Which cordless grinder to get?

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Yep, it has come down to this. Brute force.

Was fixing the tie rod on my 98 Accord V-6 yesterday. For the life of me, I can't get the retaining nut and outer tie rod off. They look rusted and probably seized in too. I tried wrenching, heating, cursing...what have you, it just won't budge.

So I am looking at these 3 models here: (has to be cordless, and includes battery & charger)

http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Pro-Grad...7617598&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DC411KA...7617598&sr=1-7

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BGA452-...7617598&sr=1-6

The tie rod looks like a hardened piece of metal, so I am concerned if these will do the job of cutting it off. Any recommended grinding wheel for cutting metal?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

If this is something you'll only use a couple of times a year, DEFINITELY get a corded model.

Do you have a harbor freight near you? Personally, for cutting off bolts here and there I'd just go to HF and spend $15 on one. If you're using brushes to grind paint then you might look at something higher quality.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

I live in an apt, no access to power outlet outside...that's why a cordless is needed. I am okay to make the investment since I foresee more troubles working on the car. I just want to know what to look for and whether these will cut the tie rod off.

Please advise.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

FYI those batteries don't last very long unless you use them. So if this is something you plan on using 2-3 times a year, plan on buying new $35 battery any time you want it to run longer than 5 minutes.

Seriously... Even in an apt.. get a decent extension cord and find an outdoor outlet. If you MUST get a battery op version then make sure the batteries are the same as your cordless drill.

 

[Miramonti]

Those options kind of suck. Dewalt is too long, neiko looks to cheap (low torque), and Makita is too expensive. I'd probably lean towards cheap given all the factors, including that it probably won't be used much and batteries will degrade over time. You'll most likely need a few recharges to get thru the tie rod.

A grinder is rarely something that's used very often. I've used mine about 4 times in 7 years ($75 for a corded dewalt), one time was last week to grind off some exhaust bolts. Not exactly a quick job on grade 8 bolts either. I prefer to use my mitre saw with a cut off wheel as much as possible, altho that of course won't work for under a car.

 

[Squisher]

The only people at work that used electrics usually used corded Metabo's.

I'd look at craigslist.

 

[69Mach1]

Might want to check out a tool rental, sucks to buy cordless if you're not going to use it often. I personally hate cordless, they aren't very good unless you buy professional quality. Mucho Buckos for the good stuff.

 

[Plugers]

I would say to get one with a lithium battery, as with drills lithium has so much more power and seems to charge 2x as quick.

 

[PottedMeat]

If this is something you'll only use a couple of times a year, DEFINITELY get a corded model.

Do you have a harbor freight near you? Personally, for cutting off bolts here and there I'd just go to HF and spend $15 on one. If you're using brushes to grind paint then you might look at something higher quality.

yeah i'd get a corded 4 1/2" one at harbor freight for ~$15-20 and a ~50' extension cord. then pick up a 4 1/2" dewalt cutting disc with 5/8" arbor (or whatever the grinder needs) at home depot or lowes for ~$2-3. i really dislike the cordless stuff.

 

[Plugers]

If you decide you don't need cordless and have a compressor, get an air grinder. Smallest of all so you can get in (almost) anywhere.

 

[JCH13]

I live in an apartment too, I run an extension cord outside. Cordless grinders are simply too weak compared to their corded counterparts to really be worth it.

I'd go with DeWalt if you insist on a cordless.

 

[Billb2]

Nut splitter
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1292905

 

[Miramonti]

Nut splitter
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1292905

Reading the review makes me want one of those!

/edit: this one sounds better.

It's good to know these exist. I'm going to have to add it to my arsenal when I have an opportunity.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

You should look into a corded set up, you might be better off to purchase a generator and a grinder. As you will be able to use the generator for many of things.

If you use your grinder very little, then a corded one will be better, and if you use it alot.. A corded grinder will be better. I personally would go with Dewalt, I've got many different cordless grinders: Dewalt x2, Makita, and Milwaukee x2. I like the dewalt 18V the best. But Makita is coming out with a new Brushless grinder in a few month, I think that one may be the best.

 

[NutBucket]

Do you already own other cordless tools? If so, I would look into buying a bare tool that uses those batteries. Much cheaper.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Yep, it has come down to this. Brute force.

Was fixing the tie rod on my 98 Accord V-6 yesterday. For the life of me, I can't get the retaining nut and outer tie rod off. They look rusted and probably seized in too. I tried wrenching, heating, cursing...what have you, it just won't budge.

So I am looking at these 3 models here: (has to be cordless, and includes battery & charger)

http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Pro-Grad...7617598&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DC411KA...7617598&sr=1-7

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BGA452-...7617598&sr=1-6

The tie rod looks like a hardened piece of metal, so I am concerned if these will do the job of cutting it off. Any recommended grinding wheel for cutting metal?

