Anyone have experience with one? How do they compare to the home/hobby pneumatic versions?
I don't own a large compressor anymore and also like the idea of being able to power it from a large inverter connected to the truck battery when at the track.
Some of the hd mechanics I know use them. They can produce up 400 ft lbs of torque in a 1/2 in drive gun. You can also get them in a 3/8 in. version. There a few manufactures of them such as snap on Mac tools and blue point which is a cheaper version of snap on. I think you can also get them from Craftsman. Big R
I bought one at Harbor Freight last fall, so I could loosen and tighten the countershaft sprocket's nut. With a coupon, I picked it up for $38. For what I bought for, it was money well-spent. Unlike pneumatic ones I've owned in the past, it's non-adjustable for output.
I got the Harbor Freight one too. It works great for what I paid for it.
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 07, 2015, 07:26:55 PM
I bought one at Harbor Freight last fall, so I could loosen and tighten the countershaft sprocket's nut. With a coupon, I picked it up for $38. For what I bought for, it was money well-spent. Unlike pneumatic ones I've owned in the past, it's non-adjustable for output.
I'm not picking on you specifically here but you raise a point that is worth commenting on.
I own 2 air guns, an adjustable electric one, a couple of air ratchets and I can use them all with the finesse of a surgeon, but, I NEVER tension anything up with any of them. I might spin up a nut or bolt just to the point of making contact, but NEVER use one to tighten anything. (maybe wheel nuts on the car, but even then only if you have a very good feel for your gun and still do the final torquing by hand)
The advice and suggestions (or the manner in which they are delivered) I give on line are not always received in the spirit in which they are offered and I increasingly try and stay away from specific problems but this has to be said before we have a wave of members running out buying rattle guns. Having a new impact gun as your tool (toy) of choice can lead to only slightly less damage to your bike than a 12 gauge shot gun can inflict.
The very nature of these tools is such that they offer very little, if any, feedback until they stop turning, which is great if you want everything torqued to 250 ft/lb. Unless you want to spring for a digital adjustable one.
Groan if you will at this advice (but no PM's thanks) but there are plenty out there that probably need it and I have seen (fixed) the damage these things can cause in hands of an over enthusiastic owner who has usually just acquired one and wants to use it on everything, and it's always messy.
I only occasionally use any of mine, I have a preference for removing nuts and bolts by hand where practical because that too sometimes tells a story.
Other than on wheels, you rarely see or hear one being used in an auto repair shop.
Noel
I have used them, they are a little under powered depending on what you are undoing, I dont think the average electric impact goes beyond 400ft lbs. They are great for blasting off car tires with no hose or compressor to charge up but they are big and heavy and a pain in the ass in tight spots. Strong wrists are in order if its in your hands for a long period of time. Thats my 3 cents. :hi:
Chris, I have a Ryobi IW1400 that I use on cars to loosen crankshaft front pulley bolts when my air gun fails to move them, but never used it on the bike.
Anyone intending to use an impact gun please make sure the socket you use is impact gun rated - I've seen sockets shatter if they are not so rated.
Works a treat, not cheap tho - secondhand was around the $200 mark from memory.
Harvy
Groan.... :morning1:
Damn Noel , you guys must charge by the hour and not the job then. :sarcastic:
All kidding aside it is best to know your tools, electric or pneumatic , and use them with care . If you are not comfortable with running up a bolt or removing one then don't, it is you prerogative . The ones with adjustable power settings work the best to keep you out of trouble, and always use with impact sockets when possible .
In conclusion , An electric Impact wrench is a useful tool to have . :good2:
Quote from: Mark Olson on January 08, 2015, 02:25:40 AM
In conclusion , An electric Impact wrench is a useful tool to have . :good2:
Yep! A buddy of mine brought one along with him to Moab. Was excellent for doing trail repairs on the rock crawlers! :good2:
Thanks all
Sounds like it would be a worthwhile purchase for what I need to do.
I'm with Ribbert on this one. Great tool for REMOVING stubborn nuts, but unless it's adjustable, shouldn't be used for tightening instead of a standard torque wrench.. 'cause your are just guessing with it..
or, grab a set of these to use with it and get close...
(http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608026077990816064&pid=1.7)
Quote from: ribbert on January 07, 2015, 09:19:39 PM
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 07, 2015, 07:26:55 PM
I bought one at Harbor Freight last fall, so I could loosen and tighten the countershaft sprocket's nut. With a coupon, I picked it up for $38. For what I bought for, it was money well-spent. Unlike pneumatic ones I've owned in the past, it's non-adjustable for output.
