IR Hammerhead opinions?
- Thread starter Puckett_k
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Toolgarage
Well-known member
idk but been looking at them for a while but since i dont use my tools at work i build my tool set slowly so dont need it at the moment but looks like a usefull tool in tight places
Griff93
Well-known member
I'm pretty disappointed in mine. It's just not strong enough to do much with. It won't break loose bolts that I use a long 3/8 ratchet for. It struggles with bolt thread sizes 10mm and up. It would be great for crank bolts if it was stronger. The reactionless part is really nice. I have the 1/2 drive version. It would be more useful in 3/8 in place of a 3/8 air ratchet.
murphaayyy
Well-known member
i do not own one, but in my opinion a 1/2 drive air ratchet is a waste unless maybe your working on big trucks. a good 3/8 should remove basically anything bolted to the engine, brakes, and i would assume it to be smaller for more compact areas and easier to deal with. anything bigger the impact takes care of with some help of extensions and universal joints/sockets.
as for crank bolts if it isnt impact accessible throw a break bar on it (a good one) and place the handle on something solid going in the right direction and crank the engine.
as for crank bolts if it isnt impact accessible throw a break bar on it (a good one) and place the handle on something solid going in the right direction and crank the engine.
babyjimmy
Active member
I own the 3/8". I absolutely love that damn thing. Reactionless feature is priceless. Tons of power for what it is.
murphaayyy
Well-known member
ah yea that makes sense, something big and industrial. yea i would read more before being discouraged. i agree with gsteg, there has gotta be something wrong with that guys.
edit: thread size of 10mm, big difference of head size 10mm so maybe it has reached its max.
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DetroitDIESEL444
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- Joined
- Jan 30, 2009
- Messages
- 276
I have one that I use mainly on engines, 3/8" not super powerful but seems stronger than any air ratchet.
jamesc
Well-known member
I was thinking about getting one today, will it undo a crank bolt if it is not siezed. is it worth the price?
honcho
Well-known member
Don't have a Hammerhead, but my experience with air impact tools is air supply is everything. If you're working on big industrial equipment, I'm going to assume you have a healthy source of air. No impact gun can meet it's rated strength unless it has both adequate pressure and volume of air. it's hard to argue with genuine experience with a product, but sometimes you have make sure folks are accurately describing the conditions that they experienced with the item. Air pressure, air volume, size and condition of hardware, etc, etc....... all have a direct impact on the ability of a given air tool being successful at the task to be performed.
I'm always surprised by my friends who try to run impact tools from little pancake tank compressors.
I'm always surprised by my friends who try to run impact tools from little pancake tank compressors.
abvw
Well-known member
I have one in 3/8", and it does pretty much 90% of what I ask it to do in a professional environment (automotive). If the Hammerhead won't break the fastener loose, no biggie, I'll just bust out my breaker bar.
At 200ft/lb, its more than enough to install lug nuts. It also spins at 7000 rpm, vs the sub 300 rpm on conventional air ratchets. The head is a little bulky, but that doesn't really bother me that much.
If I bought the 1/2" like Griff93 did, I'm sure I would be disappointed as well.
At 200ft/lb, its more than enough to install lug nuts. It also spins at 7000 rpm, vs the sub 300 rpm on conventional air ratchets. The head is a little bulky, but that doesn't really bother me that much.
If I bought the 1/2" like Griff93 did, I'm sure I would be disappointed as well.
HAP
Well-known member
I'm always surprised by my friends who try to run impact tools from little pancake tank compressors.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, with one of those little coilled air lines...
Get the 3/8" for the best value and practical use.
HAP
Yeah, with one of those little coilled air lines...
Get the 3/8" for the best value and practical use.
HAP
not sure what the issue is with that user but its perfectly fine all the way up the size range. Just depends on what the fastener was torqued to. Realistically i'd say you're looking at a max of 100-125 foot pounds plus whatever resistance corrosion adds in so really it performs quite well. In the automotive world it shines for pulley bolts, brakes, exhaust/frame etc.. Does it all without a hiccup. As with most others, purchased a 3/8" drive since the power is the same. Figured the lower the profile the sockets the better.
Go look at one and educate yourself. Its a neat tool IR released last year, essentially an impact wrench in the form of an air ratchet. In every way its superior to a basic air ratchet except size.
Any plans to shrink it for a 1/4" version?
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Griff93
Well-known member
Just for reference, I'm using it at work. We have an 80 gallon compressor. I'm not sure what the line pressure is but we don't have any problems getting bolts loose with our regular impacts.
I've also brought it home to use. I have an 80 gallon IR T30, 3/8 fittings, and 150psi line pressure. It's still underpowered but it does a bit better than at work I think mostly due to the 3/8 fittings vs the 1/4. I took the lugs off my wife's jeep with it just messing around. It did it but had to hammer on them just a bit more than I thought it should. Just for testing sake I had torqued them to 90 ft lbs.
