Impact drivers/ wrenches...the truth.

[dubwarrior2]

I'll start by saying Ive never really liked them for use on a car.
I prefer the feel of a hand tool. The sensitivity of when a bolt is about strip/round/ snap.
Recently though I borrowed the Dewalt 950nm jobby from work, to remove a driveshaft bolt on my VW T4...
It did the job.
Decent tool but big and expensive.

So my question to those who use them regularly.....Do they actually make the torque that is usually quoted?

I quite like the look (price) of the new cordless Clarke model that is rated at 450nm..
But after watching some youtube reviews, it only just cracked off some wheel bolts torqued to 120nm.......

Ive read several places, and I don't understand why, that they don't make max torque straight out of the box. But actually get stronger, the more yiu use them. Any truth in this?

[stealthstylz]

I've got a Kielder 1/2" and a Snap on 3/8 one. Can't remember what they're rated at but they seem pretty accurate. They're not as powerful as a good air gun but do the job on most stuff and a lot less hassle. They're as good as hand tools imo, you can feel any potential snapping bolts out if you get used to the trigger not just been a on/off switch like most people use them as.

[dubwarrior2]

Thanks bud

[martinp]

I've got the big dewalt one. An Its a every handy tool not found much it will not undo under normal use.
Also they do a lower rated one with a compact body for tighter areas.
An I agree they seem to get stronger as you use them.

[LowStandards]

I use a fair few of them

I'm loving the smaller 3/8 ones, I only reach for the big one when a Transit or similar rolls in

Can be used for 90% of the nuts you encounter.

[jmsheahan]

Second the Kielder 1/2". Decent bit of kit for the weekend warrior and the batteries go for ages. To be honest, like you, I prefer hand tools but the gun comes in useful for things like strut tops and it'll undo wheel nuts etc.

Considering one of those milwaukee m12 rachets for smaller bolts etc - all the perks of being used like a conventional hand ratchet for tightening/loosening but saves you the leg work of swinging the handle back and forth 20 times

[nickwheeler]

I find their real use is not in loosening very tight nuts(as you've discovered, that requires a serious tool), but time and effort saving on larger, multiple fasteners. Suspension work is much more pleasant with even a cheap impact wrench - I have the original Ryobi one - than using ratchets and spanners. I have a 10v Dewalt 3/8 drive one too, which is good for engine work.

The important thing to consider with cordless tools is the batteries: buy into a range, so you can use the batteries in lots of tools. That's why I like the Ryobi stuff; they're probably not up to everyday professional use, but I use the drill, angle grinder, right-angle drill, and impact wrench all the time. I bought some of them used in a job lot for £40, which was a real bargain, and the circular saw surprised me when I used it and and the impact driver to repanel the garden fence with one battery per tool. Not having power leads in the work area for small jobs is a big time saver/safety improvement too.

[ballbagbagins]

Can you use normal sockets and extensions or do you need impact ones?

[kevins]

A colleague of mine was in a commercial vehicle workshop when someone from the car shop borrowed their air impact gun because they couldn't shift the crank bolt on a Citroen they were changing the cam belt on, it got the pulley off complete with the nose of the crank!

Imagine that was a difficult discussion with the customer.

[slater]

Jun 19, 2020 9:30:15 GMT ballbagbagins said:

Can you use normal sockets and extensions or do you need impact ones?

You can but they can crack and get worn easily if they aren't the full hex type. I have some old sockets for when the impact sockets wont fit or whatever. Try to avoid using my best set on them.

[dubwarrior2]

Thanks for all the replies guys.
Appreciate the input. I think a lot of people who use these "guns" tend to be on the trade and use them for speed. I fo most of my work at home on the drive without any time restraints against me.

I'm thinking if getting one for those stupid bolts that just spin with hand tools. Like ARB bolts, ball joints and top mount bolts. Spent a lot of time struggling with these then just ended up.cutting them off.

[bricol]

Jun 19, 2020 10:04:32 GMT slater said:

A colleague of mine was in a commercial vehicle workshop when someone from the car shop borrowed their air impact gun because they couldn't shift the crank bolt on a Citroen they were changing the cam belt on, it got the pulley off complete with the nose of the crank!



Imagine that was a difficult discussion with the customer.

Theres a new Lancia integrale owner in the USA just done that with his 1700Nm air wrench in full un-do mode . . . he now knows its a LH thread . . .

[stealthstylz]

Socket/extension/adapter wise I have a Halfords set that I use with the guns then just go and swap a broken handful every so often under warranty. Try and use 6 sided sockets, and for male/female torx or Allen keys make sure you're definitely using the right size and give them a tap with a hammer if they look a bit cruddy so they're fully seated. On male torx bolts especially the size bigger than actually needed will undo them with hand tools, try it with a decent gun and it'll just round it instantly.

[joem83]

Ive got the big Dewalt one & the normal impact driver - Yes the big one is probably overkill as I rarley do any spannering - but when I do you can garuntee that a stuck bolt/nut means a 10 minute job is a 3hr swearathon.

My mechanic mate replaced his Snap-On impact wrench for the one I have - he has the 9ah Flex battery on it and uses it all day everyday.

[ballbagbagins]

What cordless impact driver would be suitable for removing wheel nuts and bolts?

We have 3 cars and I'm always short of time so speeding up taking wheels off would be a big help

[time]

I was impressed by the Milwaukee 1/2 impact gun I borrowed to undo my hubnuts on my merc GL .
I had a breaker bar with a scaffold pole which wouldn’t touch it but the impact gun just spun it off like it was nothing.
I’ve used the same impact gun when I had to change the front output bearing on the T case of my P38 as access was tight.
The hammer action of the gun helps massively

[welshpug]

I've got 3 Makita drivers/guns, an old 1/4 hex that'll do most stuff under M10, then a 1/2" DTW285 that'll do wheel nuts/bolts if they haven't been over tightened, great light gun good for quick wheel swaps

and lastly there's a DTW1002Z, bit of a hefty beast but does crank bolts and big wheel nuts no problem.

the numerical parts of the tool name is the rough Nm tightening force, the big one has a 1600nm nut busting torque.

[ferny]

Jun 19, 2020 8:03:49 GMT jmsheahan said:

Considering one of those milwaukee m12 rachets for smaller bolts etc - all the perks of being used like a conventional hand ratchet for tightening/loosening but saves you the leg work of swinging the handle back and forth 20 times

Have you tried using your hands and arms? Might make it easier.

[fraudownersclub]

Our 1/2 Dewalt is much better than our 1/2 snap on one
And as already quoted our air driven one by Mac tools out does them all
Battery power is much better for convenience and our battery ratchets are a god send 😎😎

as for tourqe still trying to convert uga dugas into nm 😂

[ferny]

I use this one. It's not the best but I got it when I was a plumber as a general impact driver for screws and with the versatility of having a 1/2" square for when I played with the cars. It don't use it for undoing anything or finish tightening as I I don't think it's strong enough and I always prefer the hand feel and I don't trust any brainless tool to do it properly - apart from myself. It mainly gets used for making wheel swapping quicker and raising and lowing the BBQ I made out of a spare wheel.






I also have a generic 230V one I bought new off a mate as he had grabbed two so it was going spare. I got it as the crank pulley nut on the Mazda engine wouldn't budge with either a six foot bar or a hammer and chisel. It made light work of it and trapped my hand against the bumper when it whizzed it off faster than anticipated. The guys at work who use air tools said it was curse word, but I can't agree. You really have to push against it to stop it bouncing off the nut.