WHATS A GOOD IMPACT WRENCH?

[escavader]

Ive bought a couple now 10 years ago a sanborn from sams club [useless] and then a ingersol rand from NORTHERN.They never loosen what i want to loosen and i always end up heating something to remove it .I have an older craftsman 25 gallon compressor.Iwant an impact wrench that actually will loosen something.Just recently replaced two axle u joints in my jeep and the 3 bolts i had to remove to pull the shafts should have come out with a good impact,but no...had to heat the ears on the wheelbearing housings cherry red to remove.The bolts didnt even look rusted!!
Is there such thing as a good impact gun i can run on my homeowners compressor?Help please
ALAN

 

[kevinj]

CP734

 

[k0ua]

I have used my cheapie $25 campbel hausfeld, for years and unstuck hundreds of stuck nuts and bolts. on a cheapie horizontal 20 gal. campbel hausfeld compressor. if it fell into pieces today, I have got my moneys worth out of it. Somethings is wrong. Now dont be offended, but you do know there is a knob on the bottom to adjust the impact torque, right? You dont have a restriction in the airflow or something? I am trying to think here, but I have twisted off my share of bolts with this thing. I think it is rated at about 250 ft. lbs.. you can buy good ones in the 550 to 600 ft lbs of torque for about 100-125 dollars. then there are the professional type. I dont understand the problem.. even this 25 dollar tool is really useful to me. I put in a bunch of landscaping timbers and used it to drive a lot of big lag bolts. Best tool for that I can think of. Give us some info, maybe we as a group can think of something.

James K0UA

 

[brin]

A couple of years ago I bought a complete air tool set from Harbor freight..Impact wrech including an air ratchet as well as other air tools...it was aroungd $60.00 and it has worked great..It gets the bolts off of my 5 ft. bush hog blades...and that is saying something..

 

[k0ua]

.It gets the bolts off of my 5 ft. bush hog blades...and that is saying something

Yeah, that was what I was thinking. even these inexpensive import, impacts will do a lot, they may not compare to a good Chicago Pnuematic or something of that class, but they do a lot of usefull work, just might not last as long. or be as powerfull but still usefull.
James K0UA

 

[orezok]

Be aware that the size and length of your hose has a huge effect on the output of a wrench. I once tried to use a 10' but 1/4" hose to tighten some wheel weight bolts and it wouldn't do a thing (one of those spiral thingies). Got a regular 1/2" hose and it rocked!

 

[escavader]

CP734

WHATS THIS KEVEN J?
KOUA,
I have good pressure at the chuck id have to look but i think its 120-130 or so.Ihave no other problems with my other air tools [framing nailer,grinders drills etc.Yes i know i have different settings on the guns.More than glad to take pics of my setup if you really think i might have issues.I m heading out to putter in the garage in a bit ill take the camera
ALAN

 

[escavader]

Be aware that the size and length of your hose has a huge effect on the output of a wrench. I once tried to use a 10' but 1/4" hose to tighten some wheel weight bolts and it wouldn't do a thing (one of those spiral thingies). Got a regular 1/2" hose and it rocked!

MY compressor is in another part of the barn overhead and say 150 feet away from the chuck .Ialso have another take off with say 5o ft of hose.Its all 1/2 or 3/8 .Once its pressurized and doesnt leak anywhere am i good?
ALAN

 

[k0ua]

Well I would think if the grinders and drills work ok, so should the impact. as the grinders and drills are high volume users. more so than the impact. The point the other poster was trying to make is about volume not pressure, you could have good pressure, and low volume due to a restriction. (small hose, too long length, or something like that) I believe the other poster referenced a Chicago Pnuematic model of impact.
James K0UA

 

[k0ua]

Are you saying you have 150 ft of 1/2 and 50 foot of 3/8.. so 200 foot total? if so, that might be part of the problem. each foot of hose adds resistance to the flow of air, just like electricity is impeded by each foot of wire, the smaller the wire the greater the resistance. the same way for "pipe". to make more volume of air flow, increase the size off the "pipe". That said, if you are using a drill or grinder and they seem to have good torque, then I would think and impact would work also. But I have never used more than 100 foot of 1/2
James K0UA

 

[k0ua]

Here is someones take on the possibility of a problem:

A cheesy flowing regulator, filter or water trap, internally damaged air hoses, hose leaks, an excessive length of hose ,or ANYTHING else that cuts down on the air-tool manufacturers minimum recommended CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) delivery of 90 PSI airflow ( industry standard pressure) will cause weak impact power and performance.

James K0UA

 

[jeffinsgf]

I've got a Porter-Cable electric impact. It has yet to fail me. I can also get electricity easier and faster to more places than I can air.

 

[kevinj]

WHATS THIS KEVEN J?
KOUA,
I have good pressure at the chuck id have to look but i think its 120-130 or so.Ihave no other problems with my other air tools [framing nailer,grinders drills etc.Yes i know i have different settings on the guns.More than glad to take pics of my setup if you really think i might have issues.I m heading out to putter in the garage in a bit ill take the camera
ALAN

Chicago Pneumatic model 734 1/2" drive

Google cp734 to look at em

 

[Transit]

I bought one no sale for $35 a few years ago, no longer use the air wench. Now you may say the name brands in this power range are better, think again. Look at the specs, Hp, torque and the only two things that differ are the price and color. Why pay $125 at Sears?

Now if you have problems with frozen bolts, you should have used some anti seize when things were new.

1/2" Electric Impact Wrench

 

[crazyal]

I don't have a nice one yet but have done lots of reading up on the subject. The best I found is if you're looking for the best 1/2" impact wrench then get an Ingersoll Titanium Quiet drive. It's not cheap but it's built to last. A close second is the AirCat Kevlar composite (what I'll end up getting). Chicago Pneumatics also makes a very good wrench. I think the CP734 is a Chicago Pneumatic model number, I don't know much about them though. The main reason the Aircat is not rated as high as the IR is because they are a Korean company.

