I got a dewalt 20v 1/2" drive impact a couple years ago. It has really cut back on how often I drag air hoses out.
Mine to keep in the truck. Too many of these tire repair places hammer on lug nuts so hard that a 4 way is just not enough and implement lugs that have been in the weather for many, many years need some help. My Military surplus trailer uses 1 1/4" lug nuts, so needed special tools for that.
It amazes me how far these bttery powered tools have come. I debated buying the version you heave, but I was worried I would break wheel studs with it. I went with the smaller version, but it has 800 pound feet of torque and the battery last forever. It’s way more tool than my air driven impact and a lot more portable. Milwaukee tools are pure quality and well worth the money.
Last edited:
Speaking of tire lug nuts, when we got our luxury RV for full-time living, I went out and purchased my first ever torque wrench so I could be sure and get the 150 foot pounds of torque for the nuts. I also bought a 3 foot piece of pipe for a cheater.
Imagine my surprise when I went to test the lug nuts after the first move and it didn't take much effort to get 150 ft lbs without the cheater pipe. Made me wonder if that for all those years of changing tires using 4-way wrenches that I might have been over-torqueing the lug bolts.
Still here, haven't been online for a few days! Lots of good suggestions. Headed out of town for two weeks I'll try again when I get back.
It was a Craftsman Imapct I broke, not sure if it was 12 or 6pt. It's somewhere in the back pasture now.
I actually like the catfish suggestion a lot!!! Wish it was in the bedroom where I wanted it!
Thanks for all the help. I'll post an update when I get it out!
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
I keep one of those Milwaukee electric impacts in my truck, too, but I also keep a Harbor Freight special 18" 3/4"-drive breaker bar in my truck so I can get the lug nuts loose after the gorillas in the tire shop get done. I've had them tighten lug nuts so tight that I couldn't get them loose with a pneumatic impact gun.
Plus, a 24" breaker bar could be an excellent attitude adjuster if needed...
That's what tire billy's are for. Back in the day when I drove an 18 wheeler for a very short period of time the other drivers told me that the billy was to check tire pressure by the sound, but all of them had a bar of lead wrapped around the head. DOT drivers couldn't be armed back then. Don't know about now, but those "tire pressure checkers" were not just for thumping tires.
Not cheap, but I only use the impact to remove lug nuts, and to just spin them on. Final torque is done with a 4 way.
Similar threads
