Air Compressor and Jerry Can Mounts

[FairfaxFWC]

I am a new member and also new owner of a FWC Kestrel...which I love!

I have a few questions for those with some experience. First, I have found that a bicycle pump works great to inflate the airbags, but everyone here seems to use an air compressor. Besides the obvious benefit of being able to inflate/deflate tires, is there any benefit to using an air compressor vs. a simple and light bike pump?

Also, I have searched for days trying to find a custom rear bumper for a 1998 T100 that has Jerry can mounts, but have had no luck. It seems as if the aftermarket supply for this truck is quite slim. Does anyone have any advise of a good way to mount Jerry cans for water and fuel?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

Fairfax,Welcome to the forum!

Most of us that carry the air compressor do so to re-inflate tires after airdown offroad use(mine is a p.i.t.a.to use on the airbags)..I like the bike pump idea, gunna try it..

T-100 with an FWC...great combo!

TT

 

[kcowyo]

Welcome to the forum!

I can tell you after years of looking, your only option for a rear bumper for the T100 will have to be a custom job. Depending on your location, I can probably recommend some nearby fabricators. I've been quoted anywhere from $650 - $1300 by various shops around the US.

If you're thinking about a front bumper too, the only non-custom option right now is from a shop out of Georgia with a less than stellar reputation among the online community. TJM was another manufacturer, but they have discontinued both products for the T100. Sometimes a used one will pop up on eBay and Craigslist but not very often. I have also seen two T100's that took an ARB bumper for the 80 series and 100 series Toyota Landcruisers and with a lot of trimming and grinding, they were made to fit.

Regarding air compressor's vs. a bike pump, the difference to me is all in the effort. Both methods work, but with a bike pump you just have to work a little harder.

 

[bobg333]

Rear Jerry can mount

When I recently went looking for a jerry can mount, my local off-road shop told me that it is illegal now in CA to carry jerry cans of gas on the back of the vehicle. If so, that is probably going to limit the after-market choices.

 

[craig333]

Hadn't heard that. Gonna be a problem on my Jeep.

 

[FairfaxFWC]

Thanks for the advice on the bumper, I had pretty much given up on finding something that wasn't custom and if there truly is a law in California against having cans of gas on the back, then I'll won't be able to stray too far!

The bike pump works great on the airbags and I highly recommend it. It only takes 4-5 strokes to fill the bags to 45-50 pounds. I was skeptical at first that it would work, but after trying it was amazed at how small the capacity of each bag was.

Another question for kcowyo, since you also have a T100 (good choice, I love my truck), what kind of mileage are you getting when your rig is fully loaded? Also, have you looked into adding the TRD supercharger to give your truck a bit more power? I just got back from a trip to Yellowstone, first one with the camper, and was getting at best 14-15 mpg, and at worst about 11 after fighting a headwind across Nevada.

 

[chnlisle]

Hi Fairfax,
That is exactly the milage I got on my '95 T100. Between 11 and 15 depending on wind and terrain. That was the good news. The bad news is if you want to go to the mountains or even Cajon Pass, Saline Valley or for that matter I5 over the hill you cant use OD. It will just keep shifting in and out. Not a good thing for the tranny. Mine was an automatic. As I said before opn this forum. If thats the best I can do I'll buy a Dodge CTD. As much as I loved that "T" this Dodge is "da bomb". Best truck I've ever owned.

 

[FairfaxFWC]

Thanks for the info. I have thought about getting a bigger truck, but have had this since it was new and can't bear to part with it. It's got 157,000 and I have never had a breakdown or any major mechanical issues. Did you look at adding a supercharger to yours?

 

[cabezon23]

Bike pump VS compressor

I used the bike pump (hand pump) for a few years when overseas. The advantage is that it's small, portable and easy to replace.
The disadvantage is the amount of pressure you get out. I could pump up to 65psi but that's it. My airbags go up to 100 psi and that's the pressure I use when fully loaded. So, at the end I had to get a compressor, or scuba tank (with 3000 psi) or whatever gets me up to 100 psi.

