lets talk impact wrenchs

[kossetx]

I've only ever needed an impact wrench for personal use. I bought a campbell housfield 1/2" to use but it seems to be a dog. It's like it runs out of power as the day goes on, but it is hooked to a porter cable 6cfm@90, 25 gal compressor. I was also only using it to remove 3/8" nuts to take some tool boxes off my farm truck. They weren't even rusty.

I took it back and exchanged it for another but it did the same. The manual indicates it needs less air than my comp puts out. I bought it because it said it put out 340ft/lbs of tork.

Do these homeowner type impacts suck and should I get a better one? Some of them have even less tork than this one. I really doubt it is my compressor, but I guess it could be. When the wrench starts to dog down the compressor shows plenty of air in the tank and sometimes hasn't even restarted itself. Does anyone have any opinions of the red one HFT sells. Name like thunderbolt or something) It is supposed to have about 2X the tork and is usually about 80.00.

TIA for any replies. MP

 

[SteelDust]

I was in the same boat as you. My first set of air tools included an impact wrench rated at about 350 ft.lbs of torque, it wouldn't unbolt much of anything at all. I immediately went out and bought an Ingersol Rand that was rated at about 600 ft. lbs. There isn't much that it hasn't been able to break loose. The adage holds true, you get what you pay for. That one IR impact cost nearly as much as the compressor and cheap air tool kit together, but it works.

 

[Bird]

Mark, that Campbell-Hausfeld is not one of the more powerful impact wrenches around, but it should not run down on power unless it's not properly lubricated; i.e., it should maintain its 340 ft./lbs. of torque all day. Are you putting air tool oil into the air intake? A teaspoonful is more than adequate; however, you cannot hurt one with too much oil. It might be messy because the excess will be blown out the exhaust, but it sure won't hurt the tool. In addition, doesn't it have an oil plug for a hex wrench in the side of the housing? The only Campbell-Hausfelds I'm personally familiar with do have. At any rate, the oil through the air intake lubricates the air motor, but then the impact mechanism also needs lubricating. Some impacts have the oil plug and the front end should be half full of 20W or 30W non-detergent motor oil. Other impacts (such as my IR231) have a grease fitting (actually a dimple with a tiny ball bearing) in the back end (the IR2131 is on the side instead of the back end). A needle nosed grease gun is necessary to add grease to those. The next question would be, what size air hose are you using? You'll have a little more power with a 3/8" hose than a 1/4" hose, but I'd assume you're using a 3/8" which is probably the most common size.

Incidentally, the IR231 (one of the most popular impacts made for many years) is rated at 425 ft./lbs. and the IR2131 (composite body) was rated at 600 or more originally, but I think they've changed that rating to 550 ft./lbs.

And yes, your compressor with 6 CFM at 90 psi should be quite adequate.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

The old saying is, the cheap pay twice. The torque rating on an impact gun is with a constant supply of air. If you put a pressure gauge at the tool, you would probably find a significant pressure drop. This is part of your issue. Try a larger air hose and instead of a qd at the tank, plumb it straight in. Bypass the regulator as you have a single stage compressor anyway, you want all the flow and psi you can get. With going thru the pressure regulator, (even turned on max) air hose, and small qd's, you are probably down to 80 psi and low flow at the gun when holding the trigger down. The regulators on these small compressors are very restrictive.
As for home use air guns, the Ingersoll-Rands are very good. This would probably be the last gun you ever bought for home use. I use my old I-R 231 frequently and have had it 15 years. I use 1/2" hose and 3/8"qd's, drop down to 1/4" at the gun. If I can't remove it with that, I have to get the 3' breaker bar and jump on it. This is just what works for me. Other people may have different experiences.

 

[RobS]

Hey all you impact experts: Years ago I invested in a good impact wrench and it's still going strong. I remember looking at the IR but ended up with a Chicago Pneumatic. The guy sold both and said they were pretty much equivalent. I have no complaints, just curious about CP (and NOT Central Pneumatic, HF brand).

 

[WildWest]

I am also a beliver in the

I use AeroKroil As a lubricant on a 14cfm 125psi compressor the more psi you have the better it will run

 

[kossetx]

I knew bird would find this, Thanks. The wrench was oiled though.

As far as being cheap, well....

Not knowing IW's, I assumed this one would work OK. It struggles with taking a nut off, let alone the initial losening. I don't think it could take a tight nut off.

Steeldust, by what you say I'll have to get another.

Thanks again folks.

 

[gemini5362]

I knew bird would find this, Thanks. The wrench was oiled though.

As far as being cheap, well....

Not knowing IW's, I assumed this one would work OK. It struggles with taking a nut off, let alone the initial losening. I don't think it could take a tight nut off.

Steeldust, by what you say I'll have to get another.

Thanks again folks.

I notice you said it was oiled but did not mention the hose. What the other posters have said is very important. I use a 1/4 inch hose for my nail gun. I had to take some bolts off and used the 1/4 inch hose because of the length. The results were disapointing and I thought I had a problem with my IR impact. I moved things closer to the air compresser and used my regular 3/8 inch hose and things were a lot better.

