Recommend me an impact driver

[hunter27]

I have a Makita 285 supposedly 400Nm that sometimes struggles to remove wheel nuts that were only recently tightened to 90Nm using a torque wrench and that's with a fully charged 5AH battery.
It says that it was built in the UK so the Nm should be the the right make I am very disappointed with it.

 

[sako243]

Has anyone tried the new Milwaukee 1" impact.

My snap on monster lithium (950nm breakaway) has let me down this week on a number of cap head Allen bolts (17mm AF whatever size that is. M20?)

Took a 2 foot bar to crack them.

Not massively more powerful than the 3/4" Heavy Duty one but quite a chunk more cash if I remember correctly.

Mate who repairs heavy plant has the 3/4" Milwaukee and that's been fine on the bolts that hold on the cleats for everything up to a 45t excavator.

 

[james butler]

Not personally but know a couple of commercial tyre guys with them for roadside.

Say they want the 9ah if not 12ah batteries if working alot.

only problem with that is the size of the battery and the subsequent combined weight makes it unwieldly

 

[GRW]

A lot of the older commercial stuff was “left hand side, left hand thread” supposed to stop the nuts coming undone in use.

Yep, my ageing LDV Convoy has LH threaded wheel nuts (27mm nut).
They are 'kin tight too (I carry one of those windy-handle torque reducer things in case I need to change a wheel roadside, cos you'll bend/snap a 1/2" 1-metre torque bar leaping up n down on it trying to get em undone).
I too fancy a Zip Gun to undo them... but I think the only battery ones that'd handle this sort of job are the top-of-the-range, many hundreds of £ - which I can't justify myself for the use it'd get.
However, now I have an (old IR30) 150L, 10-Bar Compressor (maybe 9-10cfm??).... maybe a hefty air rattle gun ? (I note Clarke at MM do some well-priced ones that are rated at 880nm (or more in 3/4 Drive) that get decent reviews....

 

[Brad93]

Yep, my ageing LDV Convoy has LH threaded wheel nuts (27mm nut).
They are 'kin tight too (I carry one of those windy-handle torque reducer things in case I need to change a wheel roadside, cos you'll bend/snap a 1/2" 1-metre torque bar leaping up n down on it trying to get em undone).
I too fancy a Zip Gun to undo them... but I think the only battery ones that'd handle this sort of job are the top-of-the-range, many hundreds of £ - which I can't justify myself for the use it'd get.
However, now I have an (old IR30) 150L, 10-Bar Compressor (maybe 9-10cfm??).... maybe a hefty air rattle gun ? (I note Clarke at MM do some well-priced ones that are rated at 880nm (or more in 3/4 Drive) that get decent reviews....

Torque Multiplier. This is the other option for me I think.

 

[GRW]

Torque Multiplier. This is the other option for me I think.

That's the kiddie..... one of those
They work really well! A bit of a faff and of course slower than any Zip Gun, but need no power, and are gentle on the nuts/threads, and will shift stuff that all but the toughest Rattle Guns won't touch.
For about 40-quid-ish off Fleabay.... a hit of a bargain

 

[8ob]

Torque Multiplier. This is the other option for me I think.

I was looking at rattle gun friendly 78-1 torque mutipliers earlier, makes a lot of sense really and you wouldn't be ragging the batteries.

Bob

 

[GRW]

I've had this Clarke 240V model. for quite some time. Yes is needs a cable to it, but it works exceedingly well.

I got one.... and it can't handle my 27mm LDV wheel nuts, and has struggled with the wheel nuts on cars inc the star-drives holding alloys on an 02 tiddly Toyota Yaris.... so I was decidedly underwhelmed tbh.
They do a bigger version now though rated at a chunk more oomph - so that might be OK.

 

[J1nx]

The Torque test channel on YT do some interesting comparisons. The price of the top Milwaulkee is pretty high but it’s a beast, the Makita is still a huge wedge but seems like the current best buy for high end…

 

[James1979]

Has anyone tried the new Milwaukee 1" impact.

My snap on monster lithium (950nm breakaway) has let me down this week on a number of cap head Allen bolts (17mm AF whatever size that is. M20?)

Took a 2 foot bar to crack them.

Yes. Marine cistomer who’s boats I work on needed a slew ring changing on a deck crane. I got them to buy one as nothing else would do.

It was a brilliant tool. 46mm socket.

Problem was, once the battery got below 3/4 it wasn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, it still had plenty grunt, but you could feel it tail off. Two batteries and swapping out was all it took.

I’d buy one. You really need the 9 or 12 ah batteries though.

 

[James1979]

only problem with that is the size of the battery and the subsequent combined weight makes it unwieldly

It’s still got better access than a petrol one or a big air jobbie but you are right.

 

[Brad93]

Yes. Marine cistomer who’s boats I work on needed a slew ring changing on a deck crane. I got them to buy one as nothing else would do.

It was a brilliant tool. 46mm socket.

Problem was, once the battery got below 3/4 it wasn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, it still had plenty grunt, but you could feel it tail off. Two batteries and swapping out was all it took.

I’d buy one. You really need the 9 or 12 ah batteries though.

Hmm it seems to be the way with these battery tools. Lithium isn't meant to drop off as much but clearly does.

See we only have air on one or two sites. This one does, but you can't always count on it being free (other trades) or in working order.

I think I'm siding towards a Norbar Torque multiplier (used of course)

 

[roofman]

cheers for the advice, think i'll go for this bad boy

Error 410 | Screwfix

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same as mine...well up for 99% of applications and great build quality

 

[Brad93]

This is a tight job! I'll take pictures tonight (although sprocket rings now in place so will be hard to see what we was working with).

Definitely don't want to spend £700 then need half a dozen batteries on top.

Maybe the ¾" is the way to go.

 

[James1979]

Depends what you’re doing. When I say it drops off it’s all relative. I was busting a slew ring of bolts off on a crane where I couldn’t get anything else in and I wasn’t going to start swinging on bars up a ladder on a boat

Even at 3/4 power it would **** al over the 3/4” one

 

[Maker]

then its the 8' bar.

And failing that, oxyfuel. Can't be tight if it's liquid.

 

[James1979]

@Brad93 I borrowed it once just to see - the wheel bearing on a fh460 is 3000ish Nm. It didn’t even blink.

 

[GRW]

I think I'm siding towards a Norbar Torque multiplier (used of course)

Can a Norbar cope with being driven by an impact gun - or do you have to employ a regular ratchet?

 

[mtt.tr]

I like my DeWalt

 

[8ob]

When that fails its out with the airline and the 1" drive and if that doesn't move it then its the 8' bar.

Reminds me of a 2" nut holding a disc mower rotor on, lads had it on its side and were bouncing up and down on a breaker bar with a scaffold pole extension, they had the heat out there as well and this thing wouldn't budge. Went out with the petrol nut gun and thought I would give it the forward/backward routine and it came straight off, it was a left hand thread
Where the air,corded or petrol nut guns win over the battery gear is they can rattle away for a minute or two and put a load of heat into the nut, enough to stop you picking them up off the floor anyway

Bob