I have a set of Oasis tire deflators, and they are cool, and they work well for me, and all my other buddies, once we stop. I put them on all four, finish then put them on my buddies rigs so I don't have to wait. I don't ever put them on and leave them, as I think the dirt may get in them, even though the manual states put them on and go. I have noticed that they are about .5 lbs off what I wanted them set to 12lbs. This is Ok for me, when they are new they do take a lot more presure to get started. My buddy complained and complained about his till he used them about 20 times and then they will start on his tires that are below 30 lbs.

The gauge that comes with the oasis is a 0-15 gauge maybe 20. This is a pain if you are airing up, or if you take the deflator off early and the tire is over the limit. So I carry/swap between two gauges. The little leather bag is cool, it holds two air gauges, the deflates and some business cards.

I bought mine at the Moab Utah Easter Jeep Shafri many years ago. The sales guys were very nice and glad to set the deflators to any pressure I wanted. I thought 12 would be a good starting point. I haven't had much trouble with these in the past 7 years so I would recommened them. Once set they all stay close to the original setting. I have checked them a few time and they are within about 1 PSI. So this seems OK with me. I seem to loose a lot more air on the trail anyway, so I am glad I have the Kilby On board Air system to get me back to Highway air pressure.

The Oasis Air deflators and the kit were if I can remember about 10 bucks off at the Easter Jeep Safari, so why not take the discount and get them setup and ready to go.

Airing Up at the trails end.

Many Tasks besides just airing up, some easier than others.

At the end of a days ride I have a list of tasks that I must do before I can head for home.

Airing up at the end of the Trail. When we hit the pavement we all gather around and talk about how much fun we just had and what we did and who smashed what or who broke what part and when we are going to hit the trail again and all the other stuff that made the day such a good day. Well we all know that any day Wheeling your rig is better than any day at work.

Amongst all the talk I have a check list of things I need to do before I head for home. I have two lists based on whether I trailered the Jeep or drove it. Here are things I do either way.

 

1. Connect the Front sway bar disconnects. This is a seemingly easy task, BUT it has become more difficult based on the fact that I have moved the connection points for the sway. I had to relocate them when I changed my front Steering to a heavy duty 1 ton Chevy replacement setup. When I move them I made them strong, but I proved that they are not strong enough to hold up to a day Wheeling when I leave them connected. So not only have I bent them a bit I have also ripped one of them right off the frame and had to repair it. Well to make a long story shorter, I some times need to find a spot the is not so level to connect the sway bar mounts. Once the bar and the pin are lined up it's easy to slid the bar onto the pin and add the safety hitch pin into the hole.

2. Air up the tires. This is easily done using my On Board Air system that include an air tank and a York compressor. The process is to get the hood open and start the compressor I have a switch mounted under the hood for simplicity. The Air compressor is mounted to and powered by the engine, so as the engine idles the air tank fills up. I grab my air hose and connect it to the connector on top of the bumper. As the engine idles the tank will fill to 100 PSI. this is enough air pressure and volume to fill a 33 inch BFG Mud Terrain tire from 12 PSI to 33 PSI is about 2-3 minutes. I have a Quick connect air connector that I can put on a tire and leave it to fill. While 1 tire is filling I go about doing the other tasks I need to be able to hit the trail. (Ie steps 1 -4.) I get out my air gage and check the tire. If I am in a hurry I can get in the Jeep and rev up the engine. This will make the air compressor run a lot faster and will really increase it's output in CFM's or Cubic Feet of Air.

3. Put on my Mud Flaps. The State of Utah requires mud flaps on vehicles that have lift kits installed. I have a simple set of quick connect mud flaps I have built. They slide on and have a hitch pin that hold them on.

4. Put the Jeeps soft top back on or together. Most time I go Jeeping in the Summer I remove my windows and doors if possible. I have found that Wheeling without my Jeep Hard Doors makes the experience a lot better. I love the open feeling of air, dust, dirt, mud, and wind that you get when Jeeping in the summer. Note you need to always pack an extra sets of shirts and coats because even in the desert in the Summer when the sun goes down it gets cold. It can gets really cold in an open Jeep. One way I really like to run my Jeep is with the rear window removed or at the very least rolled up and tucked out of the way. The side windows can't really be removed and stored very easily on when out on the trail. They are easy to remove, but then where do you put them so they can or won't get scratched. So you either leave them in place or leave them at home or in your Tow rig.

5. Put my tools and straps away. I haven't been on a trail run in a long time that I didn't need some sort of tools, gloves or tow straps. It is always a good idea to clean up after a long hard day. This works the same at work, or at home in the garage, or at the end of a trail run. I have a couple of boxes that contain all my tools, extra parts, gloves, tree straps, and tow straps. So cleanup you tools, wrap up your straps and tuck them away. This will make you resist the temptation to take it out of the Jeep when you get home and set it on a shelve or floor in your garage. The danger with doing this is that you won't have it next time you hit the trail and open your tool box looking for a part or strap.