Enough for 1/2"impact?

[motoretro]

Any idea if this compressor will supply enough air to operate a AirCat 1056 XL Compact 1/2" impact wrench for tire rotations?
https://www.rolair.com/products/air-compressors/hand-carry/vt20tb

 

[Iowafox]

If your doing 1 wheel at a time for a tire rotation and give it enough time to rebuild pressure I am sure it would be fine. Constant use odds are you will want to go a little larger.

 

[motoretro]

If your doing 1 wheel at a time for a tire rotation and give it enough time to rebuild pressure I am sure it would be fine. Constant use odds are you will want to go a little larger.

Sounds good as I'm older, move a little slower, do one wheel at a time and the compressor only takes 15 seconds to rebuild pressure. Thanks.

 

[Iowafox]

Sounds good as I'm older, move a little slower, do one wheel at a time and the compressor only takes 15 seconds to rebuild pressure. Thanks.

No problem at all. I do like the looks of that unit. I think it will serve you very well and if you aren't in a huge hurry with it means you probably won't strain it to much it should last you a good long while!

 

[kbeefy]

I have a bit smaller Rollair I got used, they are a quality unit but these little ones are made for nailers and low volume work.

Do you already have the gun?

For the price of that compressor you can get a pretty decent 1/2 cordless electric 1/2 gun w/ charger and battery. Or two.

 

[kbeefy]

Or do you already have the compressor? If you own it and are patient then whatever, your set!


I have an aircat 1200 and like it alot. I have also used an aircat 1150 and it was also nice.
The one you quoted is 8 cfm. The compressor you posted is 4 cfm. The tank is pretty small. Yes, it CAN do it, gradually. I wouldn't.

There are much better combinations available. What else do you want to do with the compressor?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I agree as long as you let it build air when it needs too it should be fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[Tuc04]

One thing to notice is the 100% duty cycle. The compressor experts can jump in, but from my understanding you could run that thing non-stop. Many other small compressors have duty cycles that require something like 5 mins on 5 mins off.


Makita mac700 page 7. 50% duty cycle.

https://cdn.makitatools.com/apps/cms/doc/prod/MAC/6bde6564-3fa6-4a48-84af-0491ace45258_MAC700_IM.pdf

 

[cowades206]

On a passenger car? like 80-100ft-lb and 5 lug nuts?
I used a 7 gallon 1 HP and it was ok for rotating tires. Half the volume might slow you down, but I would expect it to get the job done. If things are stuck, this will be pretty useless though, you'd really need a bigger tank.

 

[kbeefy]

The Rolairs are contractor grade, good stuff.

 

[motoretro]

Or do you already have the compressor? If you own it and are patient then whatever, your set!


I have an aircat 1200 and like it alot. I have also used an aircat 1150 and it was also nice.
The one you quoted is 8 cfm. The compressor you posted is 4 cfm. The tank is pretty small. Yes, it CAN do it, gradually. I wouldn't.

There are much better combinations available. What else do you want to do with the compressor?

I have the compressor... The Aircat Compact wrench seems like a nice efficient tool for a reasonable price. My biggest vehicle for rotations is Silverado 1500 w/ 6 lug wheels at 140 ft. lbs torque.

My other air tools are a Cut off tool, Mini saw, Air hammer and 3/8" ratchet.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

It lacks the needed cfm delivery, and has too small of tank to "properly" power a 1/2" drive impact wrench. You can racket-n-rattle on the lug nuts, and eventually get them off. But, a 1/2" drive cordless impact wrench would be a better choice.

 

[demarpaint]

It should work. Get a good 3/8" hose keep it short 25', and get some good high flow fittings. Be patient, since the tank is small.

 

[Mr_B]

It will work but you have better use experience going for a 5 gallon minimum tank with 6+cfm and picking an impact that pretty efficient with air consumption .
Unless you need the air for other tasks a battery impact may do your needs better !

 

[Citation]

I used a Emglo with similar specs with my IR 231. It worked fine. Yes, after one wheel I had to wait the 15 seconds (really, 15-20 seconds) to refill the tank. If you get a really stuck bolt you may have to pause for that time to wait for the tank to refill.

BTW, looking at that air filter, slide about 1' of rubber or vinyl tube over the inlet to reduce noise even further. This is trick California Air Tools does and it works.

