If you do a lot of off-roading, you know the importance of airing down your tires before your drive. You probably also know how annoying and time-consuming it can be to air down when you’re itching to get out on the trail.
Perfect for Off-Road & Overland Travel
The perfect solution for getting aired-down more quickly and easily is the MORRFlate Quad Inflation Deflation system. Paired with the Digital Gauge, this system is the PERFECT setup for any off-roader or overlander.
Follow along as I give an overview of the system and give my thoughts after using it out on the trail for the first time.
Find It Online
- 125″ Wheelbase (4Runner/Tacoma): Check Price
- 155″ Wheelbase (Tundra/Full-Size Trucks): Check Price
- Adapter Kits: Check Price
- Extensions: Check Price
Table Of Contents
Who Is MORRFlate?
M.O.R.R., or My Off-Road Radio, is a resource for adventurers and explorers. Topics on their website range from safety tips to online HAM radio classes.
MORRFlate was a product created by M.O.R.R., bred by the desire for an easier way to air up and air down while on adventures.
The Original
MORRFlate sells innovative products to inflate and deflate your tires. Their Duo and Quad Inflation Deflation kits were the first of their kind on the market and completely changed the game when it comes to airing up and down on the trail.
Also, they sell other related items such as air compressors, hoses, and adapters.
Why Air Down?
Airing down provides two main benefits while out on the trail.
Puncture Prevention
First, it helps to prevent punctures. The easiest way to understand this is to compare it to a balloon. It’s much harder to pop a slightly deflated balloon than it is to pop a full balloon.
Increased Traction
Second, it provides more traction. By airing down, you are increasing the footprint of your tires. This makes it easier for them to grip the terrain. Also, the knobs on your sidewalls will come into play, providing even more traction.
Airing down is absolutely recommended any time you go off-road. It will be safer for your tires with the added benefit of more traction, so it’s really a no-brainer.
Off-Road Tire Pressure Guide
If you’re new to the off-road/overland community, check out this guide to off-road tire pressure. This guide is a great starting point and there are several options there for associated useful products.
The Quad
The MORRFlate Quad Inflation Deflation system is a series of four hoses that connect to each of your tires. Those four hoses are fitted to two hoses, which in turn are fitted to a central valve that allows you to easily control airflow.
The system is packed perfectly into a circular carry bag with the logo printed on the front, which fits perfectly behind the Tacoma seats.
One of the best things about this system is that the hoses do not kink or tangle. Immediately upon removing the system from its bag, you can feel that it’s a quality product. The hoses and fittings feel very solid and should stand up to the test of time.
If you have the longer wheelbase Tacoma, you may want to look into the Quad+ which has longer hoses.
Air Chucks
Haltec Air Chucks
The MORRFlate utilizes Haltec air chucks which allow for nearly effortless connection to your tire valve stems.
They use a sleeve to lock and unlock the airflow, which means you won’t lose air when connecting them. The tire doesn’t begin to lose any pressure until you push the sleeve forward to lock it onto the valve stem.
Ease of Use
There are three teeth in each air chuck that securely lock onto the valve stem when the collar is pushed up. When the collar is down, the air chuck will slide onto the valve stem without resistance. This helps to avoid damage and wear on both the valve stems and the air chucks.
The best part about these air chucks is that they can be used with one hand. This makes it super fast and easy to connect all four tires to the system.
Digital Gauge
The MORRFlate Quad allows you to fit your own gauge, but I would highly recommend the Digital Gauge add-on.
The gauge comes in 2 options: Built-In or Separate. If you order it as “separate” then it comes with an air chuck on it and you can use the gauge for multiple uses. The black manifold then comes with a tire valve stem on top that you can put your gauge (or any tire gauge of your choosing) onto. If you choose built-in, then the gauge comes as pictured here, secured and built into the MF Logo’d puck. Whichever option you choose, the gauge provides an accurate reading from 0-200 psi, and has a nice, tactile rubber casing around it that both protects the gauge, and also allows you to easily grip it in wet conditions.
A digital indicator of tire pressure is easily visible with a screen that is backlit in a matching green color. The gauge is powered by 2 AAA batteries and has a handy battery indicator on the screen so you’ll always know when you need to switch out the batteries.
Also, the gauge allows you to change which unit of measure you want to read the tire pressure in. Overall, the digital gauge pairs perfectly with the Quad system and I would highly recommend getting it as an add-on.
Set Up
Using the MORRFlate Quad system is super straight forward. To start, simply remove the system from its carrying case and separate the two sides of the hoses. You’ll want to have the gauge and valve at either the front or rear of your Tacoma.
Next, undo the straps that hold the coiled hoses together. You can now unravel and walk the hoses to each tire.
Each side has a short hose and a long hose connected at a three-way fitting. The short hoses will connect to the tires closest to the gauge/valve and the longer ones to the tires that are further away.
To attach the hoses to the valve stems, simply pull down the collars on the valve chucks (if they aren’t already), slide the chuck onto the stem, and push the collar up to lock the chuck onto the stem.
As you lock the hoses onto the stems, you will hear some airflow through the hoses as the pressure equalizes across all four tires and the MORRFlate hoses.
Airing Down
Now that your MORRFlate is all set up, airing down is as simple as opening the valve.
As with any tire gauge, you will not see an accurate pressure reading as the air is flowing. Simply close the valve every 20-30 seconds or so to check where your tire pressure is at.
The nice thing is that it equalizes the pressure in your tires, so you can be assured that the reading on the gauge is consistent between all four tires.
While testing, I found that it was able to air down my 32” (275/70R17) tires from 40PSI to 20PSI in roughly 3 minutes and 45 seconds, including the time it took to set up.
In comparison, using the deflator that came with my Viair 300P air compressor took nearly 8 minutes.
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that.
Airing Up
The setup for airing back up is the same, except you’ll most likely have to have your gauge at the front of your Tacoma so your compressor can hook up to your battery.
MORRFlate also has 7.5ft and 15ft extension hoses available on their site if you need them for a different compressor setup/location.
Also, they sells adapters which you may need depending on what air compressor you have. Because I have the Viair 300P, I picked up the Viair Adapter Kit made for my specific air compressor model.
To air back up, close the valve and simply attach the valve fitting to your air compressor.
Once it’s attached securely, you can open the valve and turn on your compressor. All four tires will then fill simultaneously. As far as fill-up time is concerned, there isn’t much of a difference.
This is because the compressor doesn’t work any harder with the setup. The main difference in filling up is the ease.
With a normal compressor, you have to kneel at each tire and constantly walk back and forth between the compressor and the tire to check the gauge. With the MORRFlate, you can simply shut off the compressor, check the gauge real quick, and flip the compressor back on if needed.
Final Thoughts
Simply put, this system is a game-changer. It truly makes the process of airing down and up much easier.
The biggest thing for me was how quickly it was able to air down all four tires. As I mentioned earlier, it took about half the time compared to the deflator that came with my Viair 300P.
Faster & Easier
Not only was it faster, but it was a lot easier. With the Viair deflator you have to kneel by the tire to open/close the valve to check your tire pressure, and then repeat for each tire.
With the MORRFlate, you can simply flip open and close the valve every so often until you reach the desired PSI.
Overall, this is definitely a tool I would recommend to anyone who goes off-roading and overlanding and wants an easier method of airing down and up. To see this system in action, check out my video below!
