uhh, they don't even leave the torquing of wheels to the air gun at walmart. i've always heard that you should just snug everything up with the impact, and torque by hand. otherwise its easy to under/over torque the lugs. both are bad, for different reasons.
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July 17, 2009 8:55 a.m. Strizzo Dork
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July 17, 2009 9:47 a.m. RoadWarrior New Reader
I got the DeWalt 18v 1/2 one...it rocks zips off wheels in a snap. My harbor freight one...not so much, and I dropped it and it stopped workign...so now I got 2 battieries with nothing for it to go to.
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July 17, 2009 9:56 a.m. Ian F HalfDork
docwyte wrote:
So I got the Northern Tool one from Pep Boys, as apparently they no longer carry the GoodYear one. It was 24v rated to 240 ft lbs. Without a full charge it couldn't take off the lug nuts torqued to 85 ft lbs. I returned it.
So, what do you guys recommend instead? Does the Harbor Freight one work? It'll take off lug nuts torqued to 85 ft lbs even without a full battery charge?
Or do I need to spend big bucks on Snap On or something...
I have that one as well... and was also quite irked it can't remove the lug bolts on a MINI... 240 ft lbs my ass...
I had a discussion about this with a mechanic friend just last week... he also concurred that despite the gawd-awful price, the Snap On one is the only cordless impact worth spending money on after trying a Milwalkee (well over $300 MSRP)... However, it's still over $500.. ouch.
I'm hoping the 18V DeWalt (300 ft lb rated version) could suffice for my limited needs... (I already have a very good pneumatic for the shop) since I already have some other 18V DeWalt tools and batteries. I few guys in our region have cordless impacts at the local auto-x. I'll have to make a point of running around to get opinions. Right now, I have to break bolts loose by hand and then spin them off with the gun.
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July 17, 2009 2:01 p.m. wbjones New Reader
as I said earlier the Great Northern Tool has never let me down... will remove and remount all 4 tires (Integra and CRX)as many as 4 times before the battery runs down...( the driver came with 2 bat. ) and yes I do torque by hand after tightening ....
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July 17, 2009 2:06 p.m. Buzz Killington Reader
car39 wrote:
he went back to torquing by hand after tightening by technology.
should have been doing that all along.
i'm pretty happy w/ my little (~80 lb-ft) craftsman cordless impact. i got it to cut down on time changing wheels and doing suspension work. i break lug nuts loose by hand and torque by hand anyway. i actually prefer the little one for wheels b/c i know i won't over-torque the lugs w/ it.
