Impact wrenches (what do you use)?

[mvbighead]

Saw someone suggest this in another thread, and figured it was worth asking.

Been considering an impact wrench, but I am not 100% sure what to look for. Big thing is that taking lugnuts off by hand sucks, and having a impact wrench would make a lot of jobs a lot easier.

Air seems to be the best of breed, but I have seen an electric at Harbor Freight that seemed like it might be up to the task:

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drivers/12-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html

My problem is, if I go air, I know it is going to get really expensive, really quick. And I strongly doubt a little 10 gallon or so tank is going to be up to the task.

So ATG, what do you use?

Guys this is no doubt a necro thread so start a new one with updated information...

AT Moderator
Bartman39

 

[JCH13]

Did you mean to ask what impact wrenches we use? You shouldn't be using a torque wrench to remove lug nuts.

 

[mvbighead]

Did you mean to ask what impact wrenches we use? You shouldn't be using a torque wrench to remove lug nuts.

Precisely. I have now updated the op.

 

[Vic Vega]

Chicago Pneumatic or Ingersoll Rand. Don't buy anything from China.

 

[SuperSix]

I have a mid range Craftsman, but it's air. Any serious shadetree mechanic needs a decent air compressor.

 

[mvbighead]

So what size air tanks do you guys have for your air impact wrench?

 

[jlee]

So what size air tanks do you guys have for your air impact wrench?

I have a 33 gallon compressor, but that's overkill for most purposes. Unless you're running it for an extended period of time, a little one will be fine - it'll just have to refill more often.

 

[JCH13]

I don't have one, sadly, but a friend of mine uses a tiny little pancake compressor (1hp or so), with a 100lb propane tank as a reservoir. It works pretty well, but occasionally you have to wait for it to rebuild pressure.

 

[nwf_snake]

I have an electric from Harbor Frieght I got for less than $50. It works pretty well, I use it for the heavier duty stuff like for my spring compressor and Hub Tamer to remove wheel bearings. I use a cordless electric from Northern for lug nuts, got it on sale for less than $100. It has plenty of torque to remove them, but probably not more than 100 ft-lbs for other jobs. I do not have a big enough compressor for an air impact, maybe someday.

 

[mvbighead]

So from the sounds of it, a simple 5-10 gallon should be more than sufficient?

And suggestions as far as oil-less and oil based compressors?

 

[JCH13]

So from the sounds of it, a simple 5-10 gallon should be more than sufficient?

And suggestions as far as oil-less and oil based compressors?

Check the flow rate @ ~90psi on whatever air tool you want to use and what your compressor can flow @90psi. Divide them. That will give you a rough estimate as to your "duty cycle" i.e. how many minutes you'll wait for recharge after using the tool for a minute.

 

[slag]

So what size air tanks do you guys have for your air impact wrench?

60 gallon single stage, but it has the oil reservoir and isn't annoyingly loud like those cheap craftsman ones are.

I hope in the near future to get an 80 gallon dual stage. I still have recovery issues when using a pneumatic hammer or air grinder.

 

[bruceb]

A 1/2 inch impact wrench will work for most jobs. But for heavy suspension bolts, you may need to step up to a 3/4 inch unit. So if you go this route, be sure the compressor has a high CFM rating.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Check the flow rate @ ~90psi on whatever air tool you want to use and what your compressor can flow @90psi. Divide them. That will give you a rough estimate as to your "duty cycle" i.e. how many minutes you'll wait for recharge after using the tool for a minute.

I have a Craftsman 5 gallon compressor, and a set of Craftsman air tools (ratchet, impact wrench, and chisel), and only on occasion have I really had to wait on the compressor to catch up. You're rarely using any of them for more than one bolt at a time, and as you get set to take the next bolt out the compressor usually has caught up.

I guess maybe if you're taking a wheel off you'd have to let the compressor catch up, but even with the air tools I usually do that with hand tools.

The air stuff (for me) is really only for when something is good and stuck in spot where it's hard to use a breaker bar.

 

[Mandres]

I have an older Ingersoll 1/2" air one. These are pretty much the standard, and everyone has copied the design including harbor freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-twin-hammer-air-impact-wrench-94803.html

They all work equally well, it's a pretty simple mechanism.

You can run an impact off of any compressor for the most part. They're used in short bursts giving the tank plenty of time to refill. Not like a paint sprayer or sander that needs a constant supply of air.

I've never tried an electric impact, but I'm always surprised how much people seem to like them. Downsides would be that they're weaker, bulkier and more expensive.

