Ugga dugga wrench, how big?

[Gwil]

Age, a crumbling spine etc. all catching up with me!

I work on my own stuff, and my next project is a front end overhaul on the suspension/steering of my '97 Isuzu pickup. It needs sundry joints, inc. CV joints, upper & lower swivels etc., replacing stripped wheel studs and whatever else I find!

I have a small 350nm Bosch impact wrench, useful, but not up to the job. How big should I go? I may have asked this question before in another context so bear with me!

 

[dobbslc]

There's another thread on impact wrenchs somewhere on here but Ive just bought a Milwaukee M12 brushless one that knocks out 745Nm of nut busting torque!
It took the wheel nuts off a Mini on power setting 2 of three very easily.

 

[Craig-SM]

Also a big fan of the M12 Stubby torque gun even though I have the big M18 high power one. The beauty of the stubby is gets into places a big torque gun can’t and enough power for most jobs.

 

[JOEPRO]

@Gwil do you prefer air powered if you already have a good air supply?

Or do you have any battery powered tools to date like Dewalt etc to give prople a steer of what will work for you.

 

[ukracer]

@Gwil do you prefer air powered if you already have a good air supply?

Or do you have any battery powered tools to date like Dewalt etc to give prople a steer of what will work for you.

My son has a big dewalt and it's never been beaten yet.
I would be asking what battery tools you already have.

 

[JOEPRO]

I would be asking what battery tools you already have.

Thats what I was asking yes.

My vote - Milwaukee M18 Mid Torque.

To have one impact - M12 is too weak. Needs to be m18 then expand into M12 along with an M18.

 

[Gwil]

@Gwil do you prefer air powered if you already have a good air supply?

Or do you have any battery powered tools to date like Dewalt etc to give prople a steer of what will work for you.

A very good point! I have Bosch Professional 18v up to 5ah batteries. I don't have an adequate compressor. I don't have any other air tools.

 

[Gwil]

Thats what I was asking yes.

My vote - Milwaukee M18 Mid Torque.

To have one impact - M12 is too weak. Needs to be m18 then expand into M12 along with an M18.

I'd rather not spend on the beginning of a range from another make- I'm old, they may be too long term an investment! I have Bosch 5ah batteries in good nick, and a couple of chargers. So I'd go for Bosch for preference.

I too have used the big Dewalt (2000nm?), and it's certainly a brute.

 

[Ubique]

I have a Facom NS.3100GBP (there is a MAC version) that has a rating of 1600Nm, on an almost daily basis in every workshop I've been in since electric impact tools became a 'thing', if there was a stubborn fastener, then air tools were the ones that would shift it.
Yes, there needs to be an air supply, and the air compressor, lines & hoses need to have sufficient throughput to achieve the rating. That said, many wheel bolts & nuts have been released with a 3/4" breaker bar & appropriate socket without damage after electric impact tools failed to make an, err.... impact.

For compactness & power, the Facom NS.1600F is hard to beat, small enough to access restricted spaces, especially with a Gedore 1/2" impact swivel between it and the socket

 

[Jackimus]

My DTW700 has 1000nm nutbusting torque and needed something between that and 700nm to crack the most stubborn, rusty bolt I've come up against so far in maintenance and replacement.

 

[mtt.tr]

My DeWalt 1/2" has be brilliant, it's seen some abuse from working on trucks.

I think it was £150 bare so pretty cheap

 

[finyuk2005]

I'd rather not spend on the beginning of a range from another make- I'm old, they may be too long term an investment! I have Bosch 5ah batteries in good nick, and a couple of chargers. So I'd go for Bosch for preference.

I too have used the big Dewalt (2000nm?), and it's certainly a brute.

The other option is to use a battery adapter and use your existing batteries with whatever new impact gun you go for,
I bought a Hikoki nail gun and brad nailer, for starters Makita didnt even do a big nailer at the time, and also, the hikoki ones where much cheaper!
found an adaptor on amazon to use with my makita batteries, works without any issues!

 

[Gwil]

The other option is to use a battery adapter and use your existing batteries with whatever new impact gun you go for,
I bought a Hikoki nail gun and brad nailer, for starters Makita didnt even do a big nailer at the time, and also, the hikoki ones where much cheaper!
found an adaptor on amazon to use with my makita batteries, works without any issues!

Now that is interesting, something I hadn't even considered. Thanks. I knew these adaptors existed, as is the way with us old gits, I'd forgotten all about them.

 

[frank horton]

Gwill
my m18 dewalt nut buster ....I wanted a spare 5ah batt..
a gen battery is 200 euro's here.....
bought an adaptor that would take a Lidil 5ah battery which was 29euro....works a treat....
it's a little taller now but this gun is not for confined spaces anyway...

 

[Jack_K]

Even cheap air ones seem to beat quite expensive cordless ones.

 

[premmington]

I still using my collection of air impact wrenches.

IR ones in 1/2" and 3/4"...

Yeah I got a 1/2" Milwaukee battery high torque one.

But for a stubbon wheel nut a big 3/4" IR air impact wrench fed thru a 13mm bore pipe - with a heavy weighted socket - takes some beating.

 

[Craig-SM]

I still using my collection of air impact wrenches.

IR ones in 1/2" and 3/4"...

Yeah I got a 1/2" Milwaukee battery high torque one.

But for a stubbon wheel nut a big 3/4" IR air impact wrench fed thru a 13mm bore pipe - with a heavy weighted socket - takes some beating.

It’s surprising the difference a heavy socket makes. I used Draper ones for years before getting the Milwaukee ones, standard and deep, they’re all noticeably heavier especially the deep so mainly use them.

 

[steveo3002]

depends what you want from it - if everything has to come undone then m18 big boy gets it done , theyre pretty heavy though and a mid torque would alot of the stuff but not all

ive got 3x
big m18
mid torque m18
little m12 ( man maths says its cheaper once you have the charger lol)

dont know why people mention xyz whizzed off some wheel nuts , try it on a crank bolt or 20 year old rusted suspension parts and report back

 

[Migmac]

Milwaukee, the I’ve the 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch. Haven’t been beaten yet. Downside of the 3/4 inch is the price of sockets

 

[Kayos]

I have a DeWalt 240v, it either loosens the nut/bolt or snaps it. There is no middle ground

Recently purchased a Fakita 1/2", not used in anger but promising on tests