My first time using impact driver. Wow!

Kurtatron

Kurtatron

Joined
Apr 7, 2010
Messages
1,598
Location
Atlanta
I requested my dad buy this tool for me for my birthday. 1/2” Craftsman 450ft/lb impact driver. I’ve done a lot of jobs with hand tools. I remember undoing a Crank pulley bolt on a 1MZ-FE with like 3 cheater pipes.

No more!

This thing undid a 20 year old 199ft/lbs CV axle nut in 2 seconds. I can’t believe I ever delayed getting one of these things!

This beast is heavy though, let me tell you. It’s 12 pounds, but all that girth absorbs all the kick back, so I feel barely anything running it.

This has got to be one of the first power tools a DIYer gets for working on cars!

IMG_3700.webp
 
At the risk of being pedantic, that's an impact wrench. Impact drivers are 1/4" hex shank and intended to drive screws and small lags.

Impact wrenches have a square anvil and accept sockets to "wrench" fasteners
 
Impact wrenches, and smaller impact drivers, are as close to life changing as tools can be, IMO. They make things sooooooo much easier and quicker. I have a personal rule that I only use my impact wrench for loosening, never tightening, so I keep from accidentally stripping a thread. For tightening, I either go by feel or use a torque wrench when applicable. Enjoy your new impact!
 
I got Milwaukee 12V stubby, and 18V mid and high torque, Fuel ones, haven't used high torque for a job yet, they are shorter and that helps with suspension work when you need to get in between things. Home Depot runs sales where one can ger a free tool or a battery with a purchase, those are great to add tools to your box.
 
wavinwayne said:
Impact wrenches, and smaller impact drivers, are as close to life changing as tools can be, IMO. They make things sooooooo much easier and quicker. I have a personal rule that I only use my impact wrench for loosening, never tightening, so I keep from accidentally stripping a thread. For tightening, I either go by feel or use a torque wrench when applicable. Enjoy your new impact!
Click to expand...
I wrung the head off of a bolt when I used mine to tighten mower blades on large deck. Be mindful of that.
 
I have the Milwaukee M18 and it has 3 torque settings plus the one that slows impacts as soon as nut is loose whatever they call that.

I mainly do the slows impact version taking off and then low setting going on for my lugs. As soon as it impacts going on I stop and finsh all the lugs with a longer 1/2" Torque wrench.

So much nicer getting wheels off and then back on.
 
JavierH19 said:
Just wait until you use a 1 inch pneumatic one.
Click to expand...
We borrowed a 1" drive pneumatic impact wrench and a 6" impact socket once from a machinery dealer. We used the impact wrench to get a 6" nut off the end of a very large disk gang (tillage implement). The impact wrench had two handles about 24" long each. The mechanic at the dealer warned us to have three people operate the impact wrench. One to hold the body and pull the trigger and one person on each handle. He wasn't kidding. It had so much torque that the two of us on the handles could barely hold on.
 
congrats on your new purchase.

I would agree that tightening fasteners is not for the faint of heart. Less is more in this case always! I will use the impact to snug things but no more than a couple of uga duga's before I stop.

Just my $0.02
 
wwillson said:
We borrowed a 1" drive pneumatic impact wrench and a 6" impact socket once from a machinery dealer. We used the impact wrench to get a 6" nut off the end of a very large disk gang (tillage implement). The impact wrench had two handles about 24" long each. The mechanic at the dealer warned us to have three people operate the impact wrench. One to hold the body and pull the trigger and one person on each handle. He wasn't kidding. It had so much torque that the two of us on the handles could barely hold on.
Click to expand...
That was my experience when I used a 1 inch at a friends shop but the one you used sounds more powerful than mine. I bought a 1 inch Ingersoll rand but my hose was smaller so it didn't hit the same but it still took the 2-3/4 nuts off without issue when nothing else could. I then got the right hose and then it had the power I felt at first which twisted my body when I used it myself and I was prepared for it. The shake it makes made my hands and wrists tingle like nothing else.
 
I stumbled into a Mikita half-drive 'normal-duty (150FP rating) IW at Home depot perhaps a decade ago for $100 for wrench, battery, and charger; bought one for my buddy, too, and since HD was actively promoting their creditcard accounts and I applied right there and then, I got $100 off the purchase, so we got TWO wrenches for $200 plus salestax less $100 = $116 = $58 each!

And I too love mine; it's quite handy to ease my occasional workload.. I'll NEVER be in the market for a 450FP wrench; that's WAY TOO MUCH work for me. 😁
 
Once I bought an impact driver to do some home construction, I vowed to never swing a hammer again. Construction screws for the win. Impact wrench just for doing lugs on the cars is worth the price, just for that one task--let alone all other things it can do.

I even bought the cordless circular saw version. Years ago I thought it life changing when I bought my first corded saw--before, it took forever for me to cut wood wrong, suddenly I could do it lightning quick. This new saw is almost quiet enough to not need ear plugs while using--almost. The impact tools have me going for plugs every time, that is their only drawback IMO.
 
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