 

[JCH13]

I have a Craftsman 5 gallon compressor, and a set of Craftsman air tools (ratchet, impact wrench, and chisel), and only on occasion have I really had to wait on the compressor to catch up. You're rarely using any of them for more than one bolt at a time, and as you get set to take the next bolt out the compressor usually has caught up.

I guess maybe if you're taking a wheel off you'd have to let the compressor catch up, but even with the air tools I usually do that with hand tools.

The air stuff (for me) is really only for when something is good and stuck in spot where it's hard to use a breaker bar.

Well, then you're inside of your desired duty cycle. :thumbsup:

But you'd be up shit creek if you wanted to use a die-grinder, air drill, or another high-consumption tool for a reasonable amount of time. Like you said, a 5gal setup will only work for one bolt at a time, with breaks in between.

 

[sdifox]

depends on how much you are going to do, if it is just tire swaps, the plugged in ones are fine.

 

[CraigRT]

All I can say is, go electric. (I have heavy and light duty guns)
No hassle of needing air pressure, always have power on tap, electrical cords are more flexible and offer slightly better maneuverability..
I have 2 air and 2 electric impact. I truthfully will probably just sell my air impact guns.
Mine are just Mastercraft (Canadian Tire house brand) so Sears Craftsman or equivalent would probably be comparable for people in the U.S.

 

[Maximus96]

bought a 33 gallon craftsman maybe 7 years ago that came with a 3 piece kit - an impact wrench, ratchet, and chisel. never touched the ratchet and chisel but i do use the impact wrench to remove lug nuts when doing tire rotations at home. the compressor is loud and super annoying. it can wake the dead if you left the switch on auto and have it kick on in the middle of the night. i always unplug it now after one such incident.

i bought an air hose reel that i mounted on the ceiling of the garage. its very convenient to have a pull-down air hose that retracts when done. however i cheated and simply ran an regular hose from the compressor to the ceiling, instead of running tubing like you're suppose to.

i also switched out the bottom drain valve with a short extension and ball valve to make it easier to drain the thing. link however i still tend to forget/ignore it and not drain it every time like you're suppose to.

 

[mvbighead]

Alright ATG, this one seem alright...

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...0#BVRRWidgetID

?

 

[skyking]

If I did not have shop space and the need for air, I'd go cordless.
http://www.amazon.com/DeWALT-DW059K-...3109322&sr=1-8
These things are quite effective, and you can take it with you. If you have Dewalt cordless already, you have spare batts.

 

[manimal]

Dont go china on impacts. Its a durable item and will last years if you dont cheap out. There are always sales this time of year on this stuff so your timing is impeccable.


I rock two HB rolling tool boxes that were less than 500 each. Sure I could have pimped out and bought snapon or matco boxes for 4k a piece but I would rather spend that on the tools themselves.

Dont forget to scour craigslist. I found a mechanic that upgraded from matco to snap on for his so I bought his 3 year old matcos for a cheap.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I like harbor frieght compressors - but do not get the oilless type (noisy, not reliable)



Also, imo impact wrenches are overrated for home mechanics. They generally aren't worth it unless you deal with a LOT of stuck fasteners - and even then I prefer pb blaster and a hammer impact versus forcing it out with an air tool.

 

[mvbighead]

I like harbor frieght compressors - but do not get the oilless type (noisy, not reliable)



Also, imo impact wrenches are overrated for home mechanics. They generally aren't worth it unless you deal with a LOT of stuck fasteners - and even then I prefer pb blaster and a hammer impact versus forcing it out with an air tool.

I guess for me, it'll mostly be used on lugnuts and various other automotive things. I have been considering HF's electric impact for $50, as it'd do the job and wouldn't require $100s in parts to have a usable impact wrench.

Only thing is, I would really like to get an impact that'll work every time. If air is the best way to go, that's what I'll do. I simply tire of rotating tire lugnuts by hand on every single tire. I figure a decent impact wrench will save me several minutes per job, and be worth it in the long run. I just don't want to buy all the stuff, and have to do it by hand 90% of the time anyway.

I have been strongly considering HF's compressors, as they are generally the least expensive. I just wasn't sure if they'd be enough for my needs, or reliable enough. Given your recommendation, I may have to look them over again...

FYI, for some time I have been considering this model:
http://www.harborfreight.com/25-hor...-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-67847.html

 

[exdeath]

My dad's 25 year old Ingersoll Rand. 10+ lbs of indestructible metal. That's for big jobs where I take it to the shop to use a lift. Lug nuts at home I just break loose on the ground then spin them off by hand.

If they are on so tight that you can't spin them off with your fingers after cracking then with a breaker bar, you need new lugs/studs, or need to at least clean them up with a thread tap/chaser.