What do I need to remove lugnuts with cordless impact

[fiveoh]

This is probably a dumb question but I really have no idea so here goes...

I got this set a few weeks ago from Amazon on the price mistake($90!)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GT0IXO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'd like to use the cordless impact to remove lugnuts on my car at the dragstrip. I realize it might not have enough power etc etc but I'd like to try it.

What adapters do I need to purchase to accomplish this? Links would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[IBJanky]

Search for "hex adapter" on amazon.

Neiko makes a 3pc. set for about $5

myke

 

[Dave.R]

They sell 1/4 quick adaptors to a standard drive, normally a 3 pack of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. But you want to make sure they are impact ready or they will burst. If have a mendards by you they have them, also Lowe's has dewalt brand ones, Hold up good.

 

[Octarine]

Bosch says that impact has 125 ft lb of torque. You'll lose a good bit of that with the adapter. I'm not sure that will be up to the task. For nuts and bolts it would prob be ok.

 

[BHH]

I wouldn't hold your breath for this working, but good luck.

 

[diesel research]

Yep, hex adapter. Keeping in mind though, that you are only getting about 80 "real" ft-lbs of torque out of that impactor. Means breaking them all free by hand.

 

[fiveoh]

Search for "hex adapter" on amazon.

Neiko makes a 3pc. set for about $5

myke

I'm assuming you mean this one?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VAXODO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

They sell 1/4 quick adaptors to a standard drive, normally a 3 pack of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. But you want to make sure they are impact ready or they will burst. If have a mendards by you they have them, also Lowe's has dewalt brand ones, Hold up good.

How do I know if they are impact ready? It will say it on the package?

Bosch says that impact has 125 ft lb of torque. You'll lose a good bit of that with the adapter. I'm not sure that will be up to the task. For nuts and bolts it would prob be ok.

Ya I realize that. I figure I'll give it a try, if not I can use em for nuts and bolts.

 

[HandyManny]

Those things are designed and meant for driving lag screws into dimentional lumber. Not loosening lugnuts. Good luck if your lugs are torqued any tighter than 80 ft-lbs. Also batteries run lower each time you loosen a lug nut. You much better off going pneumatic. I would also go with 1/2" drive tools for lugnuts.

 

[fiveoh]

Those things are designed and meant for driving lag screws into dimentional lumber. Not loosening lugnuts. Good luck if your lugs are torqued any tighter than 80 ft-lbs. Also batteries run lower each time you loosen a lug nut. You much better off going pneumatic. I would also go with 1/2" drive tools for lugnuts.

Excuse my ignorance what is "pneumatic"?

 

[cundifc]

If a lug but is torqued to 100 ft pounds, and has been on there for a while, anyone got any idea how much force it will require to take it off?

 

[HandyManny]

Excuse my ignorance what is "pneumatic"?

Air driven.....uses an air compressor. You know, air tools.

 

[HandyManny]

If a lug but is torqued to 100 ft pounds, and has been on there for a while, anyone got any idea how much force it will require to take it off?

Approx 100 ft-lbs, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

 

[rlitman]

I got this set a few weeks ago from Amazon on the price mistake($90!)

The rest of the advice above here has been pretty good, but let me be the first to say you ****!

 

[fiveoh]

So if this doesnt work... something like this should do the job easily correct?

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=IWHT180-01

 

[BHH]

So if this doesnt work... something like this should do the job easily correct?

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=IWHT180-01

Yes that will work.

 

[pipsters]

Approx 100 ft-lbs, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

My car has 81 ft-lb lugs. This was correct as I put them on myself. 6 months later one had rusted/frozen on, I estimated roughly 300 ft-lbs to get it off. However the others came out really easily.

 

[cundifc]

So in a perfect world a half inch breaker bar should do the trick each and every time

 

[HandyManny]

Just bring along some extra batteries and a charger. But if you can plug in a battery charger you would be much better off bringing an air compressor that you can plug in and use a pneumatic impact wrench with. For lug nuts I'd steer clear of battery powered drive tools.

My experience with battery powered drive tools is that the battery drains pretty rapidly with high torque usage. An air compressor refills itself once it gets to a certain psi, usually well above half pressure, and you can regulate the pressure.