I'm not picking on you specifically here
Noel
Of course not. :nea: Who would think that?
Here's my hammer and chisel set. You can have some fun with them too... :rofl2:
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/8/1388_08_01_15_5_54_57.jpeg)
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 08, 2015, 06:00:59 PM
Quote from: ribbert on January 07, 2015, 09:19:39 PM
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 07, 2015, 07:26:55 PM
I bought one at Harbor Freight last fall, so I could loosen and tighten the countershaft sprocket's nut. With a coupon, I picked it up for $38. For what I bought for, it was money well-spent. Unlike pneumatic ones I've owned in the past, it's non-adjustable for output.
I'm not picking on you specifically here
Noel
Of course not. :nea: Who would think that?
Here's my hammer and chisel set. You can have some fun with them too... :rofl2:
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/8/1388_08_01_15_5_54_57.jpeg)
Hahahahahaha!! ROFL!
Quote from: gumby302ho on January 07, 2015, 09:28:10 PM
I have used them, they are a little under powered depending on what you are undoing, I dont think the average electric impact goes beyond 400ft lbs. They are great for blasting off car tires with no hose or compressor to charge up but they are big and heavy and a pain in the ass in tight spots. Strong wrists are in order if its in your hands for a long period of time. Thats my 3 cents. :hi:
Pretty much everything said there. So now you have 6 cents :)
I did find mine surprisingly heavy in use, i.e. trying to work with it in awkward places or for any length of time or with your arm extended.
Mine is full torque only on reverse, digital adjustable on tightening.
I'd never consider using it on any fastener on any motorcycle. Farm wagon wheels and car wheels is all the action it has seen. Even then I finish off with a lug wrench.
The small and long 3/8 ratchet drivers are pretty handy if you have a lot of fasteners to remove in series but mine can be wimpy on breaking the thread free so I end up using an extension bar to get the nuts moving. By that time I would be further ahead getting a 3/8" drive adapter chucked up in my cordless drill instead of firing up an air wrench.
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 08, 2015, 06:00:59 PM
Quote from: ribbert on January 07, 2015, 09:19:39 PM
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 07, 2015, 07:26:55 PM
I bought one at Harbor Freight last fall, so I could loosen and tighten the countershaft sprocket's nut. With a coupon, I picked it up for $38. For what I bought for, it was money well-spent. Unlike pneumatic ones I've owned in the past, it's non-adjustable for output.
I'm not picking on you specifically here
Noel
Of course not. :nea: Who would think that?
Here's my hammer and chisel set. You can have some fun with them too... :rofl2:
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/8/1388_08_01_15_5_54_57.jpeg)
Excellent! Another member with an eye for a quality tool. I too have a set. Those ratchet handles make damn fine hammers.
Noel
Quote from: Mark Olson on January 08, 2015, 02:25:40 AM
Damn Noel , you guys must charge by the hour and not the job then. :sarcastic:
All kidding aside it is best to know your tools, electric or pneumatic , and use them with care . If you are not comfortable with running up a bolt or removing one then don't, it is you prerogative . The ones with adjustable power settings work the best to keep you out of trouble, and always use with impact sockets when possible .
Haha, yes I do charge by the hour. As I said, I prefer to crack and torque things by hand. What I didn't say is I run them in and out with a small 18v drill/driver (less than half the size of a normal drill and twice the price!) that has great sensitivity. I use this all day every day and could assemble a Swiss watch with it. Also, nothing gets a power tool on it until I get reasonable engagement of the nut by hand first when tightening.
Impact guns are great, my only concern is people over using them, they are very unforgiving. They are the router and belt sander of the automotive world.
Mark, unless like me, you are the bloke people bring their fuck ups to, you may not have seen first hand just what they can do with a powerful tool they have no or little experience with.
We have everything from Leopards to Monkeys here and while you might be skilled and experienced there are hundreds out there that aren't and for them, some of this stuff is a revelation that will save them a lot of grief.
An impact gun should only be used when you
need an impact gun, it's not a tool to be used on every bolt you can physically reach with it. We are also talking hobby owners here for whom time is not critical and the work occasional if not rare.
I may be little sensitive on this subject because many of my customers like to
think they're mechanics and I see more than my share of stuff ups that you wouldn't believe. They never call when they strike trouble, they wait until they have well and truly stuffed it up (broken off ezy-outs is a classic) or stripped / crossed threads in places that would give you nightmares.
