old trusty ARB.
The Trailheads refuse to deflate if your starting pressure is below 28psi, then they do not fully shut off, rather they just bleed air at a slower rate once down to pressure. You end up monitoring them anyways, and to be honest, the ARB is nearly as quick... it however works every time.
I can be wheeling at 1200' elevation one trip and 6000'+ the following trip, so, the automatic deflators do not appeal to me... if you have to watch them anyways, and finish up manually, why not just go the simple and trusted system.
I have found that when you have to monitor the automatic systems, then double check with a guage, and possibly finish the job manually, that the ARB ends up being faster. And, since I had lost confidence in the system, I was always double checking in the end.
Yes, I have to kneel at each wheel for a couple minutes, but, all of my wheeling partners are doing the same (they too have given up on the automatic systems, well, some have never bought into the automatic systems, and saved money while the rest of us went down that road), or they are unloading from a trailer... now that takes some time..I like to watch YouTube videos of a similar subject when I'm looking for information about the right product. I hope this helps someone in the future. Good luck!
 
#24 ·
I’ve had good success with “Tire Buddy” deflators. I bought four to speed things up. I ran different pressures front to back so I stamped them with their setting once they were set.
 
#27 ·
I have bad knees, at one time or another; I have tried just about every deflator out there.
For one tire at a time, the ARB is the easiest, fastest, and most expensive. It allows you to pull the valve stem, watch the pressure drop on a gauge and reinsert the stem when you get to desired pressure. It is a little pricey at $50.00 per unit, but it is the fastest for one tire at a time. I am currently running a F250 and have to go down from 65 and 80 to 20. I have one of these….but read on.
View attachment 57949

The original Tire buddy deflator is the first one I purchased. Once I got it dialed in to stop at 20lbs, it was great, but only one tire at a time. My knees were still working then. I should have purchased 3 more to have a full set. It was reliable and slowed down as the pressure was reduced and stopped completely at 20 lbs. In retrospect, I should have purchased 3 more for a full set. If I am not mistaken, they are now on their third generation (Tirebuddy III). Depending upon the cost for a set of 4, I would give them serious consideration.

Don’t bother with the el cheapo sets of 4 off of Flea bay. I bought em, spent close to 2 hours setting all 4 to 20 lbs. by deflating and reinflating the tires. When it was done, I thought it would be great, just go around the truck once, screw em all in and wait till they are done. Wrong, the first time I went to air down prior to going over the ramp, all 4 deflated to different pressures. They appeared to be brass, but they were junk. Picture of el cheapos
View attachment 57951


I got a set of Oasis trailheads a couple of years ago and that is what I am currently using and I do recommend these. They are relatively easy to adjust the pressure setting with the enclosed allen wrench. I put all four on at once and let em go. As the pressure reduces, they slow down and they do stop at whatever pressure you set the predetermined stop. Accordingly, it may take a couple of adjustments to get them to precisely where you want them to stop. Unlike the el cheapos discussed above, once adjusted you don’t have to worry about the Trailheads again. The only downside is if you pull them off before you reach your desired setting, they will not restart after the pressure drops to 28 lbs.
In summary, I recommend the trailheads.
View attachment 57953
 
#28 ·
I am currently making a system that i will be able to inflate/deflate and/or equalize all 4 tires at one. Yes some might consider it a little bulky because if involves 2 20' sections of air hose but i think it will be worth it. Connect all for tires up, open valve and watch gauge until you get where you want. If you want to drop the fronts even more unhook the rears and keep going. When ready to air up connect all 4 tires and you can either connect an air chuck and open a valve or you can fill through a shrader valve. All 4 inflated at once.
 
#30 ·
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