Battery Impacts

[AlexR 797]

I bought some Milwaukee impacts at home depot they have some good deals right now. 

I already own Milwaukee M18 tools so that was a motivation for me to keep with Milwaukee.

 

I have just used ratchets so far, but impacts are very useful for those stubborn nuts and bolts.

 

It's probably a little more of a luxury item for just working on Wheelhorses, but if you work on cars too it's well worth it. 

 

 

 

[Ed Kennell 39,254]

Is there an advantage to buy both the 3/8"  50-150 ft lb and the 1/2" 50-250 ft lb?

[AlexR 797]

1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said:

Is there an advantage to buy both the 3/8"  50-150 ft lb and the 1/2" 50-250 ft lb?

So the 3/8 is a stubby 250ft-lb removal torque 250ft-lbs fastening, with a setting to impact only to 20ft-lb 

Main reason to even buy this one was just because it was a stubby, I don't see a reason to get a 3/8 in any other configuration. Other then like a ratchet type. 

 

The 1/2 is a mid torque 650 ft-lb removal torque 550ft-lbs fastening, with a setting to torque only to 35ft-lb. The reason for this one is just the torque over the 3/8 impact. 

 

The other reason is this came as a kit that way, I could have gotten just the 1/2" one with a XC5.0 battery and charger for about half the price, but these batteries are way better. And I have 2 chargers already.

 

The 1/2 high torque Milwaukee makes is a beast with a price tag to match, but I believe that one is 1600ft-lbs removal and 1200 fastening. 

Edited Saturday at 01:26 AM by AlexR

[JCM 9,639]

My favorite brand of power tools. Good choice.

[WHX?? 49,512]

[Bar Nuthin 794]

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Is there an advantage to buy both the 3/8"  50-150 ft lb and the 1/2" 50-250 ft lb?

 

Fundamental law of tools - more tools is more better

[adsm08 2,239]

The one guy I work with is obsessed with these things. He has those two and the whole M12 line up.

 

I do like the 90* 1/2 impact M12 unit. I use it a lot more than he does.

[kpinnc 12,842]

14 hours ago, AlexR said:

It's probably a little more of a luxury item for just working on Wheelhorses, but if you work on cars too it's well worth it. 

 

I use mine on wheels all the time. Lugs or not, makes life alot easier!

Edited Saturday at 12:07 PM by kpinnc

[WildHorses 385]

Take back that M18 3/8" impact and buy the M12 Gen 3 Stubby, much more power and smaller package. I'd go with a High Torque and Mid Torque M18 and everything else M12 (Fuel in all). Watch their ( homedepot.com ) website for the "deals of the day" when tools are featured and you can get them on sale and with free batteries or other tools very often. Also follow Tool Boss on youtube, he lets you know when there are "Thermonuclear Deals" as he likes to call them, typically those are like cheapest price it's gonna get ever kinda deals. Also checkout the "Torque Test Channel" on youtube as they do comparisons of all impacts, they have a score that factors in performance and price to show you what is the best deal for the power/size/etc. 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 07:59 AM by WildHorses

[MainelyWheelhorse 665]

I have only 20v Dewalt. I have the 1/2 inch impact, 1/4 inch impact, their battery powered drill, the mini battery powered skillsaw, the 5” palm sander, and the mid duty weed wacker. all are the most recent 20v iterations. I do like them, use them a ton, and have no issues with them. The impacts work good on lug bolts/nuts and body bolts, or stubborn bolts overall. It definitely speeds the teardown/rebuild/attach/detach process up on projects like the tractors having the impacts. The fact the batteries interchange is a definite plus for doing multiple things at once. You do need to have the bigger batteries on the 1/2 inch impact as you might get two uses out of the small ones used on the drill/1/4 impact.

Edited Saturday at 11:10 PM by MainelyWheelhorse

[JCM 9,639]

Which Milwaukee tool and socket would be best to remove and re=install lug nuts on a GM  2500 8 lug wheel on the side of the road in case of Emergencies  ?. @AlexR   @WildHorses  Thanks.

[AlexR 797]

38 minutes ago, JCM said:

Which Milwaukee tool and socket would be best to remove and re=install lug nuts on a GM  2500 8 lug wheel on the side of the road in case of Emergencies  ?. @AlexR   @WildHorses  Thanks.

The best would be the M18 1/2" high torque. However I got this whole set for just $50 more then just what the 1/2" high torque bare tool costs. 

I would assume the M18 1/2" mid torque should get the job done at about half the price, so it's really how much you want to spend for the best. 

 

As far as sockets, just about any impact socket in the size you need should work, probably would want the deep well sockets. 

[ebinmaine 68,898]

10 minutes ago, AlexR said:

The best would be the M18 1/2" high torque. However I got this whole set for just $50 more then just what the 1/2" high torque bare tool costs. 

I would assume the M18 1/2" mid torque should get the job done at about half the price, so it's really how much you want to spend for the best. 

 

As far as sockets, just about any impact socket in the size you need should work, probably would want the deep well sockets. 

 

 

I agree overall. 

I'd add that the initial break away torque up here in the Rust Belt is OFTEN  a bit higher than the original installation torque rating. 

I've set wheel torque at 80 or 100 lbs and required OVER TWICE that to break the lug nut free. 

 

It's a legitimate possibility that a 250 lb reverse torque MAY not be enough.  

From my experiences... the Mid Torque 1/2" should be good.  

