Monster Impact Guns

[Fast Orange]

As anyone who has read the drive size thread already knows, I'm shopping for what I call an "animal" gun-a 1/2" drive air impact with the power of a light 3/4".This gun is to be used on truck suspension and tire work-a typical situation would be removal of the nuts from 9/16" or 5/8" leaf spring u-bolts that have been rusting together for the last 15 or 20 years.Often these nuts are double width and fight you every inch of the way off.Working with a 3/4" drive ratchet over your head gets real tiring real quick. The compressor and the piping currently in my shop aren't up to the amount of air needed by a 3/4" gun,plus they are just too big to get into some of the places I need to work-we're talking jackstands and creeper working room.
I've been looking at a couple of possibilities-a CP 7750 and an IR Titanium Thundergun. Theres another IR gun-2135 TI? that has a lot of hype about 1000 ft/lbs to break nuts loose.
One thing that has me wondering-are these guns up to the job or are they all decals and hype-kind of like the bone stock Honda that gains 100 HP with a type R sticker?
Well guys-what do you have to say?

George

 

[ampegor]

I have a 2135Ti from ingersoll and I am VERY impressed with this unit. Tons of power, quiet, and most important small and light. I don't know about the power total but it will loosen nuts alot of other guns won't even move. Two thumbs up
Andy

 

[Roadster]

I've been looking at a couple of possibilities-a CP 7750 and an IR Titanium Thundergun. Theres another IR gun-2135 TI? that has a lot of hype about 1000 ft/lbs to break nuts loose.
One thing that has me wondering-are these guns up to the job or are they all decals and hype-kind of like the bone stock Honda that gains 100 HP with a type R sticker?
Well guys-what do you have to say?

FWIW, the full technical specs of the IR-2135TI says the maximum torque is 700 ft-lbs, but the marketing text says "The 7-vane power plant drives enough torque to break away a nut tightened to over 1,000 ft.-lbs. in under six seconds."

There is an easy way to test these claims. Just order one from a reputable online dealer with a money-back guarantee policy, and test it when it arrives. If it doesn't pass muster, return it and get your money back.

http://www.irtools.com/IS/modelComp_full.asp?item=2863
http://www.irtools.com/IS/product.asp/item/2863

 

[sberry]

That gun has a good reputation.

 

[bmwpower]

I have a 2135 and I love it. In addition to the stats mentioned above, I bought it because it's light. With the other guns I've tried, your arm gets tired after removing a couple of nuts.

 

[maniac]

I have the IR thunder gun, just to check it I snapped the U-bolts on the front springs of my F-350.

I was changing the springs anyway and putting on new U-bolts, so I had a few laughs.

Killer gun, you have to be careful with it, it WILL snap bolts, it's everything they say it is!!

 

[kartracer55]

Yes, I have the thunder gun, tons of power, but just be warned... they made no effort what so ever to quiet it down... the exhaust port is in the front of the gun under the motor and exits right before the hammercase, above the trigger, there is no muffler of any type, it was all about power and speed with this gun.

Actually, there are two craftsman pro guns that look IDENTICAL to the 2135, and its 3/8 counter part. its slightly heavier, as the hammer case is aluminum not titanium, but otherwise the gun looks identical. On the craftsman version, it has a clear space for wehre than 2135 sticker is supposed to go but instead it has a small craftsman professional sticker placed in the middle. It is alot cheaper too, less than the thunder gun I believe. Its rated for slightly less power than the IR version is, but I swear, it must be the same gun.

Also, when I was gun shopping I was attracted to that CP 800ft lb model but it needs something like 30 or 31 cfm to make that... thats a hell of alot of air.

Jim

 

[krooser]

I'd buy a HF unit...no, it won't work as well but it's cheaper...hahahaha

 

[motorheadjohn]

I've got a regular IR Thundergun. It's not a lightweight, and yes, it's very noisy, but it's got impressive power. Just this past weekend I was removing ball joints on my 1970 Roadrunner. The upper joints take a specialty 2" square socket that is 3/4" drive. I have a 3/4" impact just for this purpose, but since the Thundergun was already out for the rest of the work, I grabbed a 1/2" to 3/4" impact adapter and Thundergun twisted them out with no problems.

That titanium IR looks sweet, and I may end up getting one in 3/8", but in 1/2" size I've got plenty of earplugs and no plans to replace my Thundergun!