The length of air hose shouldn't hurt you, 3/8" diameter is the smallest I would use though. If you read your (if you still have it) manual for your compressor they tell you it's much better to run long lengths of air line over electrical lines and having the compressor close to your work. A simple check would be to put an air gauge on your impact wrench and see how much the pressure drops as you try to remove a stubborn bolt.

A bad regulator will cause you issues as it will let full pressure down the line until you go to use air. Then it will not open up to allow the flow needed to supply the air needed for tools. I would suggest a regulator that has 1/2" threads for fittings. They are larger and will allow more air to flow through them.

 

[Bird]

I've been out of the air tool repair business now for nine and a half years, but until then, the most popular half-inch impact wrenches for professional mechanics were the Chicago Pneumatic CP734 and the Ingersoll-Rand IR231. They were entirely different styles and designs, but both produced the same amount of torque; i.e. 425 ft. lb. MAC, Matco, and Cornwell all had versions with their own names on the tools, but they were just Chicago Pneumatic or Ingersoll-Rand so the parts were interchangeable.. Snap-On has very similar impacts, but just different enough that if you ever need parts, they have to come from Snap-On at much higher prices.

But when you buy any impact wrench, look at the manufacturer's rating of air consumption and torque produced. There are literally dozens of cheap "knock-offs" especially of the CP734. They look the same, but only produce 210-250 ft. lb. of torque. Huge difference.

In the last 15 years or so, there are even more powerful half inch impacts made, such as the IR2131, composite body, with 600 ft. lbs. of loosening power. They became popular with diesel mechanics because they'd loosen nuts and bolts that used to require the heavier 3/4" impacts.

And as others have said, the size and length of your air hose can make a big difference.

Incidentally, my own current half inch impact is an IR231 that I gave $40 for at a pawn shop.

 

[2458n]

IR works great with alot of abuse. No one has mentioned lubrication. Try a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil or Blaster in the gun. Like all things -some tools have a much higher torque rating then others. Harbor Freight has a 1/2 air impact called,"earth quake" that has 600 ft/lbs. for removal. If your 1/2'' impact removes bush hog blades you have a good one!

 

[brin]

IR works great with alot of abuse. No one has mentioned lubrication. Try a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil or Blaster in the gun. Like all things -some tools have a much higher torque rating then others. Harbor Freight has a 1/2 air impact called,"earth quake" that has 600 ft/lbs. for removal. If your 1/2'' impact removes bush hog blades you have a good one!

Here's the thing...I really should have posted it removes the nut from the blades so the impact wrench does it's job but I can't ever get the blade itself off..I have squirted, pounded and heated..no go..not the wrenches fault because it got the nut off.. I am beginning to believe you don't need a nut on a bush hog blade, at least not on mine...those blades are on there for good ..I just grind them once a year and have given up trying to take them off.

 

[Bird]

Here's the thing...I really should have posted it removes the nut from the blades so the impact wrench does it's job but I can't ever get the blade itself off..I have squirted, pounded and heated..no go..not the wrenches fault because it got the nut off.. I am beginning to believe you don't need a nut on a bush hog blade, at least not on mine...those blades are on there for good ..I just grind them once a year and have given up trying to take them off.

Bob, I didn't have a gear puller of the right size, so I used two 6" C clamps and about an 8" piece of 4" channel iron to pull the blades on my Howse 500. Of course I put nut back on, but backed off a ways, tightened the C clamps, then one sharp rap with a hammer and the blades popped right off.

 

[Bird]

IR works great with alot of abuse. No one has mentioned lubrication. Try a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil or Blaster in the gun. Like all things -some tools have a much higher torque rating then others. Harbor Freight has a 1/2 air impact called,"earth quake" that has 600 ft/lbs. for removal. If your 1/2'' impact removes bush hog blades you have a good one!

Any oil or grease is better than no oil or grease, but I prefer genuine air tool oil for insertion in the air inlet. In fact, when I was in that business I used Marvel Mystery Air Tool Oil (came in a white can instead of red). Air tool oil is a gum solvent lightweight oil. Oil in the air inlet lubricates the air motor. Incidentally, you don't really need more than 2 or 3 drops at a time, but you cannot hurt the tool by using too much because it will just blow the excess out the exhaust. Messy maybe but no damage.

But the oil in the air inlet does not lubricate the impact mechanism. Some tools use oil, some grease. For example, the CP734 has a plug in the side of the housing, labelled "Oil". You can remove that plug with an Allen (hex) wrench. Put the tool down on the bench horizontally and turned so that plug is at 3 o'clock (or 9 o'clock), so you can fill the front end of the tool with 20W or 30W non-detergent motor oil up to that hole. In other words, you fill the front end of the tool half full of oil. On the other hand, the IR231 doesn't use oil in the impact mechanism; it used grease. The grease fitting in the center of the back end of the tool looks like a little dimple with a tiny ball bearing. You have to have a needle nosed grease gun to pump grease into it. The rotor and the anvil in those is hollow so the grease pumped into the back end greases the rear bearing, goes through the rotor, lubricates the front bearing, and then into the anvil and out little holes to lubricate the hammers. The IR2131 has the same kind of grease fitting but on the side of the housing. The rotor and anvil are not hollow and the front and rear motor bearings are sealed bearings.

Of course in that business, I always used Ingersoll-Rand genuine air tool grease and they actually have a different grease for the IR231 than the grease for the IR2131. But most mechanics use whatever they happen to have in their grease gun.:laughing: