Rotary Cutter Woods Brush Cutter Recall

[Bird]

Mike, impact wrenches hammer hard enough and fast enough that you don't have to worry about the blade turning; it won't. But with hand wrenches, you usually have to stick a block of wood, like a small piece of 2 x 4 in between the housing and blade to keep the blade from turning. And then sometimes the blade doesn't turn, but the whole spindle does./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif So then you have to block the spindle on top of the deck some way.

 

[Jeff396]

I finally got an impact wrench for my compressor...makes stubborn bolt removal a piece of cake. Unfortunately, I don't feel as comfortable tightening the same bolts with it so I still have to find a way to keep the item still. I feel a lot better when I can grab the old torque wrench and am sure that I didn't overtighten it (something I all too often tend to do./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif)

Jeff

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>...tightening the same bolts with it...</font color=blue>

What do you other guys use to tighten the nut? The impact wrench or a torque wrench?

 

[Jeff396]

My ex neighbor used to be a mechanic at a Ford dealership. He said that they would put together an entire engine with an impact gun. I can't even imagine that. But I guess after you've used one for years you get a feel for how tight things are with it. I haven't had mine too long yet. My F-350 wheel nuts are supposed to be torqued to 140 lbs. No matter what setting on the impact I used I just couldn't get it there. Lately I've been using the low setting and let it hit it for about 6 or 8 blows and then use the torque wrench for the final tightening round. But I know I am a little uptight in this area. Driving too many rattle traps that will shake an improperly torqued nut off in a heart beat. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Jeff

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>He said that they would put together an entire engine with an impact gun.</font color=blue>

Yikes. I can't see using an impact wrench for this, particularly for parts like the heads or parts that not only have a torque specification but also a torque sequence.

 

[Bird]

Jeff, I can understand being reluctant to trust the impact wrench for properly tightening things. Experience and knowledge of the capabilities of your impact wrench, though, can make a difference. I don't even have a decent torque wrench anymore and don't think I need one. But if I were tearing down an engine and putting the head bolts back, I'd probably go buy one. And then I'd probably never use it for anything else. But of course I've spent a little time rebuilding/repairing air tools, and I have a half inch impact, 3/8" impact, and 3/8" ratchet and have a pretty good idea of what they can and can't do.

 

[mikim]

exactly what I had in mind - but didn't want to hit it in the wrong direction. I tried my 3/8 drive ratchet (both air and hand) and it didn't budge nuttin' So ... it's now time to get out the 1/2 drive stuff - if I can't get it with a breaker bar - then I'll use an impact. - The problem is I don't have a straight shot at it from the access hole so if I use the impact - even with an extension - I'll probably be at a slight angle on it. The breaker bar I can put under the deck and reach through the access hole to use. --- or get under the deck myself and reach over the stump jumper that way. I've got the whole thing sitting on blocks and I tried to push it off and couldn't so I guess it's solid enough.
thanks bird
mike

 

[Jeff396]

Of course, the old steel heads were a lot more forgiving than the aluminum heads found on a lot of cars today. I think they still did them in sequence though...

Jeff

 

[MikePA]

Talking about aluminum heads (here comes a topic drift /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif), one of the shows on TNN just did a comparison of the crate motors avilable from the three manufacturers, most of which had alum heads. I've often thought of replacing the 350 in my 1991 K1500 with a 502 (well, at least a performance 350!) when the time comes. But I've never been able to determine if that'd be legal, from a polution control perspective for my year truck.

 

[dummy]

What about using a set of torque adapters with your air tools? These have probably saved me alot of aggravation time.