cordless impact driver

[skinner1790]

i am debating on the new Milwaukee fuel line or some other kind i have seen one where they will take off lug nuts i am looking for it for lite automotive work valve covers maybe suspension work and some other things i know they make adapter for hex to 3/8 and 1/2 would this do the job for me or do i go Bosch or dewalt i dont want a 1/2 inch cordless impact cuz i will use the driver to build things with wood to tables and other things

 

[fivespdcat]

I like the Bosch ones, but I'm also already invested in that system. Just an FYI, you can also get the 1/2" to 1/4" hex adapter.

 

[pipsters]

You probably will not be able to do much with a 1/4" impact driver. Valve covers yes, engine compartment maybe, but suspension forget about it.

It's a great tool but NOT a substitute for a strong 3/8" or 1/2" gun.

 

[STGFordCrazy04]

I love my 18v Dewalt 1/4" hex impact driver but it certainly wont take lug nuts off. As mentioned 1/4 and 5/16 stuff is pretty easy if its just barely snugged down with the 1/4 socket adapter but thats about it. It will sink well over a hundred #8-14 hex self drill screws and who knows how many drywall screws on a single charge though.

Dont confuse impact driver and impact wrench.

 

[shampoop]

You probably will not be able to do much with a 1/4" impact driver. Valve covers yes, engine compartment maybe, but suspension forget about it.

It's a great tool but NOT a substitute for a strong 3/8" or 1/2" gun.

+1 I have a nice makita one and loved it when I was a mechanic. It's excellent for removing anything 14mm and under, IIRC it might struggle with the super tight 14mm stuff.

I tried it once on a lugnut and it did take it off, barely, but it was also under ideal circumstances, small low torqued nut, on a newer car. My top of the line 300 ft/lb 3/8" air impact was good enough to remove the lugs on 90-98% of cars, but not trucks. That's nearly 3x as much power as an impact driver and it doesn't need a power robbing adapter.

I especially loved using it for under body plastic covers, valve covers, trans pans, and spark plugs when it would reach. I would break the plugs free with my ratchet, spin them out with the impact driver, start the new ones by hand and spin them down with the impact driver, then tighten them with my ratchet. Makes the process of specifically removing and replacing the plugs themselves about 2-3x faster. What's nice too is that for automotive use, even the 1/2 sized 18v batteries last FOREVER. Just about never have to charge them and when you do it only takes 15 minutes. 30 for the big full sized batteries.

It also drives big deck screws amazingly fast and easily.

 

[skinner1790]

 

[pipsters]

Yeah, the great thing about the impacts is speed. Here I remove valve cover 10mm bolts. Takes no time what so ever.

 

[sdguy55]

The dewalt 20v lithium ion impact driver and wrench are both rated the same as far as in/lb wise. So I believe them to be one and the same just a different anvil

 

[rockchucker]

I would only ever buy a 3/8" Impact and above. I really see no reason why there are so many 1/4" Hex Drivers out there. You can always reduce them to a 1/4" or a Hex if you want but going from Hex to anything bigger is asinine to me.

I went with a DeWalt 12v 3/8" Impact and it works VERY good. Especially for light duty stuff. Suspension stuff is not going to be a forte of a small Impact. It never will. Even with my 36v DeWalt I have to get the Air out for the tough stuff and some over torqued Lugs.

The 20v comes in handy for anything the 12v won't break loose. The 20v is kind of the best of both worlds but it still won't break some stuff loose. Not even Lugs.

Of course this is just my 2¢

 

[MattPersman]

1/4 Impact driver is great for auto work. Lug nuts no. Interior, under hood, etc yes. 1/2 and 3/8 impact guns are for lug nuts, suspension, etc. I use cordless in all ranges everyday as much as possible.

 

[6-Speed]

For lug nuts you'll need a 1/2" impact wrench, not a 1/4" impact driver. The 1/4" impact driver will work good for the other jobs you mention. I have a Craftsman C3 1/2" impact wrench and it works great on lug nuts.

 

[supra90turbo]

I have a milwaukee 18v non-fuel 1/4 impact and I find it indispensible for home and very handy for light automotive use.

It has 1400 in/lbs, and will break a 6mm bolt easily if you hammer on it. I use it on 10mm/12mm head bolts only, it's a little useless on anything larger, but it will do the job on anything that isn't torqued too high... I used it for building a bathroom and disassembling an engine, so it's fairly useful.

This is the one I have.

That said, I can't wait to buy a 3/8dr Fuel gun...

 

[firebox40dash5]

My Makita brushless will... er... might take lugnuts off. If they're overtorqued or rusty, hell no. If they're torqued right, and the threads are clean, and the battery is full, it'll probably do it. If you don't mind breaking the lugs loose before lifting, it'll run them off just fine. If that defeats the purpose for you, I'd look at a real 1/2" gun. It's still incredibly useful for other things, though.

 

[rlitman]

I have the Milwaukee Fuel 18V 1/4 hex impact.
I use it all the time around the house, but still haven't tried it on my car.

It isn't a 1/2" drive pneumatic impact, and isn't in that game, although there are plenty of 1/2" cordless impacts out there that are. I'm sure when Milwaukee does finally introduce one, it will be powerful enough, but I wouldn't even think of using a 1/2" drive impact on valve covers.

I wouldn't expect it to do anything for suspension or lug nuts, but I might just trust it to run lugnuts back on before I use the torque wrench. It feels like I have enough control to not cross thread with this, when I'd never try that with the 1/2" air gun.

Even this is probably overpowered for valve covers. It will remove the bolts just fine, but I wouldn't use it to replace them.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Hitachi 1/4" impact driver, it'll take the lug nuts off my fourwheeler, but that's about it. Suspension work on a car or truck, not a chance.

Impact drivers are designed for carpenters and non-automotive work, and I wouldn't want to beat the hell out of mine trying to take lug nuts and rusty suspension bolts off.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

I use Makita 1/4" 18V Lithiom Ion impact drivers for installation of LISTA workspace systems amongst other things. They are light, super strong, have lots of torque, and extremely reliable. We regularly drive 5/16" x 1-1/4" lag bolts into hardwood work tops with no pilot holes and absolutely no issues at all. They are truly little workhorses.

I did notice a lot of talk about using an impact for lug nuts. Contrary to common practice, lug nuts should always be torqued and not fully installed with an impact. I'll use my 1/2" Dewalt for breaking big things loose (if it will) but not really for assembly. When I am installing lug nuts, I will use my little Makita to drive the lug nuts on but then finish the job with a torque wrench, or alternately torque sticks.

My favorite impact is by far the little 1/4" drive Makita's. I have quite a few of them and have never had one fail or break.

I should also note, I use both 1/2" and 3/8" air impacts for a lot of my automotive related work. There is nothing like the torque of a good air tool.

Joe

 

[03protege]

I use my impact driver for removing lug nuts after I break them lose with a breaker bar. Still beats using a ratchet or fingers to take them off.

my next purchase is going to be the m12 fuel 3/8" impact wrench

 

[the1nonlyjl]

1/4 Impact driver is great for auto work. Lug nuts no. Interior, under hood, etc yes. 1/2 and 3/8 impact guns are for lug nuts, suspension, etc. I use cordless in all ranges everyday as much as possible.

Agreed!

 

[the1nonlyjl]

I use my impact driver for removing lug nuts after I break them lose with a breaker bar. Still beats using a ratchet or fingers to take them off.

my next purchase is going to be the m12 fuel 3/8" impact wrench

No need to sweat over breaking loose with bar.. 1/2 inch big boy will do all for you like a sweet muffin