The most modern cars I work on are pre-war and that makes the youngest of them 70 years old. Many of the bits haven't been apart in that time and much of the metal used then was rubbish. Add a tinkering owner to the mix, and they all like to tinker, and you have trouble. Some of them have better equipped workshops than me because they have money, but no idea how to use any of it.
Noel
"An impact gun should only be used when you need an impact gun" Which should be extremely rare if ever on an FJ IMO.
+1.
I agree with what Noel has mentioned. An impact wrench can make a simple job UGLY real fast. :ireful:
This is what I use for the times when I am removing multiple screws. (clutch cover).
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o145/aviationfred/thCAUTVP9A_zpsc7a844d4.jpg) (http://s119.photobucket.com/user/aviationfred/media/thCAUTVP9A_zpsc7a844d4.jpg.html)
The torque on this little electric driver is minimul, even at the highest setting. When driving the screws in, I always start at the lowest setting and increase the torque setting to get just past the breakaway torque. Once all the screws are on and snug, I go back with a traditional hand held torque wrench set to the proper torque.
Fred
Impact wrenches are useful for removing bolts and nuts. If you can't put the bolts and nuts back on hand tight then there are probably issues with the threads and impacts wrenches will completely hose the fasteners. Even when I use low torque drills to tighten fasteners I stop at a certain point and finish the job by hand.
Quote from: ribbert on January 09, 2015, 06:10:17 AM
Quote from: Mark Olson on January 08, 2015, 02:25:40 AM
Damn Noel , you guys must charge by the hour and not the job then. :sarcastic:
All kidding aside it is best to know your tools, electric or pneumatic , and use them with care . If you are not comfortable with running up a bolt or removing one then don't, it is you prerogative . The ones with adjustable power settings work the best to keep you out of trouble, and always use with impact sockets when possible .
Haha, yes I do charge by the hour. As I said, I prefer to crack and torque things by hand. What I didn't say is I run them in and out with a small 18v drill/driver (less than half the size of a normal drill and twice the price!) that has great sensitivity. I use this all day every day and could assemble a Swiss watch with it. Also, nothing gets a power tool on it until I get reasonable engagement of the nut by hand first when tightening.
Impact guns are great, my only concern is people over using them, they are very unforgiving. They are the router and belt sander of the automotive world.
Mark, unless like me, you are the bloke people bring their fuck ups to, you may not have seen first hand just what they can do with a powerful tool they have no or little experience with.
We have everything from Leopards to Monkeys here and while you might be skilled and experienced there are hundreds out there that aren't and for them, some of this stuff is a revelation that will save them a lot of grief.
An impact gun should only be used when you need an impact gun, it's not a tool to be used on every bolt you can physically reach with it. We are also talking hobby owners here for whom time is not critical and the work occasional if not rare.
I may be little sensitive on this subject because many of my customers like to think they're mechanics and I see more than my share of stuff ups that you wouldn't believe. They never call when they strike trouble, they wait until they have well and truly stuffed it up (broken off ezy-outs is a classic) or stripped / crossed threads in places that would give you nightmares.
The most modern cars I work on are pre-war and that makes the youngest of them 70 years old. Many of the bits haven't been apart in that time and much of the metal used then was rubbish. Add a tinkering owner to the mix, and they all like to tinker, and you have trouble. Some of them have better equipped workshops than me because they have money, but no idea how to use any of it.
Noel
Yes Noel , you have made all very good points in this comment . It seems we both use similar techniques when using power tools.
Yes , I have seen the result of ambitious diy's using their new impact guns and was the one who had to fix their screw-ups. I am sure we could swap stories about the time this guy brought me this thing to fix and ........
I understand the concern for our FJ family and agree that some of them do not possess the skill or finesse to keep themselves out of trouble with impacts . We could tell cautionary tales all day long and while some may listen others will not.
In the end , proper experience is a process that has it's share of success and failure with learning every step of the way.
By now I think everyone knows to be careful with impacts and to use a torque wrench for final check .
Always check rotation of impact before using.
use an impact socket that is the correct size .
Make sure socket is all the way on the bolt and not at an angle before pulling the trigger.
do you really need to use the impact or is it just easier.
Just be careful for Noel's sake. :empathy3:
Quote from: Mark Olson on January 09, 2015, 03:10:00 PM
We could tell cautionary tales all day long
Ain't that a fact!