 

[HandyManny]

My car has 81 ft-lb lugs. This was correct as I put them on myself. 6 months later one had rusted/frozen on, I estimated roughly 300 ft-lbs to get it off. However the others came out really easily.

300 ft-lbs to remove a properly torqued 81 ft-lbs lug nut? Sounds a bit over exaggerated to me, but I don't doubt that one lug may have frozen on you. That happens. But time does not mean a lug will require more torque to remove, in many instances they actually loosen with time. Rust and other factors will sometimes require more force to remove, sometimes much more force as you experienced.

 

[pipsters]

300 ft-lbs to remove a properly torqued 81 ft-lbs lug nut. Sounds a bit over exaggerated to me, but I don't doubt that one lug may have frozen on you. That happens. But time does not mean a lug will require more torque to remove, in many instances they actually loosen with time. Rust and other factors will sometimes require more force to remove, sometimes much more force as you experienced.

Well of course logically just the fact it was on there doesn't mean it got tighter. Thought that went without saying...

 

[fiveoh]

Just bring along some extra batteries and a charger. But if you can plug in a battery charger you would be much better off bringing an air compressor that you can plug in and use a pneumatic impact wrench with. For lug nuts I'd steer clear of battery powered drive tools.

My experience with battery powered drive tools is that the battery drains pretty rapidly with high torque usage. An air compressor refills itself once it gets to a certain psi, usually well above half pressure, and you can regulate the pressure.

Ya.... an air compressor isnt nearly as easy to fit in the trunk of a mustang along with drag wheels though.

 

[larryq]

I got the same Bosch set you did (thanks Stuey!) and I wouldn't touch a lugnut with that impact driver, hex adapter or no. Not powerful enough; as someone else mentioned, it's built to drive screws into drywall. A dedicated 18V impact wrench is a much better idea, you'll wreck the motor in that Bosch if you do what you're thinking, especially if you try to break the lugnuts from a cold start with it.

Using a breaker bar to crack the grip, then the Bosch to spin them off? That's possible.

 

[bluebolt]

Use the breaker bar to break the lugs loose then use the impact to spin them off.

 

[Chris Adams]

I use a cheap half inch electric impact to do lug nuts in wrecking yards. It will do a couple dozen on a charge.

I have the 10 volt Bosch, 77 lbs of torque and that may be optimistic, so I don't use it on lug nuts, but I have a bunch of cheap hex to 1/4 3/8 1/2 adapters, which I use every day. They don't cost much, mostly from HF, and you don't lose much torque if you use the short ones. They come in many different lengths. I have them that just stub out of the gun, to two inch from the gun.

I have used the Bosch and a Craftsman 18 volt hex to spin lug nuts on and off plenty of times. Break them with an x wrench or breaker bar, then do the grunt work of spinning them on and off with the power.
Saves sweat and time.

An 81 foot pound lug won't require 300 lbs to snap it off. Gee, how would I know that??? Much over twice the rating and you have skinned knuckles and have to press in a new lug.

Keep in mind that all lugs/cars are not equal. Example, on a Metro, you can spin them on and off with even my 10 volt Bosch. 16 at 55 foot pounds.
My F150 not so much (24 at 150 foot pounds.

 

[sanddan]

This is probably a dumb question but I really have no idea so here goes...

I got this set a few weeks ago from Amazon on the price mistake($90!)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GT0IXO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'd like to use the cordless impact to remove lugnuts on my car at the dragstrip. I realize it might not have enough power etc etc but I'd like to try it.

What adapters do I need to purchase to accomplish this? Links would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Slightly off topic but what is this "price mistake" you refer to on amazon? Last week I saw a $580 drill press for $80 and was afraid to buy thinking I would have to pay the real price and not the listed price.

 

[fiveoh]

I got the same Bosch set you did (thanks Stuey!) and I wouldn't touch a lugnut with that impact driver, hex adapter or no. Not powerful enough; as someone else mentioned, it's built to drive screws into drywall. A dedicated 18V impact wrench is a much better idea, you'll wreck the motor in that Bosch if you do what you're thinking, especially if you try to break the lugnuts from a cold start with it.

Using a breaker bar to crack the grip, then the Bosch to spin them off? That's possible.

I may have to just go that route.

