I have a 2019 F-150 XLT and I’m planning my first train horn setup, probably a small three-chime kit. The part I keep going back and forth on is compressor placement. Bed-mounted seems easiest for wiring and keeps the noise away from the cab, but I’m worried about Minnesota winters — road salt, slush, and temps well below freezing for weeks at a time. Under the hood is tighter than I expected once I look at where an air tank could actually go, and I don’t want to cook the compressor near the exhaust or block anything I’ll need to service later.
I’ve read that some people run a tank and compressor combo in the bed with a drain valve, and others mount everything behind the grille. I don’t have a strong preference yet, I just want it reliable and reasonably quiet inside. For those of you who’ve run a setup through a few winters, where did you put yours, and what would you do differently?
Update after reading a bit more - Tesla seeks to keep Cybercab safety answers secret showed up while I was searching, though it’s off-topic for my horn question. Still weighing bed versus grille for the compressor here in Minneapolis; the winter salt worry hasn’t gone away.