New Impact Wrench

[5030]

I tend to use an air impact versus a cordless one. My Thor 1/2" drive delivers 1400 foot pounds nut busting or bolt breaking torque and 1200 tightening though I never tighten anything except A325 dome head plow bolts on snow plow cutting edges with it.

You might want to look at the new HF Hercules cordless impact. According to TTC it beats them all and costs a lot less.

Keep in mind that the same outfit owns Milwaukee and DeWalt and they are both produced in the same Chinese factory, probably on the same line, just different colored over moulded handles. I much prefer air operated over battery powered for most jobs I do. I've had exceptional luck with the HF Bauer cordless tools but far as max torque, they don't cut the cheese. My Thor will wind off most ANY nut it encounters and if it don't it will shear off the bolt.

I also own an IR 1" drive impact that will wind off ANY nut. Of course it's heavy and an air hog too and it was expensive but 10 hole bud wheels, no issue.

 

[5030]

IMO, DeWalt's batteries blow. I have just one and no more.

 

[sea2summit]

I have needed a 3/4 drive only because I hate using an adapter on the really large sockets. But with an adapter my 1/2 Milwaukee has gotten everything off to include large truck tires.

 

[Indian Territory]

NEVER tighten anything bolt wise with an impact wrench, loosening is fine however. Always use a torque wrench to tighten any critical fastener as you have no idea how much tightening torque an impact wrench is producing. Real simple

Yeah that's an interesting point. I've heard of torque gauges that can be placed between the impact and the nut. Besides being stupid expensive, are they any good?

 

[5030]

You mean a 'Torque Stick'? Never used them, don't want to but HF sells them btw.

 

[Indian Territory]

You mean a 'Torque Stick'? Never used them, don't want to but HF sells them btw.

The one I've seen was a digital getup. Like $400. It wasn't just a bench tester. It was meant to be used on the project. I'll have to see if I can find it again. I don't doubt there are several at any number of price points. I probably don't need one.

 

[BlueKnife]

So my question is, am I set up or do I need something even bigger?

More than likely, what you have will do fine. Use it for a while and then you'll know.

Oh, and is Dewalt the one to have? How does it compare to a Milwaukee?

They're both fine. Most folks find that it makes the most sense to stick with one brand so that you can use the same batteries in all your tools. I have Dewalt 20V tools and Milwaukee 12V tools and have used plenty of Milwaukee 18V. They all work great for their respective intended purposes. If you do decide to mix it up, there are adapters available so that you can use different brands of batteries on different tools. They're a bit clunky, but are cheap and handy to have around.

 

[chim]

I have a DeWalt 899 and it does everything I need it to. We did a head to head with the Milwaukee hi torque at work not too long after I got it on Gradall lugs and they were a dead heat. The newer 900 has even more torque.

I have a fair amount of experience with DeWalt on my own and at work. With the exception of hardware chain stores, our company was one of their major customers. There were weeks when we had hundreds of tools at a time shipped in. After they went with the 20V Li-Ion batteries we had near zero battery problems. Run time on the "brushless" tools made the old 18V tools look bad. The old 18V NiCad batteries didn't hold their charge like the 20V Li-Ion.

EDIT TO ADD: Found a picture taken a few years before I retired during one of the 18V for 20V trade-in campaigns.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Get it. You'll never regret it.

Years of using air impacts, I'd only use them when really needed; now, it's just so convenient. I've got a DeWalt myself, but I can't recall which model.

 

[newbury]

The one I've seen was a digital getup. Like $400. It wasn't just a bench tester. It was meant to be used on the project. I'll have to see if I can find it again. I don't doubt there are several at any number of price points. I probably don't need one.

No, you need to know the torque when you are tightening the nuts to the bolts.
I used to rely on a 1' handle and put 220 lbs on the handle. But with the advent of gauges like the HF Torque Adapter it's easy to check and relatively inexpensive. Wait until they come on sale.
But like all gauges they probably need occasional checking to see if they are running true.
/edit - and I only use the HF Torque Adapter without the impact. Either with a socket wrench or breaker bar.