Will a 3ah battery work on a cordless torque wrench?

[Tom Sestito]

I have all Makita cordless tools. They are pretty much worn out from a life of being a cabinet maker but I'm also a hobbyist maker of things and as a result I'm also a taker-aparter-of things.

Hence, I need an impact wrench. Don't want to go airpower because I don't have and don't really want a big compressor. Don't want to go corded electric because I want portability. Therefore I want cordless.

Because I'm fiscally conservative, I just want to buy the tool and not the batteries because I replace my batteries last year when they wore out and I don't want to buy a whole new ecosystem of cordless.

So, per the question in the title, will i get enough torque out of a cordless Makita impact wrench to take off tires, do the odd front end work on my wife's Escape, and stuff like that?

It will never see heavy, or constant use.

Thoughts?

 

[Tom Sestito]

I should also say that all my batteries are 3ah, and all the torque wrenches with batteries all come with a 5ah, so that's why I'm asking the question

 

[Millwrong]

The amp-hour rating typically tells you the amount of time the battery will power the tool for, not how much power it will deliver to the tool. I'd say you're at no disadvantage using a 3ah battery instead of a 5, save for run time.

 

[rijndael]

I use a 2.5 with my 1/2" Hitachi. I use it for the occasional tire rotation and jobs like engine mount removal. I have two batteries, it's plenty for my DIY jobs.

 

[kctyphoon]

The higher the amp hour rating, the more power the tool will actually produce.. this has been proven.. that said, it's not going to be life changing differences between 3.0 and 5.0 batteries.. the difference is slight, but it exists.. I use a Milwaukee 7/16 hex drive cordless impact at work all the time. I have 2 3.0 and 2 5.0 batteries on the truck and you really don't notice much difference between them. I'm sure if it was put on a machine, it would be measured, or just listening to the tools speed swapping a 3.0 and 5.0 back and forth you can hear the rpm change.

If I put a 9.0 battery in my m18 compact blower and pull the trigger rite to full speed from a dead stop, the blower will shut off.. I need to start off slower and then go full speed. I can swap 2.0 / 4.0/ 5.0/ 9.0 batteries in my impacts and you can hear the gradual increase in the tools rpm as bigger batteries get installed.

My Milwaukee impacts came with 4.0 batteries when I got some of them, cause back then, the 4.0 was the biggest available.. you'll be fine.

 

[Ign]

The amp-hour rating typically tells you the amount of time the battery will power the tool for, not how much power it will deliver to the tool. I'd say you're at no disadvantage using a 3ah battery instead of a 5, save for run time.

Not true for high-draw tools but impacts don't tend to "dig deep" for power so OP you'll be FINE

If amp hours only meant runTIME you could crank your car with an M12 battery alone - after all 12 volts is 12 volts

 

[WittHay]

I have a Makita brushed grinder and die grinder. I use the 3ah and 4ah batteries with them. The run time isnt great but they do work. A couple of 3ah batteries with a impact should be no problem

 

[Tom Sestito]

If we all said
No, it won't work at all
What's your plan?

You have 3 amp batteries only. (we have to assume)
Would you buy a bigger battery, change platforms, not buy the tool?

I think I would change platforms to Milwaukee. But I would do it slowly, as my Makita stuff still works - it's just old and tired - and I don't need to use them full time like I used to.

 

[American Locomotive]

If you have the tools, it makes no sense to change over. The 3.0ah battery will be fine with your impact. The Makita LXT18v is a good line. We still have original LXT18v tools from 2007, and it's great I can still use the same batteries in my brand new tools.

The AH just refers to the capacity (runtime) of the battery. Some batteries are capable of delivering more current than others. Bigger drill batteries can (but not always) deliver more current, because they often have more cells inside them. But that is not a guarentee. For example, I have a 2.0 ah lithium battery that can deliver twice the current as my other 3.0ah battery.

 

[Citation]

Ok, some are claiming more Ah means more run time but no more power. Others say it means more power. The truth depends. At low current draw (say 1A in this case) the difference in capacity is purely reflected as extra run time. But as load on the batteries goes up you find the voltage sag (drop in voltage due to load) also goes up. This is why a lawnmower battery can't start a large V8 engine. The voltage drops too much due to load. So at higher loads the higher capacity means less voltage sag.