 

[kcowyo]

Another question for kcowyo, since you also have a T100 (good choice, I love my truck), what kind of mileage are you getting when your rig is fully loaded? Also, have you looked into adding the TRD supercharger to give your truck a bit more power? I just got back from a trip to Yellowstone, first one with the camper, and was getting at best 14-15 mpg, and at worst about 11 after fighting a headwind across Nevada.

I am Supercharged....

Fully loaded on the highway, 15.8 mpg and that's with 33" tires. And I've gotten as low as 11 mpg too, on Hwy 6 heading west across Nevada. On the same road a week later, I got 16mpg heading east. Crazy winds....

 

[FairfaxFWC]

How has the supercharger worked for you? Have you had any problems and would you be concerned about putting one on a motor with 157,000 miles on it? Also, how many additional horsepower do you think it realistically added?

Thanks.

 

[DLN]

Fairfax,

Welcome to the board, don't forget we love pictures here and they are an unofficial requirement for all members. Best of Luck.

 

[Jon&Sue_DeArman]

I have a 95 T100 V6 with a Ranger model and we average 16-20 mpg, even in the mountains of the Pacific NW where we live. Remember; what goes up, must come down. I installed a auto-Trans cooler and usually drive 55-60 mph letting the big rigs fight it out among themselves as the fly past me in a mob every 30-45 minutes or so; having the open road to myself most of the time. I usually turn off overdrive to climb and I observe my vacuum gage occasionally so I know what is going on. But, like the rest of you, I have experienced 12 mpg crossing Montana with a 50+ head wind one day. I have 120,000 on the T100 and hope to go 300,000. I love the Ranger - T100 combination for its go anywhere ability. I have learned a lot from the ideas posted on this site, so keep it up.

 

[Alex]

Here is a cheaper way if only Jerry can mount is needed. It's a 1/4" steel plate bolt through the bottom of the camper.

 

[FairfaxFWC]

I'll post some photos as soon as I figure out how to upload them. I got many from a recent road trip to Yellowstone.

 

[kcowyo]

How has the supercharger worked for you? Have you had any problems and would you be concerned about putting one on a motor with 157,000 miles on it? Also, how many additional horsepower do you think it realistically added?

I've had mine for almost 100K now. No problems so far. One of the bearings in the nose is going, it's getting a little noisy, but no problems with it's performance or with the engine.

I think they advertise it as adding 95 horsepower. I'm sure that's measured at the fly wheel and not on the ground at the rear wheels. At the rear wheels it's probably more like 75hp. But the performance is excellent. Nothing like blasting up some long mountain pass with the camper loaded, past other vehicles. Having to use 91 octane only isn't getting any cheaper though.

Regarding your miles and adding an SC... I don't know. Sounds like you haven't had any issues with your engine so far and like you intend to keep your truck, so why not? I know some owners near sea level who report problems with pinging and fuel lean out but at my elevation I haven't experienced this.

You can read more about the TRD Supercharger and some add-ons for even better performance here- Underdog Racing Development

 

[the fisherman]

Can't Leave Anything Alone

My daily driver is an 02 Tacoma, I bought the truck with 20000 mi. drove it for a week, felt it was pretty anemic, so I installed the blower,drove it for another week, a little more torque but I still wasn't happy. Next step, 7th. injector set up, with remapped ECU. Now were gett'in somewhere. With just the blower, the V6, probably gets about 35 maybe 40hp. depending on how lean it's running. The 95hp number would only come by adding more fuel to the added boost. All of this comes with a down side, 91 oct. gas and decreased milage, you don't get much for free. Along the way, I played around with pulley setups, to go from 7# of boost to 10#, cool, more power, not recomended by Toyota, but I never listened to my teachers either. I had a nitrous bottle sittin around so, one stage of laughing gas, HOLY S%#T, I had to put this thing on a dyno, on the gas 397hp 337# torque Crazy. Before I would install one of these units on a motor with 15000mi. I would do a leak down, and check compression. I assume you have done the timing belt and water pump by now, remember these parts are expensive. POWER TO THE PEOPLE