 

[KubotainNH]

I started with a cheap CH one too, that thing wouldn't loosen much. A couple years later I bought a 900 foot pound Northern Tool one, it was a bit over $100 I think. I doubt it really does 900 ft/lbs but it is powerful. When I first got it I tried it on every nut I could find and there wasn't one it didn't break loose. Good tools rock!

 

[MrJimi]

Do you have the power adjustment at the bottom of the grip opened up all the way to get full power?
Jim

 

[George2615]

My opinion is you don't have a large enough compressor (CFM) and with only a 25 gallon tank you are running out of air to operate the gun efficiently. A friend of mine has a similar compressor and tank and when he pulled the trigger of his air gun to loosen a lug nut the air gauge drops dramatically. I took my impact gun to his garage and it did the same thing. He replaced his compressor with a new larger one (more CFM and bigger tank) from Northern tool and hasn't had a problem since.

 

[RobJ]

I bought a Blue Point 1/2" impact in 1979 from my snap-on dealer because I couldn't afford the snap-on model (that one was sweet to use and nice looking). In the last several years I bought 2 cheaper ones from HF and Northern tool. 29 years old and only some squirts of oil every now and then and it'll out twist the others on the same air hose.

Buy the better one unless you are prone to losing tools.

 

[Bird]

Hey all you impact experts: Years ago I invested in a good impact wrench and it's still going strong. I remember looking at the IR but ended up with a Chicago Pneumatic. The guy sold both and said they were pretty much equivalent. I have no complaints, just curious about CP (and NOT Central Pneumatic, HF brand).

Yep, Rob, it's mostly a matter of personal preference. I don't know which CP you have, but the CP734 is rated at the same power level as the IR231, but the design is entirely different. Those are the two brands' most popular models for years. I prefer the IR and my brother prefers the CP. He likes the CP best because it's easier to reverse directions with one hand. I like the IR because it has a lot fewer moving parts. And most of the MAC, Matco, and Cornwell air tools are made by either Chicago Pneumatic or Ingersoll-Rand. Both very good products.

 

[Bird]

I bought a Blue Point 1/2" impact in 1979 from my snap-on dealer because I couldn't afford the snap-on model (that one was sweet to use and nice looking). In the last several years I bought 2 cheaper ones from HF and Northern tool. 29 years old and only some squirts of oil every now and then and it'll out twist the others on the same air hose.

Buy the better one unless you are prone to losing tools.

I never really understood why Snap-On has them with both the Snap-On name and the Blue Point name. In many cases, the parts are interchangeable, so I'd buy the one that was cheapest. I'd just as soon have one as the other.

 

[Zick]

I just got this one to replace my 10 year old pos cheap impact. Works good, light and very quiet!

Ingersoll-Rand 1/2 in. Impact Wrench, Quiet Tool - Model 2131QT at Sears.com

 

[Bird]

I've repaired a number of 2131 impacts, but they didn't have the "QT" or quiet model back then. It sure makes me wonder what's different. The IR212 (3/8" impacts) came only as one model, but for reasons unknown to me, some had a filter/silencer and some did not. It was nothing more than a coarse filter material rolled up and inserted in the exhaust. If a customer complained that it didn't have enough power and I couldn't find anything wrong with it, I'd leave the filter out and let him try it that way. Invariably, they were happy. It made a lot more noise and sounded more powerful and I guess a straight out exhaust gave it a little more power anyway just as it would a car without a muffler.

I just looked at a parts breakdown and, while I can't say for absolutely sure, it does appear that a couple of little pieces of foam filter material inserted in the exhaust is the only difference in the 2131 and the 2131QT. But of course those things are powerful enough that you'd probably never miss what little power you loose with a tiny bit of exhaust restriction.

 

[kossetx]

Zick, That is the same tool I was asking about from HFT. Your is IR, there's is something else and it is also sold by ADT and some other companies. The HFT one says it develops 700+ lbs but I'd bet it is more like IR states it's tork is. I guess it's made in you know where to be marketed by many companies. I really don't think this CH impact develops the 350 lbs it says it does.

Oh, 3/8" 25' hose on my compressor.

 

[ScottAR]

My IR 2131 has been the best wrench I've ever used. My friend has the quiet version and it really is very quiet compared to my "loud" one. We've noticed no difference in performance. The new 2135Ti's we have at work are very light to handle; Nice gun. Sometime soon, I'll get the 2141 big daddy.

As to the chicago pneumatic, another friend has a CP gun. He's had no problems and speaks highly of it. They don't market themselves as aggresively so perhaps that's why they are not as popular.

 

[wushaw]

My 1/2" Mac/IR is 23 years old and still going strong right along with my 3/8 Snap-on that has just recently been updated to the composite version.

 

[Harry c]

I have a 3/8 CP and a good 1/2 IR. Both work fine. I recently bought a 1/2 inch drive Dewalt 18 volt battery powered. I haven't used it yet but my son says it works great. No wait for the air to build up and just grab it and go wherever you need it. My wife keeps hijacking my 18v reciprocating saw to trim her bushes too! I got tools, I just can't always catch up with 'em!