It's really not to much stronger than a SO 3/8 air ratchet. Based on the other responses, I wonder if I just got a defective one. It's underpowered to the point of being useless with a 1/2 drive. Suspension work is out. It won't take brake caliper mount bolts off either. It's a great idea but mine just lacks the power to do much real work. I really don't want to buy another one just to find out they are all underpowered.
I've also brought it home to use. I have an 80 gallon IR T30, 3/8 fittings, and 150psi line pressure. It's still underpowered but it does a bit better than at work I think mostly due to the 3/8 fittings vs the 1/4. I took the lugs off my wife's jeep with it just messing around. It did it but had to hammer on them just a bit more than I thought it should. Just for testing sake I had torqued them to 90 ft lbs.
It's really not to much stronger than a SO 3/8 air ratchet. Based on the other responses, I wonder if I just got a defective one. It's underpowered to the point of being useless with a 1/2 drive. Suspension work is out. It won't take brake caliper mount bolts off either. It's a great idea but mine just lacks the power to do much real work. I really don't want to buy another one just to find out they are all underpowered.
wafrederick
Well-known member
They do have problems with grease getting in the veins,my Matco tool dealer has seen this and the fix is simple.Take it apart and remove the grease.One certain nut loves to come loose too.This is the cause of the low power sometimes.
Tarheelgarage
Well-known member
I've got it in 3/8drive and it has come in handy at times.
Slightly less power that I would like but it gets the job done quicker than using a ratchet or BB.
Slightly less power that I would like but it gets the job done quicker than using a ratchet or BB.
Seanbev24
Well-known member
I have a 3/8" hammerhead and love it. I don't use it all that often even in a pro environment, but it's a huge time saver when I need it.
MadTinkerer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2013
- Messages
- 213
Can you expand on this? I have a 3/8 version and find it a little under powered. What nut comes loose, and if I take it apart should I expect zero grease on the veins? Do you have instructions on how to disassemble??
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wafrederick
Well-known member
Somehow grease gets inside.The packing nut comes loose,it around the anvil which screws right off.
There is supposed to be grease in the angle head, the nut around the anvil should not come loose, if it does you'll need to get it repaired. I'm not aware of issues with grease migrating and causing problems. I would start by oiling the motor well with a light oil and see if that helps.
wafrederick
Well-known member
Not in the veins,they need to move freely.
Other brands make impacting ratchets in 1/4 and 3/8, with some of the 1/4 drive very small, but industrial quality and price. The HF 3/8 ratchet is impacting and while it rattled a bit it took off 8mm (thread not head) bolts that were torqued well, great small tool for the money.
I agree, there should not be grease in the motor/vanes. There just isn't an easy path for the grease to get into the motor and I have not heard of the Hammerhead product having this issue.
wafrederick
Well-known member
My Matco tool dealer has seen it whom lives in Evart,Mi,no power and finds grease in the veins.Cleans the grease out and works fine.
I've got one in 1/2".
It doesn't get used daily. Doesn't even get used often, but when it does, I'm damn glad to have it. For many of the things I use it for, the only alternative without was the good old fashion human powered tool. (Mine's broke, and waiting on warranty replacement
It is not a high powered tool, but that does not mean it is without use. Periodically I encounter a 5/8" bolt it will not loosen. The ones that it will not loosen are sufficiently tight that the 18 inch breaker bar is necessary to break them by hand (if they were reachable with a standard impact, I wouldn't have attempted to use this tool in the first place.)
As I have observed mine, I would say it's torque capacity is comparable to that of a mild 3/8" impact. Still, that usually is enough, and that is inline with how it is advertised.
A behavior I have noticed (and taken advantage of), is that the right angle mechanism appears to apply a drag. Enough so, that when you let of the trigger, the anvil does not really freewheel. It stops nearly immediately, as if the tool had an anvil stop feature (to the best of my knowledge, it does not). I have been taking advantage of this by using this thing for some disassemblies in which I would desire an anvil stop feature to avoid throwing fasteners, until such time as I get an MG series SO impact.
It doesn't get used daily. Doesn't even get used often, but when it does, I'm damn glad to have it. For many of the things I use it for, the only alternative without was the good old fashion human powered tool. (Mine's broke, and waiting on warranty replacement
It is not a high powered tool, but that does not mean it is without use. Periodically I encounter a 5/8" bolt it will not loosen. The ones that it will not loosen are sufficiently tight that the 18 inch breaker bar is necessary to break them by hand (if they were reachable with a standard impact, I wouldn't have attempted to use this tool in the first place.)
As I have observed mine, I would say it's torque capacity is comparable to that of a mild 3/8" impact. Still, that usually is enough, and that is inline with how it is advertised.
A behavior I have noticed (and taken advantage of), is that the right angle mechanism appears to apply a drag. Enough so, that when you let of the trigger, the anvil does not really freewheel. It stops nearly immediately, as if the tool had an anvil stop feature (to the best of my knowledge, it does not). I have been taking advantage of this by using this thing for some disassemblies in which I would desire an anvil stop feature to avoid throwing fasteners, until such time as I get an MG series SO impact.