Slightly off topic but what is this "price mistake" you refer to on amazon? Last week I saw a $580 drill press for $80 and was afraid to buy thinking I would have to pay the real price and not the listed price.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/63038

if you want to read all about it. Basically for most price mistakes on amazon they will honor the price for 1 of the item. This is only for items sold by amazon themselves. I dont think they can MAKE you pay the real price for a mistake, they will just cancel the order.

 

[pipsters]

An 81 foot pound lug won't require 300 lbs to snap it off. Gee, how would I know that??? Much over twice the rating and you have skinned knuckles and have to press in a new lug.

Of course not, not when it's just put on. It would take right around 81 ft-lbs.

Then again, crank pulleys are installed at around 150 ft-lbs and often take hundreds if not upwards of 1000 ft-lbs to take off. Same with axle nuts (that aren't angled torqued). Time and moisture take it's toll.

 

[Dave.R]

They are labeled impact ready and are the Black Oxide finish. I have last years version of the same impact and it will do lug nuts ok, just needs to rap for a couple seconds on it.

 

[Major Ramifications]

A dedicated 18V impact wrench is a much better idea, you'll wreck the motor in that Bosch if you do what you're thinking, especially if you try to break the lugnuts from a cold start with it. QUOTE]


Larry,
The impact mechanism will protect the motor from any harm, it doesn't bog the motor down like it would in a drill. He would just get bored waiting for the lugnut to budge.

 

[HandyManny]

Ya.... an air compressor isnt nearly as easy to fit in the trunk of a mustang along with drag wheels though.

Yeah I hear ya. Well....just get one battery for every wheel and bring a charger. That larger impact driver seems like it would be better. Just remember for lugnuts to go with 1/2" drive tools.

Better yet....hold off on getting extra batteries, just see how far the two batteries included will get you first. Determine later if you need extras. Good luck.

 

[Chris Adams]

Of course not, not when it's just put on. It would take right around 81 ft-lbs.

Then again, crank pulleys are installed at around 150 ft-lbs and often take hundreds if not upwards of 1000 ft-lbs to take off. Same with axle nuts (that aren't angled torqued). Time and moisture take it's toll.

Crank pulleys are 'friction fit'. Takes a lot to pull them off, without the bolt in place. You are actually using the bolt to 'work it on'.

My point is, a lug stud that is designed for a nut only torqued down to 81 ft lbs is not going to be heavy enough to handle 300 foot pounds, either tightening or loosening.
I've broken lots of them in wrecking yards over the years, removing them with a breaker bar. I can not put 300 lbs of torque on those breaker bars short of standing on them and bouncing.
Studs that call for 70-80 lbs of torque break nicely long before 300 foot pounds.
Try to torque anything to 300 foot lbs.
Heck, try to measure 300 foot pounds unless you work with diesels.

 

[larryq]

Larry,
The impact mechanism will protect the motor from any harm, it doesn't bog the motor down like it would in a drill. He would just get bored waiting for the lugnut to budge.

In that case I stand corrected. (You learn something new here every day.)

Do impact drills work the same way, no harm done if they get stuck? How does that protective mechanism work?

 

[metaleltr]

Approx 100 ft-lbs, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

According to enerpac it can take up to 2.5 times the tightening torque to breakout a fastener. Additionally they recommend the use of penetrating oil in any situation in which fastener breakout may be difficult.

 

[MrMark]

I was waiting for someone to post that. Also, I wouldn't go leaving the impact beating on the lugs trying to get them off. The battery impacts will get some lugs off but peen them to death doing it. If it takes more than a couple hits I'm switching to something more appropriate.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Home Depot and Lowes has these in several different brands, and in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 square drives, all 1/4 hex drive with the ball lock groove.

Charles

 

[Mr_fixit]

I've got 5 bucks that says that won't work on car lugs. I also have a 1/2" 28v version that won't either.

 

[Danglerb]

Impact drills are in/out impact, not rotary impacts, and I think they are not "loose" internally as in swing and whack like an impact driver, so not good to bog them down. They are also LOUSY to use at slow speed, which is why the impact drivers are preferred for tasks that start or end bogged down.

I do not trust that most if any 1/4 hex to 1/2 adapters are transferring all or even most of the torque.

 

[davesnothere]

to use that to take lug nuts off, you're going to need a good breaker bar to get them good and loose first.