One thing about axle u-bolts, many of the nuts are self-locking (dimples in the middle, or crimped top edges) and will heat up as you try to take them off. The heat seems to only make them worse. If you plan on re-using them, I would use a long-handle ratchet to take them off at a slower pace. If they're rusty or you're going to replace them, then by all means beat the snot out of them with an impact.

 

[z28toz06]

http://www.aircat.com/cms/index.php?s=content&p=impact2


http://www.aircat.com/cms/index.php?s=content&p=impact3

Do your self a favor, check out the aircats, they are quiter than all other air tools and at 4.5 pounds are rated at 1000 lbs torque. At almost double the weight you are only picking up 400 lbs of torque in a 3/4 inch gun. You have to identify your trade offs i guess.

 

[Fast Orange]

Thanks for your input guys-
I've been a CP user for quite a few years now- I've got a 20+ year old 1/2" gun thats been rebuilt once or twice (only about 250 ft/lbs),a 10-15 year old 3/8" air ratchet that's been repaired a few times and a 3/8" impact that I got a couple of months ago.All have been excellent tools,but I guess it's time to try IR-the 2135TI seems to be the current torque king that will work with my air system.The IR needs 24 CFM at max load compared to the CP 7750 that needs 31 CFM.
Pricewise,the IR is $233 and the CP is $202. The IR is about 2 lbs lighter and looks to be a bit more compact. Weighing out all the data,the IR seems to be the better choice for me.With my luck, CP will intro a new gun the day after I order the IR with more power and less CFM.
Now all I need to do is get the money tree to bloom-

George

 

[motorheadjohn]

EDIT If you check toolwarehouse.net prices carefully, you can find the Thunderguns priced well under $200.

The TI Thundergun is $149 right now. That's a screamin deal.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/IR-232TGTI.html

 

[Fast Orange]

No offence to anyone here,but the Thunderguns look like a bit of possible marketing hype-the NASCAR tie-in,10,000 RPM,fancy graphics.The 2135TI seems a bit more suited to my needs-it appears smaller,lighhter and more power-and even though I can't find the specs,I think it uses less air at max load.In my opinion,the extra $80 gets me a gun better suited for my situation.
If I were buying this gun for a home shop and not dealing with the heavy rust buckets at work,the Thundergun TI would probably be my choice- it looks like a great gun and the guys here that have them recommend them highly-and the $80 could buy more goodies.

Thanks again,
George

 

[kartracer55]

IF you look closely they actually DO use the thundergun But whatever suits your needs man!

Jim

 

[Roadster]

No offence to anyone here,but the Thunderguns look like a bit of possible marketing hype-the NASCAR tie-in,10,000 RPM,fancy graphics.The 2135TI seems a bit more suited to my needs-it appears smaller,lighhter and more power-and even though I can't find the specs,I think it uses less air at max load.In my opinion,the extra $80 gets me a gun better suited for my situation.
If I were buying this gun for a home shop and not dealing with the heavy rust buckets at work,the Thundergun TI would probably be my choice- it looks like a great gun and the guys here that have them recommend them highly-and the $80 could buy more goodies.

The Thudergun in the picture (IR-232TGTI) gives only 25 more ft-lbs than the 232TGSL model, which equates to 525 ft-lbs max torque (650 in reverse, according to the Flash Demo commercial). And it weighs about 6 lbs. The 2135TI produces 700 ft-lbs max torque, and weighs about 4 lbs. The Thundergun's primary benefit appears to be speed, not torque, which is probably why it's popular with NASCAR pit crews.

Detailed specs are listed below...

232TGSL
2135TI

 

[maniac]

One thing about axle u-bolts, many of the nuts are self-locking (dimples in the middle, or crimped top edges) and will heat up as you try to take them off. The heat seems to only make them worse. If you plan on re-using them,

Shouldn't ever reuse the locking nut, It's not recomemded, I usually replace them.

 

[Fast Orange]

Unless the u-bolts are like new(never happens),I always replace both the u-bolts and nuts.With the amount of salt used around here in the winter and the dirt and sand that lays in the spring perches on these trucks,often the u-bolt is rotted down to half thickness in spots.

 

[BrianJ]

For those of you with 2135Ti or 2115Ti, how do you oil the impact wrench?

TIA,
Brian

 

[maniac]

I put a few drops in the air line before I connect it, and then spin it a couple of times.