The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Impact wrench advice needed

So I've finally decided to break down and get an impact wrench for working on my truck. I'm not sure if I should get a 1/2" or 3/4" drive. I figured that the 1/2" should be plenty. I'm only working on a 1/2 ton, but I have the chance to pick up a 3/4" at a great price. My main concern is that I've heard that you need to be careful with the 3/4" impacts because breaking bolts is a real possibility and I definitely don't want to deal with that. Anyway, any advice?

That's true, an earth quake impact is capable of twisting
lug nuts off with no problem. That said, almost all air
tools that I've seen have an adjustment for the torque.
The 3/4" impact will come in handy if you are working on a
rear axle where you need to remove the pinion yoke nut but
that's about the only place that I run into a need for
anything with that much torque.
The down side of a large impact is that it is large. They
are heavy and can wear you out just removing the wheels for
a rotation.
1/2" impact wrenches are relatively inexpensive at places
like Harbor freight and are more than adequate for any work
on an old car or truck. They run anywhere from $25 to $50.

dg

With some of those 1/2" gun reaching a 450 ft lb rating, you can easily snap bolts with those too. But 1/2" is good for all around work.

DG X 2. Also I find that an electric is much more convenient.

1/2" Drive will be more useful for automotive work. If it were big trucks, another story maybe. I even have a 3/4 to 1/2 reducer and on things like the yoke Denny referred to, I just use the 3/4" drive socket with the reducer. Works fine.

Mine is an HF special, so one of these days when it stops being useful, I will get a nicer one. Electric is a good idea if you don't have air really handy. I was surprised at my friends electric one. Does more than mine will for sure.

I have 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1" drive impacts. I have all IR Titanium series. If I only owned one impact it would be a Ingersol Rand 2135TiMax. That is all you need for pickups. New they can be bought for $300. I buy then new open box on eBay for $250. I would not consider a used one because if someone had it who didn't oil it or had a lot of water in their system, it can be junk even though it looks good on the outside.

An impact is like any other tool. You have to learn to use it. That means feathering the throttle as well as keeping your fingers out of the way of a wrench holding a nut on the back side. A 3/4 is bulky and heavy. We use them on 3/4" self locking nuts on our trucks, but there isn't anything like that on a pickup. All of the cheap impacts I have seen, I haven't seen an advantage over a breaker bar or a ratchet.

Crenwelge is the money man here. Texas oil payments He has all the high price stuff. We peon's have to wait for a Harbor Freight sale. My $38, 1/2 electric impact has lasted 10 years. FC: Seriously though he does need good equipment for the amount of quality work he does. His advice is always top notch. You may find you can get by with less expense. (if you are even reading all this)
Deve: I think Denny meant that pinion nut torques are sometimes higher than a 1/2 HF will give. Not the size of the nut.

Yet my HF special gets it off just fine. I like Pinion Nuts, but that is because I lived in New Mexico for 10 years. I just keep hammering at whatever I am trying to remove until it gives. Gotta be patient sometimes!

Thanks for the good info. I am getting ready to remove the pinion nut soon on my truck and that's what started this whole debate in my head. Sounds like that might be the only thing a 3/4" is needed for. Since we're talking, any opinions on brand? I've read quite a few Harbor Freight suggestions on this thread and of course Ingersoll Rand is always going to get mentioned. Any other brands flying under the radar?

If you keep the air tools oiled properly, my HF works. As to how WELL it works, well, I don't have that really good Matco unit that is advertised on PowerBlock TV so I have nothing to compare. Does it work? Yep. As Mr Pine Nut said, there is also Electric.

