Impact wrenches
Discussion
Having had to replace the suspension arms on one car, and then a CV boot on another, I'm coming to the conclusion that an impact wrench might be worth buying to save my ageing muscles. Its not something i would be using all that often, but it would make life a bit easier when brakes/suspension jobs come up.
Looking around there seems to be two options in battery-powered ones - big bruisers or compact ones.
The Dewalt 899 caught my eye because it seems powerful enough to remove anything (after a particular fight undoing a hub nut, this appeals) but is it too big to access other nuts and bolts?
Would i be better off with a physically smaller unit that will access more stuff? Or are they too weak to be of much use for caliper bolts, lower arms etc.
And what about brand? My budget isn't high-end, so Milwaukee etc aren't really an option. Equally, i don't want to spend £30 on some chinese copy that doesn't actually do the job. What's a good mid-range brand? Or are the Chinese Makita copies actually better than they look?
Looking around there seems to be two options in battery-powered ones - big bruisers or compact ones.
The Dewalt 899 caught my eye because it seems powerful enough to remove anything (after a particular fight undoing a hub nut, this appeals) but is it too big to access other nuts and bolts?
Would i be better off with a physically smaller unit that will access more stuff? Or are they too weak to be of much use for caliper bolts, lower arms etc.
And what about brand? My budget isn't high-end, so Milwaukee etc aren't really an option. Equally, i don't want to spend £30 on some chinese copy that doesn't actually do the job. What's a good mid-range brand? Or are the Chinese Makita copies actually better than they look?
The Road Crew said:
I have the 899,it's very good but it is physically large. I bought a 3/8"drive version as well.
I have lots of other dewalt kit so it was a no brainer really.
That's what i'm worried about. I sweated over the hub nut, but that doesn't get tackled very often, whereas ball joint nuts and drop links seem to need to come off more regularly and i think the 899 will struggle to get in position. What was the 3/8 Dewalt you got? I have lots of other dewalt kit so it was a no brainer really.
The only battery powered stuff i have got is a Hitachi drill, so i'm not invested in any particular brand
Krikkit said:
I have the compact DeWalt 1/2" which is rated to about 130Nm from memory, although on a full battery I'm sure it does a bit more - it does pretty much everything except the odd really seized bolt, including quite a few hub nuts which are properly torqued, but it's also small enough to get into most spaces with a bit of thought...
If I was buying another I'd be tempted to get the 3/8" one as the sockets are a bit more compact to make them easier to get into tight spots. Otherwise it's fantastic.
Should add, though, I've got a mains-powered big boy impact for some of the awkward stuff, and a 1.2m 3/4" bar for the REALLY awkward stuff.
Ha, i ended up using my 1/2" 800mm breaker bar with a length of scaffold tube over it to undo the hub nut. I ended up on my backside, which made me think i should get an impact wrench!If I was buying another I'd be tempted to get the 3/8" one as the sockets are a bit more compact to make them easier to get into tight spots. Otherwise it's fantastic.
Should add, though, I've got a mains-powered big boy impact for some of the awkward stuff, and a 1.2m 3/4" bar for the REALLY awkward stuff.
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