BUT... Impact wrench torque isn't like a cordless drill were current into the motor equals torque out. It's a function of both speed and the impact of the hammer and anvil. To some extent a lower battery just means slower speed but not less torque. It's simply more complex.

BTW, M12 batteries aren't what the industry would consider 12V. The tool makers understood that it would be hard to convince people to replace their 12V NiCad drills with 10.8V Li-ion so they state the peak, just of the charger voltage rather than the industry standard 3.6V/cell.

Final note, if the OP has a small compressor an air impact is still a very good option. You don't need a large compressor to get good torque out of an impact. You will just have to wait for the compressor more often. This typically isn't a problem when pulling wheels since you take time after using the impact to actually remove the wheels from the car.

 

[Packard V8]

Don't want to go airpower because I don't have and don't really want a big compressor.

if the OP has a small compressor an air impact is still a very good option.

For true. I have small, medium and large tank compressors. If just swapping tires, the smallest compressor is enough to handle the air impact.

I want portability.

When changing tires, it's necessary to adjust tire pressures, so an air hose moved to each tire is a necessity; no major convenience in battery impact.

jack vines

 

[JiminAZ]

OP I have one of the 1/2" drive Makita 18vLXT models rated at about 230 ft-lb. It is adequate for lug nuts including my 8 bolt Ford Excursion which has a spec torque of 150 ft lb. At times I have to apply slight hand torque to the impact when its taking off a lug nut that has been there awhile as that speeds things along. But most of the time the nut comes right off. Running them on I spin them down with the impact for a couple seconds, then follow up with the torque wrench.

It also fits in tight spaces under the hood where one of those 7+ lb 700 ft-lb units wouldn't fit.

I bought a 5 AH battery to run it, but frankly haven't run side by side tests. I have used the 3 AH battery without issue. As a DIY guy capacity is not really an issue as I'm just rotating the tires or something and never fully run the battery down.

I love the tool for what it is - a 3ish pound, reasonably small workhorse for 90% of the bolt busting that I do.

I'd say buy it and only get the 5AH battery if you find you need it. They have come out with some new models since I bought mine, but to me the sweet spot is a 3.5 lb unit rated in the 250 ft-lb range.

 

[Dingleburry]

Milwaukee high torque impact with a 2Ah battery didnt work, after a few seconds of continious impacting it shuts down battery reads dead. After a few seconds battery will recover. And read full again. Put a 5.0 on and impacted as long as i wanted.

 

[WWheeler]

FWIW I can take all 4 wheels off my truck and put them back on with a 1.5Ah battery in my Dewalt DCF899 and still have all three battery level indicators lit up showing it's still basically fully charged.

There is ZERO noticeable difference in power no matter what Ah battery I use on any of my Dewalt 20V tools. The only difference is how long it'll run on a charge. We've timed/raced ripping 3/4 pressure treated ply 8' on my circular saw with a 1.5Ah and 5Ah and it makes no measurable difference. If it's a small job I much prefer the smaller battery just because it's lighter.

I clicked on this thread hoping to hear about a cordless torque wrench. It would be pretty badass to have a cordless impacting torque wrench that you could set to your desired torque and let'er rip. If it was accurate that would be a game-changer.

 

[dnschmidt]

What torque wrench uses power tool batteries. Most use AA or AAA cells. Do you mean IMPACT wrench?

 

[Tom Sestito]

OP I have one of the 1/2" drive Makita 18vLXT models rated at about 230 ft-lb. It is adequate for lug nuts including my 8 bolt Ford Excursion which has a spec torque of 150 ft lb. At times I have to apply slight hand torque to the impact when its taking off a lug nut that has been there awhile as that speeds things along. But most of the time the nut comes right off. Running them on I spin them down with the impact for a couple seconds, then follow up with the torque wrench.

It also fits in tight spaces under the hood where one of those 7+ lb 700 ft-lb units wouldn't fit.

I bought a 5 AH battery to run it, but frankly haven't run side by side tests. I have used the 3 AH battery without issue. As a DIY guy capacity is not really an issue as I'm just rotating the tires or something and never fully run the battery down.

I love the tool for what it is - a 3ish pound, reasonably small workhorse for 90% of the bolt busting that I do.