I'm with Crenwelge, Ingersol Rand is pretty hard to beat. Especially the 2135ti. The 2131 would be my next choice, you can find those pretty reasonable in their assorted variants. Matco, Mac, and Cornwell all have their own rebranded versions of it, usually with their own color scheme and an increase in price. Lowe's also has them. They put out around 800 ft/lbs in reverse, 600 in forward. Not as much as the 3135 (1100 reverse, 780 forward), but they get the job done very well. The 2131 weighs about 1 pound more than the 2135ti. Then there's the old standby, the IR 125. Those have been around forever it seems, IR still makes them, with some upgrades. They put out 450-500 ft/lbs, depending on variant. You can find them for around $100, new.
As far as electric, there's really only about 3 I would even consider for automotive use, Ingersol-Rand, Snap-On, or Milwaulkee. Of the three, the only one I can really give any feedback on is the Snap-On, since I have one. Its performance is about on par with the IR2131, I have only come across a few times I needed to break out the 2135 to get something loose that it couldn't. The only complaint I have, and this really goes with any electric, is when the battery goes dead on you, you're stuck until it charges up if you only have one battery (I have 2 btw).
Now, on 3/8 impacts, again, Ingersol Rand is the way to go. The 2115 is the best on the market, it'll take lug nuts off 1 ton truck no problem. For electric, Snap-On has a very good one, but it is pricey. Both of these guns will do things lower priced 1/2" guns will not do, though.

I believe Denny, but I can't imagine finding something on a 1/2 ton truck that a 1/2 " IR impact wouldn't break loose. I have about 6 inexpensive impacts 3/8's and 1/2" drives. Whenever I find something the cheap ones can't break loose, I pull out the ancient IR, that is beat all to hell, my Dad gave it to me and not sure how old it is, and have not found anything it will not get off. Don't use it as a base case cause it's so heavy and solid, I would need to join crossfit to keep up with it.

Been using a Mac branded impact since 1987. That sucker just won't die. (I do give it a drink of oil fairly regular.) Its been a good one and so has the Mac impact ratchet but those are the only two things I have from Mac.
I'll go IR next time...if there is one.

To clarify, I have a corded electric not a cordless.

More than likely, it's an IR 125. Most of Macs air tools are rebranded Ingersol Rand, as are Matco and Cornwell, plus the Blue Point brand from Snap-On. Some Craftsman air tools are also Ingersol Rand.

Just another suggestion. I broke down about 19 years ago and purchased a 1/2 drive AIRCAT impact. As many of these guys said, it will twist the heads off bolts and break off lug nut studs. The torque level is adjustable in (5) steps, so that makes it more convenient to use where high torque is not always needed. This sucker is tough and won't die and best of all it's much quieter than many of the other brands out there.

Tim

Don't get me wrong, I WANT something with more power but the HF el-cheapo has just kept on working. IT JUST WON'T DIE!! Since I am such a cheap Bas-* I just keep what I have until I have had enough. I have to admit.. I have this song.. if you were ever a child.. sometimes I wonder about a few of you.. there is this song called Whistle while you work.. So I hit the button on the HF special and start whistling. Sooner or later the stubborn nut comes loose. Maybe I get thru the first chorus, maybe its about 3 or four stanzas later. But it happens. The very second it doesnt happen, Im going with an IR. They are THE Devilbiss of air tools minus quality paint guns.

The HF 3/4in impact wrench is the bomb, yo.

1000ftlbs of torque for $99 on sale. Used it and the service air on my M35A2 to change tires.... its one of the HF gems.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-heavy-duty-impact-wrench-66984.html

Its a 3/4 drive and heavy as heck but I find that 1/2 impacts can and do fall short. Keep it oiled like any other impact tool.

Almost 11 pounds for that HF. I'll stick with my 1/2' Ingersol-Rand that makes more power and only weighs 4 pounds. It also doesn't require upgrading you compressor and lines to get it to work properly.

Your IR is twice the cost though... MSC wants $300(!) for it. Most list > $200

The specs list this:

Delivers 1100 ft.-lbs. of nut-busting torque; 780 ft.-lbs. of max. reverse torque and 700 ft.-lbs. forward torque

I don't understand how the 1100ft-lbs is generated when its only rated at 700 ft-lbs of forward torque??

It would be interesting to read (as I could not find much) if a 1/2 in impact socket is rated to handle that much force.

I would assume nut-busting is an instantaneous or peak value lasting fractions of a second, with the forward torque being a sustained or achievable torque that theoretically be tightened to.