BTW... For what you're wanting to do, I would get a dremel with fiber reinforced cutoff wheels. It will definitely cut off the tie rod end, and is much more useful than a grinder. I still recommend the corded version.

 

[Greenman]

BTW... For what you're wanting to do, I would get a dremel with fiber reinforced cutoff wheels. It will definitely cut off the tie rod end, and is much more useful than a grinder. I still recommend the corded version.

I can't imagine a dremel cutting through a tie rod in any kind of reasonable time frame, they have no torque.

I use $49 Makita on the job a couple times a week for cutting 5/8" althread and #4 rebar. It zooms through both with relative ease. The quickest way if you have room is a portable band saw. They cut mild steel like butter.

 

[JCH13]

I can't imagine a dremel cutting through a tie rod in any kind of reasonable time frame, they have no torque.

I use $49 Makita on the job a couple times a week for cutting 5/8" althread and #4 rebar. It zooms through both with relative ease. The quickest way if you have room is a portable band saw. They cut mild steel like butter.

Well... Tie-Rod bolts are NOT mild steel. They are hardened alloy steel. It would be a good way to smoke a band saw blade though, if one wasn't super careful.

 

[Black2na]

you need more heat no reason you cant get it to break loose ive done alignments on beaten and broken newengland cars i know a thing or 2 about rust ive never had one not come loose when i put the heat to it also another trick is pop it off the knuckle and just spin the outer tie rod off without loosening the nut and have the alignment shop deal with it (jerk mode)

 

[heymrdj]

I have a 1000W inverter in my Expedition. Fiancee keeping the pedal at about 1800RPM idle, and me plugged in with a cut off wheel to the inverter. Worked great for getting off some clamps an idiot used on the bed rails in our apartment parking lot.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I can't imagine a dremel cutting through a tie rod in any kind of reasonable time frame, they have no torque.

I use $49 Makita on the job a couple times a week for cutting 5/8" althread and #4 rebar. It zooms through both with relative ease. The quickest way if you have room is a portable band saw. They cut mild steel like butter.

A dremel with a reinforced cutoff wheel will cut through just about anything. It might take 5-6 minutes versus 2 minutes, but it's not worth buying a grinder to save 3-4 minutes in this one simple job.


Although I definitely agree with black2na; you don't need any of this to force out a tie rod or balljoint. Another trick is to careful tap the opposing suspension pieces with two hammers. It's tough to explain, but you use one to tap the tie rod end and the other to tap a solid part of the suspension in opposite directions. It doesn't take that much force, and since you're hitting it from each side there's no weird forces on your suspension.

 

[RockinZ28]

Employer bought me the DeWalt. Works great and cuts through large metal bolts quickly. Batteries die fast with the grinder though. Can last days with my drill, only maybe 15 minutes cutting with the grinder.

Other coworkers were given the Makita. I think the batteries last longer from my experience with them, but damn they piss me off though. Put too much pressure when grinding or cutting, and they shut off for a couple seconds. The DeWalt will not shut off.

 

[JCH13]

Employer bought me the DeWalt. Works great and cuts through large metal bolts quickly. Batteries die fast with the grinder though. Can last days with my drill, only maybe 15 minutes cutting with the grinder.

Other coworkers were given the Makita. I think the batteries last longer from my experience with them, but damn they piss me off though. Put too much pressure when grinding or cutting, and they shut off for a couple seconds. The DeWalt will not shut off.

IIRC Makita uses lithium ion batteries, and they've got some thermal protection circuitry in there, so when you push them hard they shut down to keep from getting damaged/exploding. DeWalt (I think) still uses NiCad, so the battery is heavier but more robust and doesn't need thermal protection.

 

[RockinZ28]

IIRC Makita uses lithium ion batteries, and they've got some thermal protection circuitry in there, so when you push them hard they shut down to keep from getting damaged/exploding. DeWalt (I think) still uses NiCad, so the battery is heavier but more robust and doesn't need thermal protection.

Makes sense. I remember now using the Makita, after a few minutes it would shut off more and more frequently, even with very light pressure.

I'll also add that in my old truck before I got promoted, I had gas, electric and battery grinders. First choice was always the cordless because of quick ease of use, lightweight, and it had plenty of power for everything I needed. Just had to remember to keep your batteries charged .

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

IIRC Makita uses lithium ion batteries, and they've got some thermal protection circuitry in there, so when you push them hard they shut down to keep from getting damaged/exploding. DeWalt (I think) still uses NiCad, so the battery is heavier but more robust and doesn't need thermal protection.

Dewalt also has lithium ion batteries. They have two sizes(Makita has 2 sizes as well), the 1.3 amp hour and the 2.6 They suggest only using the larger XRP 2.6 amp hour batteries in a high power consumption tool such as a grinder.