I'd say buy it and only get the 5AH battery if you find you need it. They have come out with some new models since I bought mine, but to me the sweet spot is a 3.5 lb unit rated in the 250 ft-lb range.

This is good feedback, thank you.

 

[GrantCee]

I have the 1/2" LXT brushed model (XWT04Z), which I bought just before the brushless models came out. It's heavy (7lbs, I think) and has 325 ft/lbs of torque. I've found it adequate for everything I've needed, working on our vehicles and tractors. Lug nuts aren't even remotely a problem.

If I did it again, I'd probably pay the premium and get the brushless model. It has double the torque, but for me the big advantage would be size - the XWT04Z is very long and hard to maneuver in tight spaces.

That said, I use it frequently with both 3a/h and 4/ah batteries, and other than runtime I haven't noticed any difference between them. I'd say use them with confidence.

 

[GrantCee]

(Just noticed they have 2 brushless models now - the XWT08XVZ is the one with double the torque - but it's the same weight as the one I own. The XWT11Z, which JiminAZ appears to have, is MUCH lighter than mine, but with less torque.)

 

[6PTsocket]

Not true for high-draw tools but impacts don't tend to "dig deep" for power so OP you'll be FINE

If amp hours only meant runTIME you could crank your car with an M12 battery alone - after all 12 volts is 12 volts

Not so. A battery not only has an Ah rating but a maximum current rating. Bigger packs have multiple cells in parallel so they can supply more instantaneous current. In the impact wrench case even the smallest capacity battery does not have it's maximum rating exceeded. But the bigger packs have lower internal resistance so they transfer a little more to the tool. However, I have seen a car started with AA batteries. They used them to charge a dead car battery just enough and then hit the starter.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[MikeF2316]

I have Milwaukee, not Makita, but my big boy Milwaukee impact seems to hit just as hard with a 1.5 as with a 9.0.

 

[disston]

I have Makita 18 Volt cordless tools. When I started getting into these I decided first off that I wanted to stick with one brand and one voltage so I didn't have too many chargers and batteries to deal with. I've always liked the quality of Makita and so trying on purpose to not become an expert I decided on them. It's been good so far.

The 18 V batteries come in various sizes and some tools will only accept higher amp hour batteries. My drill will take a 2 AH or higher batterie but a grinder I have will only accept 4 AH or higher batteries. They all look the same but there are detents in the attachment areas that make smaller batteries not fit bigger tools.

 

[WittHay]

I clicked on this thread hoping to hear about a cordless torque wrench. It would be pretty badass to have a cordless impacting torque wrench that you could set to your desired torque and let'er rip. If it was accurate that would be a game-changer.

What torque wrench uses power tool batteries. Most use AA or AAA cells. Do you mean IMPACT wrench?

They do make cordless torque guns that use reaction arms called Rad Guns. Different models go up to 5000 ft.lbs. Not for everyday consumer use but if you are torquing 100 + bolts or nuts on a mining truck it would get tiring with a regular torque wrench

 

[GrantCee]

The 18 V batteries come in various sizes and some tools will only accept higher amp hour batteries. My drill will take a 2 AH or higher batterie but a grinder I have will only accept 4 AH or higher batteries. They all look the same but there are detents in the attachment areas that make smaller batteries not fit bigger tools.

That's odd, because all of the grinders I looked at are rated to use the BL1820B battery, which is 2ah. I have one, and can verify the small batts work fine (but not very long).

Now they do require "Star System" batteries, which have been their standard battery for the last 5 years (or more), and will not work with the older non-Star batts -- but that has nothing to do with capacity.

Which grinder do you have?

 

[American Locomotive]

That's odd, because all of the grinders I looked at are rated to use the BL1820B battery, which is 2ah. I have one, and can verify the small batts work fine (but not very long).

Now they do require "Star System" batteries, which have been their standard battery for the last 5 years (or more), and will not work with the older non-Star batts -- but that has nothing to do with capacity.

Which grinder do you have?

However, non-star tools will work just fine with Star batteries.

 

[rijndael]

I have Milwaukee, not Makita, but my big boy Milwaukee impact seems to hit just as hard with a 1.5 as with a 9.0.

I emailed Hitachi a while back. They said the only difference for their impact wrenches would be in run-time.