Milwaulkee schooling 101 got lost

[Johnny Generic]

Help me get a few things straight. I have a M18 brush less 1/2" drill / driver , a Red Lithium xc m18 3ah battery, and a 12v-18v charger. I would like to purchase a impact wrench ( basically to take off lug nuts).

1 Would like to have compact tool, 3/8s or 1/2"


2 Would I have to purchase a higher ah battery?

3 What's the difference between what I have and the " fuel" tools and batteries? Can they be inter changed?

5 Should or can I step down to 12v?

Trying to be cost effective.

Thanks for the advice.

Johnny Generic

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

All the batts work, there is no 'fuel battery'.
I don't know why you wold go 3/8 on lug nuts.
Even teh 'mid torque' probably wont do MD truck or MoHo lugs.
My 'high torque' doesnt even hammer on car lugs a lot of the time.

 

[General Geoff]

Lug nuts/bolts are some of the highest torqued fasteners on a car or truck. Thus you will want a 1/2" high torque impact. The best option from Milwaukee's lineup right now is the 2767.

Can you get away with a 3/8" gun like the 2654? Ehh maybe, but from my experience with several corded electric impact wrenches rated for around 250 ft lbs, it takes forever to break lugs loose at that level of force. I'm talking hammering on each nut for half a minute or longer.

With a high torque impact, that turns into 1-2 seconds per nut. And that's discounting the really stubborn ones that won't be persuaded at all with the 3/8" gun, no matter how long you rattle on them.

And really, if saving time/effort isn't a priority, why not just get a 3 foot, 3/4" breaker bar?

 

[On-Wheel]

Breaker bar then spin off/on with what ever.Best bang for the buck.

 

[Tallpilot]

Fuel just refers to the motor and logic board in the tool. The highest power/efficiency tools are called Fuel.

You have all the accessories you need and your battery will work fine. I would suggest the mid torque. It is much smaller and lighter than the high torque and will do most jobs on a vehicle.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...h-W-Friction-Ring-Tool-Only-2861-20/300955651

Look for deals in the Hot Deals section. Acme and CPO seem to be good places to look.

 

[seber]

Unless you are doing it on a regular basis, I would just use a breaker bar with cheater. High torque impact doesn't have a lot of uses for the average person. I can't remember the last time I dug mine out.

 

[DFB]

Mid torque

 

[vavet]

If this is occasional use, skip the impact.
Get a long (18-24") breaker bar. use this to break them loose. Then use a hex-to-3/8 square or hex-to-1/2 square in your drill to spins the lugs off.
I used to take roadside assistance calls for the BMW dealer where I worked as a tech. Battery powered impacts were not common at that time. This is how I handled tire changes for roadside/driveway calls.

 

[BMack37]

Mid torque

This.

I use the compact 3/8" Fuel to do lug nuts on my SUV but I also torque to spec. If I get new tires or something(Where someone in a shop puts my wheels on) it won't remove the lug nuts, at that point you need a breaker bar, sometimes with a cheater pipe.

Mid Torque is twice as powerful and not much bigger than compact, at 1/2" you can use flip sockets and it's easier to find impact sockets large enough for lugs. The high torque is overkill for most jobs, and it's massive.

 

[marineman]

Do you want to put the lugs back on with a torque wrench or a torque stick on the impact? There's some videos youtube that show the smaller ones don't have enough time between hammer impacts for a torque stick to rebound so they can't accurately torque fasteners. The bigger ones work fine with torque sticks. If you're only looking to take them off and have normal cars, suvs or light trucks there's really no need for the high torque.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The 1/2" Mid Torque is what you want. You don't need the high torque for cars and light trucks regardless of whatever anyone says. 600 ft/lbs is plenty, and you don't have the extra weight and bulk of the high torque. I've been using the mid torque for over a year and it's been great.

Get this deal from Home Depot's site and you'll get a 2.0ah battery, charger, and case for just $10 more than the bare tool.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Mid-Torque-Brushless-Cordless-1-2-in-Impact-Wrench-W-Friction-Ring-Kit-W-1-2-0Ah-Battery-2861-21CT/304238558

 

[Bretny]

A 3/8 non fuel m18 wont take off lug nuts very well but you can put them on and torque with a wrench.

I have the m18 non fuel 3/8 impact. Its nice and compact. Its good for anything but lug nuts and rusty suspension bolts. I have 5ah, 4ah and 1.5ah batterys. You can remove and install all 4 tires on a 5lug vehicle with the 8yr old 1.5ah battery. Alot of times i find that more AH than the 1.5 and 2.0ah batterys are too bulky and not needed..at least for my needs.

 

[Ign]

M18 is M18 is M18. All batteries work on all tools

If you're NOT in the rust belt like me a 2654/2754 will remove lug nuts torqued to 140 ft lbs. I carry a 2755b (a 2754 w a 1/2" anvil) in my F150 for roadside service.

You should always carry a basic 1/2" dr breaker bar anyway - CHEAP at HF

 

[2manytools]

I can't say I'd recommend the HTIW for regular car/truck work, unless you are also working on semis or farm equipment. I'd go with the Mid-Torque if you don't want to ever worry about getting a nut off. My only beef is that it's the only wrench without One-Key (though definitely not needed).

