I bought what turned out to be a westinghouse BB-5 at the thrift store for 25 buckaroos a few weekends back. Any advice on what system would be best for this horn would be really appreciated as I have not done an install before and am just learning. PSI, CFM, etc. I have no idea what I should be shooting for with this unit.
Bonus points for anyone that knows what compressor unit I could by that would double as a tire inflator. I plan to mount this to my pickup and it would be great to have one air compressor system running that could supply the horn and supply an accessory line for tires or tools when I’m out in the back country. I’ve seen some compressors on amazon like this one:
Welcome to the forum.
Are you sure it’s a BB-5 and not a DD-5 Westinghouse (i.e. twin horn)? Post some photos if you can.
Anyway, even though the DD-5 is a small horn, you’ll still need some decent air if you want something that runs railroad horns plus a tire inflator plus tools. Dan will be on shortly and tell you to get an Oasis
Stay clear of that unit you linked to on Amazon - it’s a hobby compressor designed for home use (i.e. mains powered). If you buy that to run in your car, you’ll be buying twice - trust me.
If you’re on a budget, try and get the best you can for your dollar from the Viair or Air Zenith lineup. They are by far the most common and affordable compressor systems for vehicle installations. A long time ago I made up a comparison chart, and although prices may be out of date, it’s still a handy reference: https://www.trainhornforums.com/showthread.php?t=6219
To run horns plus occasional air tools, I would suggest you go no smaller than 5 gallons on your tank. If you get a 200psi kit, make sure you factor in a regulator, but at least you can then maximize the amount of air you can draw on from a small’ish tank size. If dollars are tight and you’re happy just to run the horns, looks for a 2 gallon fast fill kit like this perhaps: https://www.hornblasters.com/products/details.php?i=hornair-232-horn-air-system
The full system HornAir 232 looks like it could be right up my alley. I like that it has an accessory port built in so I could hook up a line for filling tires at least. Would the fast fill compressor be able to handle filling up a tire or would I maybe want to consider another type of compressor for that? The tools aspect is definitely secondary and if it would require an expensive system to run tools I would rather stick to using a generator for that. If this is the best bang for the buck model then I’m sold but curious to hear more from others! The oasis units look very pricey… Thanks for your help DBO!
If you want to run air tools without waiting a long time get an Oasis compressor