OT - Impact wrench ideas

You probably don't have enough air for anything but a very small one and even that isn't certain depending on what compressor it actually is. Most HF compressors are optimistically-rated while most inexpensive i-w's are also (which two ratings are diametrically opposed).

As for experience/favorites -- can't beat I-R (but bring $$)...

I vote for the Ingersoll Rand. They got the balls to remove the nuts. They also need high volume & pressure air.

There's always "enough air" if you have 90psi or so. It's a matter of 'how long' can i pull the trigger. Judging from what you describe, i'd buy an air ratchet first. But any old 1/2 drive impact will probably do your automotive tasks. Ingersol rand makes a good one but they're a bit pricy. Chicago Pneumatic are good also.

Your compressor is most likely to small to make use of a meaningful impact wrench. For an air impact to do it's job there needs to be adequate CFM and a large enough static air tank behind it to generate real torque.

You made a very common mistake with too small a compressor if you intended to try to use an air impact.

Go back to Harbor Freight and buy their 1/2" electric impact when it's > Just bought a small compressor at Harbor Freight, for

How pricey, for IR? I know... DAGS. My air compressor is 0.6 scfm, and I do plan to use the impact in very brief bursts.

My mechanic uses the side handle air ratchet all day, every day. Looks totally useful.

What I'm thinking. I've had a couple cases where my electric plug in impact is too long to fit. Removing the pins from Chevrolet front brake calipers comes to mind.

Isn't Chicago, a Harbor Freight brand?

You're right, only enough air for very short bursts and a lot of runtime. IR? I bet that's out of my price range.

Hmmm, I-R, I lucked out from an industrial auction. Runs off 220V and it is more than what I needed. Changing tires(snow/summer) is a cinch. Blowing irrigation out for winter, no problem. Using all kinds of tools, sander, drill, sprayer, etc. Best investment I made. I think that little compressor is not upto a real wrench.

It'll never even spin any impact wrench to velocity, what more do any impact so the "how expensive" question is moot...

Steve Barker wrote: ...

"Enough" in pressure; not likely enough volume, though. The ratchet _might_ but cheaper tools tend to have higher cfm requirements at the same performance level. I'd not give it much of a chance but if it's from someplace w/ return policy all one's out is some shipping perhaps and the disappointment...

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I got by with a so so compressor for years, and did serious work, like engine, & transmission changes, Even had an air jack I picked up at a swap meet. You have to wait for the volume/ pressure to build up, and a stubborn nut may require a shot of oil in the impact for a little better seal, but you can do it, though a little slower than you might like. Mine fortunately had a pretty big tank, but the compressor wouldn't handle sustained impacting for long. You hammer, you wait, you hammer some more. We even ran a disc orbital sander, but again 3 minutes would be along run. I have and had an air grinder, that was out of the question, it was like an open hose. I have a nice dual stage vertical now, and starting at 160 psi is a lot better than starting at 120 psi, the air grinder still gets ahead of it though, & the DA will run a bit longer, maybe 5-7 minutes, but it still will get ahead of the compressor. I have a big industrial 3 cylinder 2 stage in the back of my shop waiting on a $300 motor, hopefully that should be the $hit.

Unless you put it on a large pressure tank that it'll take a week ( :) ) to charge to pressure--which will undoubtedly burn it out overdoing its duty cycle.

The problem is there just won't be sufficient volume at the pressure for anything other than the tiniest of air ratchets and even any of them I've ever used wouldn't work successfully off the pancake compressors--air motors just take too much volume unlike the nailer piston that's a very small volume device.

I think whatever you spend $$ on will just be a doorstop until you acquire a larger compressor along with it.

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I'll let you know if that's the case. You can have a good "told you so" in public.

Anything less than a 6cfm compressor at 120psi effectively neuters an Ingersol Rand impact. anything less than a 5 gallon tank and you need the 6 cfm to run more than a few seconds.

A CP (Chicago Pneumatic) professional gun is less demanding, and marginally less capable. A campell hausfeild is a poor knockoff of a CP.

A MAC is/was a rebranded IR.

Snapon used to have a rebranded IR as well from what I remember.

It's very possible, you are correct about the under sized compressor.

Thanks for mention the electric impact. I'm on my second one of those. First one broke on the 2nd lug of a front brake and rotor job I was doing for a friend. I was about three hours drive from home, and not happy to be hand wrenching the rest of the job. The plug in impact wrench is just too big for some applications, and the air wrenches are shorter from front to back.

Of course, I'd use the plug in wrench when possible. Every time you convert energy from one form to another, there is energy loss. Just plug in the impact is the most efficient.

I'm fully expecting to do wrenching in short spurts.

As to your air grinder, I'd suggest you look into an electric motor powered grinder. Eliminate the air compressor altogether. Of course, such a grinder might be heavier, or larger than you want.

Ingersoll Rand and Chicago Pneumatic are the standards in the industry. Your compressor will not turn either effectively. No, CP is NOT a Harbor Freight brand.

I've got 20 years in a couple careers using 1/2 and 3/8 (real) CP impact guns and am well aware of their size, advantages, and disadvantages. Never did like air ratchets... too damn noisy for my taste.

Never have been able to loosen much of anything with those two CPs and the toy (pick-up-able) compressor in my garage.

Tried a Harbor Freight electric impact for less than $40 out the door and it did the job I needed. Must have got a Wednesday one as it has proved reliable and competent. From what I read, there are lots of Monday and Friday products at Harbor Freight and it is a crap shoot but the fact is that nothing one can buy at Harbor Freight is "tradesman" quality and you do get what you pay for... and sometimes not.

BTW, Chicago is a Harbor Freight house brand but CP (Chicago Pneumatic) is NOT. CP and IR are old time, long-lived and well respected... when made in the USA.

Storm> It's very possible, you are correct about the under sized