Before the mid torque I got, I was using a M12 Fuel 3/8" wrench. It's taken off all the lugs on my Toyota 4runner. Not as fast as others, but haven't had any issues and is a great size to always keep in the truck, and I always have a M12 battery with me. Picked up the Gear wrench 3/8" impact socket set is with, as it goes up 21mm for he lugs. My arms are much happier moving that set of sockets.

 

[Tallpilot]

The 1/2" Mid Torque is what you want. You don't need the high torque for cars and light trucks regardless of whatever anyone says. 600 ft/lbs is plenty, and you don't have the extra weight and bulk of the high torque. I've been using the mid torque for over a year and it's been great.

I think that advice comes from people that don’t own a mid torque. I agree that the older non high torque wrenches especially the compacts struggle occasionally with higher torque bolts. But this advice that everyone needs the high torque as their first impact is silly. The mid torque really is the best compromise between size/weight and power.

 

[unknownroad]

I have the m18 non fuel 3/8 impact. Its nice and compact. Its good for anything but lug nuts and rusty suspension bolts.

At least working on passenger cars and light trucks as a hobbyist, I can't think of any time I've felt the need for (and had the space to use) an impact on anything but lug nuts and rusty suspension bolts

 

[kelpaso1]

Do you want to put the lugs back on with a torque wrench or a torque stick on the impact? There's some videos youtube that show the smaller ones don't have enough time between hammer impacts for a torque stick to rebound so they can't accurately torque fasteners. The bigger ones work fine with torque sticks. If you're only looking to take them off and have normal cars, suvs or light trucks there's really no need for the high torque.

Torque sticks are anything BUT accurate and are for lazy mechanics or ones to cheap to buy a torque wrench.

 

[sreeb]

M18 is M18 is M18. All batteries work on all tools

Ah no.

Higher current demand tools, circular saw and sawsall for instance, won't work with some of the batteries.

If you look at the batteries, the connector has ridges depending on it's capacity. Some tools don't have matching grooves so smaller batteries can't even be inserted.

I don't think the impact wrenches are high current tools though.

 

[Tallpilot]

Torque sticks are anything BUT accurate and are for lazy mechanics or ones to cheap to buy a torque wrench.

Pretty much. Honestly this (and the other predictable consequences of the flat rate system) is the main reason I do my own work. I'd pay a fair price to have it done right. I won't pay an inflated price to have it done with corners cut (but don't worry only the corners I'm pretty sure won't cause a comeback (soon enough to know it was my fault) because those cost me more money than I make beating the book).

Don't bother rationalizing. I really do get it and don't blame the average tech.

I spent half my life as an airline pilot. Ever wonder why most flights are late? Airline pilots get paid by the flight hour and they control the speed of the aircraft. When the compensation scheme is a game between the employer and the employee sometimes the employer wins and sometimes the employee wins. Any idea who always loses?

 

[marineman]

I spent half my life as an airline pilot. Ever wonder why most flights are late? Airline pilots get paid by the flight hour and they control the speed of the aircraft. When the compensation scheme is a game between the employer and the employee sometimes the employer wins and sometimes the employee wins. Any idea who always loses?

Way off topic here but are the hours the pilot is scheduled for different than the times they print on the ticket? Literally every flight I've been on which isn't a lot we push off late but the pilot claims he had extra fuel put on so we can fly faster and we always make it to destination 5-10 minutes before expected arrival.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Ah no.

Higher current demand tools, circular saw and sawsall for instance, won't work with some of the batteries.

If you look at the batteries, the connector has ridges depending on it's capacity. Some tools don't have matching grooves so smaller batteries can't even be inserted.

I don't think the impact wrenches are high current tools though.

That may have been true with the older batteries or brushed motor tools, I'm not sure. But I haven't found an M18 Fuel series tool that wouldn't accept my 1.5ah M18 batteries, including my 7-1/4" circular saw.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I think that advice comes from people that don’t own a mid torque. I agree that the older non high torque wrenches especially the compacts struggle occasionally with higher torque bolts. But this advice that everyone needs the high torque as their first impact is silly. The mid torque really is the best compromise between size/weight and power.

I look at it more as I want the impact most on things where I'm really struggling to do them by hand. Having the HT, I am certainly interested in a MT, but I don't think I'd trade.

 

[sreeb]

One of each.

 

[Tallpilot]

I look at it more as I want the impact most on things where I'm really struggling to do them by hand. Having the HT, I am certainly interested in a MT, but I don't think I'd trade.

Like you I started with an HT (the MT wasn't available) then picked up my MT. I almost never pull out the HT but I kept it so I know it is there if I need it.

In practice I have not found anything the MT wouldn't do. On crank bolts and axle nuts it will hammer for a second or two where the HT will just spin it right off but I've never had it fail.

I do not work on Class 8 trucks or even anything medium duty so I can't speak to that but anything up to an F250 and I think you are fine with the MT so that's why I recommend it as the best first Milwaukee impact.