Breaking torque on battery impact wrenches

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I was looking at a web catalogue for 1/2 inch Milwaukee battery impact wrenches. I saw units with 250, 450, and all the way to 1450 ft lbs of break out torque. For doing the occasional struts, and shocks, how much breakout torque would be a decent amount without going overboard. Also I see they have have stubby units. Are they a good idea? Thanks.
 
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I have the 3/8" stubby and the 1/2" mid torque.

The 3/8" stubby is useful for underhood work and small fasteners. Yes, it can remove axle nuts and lug nuts on a rust-free vehicle, but I would not count on it.

The 1/2" mid torque is okay but is still a bit lacking compared to a proper pneumatic impact. Think of it as the equivalent to an IR 231C.

Also, I have noticed that the torque in reverse seems to be a lot stronger than in the forward setting.
 
The mid torque will be be the most useful, the larger and heavier they get the less useful they become. Forget breakaway torque, its an absolutely worthless marketing number.
 
I have the mid torque, and it has pulled off everything except the crank bolt on my Toyota pickup. It may have had a chance if I had the heavy socket especially made for crank bolts. Bump starter with breaker bar got if off. Pulled the head bolts out no problem. It's dang good for the manual trans and rear gear drain bolts which are usually a PITA if they have been on there a long time.
 
I helped a young neighbor this past weekend do a brake job on his car (He was short on cash and his brakes were shot). He uses his car during the week traveling for his job so it was imperative he get it done. I had to muscle all the bolts free and this old body felt it afterwards (still do). Talked to my son later that evening and he told me to go to Harbor Freight and pick up an Earthquake XT that was on sale. He has one and loves it. He's a pilot, not a mechanic, but he does all the maintenance on his vehicles. So, I went and picked one up this past Sunday. I've never used one before so this will be a learning experience for me. I've been watching Youtube videos on air impact wrenches trying to pick up some pointers. I do have an air compressor that will handle the tool's requirements. Any pointers from members here would be helpful as well. And please, no Harbor Freight bashing.
 
I use my little 12v Milwaukee impact driver for anything that the shape will allow. You have to be careful but that thing will kick [censored].....and snap bolts if you're not careful. My next buy will be the Milwaukee bare tool to match the 12 V Fuel batteries. The big stuff still gets the Aircat.
 
Originally Posted by Driz
I use my little 12v Milwaukee impact driver for anything that the shape will allow. You have to be careful but that thing will kick [censored].....and snap bolts if you're not careful. My next buy will be the Milwaukee bare tool to match the 12 V Fuel batteries. The big stuff still gets the Aircat.


There are no 12volt fuel batteries.
There are 12volt and 12volt fuel Tools.

The Milwaukee stubby impact is 250 lb-ft.. its good for most stuff and relatively small.

I also have a dewalt mid torque and bigger dcf899.

I will probably sell off the dewalt mid-torque because the Milwaukee mostly replaced it at 2/3 the weight.

I was hesitant to buy the dewalt mid range impact but I found it on price mistake for
Its a good impact but too small for anything seriously stuck, and too big to be considered small or compact.
The Milwaukee version "mid-torque" has about 25% more torque which makes it a more useful buy.
 
Originally Posted by Rand
Originally Posted by Driz
I use my little 12v Milwaukee impact driver for anything that the shape will allow. You have to be careful but that thing will kick [censored].....and snap bolts if you're not careful. My next buy will be the Milwaukee bare tool to match the 12 V Fuel batteries. The big stuff still gets the Aircat.


There are no 12volt fuel batteries.
There are 12volt and 12volt fuel Tools.

The Milwaukee stubby impact is 250 lb-ft.. its good for most stuff and relatively small.

I also have a dewalt mid torque and bigger dcf899.

I will probably sell off the dewalt mid-torque because the Milwaukee mostly replaced it at 2/3 the weight.

I was hesitant to buy the dewalt mid range impact but I found it on price mistake for
Its a good impact but too small for anything seriously stuck, and too big to be considered small or compact.
The Milwaukee version "mid-torque" has about 25% more torque which makes it a more useful buy.