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 68,898]

A few years ago I stopped on the side of The Maine Turnpike in a little turnout to tighten the straps on the work flatbed truck. 

When I went to climb back in, there was a Dewalt 3/8" impact driver there in the ground. It had apparently been run over because the case was slightly cracked open. But it DID function! 

I ordered a cheapo battery charger for it and we used it for several years.  

During that time my fibromyalgia and whatever else was causing extreme fatigue was just being nasty to me. 

It became obvious that using old conventional ratchets and wrenches 🔧 wasn't going to be a good future for me.  

Also, Trina and I were getting more into home projects that required better ways of driving screws. 

 

I bought a set of Ridgid brand tools that had a 1/4" hex impact driver and a 3/8" drill. 

The impact driver is an absolute GAME CHANGER. 

 

Over the years I've picked up several more Ridgid tools. That keeps our battery interchangeability. 

 

Just recently we got a 90⁰ impact driver shaped like a ratchet. 

 

I haven't used it for a real project yet. Trina loves it. 

The head is maybe half the depth of the average impact driver and has more torque.  

 

 

[adsm08 2,239]

9 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Just recently we got a 90⁰ impact driver shaped like a ratchet. 

 

I haven't used it for a real project yet. Trina loves it. 

The head is maybe half the depth of the average impact driver and has more torque.  

 

 

 

The one I borrow from Devin all the time is great. It's the second one from the left on the title card of the video @WildHorses posted.  It's great for torque converters because it's small enough to fit in the stupidly small spaces they give us to work on them, but it has the nuts to spin those nuts.

[ebinmaine 68,898]

6 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

The one I borrow from Devin all the time is great. It's the second one from the left on the title card of the video @WildHorses posted.  It's great for torque converters because it's small enough to fit in the stupidly small spaces they give us to work on them, but it has the nuts to spin those nuts.

 

Trina had taken a 3rd row seat out of her Pilot to make room for camping gear. 

She went to reinstall that seat and found that even with her smallish hands there are 2 bolts in a VERY tight angle and location. 

She remembered the 90⁰ driver and had no issues getting the bolts tightened right up.  

 

 

[John2189 472]

I have Makita 18 volt 3/8” and 1/2” impact wrenches. I use the 3/8 the most. I have the adapter to use screw drive bits.
if the 1/2 won’t break a bolt or nut loose, i get my ir pneumatic impact out. 

[Handy Don 12,673]

The Rigid tool line has a lot going for it, not least is the amazing warranty.

My first conclusion is that all of the “better” brands of battery tools are capable of most jobs and have decent longevity. None have 100% coverage of the range of tools, though, so specific situations may dictate the “family” that best suits.

My second conclusion is that I’m likely to have to have two battery families--M12 for shop tools and ??? for lawn/garden. It won’t be long before my Stihl blower and Echo trimmer will be outlawed here. When that is imminent, I’ll get serious about research.

 

BTW, has anyone looked at the new semi-autonomous JD battery z-turn? Intended for large mown areas, it’s a bruiser. 

[AlexR 797]

3 hours ago, Handy Don said:

It won’t be long before my Stihl blower and Echo trimmer will be outlawed here. When that is imminent, I’ll get serious about research.

That's unfortunate.  But granted if you don't have large property battery powered actually does quite well. I think the battery powered trimmers do quite well for up to 1 acre properties. Battery powered blowers are probably equal to handheld gas blowers, but to my knowledge they don't have a battery powered blower that is as powerful as the larger backpack blowers.

I have a 3 acre property and have a Stihl gas trimmer and the largest Stihl blower the 800 which is definitely powerful. 

[adsm08 2,239]

3 hours ago, Handy Don said:

. It won’t be long before my Stihl blower and Echo trimmer will be outlawed here. When that is imminent, I’ll get serious about research.

 

 

 

I'd be getting serious about researching living somewhere else.

[ebinmaine 68,898]

32 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

I'd be getting serious about researching living somewhere else.

 

Unfortunately it'll only be a matter of time before that sick tomfoolery is spread far n wide.  

 

 

[Wayne0 585]

I'll be in the market for a 3/4 impact soon. It's a PITA to fire up the compressor for a 5 min. job. as a matter of fact, I might start liquidating some of my air tools in favor of battery.

[adsm08 2,239]

14 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Unfortunately it'll only be a matter of time before that sick tomfoolery is spread far n wide.  

 

 

 

Maybe, but if more people voted with their feet, and made it clear to their officials why they are leaving and going elsewhere, the people enacting these policies might start thinking harder about what they are doing, especially as their tax base starts to shrink.

[lynnmor 7,388]

2 hours ago, adsm08 said:

 

Maybe, but if more people voted with their feet, and made it clear to their officials why they are leaving and going elsewhere, the people enacting these policies might start thinking harder about what they are doing, especially as their tax base starts to shrink.

If only that would work, in my area and possibly yours, the escapees flee those beltway cities to the south and bring their baggage with them.  Even my SIL in Montana is being slammed way out in the country by the California escapees.

[Ed Kennell 39,254]

15 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

the escapees flee those beltway cities

I live in Pa. about 50 miles North of Baltimore, Md.   Thirty plus years ago an area near me was developed .   Driving through the Chanceford Crossing development you couldn't help but notice that many of the cars had Md license plates and still do today.       The development was renamed Little Baltimore by the locals.

 

                       Sorry, were   again.

Edited Sunday at 03:30 PM by Ed Kennell