 

[Buckaroo5]

FYI...I am switching from my air tools for most jobs and going to the battery powered option for lighter duty jobs. Just purchased the Milwaukee M12 3/8" Stubby impact wrench and it has plenty of power for lug nut removal. So light and easy to use....love it.

 

[vanapplebomb]

Any idea if this compressor will supply enough air to operate a AirCat 1056 XL Compact 1/2" impact wrench for tire rotations?
https://www.rolair.com/products/air-compressors/hand-carry/vt20tb

Yes and no, really depends. The biggest problem is the regulator. Most portable compressors have embarrassingly cheap regulators. Extremely restrictive and can not flow the air that most decent impacts require to get the best out of them. If you can tap directly into the tank to get around the cheap regulator, you are gold. The impact will still work connected to the regulated outlet, but don’t expect to ever get 90 PSI working pressure at the tool, or hit nearly as hard as advertised, even with the regulator maxed out. Those cheap regulators are a huge choke point in the air stream. Fine for low use tools like nail guns, but useless with high consumption tools like impacts.

 

[strutaeng]

I have the compressor... The Aircat Compact wrench seems like a nice efficient tool for a reasonable price. My biggest vehicle for rotations is Silverado 1500 w/ 6 lug wheels at 140 ft. lbs torque.

My other air tools are a Cut off tool, Mini saw, Air hammer and 3/8" ratchet.

I was going to say I'd pass on that compressor. Thought you were shopping for one...3.2 gallon and 4.2 CFM is just too little to get any real work done. That gun says it requires 8 CFM, so 2x what your compressor will put out. "Maybe" with a large tank like 20-30 gallon it may get you by.

Does your compressor keep up with the cut off tool? Some rotary air tools are real air hogs.

I've got a old 2HP (19A motor nameplate) Emglo that puts out 8.1 CFM with a 17 gallon tank and does keep up with my die grinder and needle scaler, but runs non-stop if I'm using the tool continuously.

I did a large handrail job on my house and used the die grinder for about 2 hours, and it worked just fine. Just stopped here and there to change positions...It's funny that the HF die grinder says "average" air consumption is 4CFM. Probably twice once you start hogging material away!
https://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-front-exhaust-air-angle-die-grinder-52848.html

And those published CFM ratings are under new conditions with new air filter. They probably put out less CFM, because nobody really ever remembers to change the air filters on them. And pumps/valves lose efficiency because, well, because stuff just wears out...

Don't want to be a smart a$$, but I think that impact is going to laugh at your compressor. But just try and see how it does. If it doesn't work, no harm in trying.

 

[motoretro]

Thanks for all the information guys. Well I was trying to make a decision as yes, I do have the Rol-Air compressor. I purchased it specifically for just airing up tires, blowing off parts plus I use it to push water out of my garden hose in the winter to keep it from freezing. I do have another compressor, it's a 220V 3 HP, 26 gallon, C/H although it's seen better days and will require work to keep using in the future. While I certainly considered a Cordless impact, the only other cordless tool I have is a 4Ah string trimmer, that said, I would be starting fresh which is expensive if I replace all my air tools. The Aircat was less than $100 which is a bargain in my eyes so I considered it although have not purchased yet. The main problem is my tools are getting old after wrenching on stuff for over 50 years.

 

[Mr_B]

Yeh the aircat at less than 100bucks is a nice buy.
It will work (i've used similar impacts on small compressor and charged cylinders) but on a tight or seized scenario in which dynamic pressure and available flow be too low make proper power and for longer impacting runs it be actually getting worse and hitting softer than a 2 to 5 second burst .
bypassing regulator could prove handy tweak and as i think these rolair max out at 135psi static it probably give gun 100psi dynamic for short impact bursts and on lug nuts in normal scenarios it all over in 2 or 3 seconds

 

[Citation]

Here are example videos running impact wrenches off small compressors.

I saw some other videos like these but they were using what looked like 1/4" ID hose. My own experience is 25' of 1/4" ID hose restricts my wrench to the point it has trouble with lugnuts on a small car. Changing to my 50' 3/8" hose is a world of positive difference.

So long as you are just breaking the nut then it comes off with little resistance this should be fine.