Yup, I meant M-12. Great tools and very long lived batteries. Dewalt aren't even in the same class, I've got both and there won't be anymore Dewalts.
 
I have both air and battery impact tools in 3/8 and 1/2 inch.

The 3/8 20V Dewalt is good for oil pan bolts and other similar light work.

The 1/2 20V XR Dewalt is rated at 700/1200. It's darn good and will easily remove wheels and other large fasteners.

However, neither is as powerful as my higher end air powered units. When I have the occasional really stuck large fastener, such as a rusty suspension bolt on a truck, the air powered units still work best.
 
18 years back I bought a milwaukee 1/2 electric impact which makes like 300 lb/ft, I probably used it 3 times. I use smaller battery ones most of the time.
 
Just here to vote for Milwaukee over Dewalt. Have both, Milwaukee is much better. Most people will even be happy with the 12v fuel stuff its as powerful as most 18/20v stuff.
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
I was looking at a web catalogue for 1/2 inch Milwaukee battery impact wrenches. I saw units with 250, 450, and all the way to 1450 ft lbs of break out torque. For doing the occasional struts, and shocks, how much breakout torque would be a decent amount without going overboard. Also I see they have have stubby units. Are they a good idea? Thanks.

I got a Milwaukee 2767 kit for Christmas. Its been great. Just replaced front wheel bearing on the truck with ease. The 1400lb power that drops rpm once the nut is loose is awesome. The batteries are incredible. I've only charged it once in a few months. Also like the variety of tools that can go on the same battery. Weed whacker is one I plan to get.

There is also another version that uses ONE-KEY to control the torque from your phone. but I still prefer using a torque wrench for that.
 
Originally Posted by Sierra048
I helped a young neighbor this past weekend do a brake job on his car (He was short on cash and his brakes were shot). He uses his car during the week traveling for his job so it was imperative he get it done. I had to muscle all the bolts free and this old body felt it afterwards (still do). Talked to my son later that evening and he told me to go to Harbor Freight and pick up an Earthquake XT that was on sale. He has one and loves it. He's a pilot, not a mechanic, but he does all the maintenance on his vehicles. So, I went and picked one up this past Sunday. I've never used one before so this will be a learning experience for me. I've been watching Youtube videos on air impact wrenches trying to pick up some pointers. I do have an air compressor that will handle the tool's requirements. Any pointers from members here would be helpful as well. And please, no Harbor Freight bashing.

No Harbor Freight bashing. The Earthquake is often recommended as a good, cheap air impact.
 
The Earthquake XT power starts to fade if you use it regularly. Here is a video that pins down the source of one such failure. https://youtu.be/5qtAFo6V-To . Also see the video praising the HF XT unit. https://youtu.be/UkPzjV-ZaTU .

I have a 1/2" mid-torque impact with 250 lb-ft I use for most things like changing tires and a Milwaukee 2767 for difficult things like crankshaft bolts and tough bearings.
 
You should consider which tool is the shortest too.

I have the much older ryobi 1/2" 200 ft lb impact wrench. It hasn't had any issues with any brake or suspension bolts, unless I need an extension or swivel to avoid an obstruction. There's a lot of torque loss when extensions get added.

So if I were buying today, I may choose a lower torque tool IF the size was notably smaller.
 
if you have a good air compressor air tools are a lot cheaper, but of course on the road a top quality battery powered tool is a viable but costly $$$$ option!!!
 
I have the 2767, the 1,400 ft-lbs Monster.

Honestly, I should have got a "mid" sized 1/2". The 2767 is awesome for what it is, but it's huge and heavy. Not as useful for tighter-access car stuff.

I have a 1/4" compact hex Milwaukee Fuel impact driver that I stick a 3/8" Square adapter into and use a ton on cars for everything but the biggest stuff.

I did use the 2767 to drive some huge lag screws recently and it was very impressive ...„
 
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